Friends or Enemies?

THANK YOU!!! You are so right!

Hi Maryellen, You are going to find yourself doubting your decision no matter what people tell you. IT is a major surgery, its anatomy altering and it does have its risks. However being overweight and unhealthy has many risks as well. My suggestion is to not talk to to many people who dont know much about the surgery. Focus your energy on talking to people who already have had it, both the ones who have been successful and the ones who have experienced complications. Get a clear view of what this sugery is all about from both angles, which looks like what you have been doing anyway. Research your surgeon carefully . Get as much information as you can to make your decision. This is something only you can decide if it is right for you. For me all the risks were worth taking. I am happier and healthier right now then i was ever before. I try really hard to follow all the rules and not drift off in the wrong direction. Compliance with the program is one of the most important parts of this surgery for success. I am now 128 pounds, 2 under surgeons goal and hopeing to get to 120 for my own personal .....Good luck to you and we are here to help you with your questions. LisaMarie

THANK YOU!!!

Hi Maryellen, I think that I would have asked for names and telephone numbers--everyone "knows" somebody --who "knows" somebody. There are "horror" stories for almost every situation that exists in this world! I made up my mind to do this--I didn't consult "well-meaning" friends--and I knew the risks--I weighed them and I took my best shot--I had absolutely NO complications--and I would do it again in a heartbeat. BUT it should be your decission and yours alone. Be Blessed and you be the judge--Is it worth the risk??? Marian S.C. 242.4/157.8/goal 125-130???

Thank you and I'm going to try that, asking for numbers....lol!

See this is the reason people pull a star jones (have the surgery not tell anyone, and deny it when questioned) because people have a lot of opinions mostly based in hearsay. The fact is that very few people die from bariatric surgery. The national average is 1 in every 200 for inital surgery. Some surgeons have better statistics then that....just try to find a good surgeon. Anyway if you have the DS or the RNY you will need to have regular follow up to make sure you don't end up toothless and hairless...lol (although i've never heard of anyone that has). The reality is that there is malabsorbtive factor to the DS and RNY and you will need to have blood work done on a regular basis for the rest of your life. Are there risks to getting WLS sure...but sometimes in the face of risks it's still better to take that chance then stay where you are. I know at 500 lbs., if i stayed on the course that i was on..i would be dead within a few years. I could barely walk, barely breath, i was barely living. I felt like i was a prisioner in my own body. WLS has slowly broken the shackles off my life. Before surgery i barely had enough energy to get through the day...these days i am driving everyone in my family crazy because i have too much energy. I hope that you won't let well meaning but ignorant people stop you from doing what is best for you. personally i lived 26 of my 33 years as obese and the last 10 of those i was super morbidly obese. I tried so many times to lose the weight on my own. I tried atkins, deal a meal, the TV dinner diet, slim fast, susan powders, susan summers, zone, zone variations, weigh****chers, cabage soup, Fit for life, etc etc (i could fill a whole page with diets). The bottom line is this. It didnt' work for me. Every diet failed (although i was relatively successful with susan powders diet...but i gained back the 100 lbs i lost...plus anohter 100 lbs so i wouldn't call that success). you know it's easy for a thin person to say "oh don't have WLS" i know a lot of them do that....but let them walk a mile in our 6X jeans pants..and then tell us that ..lol. Scott

You are so right!!! Thank you!!!