Recent Posts
jpmical
on 8/19/09 10:12 am
on 8/19/09 10:12 am
Topic: RE: AKK! Haven't lost much weight 1 year after MGB
Hi Kathy.....it was the very thing I was most worried about pre-op and I didn't want it to be a self-fulfilling prophesy, so i went and got hypnotized for positive thinking purposes.....I even called my surgeon over to my bedside minutes before they put me under and begged him to do as much bypass as possible since I figured my system would be stubborn...he indicated that the 6 feet he was planning (and ultimately did) was appropriate...well, it wasn't ....though I am extremely healthy, the weight just won't come off--I've been eating a modified diet and doing his prescribed walking regimin since my 1 year check up, and the weight is exactly the same as before--hasn't changed in 7 months now....and it is completely wrecking my mental health because I did everything I did, spent the huge amount of $$, and have virtually little to show for it...and I tried so darn hard.
I hope that your weight loss picks up or kicks in, but if not, know that you are not alone--there are at least 2 of us like you if you get to the 1 year mark and are lower in the loss category....sometimes it just helps to know there is someone else out there who can empathize (instead of reading all those posts on the board where people are losing 140 pounds---I pretty much want to spit each time I read that!)....I regularly talk with that other person now and we are doing all the medical research we can to see if we can figure out something we can take to the medical community. As for going to Dr. Rutledge, I cannot afford to do that any time soon unless I win the lottery--I'm unemployed, our house has been on the market unsold for a year, have double utilities/rent, and have so many debts I have no idea how we will ever pay off--I really could have used the $20 grand I paid for my surgery to have lived on.....
Good luck to you..I sincerely wish you the best outcome possible.....
I hope that your weight loss picks up or kicks in, but if not, know that you are not alone--there are at least 2 of us like you if you get to the 1 year mark and are lower in the loss category....sometimes it just helps to know there is someone else out there who can empathize (instead of reading all those posts on the board where people are losing 140 pounds---I pretty much want to spit each time I read that!)....I regularly talk with that other person now and we are doing all the medical research we can to see if we can figure out something we can take to the medical community. As for going to Dr. Rutledge, I cannot afford to do that any time soon unless I win the lottery--I'm unemployed, our house has been on the market unsold for a year, have double utilities/rent, and have so many debts I have no idea how we will ever pay off--I really could have used the $20 grand I paid for my surgery to have lived on.....
Good luck to you..I sincerely wish you the best outcome possible.....
Topic: RE: AKK! Haven't lost much weight 1 year after MGB
I am going on 4 months post op and have only lost 23 lbs. I am scared of the very thing that you are talking about. No matter what you do, the dam weight won't come off. Ya, I would call Dr Rutledge and get info on bypassing more. I would also talk to one of his assistants. He has a couple of ladies under him that didn't loose enough weight and they had him go in a 2nd time. You might want to get their story. At least keep it open as an option. If you are at least maintaining your weight loss, try to stay optimistic on that point. I know it's hard but I don't know what else you can do at this point. Hang in there!
Topic: The waiting
I will be having my surgery in Duluth. I have gone throught all the steps,
The information session - done
Pre - approved for full payment through OHIP
Dieticians visits
Nurse vist
I do my psy. evaluation tomorrow
Then i have my doctors visit on Sept.4/09.
Then the waiting begins......
I started the steps June 21 (so 2 months)
How long is this waiting? I am so excited to begin a heathy life, it can't come fast enough.
Friends how long did you have to wait.
The information session - done
Pre - approved for full payment through OHIP
Dieticians visits
Nurse vist
I do my psy. evaluation tomorrow
Then i have my doctors visit on Sept.4/09.
Then the waiting begins......
I started the steps June 21 (so 2 months)
How long is this waiting? I am so excited to begin a heathy life, it can't come fast enough.
Friends how long did you have to wait.
Topic: RE: Covered by Insurance???
I went to the information session held in Dulith last weekend and during this session it was mentioned that some insurance companys cover certain procedures. Check with your insurance company.
Topic: RE: AKK! Haven't lost much weight 1 year after MGB
![]()
Hi,
I know you are frustrated and it is hard to find folks who have issues with the MGB. How many feet did they bypass on you? That is the key. Dr. Rutledge is the master of this surgery and it is too bad you couldn't have gone to him. He can fix your problem, but unfortunately, it is again going to cost. So, I recommend you find out how much was bypassed. It probably wasn't enough. I am so so sorry you are having these issues. I would suggest you call Dr. Rutledge and talk to him personally about this. His cell number is on the clos.net website. If he doesn't answer, keep trying until he does. Huuuugzzzz hang in there!!
I know you are frustrated and it is hard to find folks who have issues with the MGB. How many feet did they bypass on you? That is the key. Dr. Rutledge is the master of this surgery and it is too bad you couldn't have gone to him. He can fix your problem, but unfortunately, it is again going to cost. So, I recommend you find out how much was bypassed. It probably wasn't enough. I am so so sorry you are having these issues. I would suggest you call Dr. Rutledge and talk to him personally about this. His cell number is on the clos.net website. If he doesn't answer, keep trying until he does. Huuuugzzzz hang in there!!
Clueless about weight loss and weight loss surgery of any kind.
jpmical
on 8/17/09 3:02 pm
on 8/17/09 3:02 pm
Topic: AKK! Haven't lost much weight 1 year after MGB
I apologize for this long post up front....also I have already posted a similar post on the failed bypass forum, but decided to put it on a different one for more perspectives.....
In my eyes, my MGB, done by one of the docs who is certified to do the surgery, failed to help me lose a significant amount of weight, however, in this one and only time in my life, I don't think I failed and I'm desperately seeking answers. My surgery was 7/29/08 and to date I lost a whopping total of 50 pounds (24.6 of which were the first 6 days post op, so it was all fluid)....my bmi now remains in the 35-36 range, so technically, I'm still severely obese (I started out with a bmi of 41) and I still have about 80 pounds to lose to even start to be near a realistic goal....
I was self-pay and I was hell-bent of making it work since I used my inheritance to pay for it, so I completely changed my diet, ate all the protein I'm supposed to (first)and have a very healthy diet of veggies and some fruits, take all the vitamins, drink all the fluids, work out 6 days a week with cardio and 2 days a week with strength training, including 1 session with a trainer. I have 1 nutritionist and 1 dietician, along with a MD, monitoring everything I eat on a weekly basis (counting calories, amount of carbs, simple sugars, etc.) --I have food journals for the entire year, measure & weigh everything (even in restaurants!!) and don't cheat. .I have every workout session logged and calories burned (using a calorie monitor)....I went for hypnotherapy for 6 weeks (to make sure I stayed positive, didn't turn addiction toward something else, deal with weight issues) and went to accupuncture for 3 months to try and jump start my metabolism when I noticed I was not losing weight.
So, I think I've given it a fair shot at "working."
For some reason, I felt like something wasn't right at 2 months into my 'journey' and immediately emailed the docs ...they thought I was paranoid and said not to worry until 6 months--at 6 months I had not lost a single pound in 2 months and they were not concerned (but I was), so I upped my cardio and did some food combination juggling, then at my 1 year, the docs said, 'you need more patience'--I darn near decked them! To date, I have not lost a single ounce in more than 7 months and no one can tell me why.....I did have an upper GI barium swallow at the 1 year and they said anatomically, everything was fine, but for some reason, I cannot lose weight (which is what I was scared of pre-op but everyone said "if you do your part, the weight will fall off of you--it cannot fail"...well, it did...for an entire year I gave up eating ALL desserts, didn't have a drop of alcohol, tea, sodas,didn't eat breads or pastas (I did substitute quinoa, a high-protein grain), didn't eat candy or junk food, never ate a single thing from a fast-food restaurant, and didn't use any sauces or condiments other than seasoning salt on things I cooked..I ate a 'normal' amount of calories for a bariatric patient (there is some crazy equation that was worked out for me and I was told to eat no more than 2000 cals a day and no less than 1000 or I would be in starvation mode)..everyone around me were amazed that I actually did what i was supposed to (and had I done that years ago, I never would have gotten fat!!), but I did completely change my lifestyle....I am 'healthy' according to blood pressure, cholesterol levels, bloodwork/labs...I'm just fat. (although my circumference measurements have changed as I got more tone, but it is still not enough)....so after that 1 year check up I was so upset, I went right out and ate whatever I wanted for a week...and I had no change in weight either....I think the aliens must have come an done something to me (obviously I'm kidding)....
My doc said to change my exercise plan to have my heartrate to 95-105 bpm (which, let me tell you, is pretty hard to do if you're used to going at a pretty good clip on the treadmill that the trainers and exercise folks tell you to do--I have to walk at a mere 1.4mph which feels like I'm barely moving!) for 1 hour 5x week--it hasn't made a difference yet (3 weeks) but I keep on doing what I am supposed to do cause I will be darned if someone is going to blame me for not doing what I was supposed to!
I am desperately searching for others who have honestly done what they were supposed to with this "tool" of WLS (it doesn't have to be just MGB) and got little results.....my hope is to figure out some commonality and find some surgeon/doctor/endocrinologist somewhere who wants to help the 'outllyers' like me (because the gal who had surgery same day as me has lost 165 pounds and by her own admission has not exercised a single minute--she's the success story while I'm the problem story)......
Through my pleas on a variety of boards, I found one other person with virtually the same experience at the same time(different doc) and she's going nuts like me trying to figure it out...fyi, both of our thyroid functions test "normal".
So, in my opinion, the outcome of the surgery failed for me and the investment in myself has really not panned out the way I was told would happen if I did my part--the surgery was done correctly and I have no quarrels with that, but the results are not what were expected, so obviously this type of surgery was not the 'right' one for me (why the bariatric profession doesn't have a screening tool to determine metabolically **before surgery** if you're a better candidate for one procedure over another, before they take the $$ is beyond me) .
I don't know what to do next....It's crazy-making though
--I did what I was supposed to and have very little to show for it (oh, i had no major co-morbitities pre-op other than slightly elevated bp and slightly elevated lipids, so mine was mostly for appearance)......At the 1 year mark, I had asked about a revision, but the surgeon said "that won't help you" and left it at that and said to wait about 3 years and see what happens (what??? 3 more YEARS???
)....So I'm keeping on doing my exercise and eating appropriately, but we'll see what happens....and in the meantime I'm reaching out to others because I have no other options surgically (but i am trying to find an endocrinologist to help me).
Any thoughts anyone has (or any docs/medical professionals out there want to help someone who honestly did everything they could to succeed and still had little results)....all responses are appreciated...
.and, again, sorry for the length of the post.....
In my eyes, my MGB, done by one of the docs who is certified to do the surgery, failed to help me lose a significant amount of weight, however, in this one and only time in my life, I don't think I failed and I'm desperately seeking answers. My surgery was 7/29/08 and to date I lost a whopping total of 50 pounds (24.6 of which were the first 6 days post op, so it was all fluid)....my bmi now remains in the 35-36 range, so technically, I'm still severely obese (I started out with a bmi of 41) and I still have about 80 pounds to lose to even start to be near a realistic goal....
I was self-pay and I was hell-bent of making it work since I used my inheritance to pay for it, so I completely changed my diet, ate all the protein I'm supposed to (first)and have a very healthy diet of veggies and some fruits, take all the vitamins, drink all the fluids, work out 6 days a week with cardio and 2 days a week with strength training, including 1 session with a trainer. I have 1 nutritionist and 1 dietician, along with a MD, monitoring everything I eat on a weekly basis (counting calories, amount of carbs, simple sugars, etc.) --I have food journals for the entire year, measure & weigh everything (even in restaurants!!) and don't cheat. .I have every workout session logged and calories burned (using a calorie monitor)....I went for hypnotherapy for 6 weeks (to make sure I stayed positive, didn't turn addiction toward something else, deal with weight issues) and went to accupuncture for 3 months to try and jump start my metabolism when I noticed I was not losing weight.
So, I think I've given it a fair shot at "working."
For some reason, I felt like something wasn't right at 2 months into my 'journey' and immediately emailed the docs ...they thought I was paranoid and said not to worry until 6 months--at 6 months I had not lost a single pound in 2 months and they were not concerned (but I was), so I upped my cardio and did some food combination juggling, then at my 1 year, the docs said, 'you need more patience'--I darn near decked them! To date, I have not lost a single ounce in more than 7 months and no one can tell me why.....I did have an upper GI barium swallow at the 1 year and they said anatomically, everything was fine, but for some reason, I cannot lose weight (which is what I was scared of pre-op but everyone said "if you do your part, the weight will fall off of you--it cannot fail"...well, it did...for an entire year I gave up eating ALL desserts, didn't have a drop of alcohol, tea, sodas,didn't eat breads or pastas (I did substitute quinoa, a high-protein grain), didn't eat candy or junk food, never ate a single thing from a fast-food restaurant, and didn't use any sauces or condiments other than seasoning salt on things I cooked..I ate a 'normal' amount of calories for a bariatric patient (there is some crazy equation that was worked out for me and I was told to eat no more than 2000 cals a day and no less than 1000 or I would be in starvation mode)..everyone around me were amazed that I actually did what i was supposed to (and had I done that years ago, I never would have gotten fat!!), but I did completely change my lifestyle....I am 'healthy' according to blood pressure, cholesterol levels, bloodwork/labs...I'm just fat. (although my circumference measurements have changed as I got more tone, but it is still not enough)....so after that 1 year check up I was so upset, I went right out and ate whatever I wanted for a week...and I had no change in weight either....I think the aliens must have come an done something to me (obviously I'm kidding)....
My doc said to change my exercise plan to have my heartrate to 95-105 bpm (which, let me tell you, is pretty hard to do if you're used to going at a pretty good clip on the treadmill that the trainers and exercise folks tell you to do--I have to walk at a mere 1.4mph which feels like I'm barely moving!) for 1 hour 5x week--it hasn't made a difference yet (3 weeks) but I keep on doing what I am supposed to do cause I will be darned if someone is going to blame me for not doing what I was supposed to!
I am desperately searching for others who have honestly done what they were supposed to with this "tool" of WLS (it doesn't have to be just MGB) and got little results.....my hope is to figure out some commonality and find some surgeon/doctor/endocrinologist somewhere who wants to help the 'outllyers' like me (because the gal who had surgery same day as me has lost 165 pounds and by her own admission has not exercised a single minute--she's the success story while I'm the problem story)......
Through my pleas on a variety of boards, I found one other person with virtually the same experience at the same time(different doc) and she's going nuts like me trying to figure it out...fyi, both of our thyroid functions test "normal".
So, in my opinion, the outcome of the surgery failed for me and the investment in myself has really not panned out the way I was told would happen if I did my part--the surgery was done correctly and I have no quarrels with that, but the results are not what were expected, so obviously this type of surgery was not the 'right' one for me (why the bariatric profession doesn't have a screening tool to determine metabolically **before surgery** if you're a better candidate for one procedure over another, before they take the $$ is beyond me) .
I don't know what to do next....It's crazy-making though
--I did what I was supposed to and have very little to show for it (oh, i had no major co-morbitities pre-op other than slightly elevated bp and slightly elevated lipids, so mine was mostly for appearance)......At the 1 year mark, I had asked about a revision, but the surgeon said "that won't help you" and left it at that and said to wait about 3 years and see what happens (what??? 3 more YEARS???)....So I'm keeping on doing my exercise and eating appropriately, but we'll see what happens....and in the meantime I'm reaching out to others because I have no other options surgically (but i am trying to find an endocrinologist to help me).Any thoughts anyone has (or any docs/medical professionals out there want to help someone who honestly did everything they could to succeed and still had little results)....all responses are appreciated...
.and, again, sorry for the length of the post..... 
Topic: RE: Something I just read that is pretty scary
I had a MGB 6 years ago and have suffered from SEVERE bile and acid reflux for a few years. (Sometimes I curl up in a ball for over 10 hours in pain). I am just having a revision next week and I cannot wait to stop having the taste of bile in my mouth and also for the pain to stop. I did lose 130 pounds with the procedure and am not sorry I did it. I just wish I would have known that Bile reflux was a common side effect and I would have chosen roux-en-y from the beginning.
Topic: RE: Covered by Insurance???
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Not at the moment, but as this procedure proves itself more and more, I am sure insurance companies will come around.
Clueless about weight loss and weight loss surgery of any kind.
Topic: Georgia Meet and Greet Saturday August 22, 2009 3:00 pm reminder
You Are Invited
to
Join the GA OH Forum's
Meet & Greet
at
300 Atlanta Bowling and Lounge
August 22, 2009
at
3:00 p.m.
I have decided to make a switch from our normal meet and greet routine by planning a non-food related event. We're going BOWLING! Please join us and show off your skills and techniques. Have a ton of fun and burn a few calories at the same time.
Did you know 1 hour of bowling burns 259 calories?
If you're early out from your procedure don't worry. There will be plenty of time to socialize and lounge with the group if you're not up to lifting the bowling balls yet. We can cheer the others on from the sidelines.
WHERE: 300 Atlanta
2175 Savoy Drive (off Peachtree Rd)
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770)451-8605
***meet us in the lounge area inside the
bowling alley.
WHO: Pre and post op wls patients, spouses, supporters,
children, & friends.
ENJOY: Bowling, friends, and fun!
Make a new wls buddy,
get great advice from veterans, and meet your online
friends in person!
COST: Bowling $6 per game / Shoe rental $5 per pair /
FREE parking / making a new friend PRICELESS
.
DINING OPTIONS: A variety of sandwiches, pizza, wings,
snacks, APPETIZERS, and salads are available. Full
menu is on the website.
www.3hundred.com <----- CLICK HERE
BRING: Clothes for clothes swap, recipes, magazines, product
samples, pre and post op pictures, and any other items
you would like to share with the group.
Please RSVP
*** If you are unsure about whether you can bowl yet, please call your surgeon and check to see how much weight you can lift. Lifting heavy objects too soon post-op can be dangerous!
You Are Invited
to
Join the GA OH Forum's
Meet & Greet
at
300 Atlanta Bowling and Lounge
August 22, 2009
at
3:00 p.m.
I have decided to make a switch from our normal meet and greet routine by planning a non-food related event. We're going BOWLING! Please join us and show off your skills and techniques. Have a ton of fun and burn a few calories at the same time.
Did you know 1 hour of bowling burns 259 calories?
If you're early out from your procedure don't worry. There will be plenty of time to socialize and lounge with the group if you're not up to lifting the bowling balls yet. We can cheer the others on from the sidelines.
WHERE: 300 Atlanta
2175 Savoy Drive (off Peachtree Rd)
Atlanta, GA 30341
(770)451-8605
***meet us in the lounge area inside the
bowling alley.
WHO: Pre and post op wls patients, spouses, supporters,
children, & friends.
ENJOY: Bowling, friends, and fun!
Make a new wls buddy, get great advice from veterans, and meet your online
friends in person!
COST: Bowling $6 per game / Shoe rental $5 per pair /
FREE parking / making a new friend PRICELESS
.DINING OPTIONS: A variety of sandwiches, pizza, wings,
snacks, APPETIZERS, and salads are available. Full
menu is on the website.
www.3hundred.com <----- CLICK HERE
BRING: Clothes for clothes swap, recipes, magazines, product
samples, pre and post op pictures, and any other items
you would like to share with the group.
Please RSVP
*** If you are unsure about whether you can bowl yet, please call your surgeon and check to see how much weight you can lift. Lifting heavy objects too soon post-op can be dangerous!
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