How do you know if this is right for you?

I considered doing this 10 years ago but never did.  Now Im 40 and nothing has changed.  Im still more than 100 pounds overweight and now on high bloodpressure meds.  Any words of wisdom?

Yep. Research and compare surgeries, to minimize the chance of future revision surgery, and maximize your chances of losing the weight, and keeping it off. They are NOT the same. I chose the DS because it had the best stats for just that, plus some other perks like I could take NSAIDs, drink with meals, didn't risk dumping syndrome, marginal ulcers or reactive hypoglycemia. It's also best at resolving type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol. I had metabollic issues like PCOS with insulin resistance and all the associated stuff that comes with it, and the DS best addresses metabolic issues as well. 

You are lucky. You are in spitting distance of Dr Myur Srikanth near Seattle, and I've only heard great things about him.

Knowledge is power.  The more you know, the more equipped you are to make a right decision.  Study, read, ask questions, and do a real soul search to decide on which procedure you could live with the rest of your life.  The more you know, the better decision you will make.  All success stories will say their's is the best but you are the one who needs to decide which one is best for you.

I read an article April 2011 that explained how WLS cured type-2 diabetes (while I had at the time) and I knew it was time for me to take the next step. I'm SO glad I did!  No more diabetes, asthma practically gone, no more joint pain.  happiness!!

I don't suppose you remember where you read that, do you? I'd love to read it.

The truth is that surgery is right for anyone who is more than 100 pounds overweight.  It is not magic, but the only available tool to let a person drop their excess pounds and start over on a level playing field with people who are not obese.  Very few people who need the surgery actually get it.  They continue through life, battling the challenges of being overweight and hoping that something will change.  Our culture gives the false hope that the weight can be lost with diet and exercise and buying into that deception just keeps us trapped in our unhealthy bodies.

Each year that the surgery is put off increases the medical problems.  The more medical problems, the more difficult it will be to regain health.  Surgery is just the first step in getting better. It is like putting a plaster cast on a broken leg.  It gives you a chance to heal.  You have to take care of your tool in order to stay healthy.  But never getting surgery is like hoping that the broken leg will heal strong and straight with no medical intervention.  It will just cause more problems.

Almost 10 years ago, twin sisters that worked in my office had the surgery-i was literally able to watch them melt away.   I was overweight then, and it wasnt until almost 10 years later that i had my surgery - even though i had gone to my first "class" in Federal Way at the St Francis Weight Loss Clinic almost 5 years prior - i just wasnt ready to make the change.   Finally i did it last August - and it was the best thing i ever did - and now i truly wish i would have done it so long ago.   I am 47, down 130 pounds, still have 80 to go, and also live in the Tacoma area.    I loved my Dr  - in 5 years, he was the 3rd one I had gone and seen - and knew it was right when i met him.   My blood pressure medicine has been cut down and hopefully i will be off it for good once i get  to my goal weight.   

How funny.  I have Dr. Houseworth's page bookmarked on my computer!  I just found out today that my insurance will cover most of it and I'm waiting to find out who is in my network.  He is having a seminar this coming Monday and I was thinking of going.

He was awesome!  He took the time to answer ALL my questions, and unlike the other 2 doctors that i had seen before him, he actually gave me his opinion over which surgery would be best for me and why....plus, he can do the "robotic " surgery at St Joe's - i had my surgery at 1:00 in the afternoon and they discharged me the next day by around 4 in the afternoon.     Not sure if they have the robotic yet in Fed Way at St Francis-they didnt have it yet when my surgery was scheduled and that is why he did it at St Joe's but i know they were hoping to get one there.   

When Carnie Wilson had her first WLS, I researched the RNY and the Band. They both scared the crap outta me, and I put off WLS for...well, I don't remember how long. But I just kept getting fatter and fatter, and finally I knew that if something wasn't done I was going to die.

I was still scared of the RNY, but---hey, beats dying, I thought. Fortunately for me, my surgeon required that I attend a support-group meeting before he'd schedule an appointment for a consult. At that support-group meeting a met a couple of ladies who were about 18 months post-op from the DS and what they had to say just blew me away. (So did the fact that they were going to Shoney's for hot fudge cake after the meeting.)

I went home and started researching, and in less than 24 hours I knew the DS was the best possible thing for me. I was so convinced that I chose to self-pay in order to have it rather than the RNY. 9.5 years later, I SO glad I did!