What made you decide to do it?

Hi everyone, newbie here. DH (Dear Husband) and I will be going to our first informational seminar about WLS on Friday. He has been talking about it for a few years now. I was against it at first because an acquaintance of ours almost died during surgery, but after doing some more research we are seriously considering the sleeve. I always said I would never get WLS because that is a last resort. What happens if it doesn't work? I've tried various diets over the past few years, and have seen a nutritional counselor, but nothing has worked. Even when I follow exact calorie counts and exercise the weight just doesn't want to come off. My nutritional counselor has helped me have a better self image and relationship with food overall, so I feel ready to make this decision.

I think part of me has been in denial about being obese. I was skinny my whole life up until I went through a divorce and then met DH. I went on depo provera and gained 100 lbs the first year we were dating. We ate out a TON and enjoyed life through food. It's been 8 years now and I see pictures of myself and think "who is THAT?"

I have sleep apnea since gaining weight, which I've learned to accept, and I have high blood pressure. But a few weeks ago my annual bloodwork showed that my good cholesterol was too low and my glucose levels were high. It was a wake up call. I've decided to put aside my fears of what people would think, of feeling like this is a cop out, and do this for me and my husband.

So I'm wondering, what made you decide to get WLS? Did you tell people you were going to do it? Has it been as you thought it would be?

Reasons for having surgery, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, joint pain, sleep apnea

I am off 2 medications for high blood pressure. My diabetes is resolved. I still have cholesterol problems(genetic)

and my sleep apnea which was sever is now almost nil.

From years of abusing my joints I still have joint pain but nothing like it was. I now enjoy life.

This surgery is about making life style changes. Your relationship with food has to change. You will still have cravings and need to decide how you will deal with this.

I thought about it for along time then my health started to go down hill and one day when I was being interviewed by my physician of the day ( at the time I was being sent to every specialist I ever new existed) I was asked detailed family history and had an AH HA moment when I was explaining all my family medical history and so on and so on all had diabetes, high bp, high cholesterol etc. and then I was asked is there obesity/overweight history in your family members. Uh yes, and how do you hope to avoid the same medical history as your family members? And are they healthier now..... Answer is the majority have all passed away. So I asked what I could do that I haven't already tried and I tried literally everything other than surgery. I was referred to the wls conference were I got so much information and was so hopeful that I can be healthier and thinner and live longer. 

At my first appt with my surgeon I was told that with surgery and following the proper diet exercise and change in lifestyle that comes with the rny surgery, I can expect my chance for diabetes to drop drastically below the national average for the average healthy person. And with the weight loss an increase of life expectancy of a good 15 years. Where with the medical issues and weight I had and was gaining yearly I was told from other doctors if I didn't start loosing I may not be around 10 years from now.  

So here I am loving the choice and the opportunity I had to have surgery last Tuesday and start on my way to a happier healthier me.

Growing up, I'd always been overweight, and while I was a pretty active kid, my favorite activity was and still is reading and I do like my sweets.  As an adult, I continued to gain weight and go up in sizes.  About 12 years ago I did Weigh****chers and lost about 50 lbs, but then gained it all back.  I still wanted to lose weight and I did the HMR program and lost 100 lbs.  That was really great because for the first time in my life, I could shop at regular stores and do regular things.  I have chronic low back and shoulder pain and a lot of that went away.  

It got to a point where it seemed like no matter what I did, I couldn't lose any more weight.  If I had some corn with dinner, I gained weight.  I persisted through the program and continued to gain weight.  About 3 or 4 years ago, I went to a couple of orientation meetings for bariatric surgery and had a surgical consult.  The surgeon said I would be a good candidate, but I didn't follow through at the time.  I thought, "Well, I lost weight on HMR before, I can do it again!" and continued to fail at losing weight for the next few years.  

All this time, I observed my parents gaining weight and my mom becoming less mobile.  I just turned 40 last year and I did not relish the idea of becoming less and less mobile over the next 20-30 years.  My weight had gotten to the point where it was starting to limit my choices with flying, theater seating, restaurant seating etc and I decided that's no way I want to be.  I've read the arguments that airlines/car manufacturers/restaurants/theaters need to realize that there are big people in the world and make necessary adjustments, but that's just not going to happen.  

I had so far avoided diabetes and high blood pressure and I wanted to keep it that way and I wanted to experience more of the world around me, so in 2013 I made a New Year's resolution that I would cut ties with HMR and go through whatever hoops were required to have surgery before the end of the year.  I had surgery on 10/7 and I'm down nearly 100 lbs from my highest weight.

I have no problems telling people I've done it.  I was a bit trepidatious of telling my parents, but they were very supportive and my mom came to stay with me for the week after surgery.  I don't really have any regrets and I've never felt any "buyer's remorse".  I've had a pretty easy time with recovery and getting into the swing of things.  I do wish sometimes that I could just have a nice sandwich or a mess of pancakes, but the tradeoff is pretty darn good!  :D

TL;DR, always fat, actually gained weight on a monitored weight loss program.  :D

Jen

It became very apparent to me that if I didn't do something soon I was going to end up just like my parents. I am 36 and both of them passed away at the age of 59. I have two kids and a great wife and want as much time as possible with them so I decided it was time to do it. I had my RNY on 3/21 the day before my 36th birthday.

I decided to have surgery after going to my Dr. 3 straight months in a row and was diagnosed with 2 different conditions and a possible 3rd conditioning beginning to present itself. This was in addition to high cholesterol..on meds, diabetes ...not on meds yet  and significant asthma..on 2 meds. My Dr. Said almost all could be eliminated or greatly improved by a permanent weight loss. Since nothing else I was doing was helping loose weight I began researching bariatric surgery. I am having VSG next week. Good luck on your personal WLS 

search.

My health was tanking and so was my self esteem- I was pretty miserable. That was almost 4 years ago, age 59. I resisted surgery for quite awhile, and finally decided to go for it. I had an RNY in July of 2010.

I'm now so glad I did. My physical was perfect this year and I feel terrific about life. I walk miles and miles without any problem, and I am much smaller.

I wish I had done it sooner.

I have been overweight my entire life, from childhood on. I'd thought briefly about getting WLS for many years now, but always dismissed it as "too radical". But within the last decade or so, I've seen such a decline in my health that it became obvious I needed to do something. High blood pressure came first, then degenerative arthritis in my knees and hips, sleep apnea, then the final blow, diabetes. Finally I realized that I had to get serious. I tried to lose weight several times, with all the results that I'd had previously in my life. In other words, none. I felt like a failure at life.

Early last year my husband and I went to a talk and book signing by Jackson Galaxy. You may know him as the "Cat Daddy" from Animal Planet's "My Cat From Hell" series. I believe that some people in this world are just plain good, and they radiate it, and that everyone around them benefits just be being near them. I found Jackson to be just like that. Then I read the book we'd purchased, and my admiration for him grew even more. In the book he talked about getting clean, getting off drugs and giving up alcohol, and getting WLS. And just like that, I found my path. If Jackson Galaxy could do it, then I could too. That was my catalyst, and I immediately started the process for myself.

I haven't had any problem telling people, and not one has been unsupportive. Total strangers are pleased for me whenever it comes up, and everyone has wished me well. It's been what I thought it would be in some ways, slightly different in others, but all in all I'm thoroughly happy with my decision and wish I'd had the courage to do it sooner.