meontheweb’s Posts
Posting here as the BC forum seems to be "dead".
So heard from my endo the other day, the doctor running the program here in BC (Richmond, BC) has been trying to get a hold of me.
So now the real decision comes - do I go for it, or not?
My family is totally against it - partly because of the risks (I am Type 2 Diabetic) and of course COVID. The hospital where it would be done at has not had any exposures or outbreaks (as far as I know) but if I go for it, I go at it alone as they won't let my wife in the hospital.
So now I'm waiting patiently to hear back from the doctors office.
I will tell people when the day is closer, but it will be like "I've got to remove my gall bladder" or "Jeez... this ulcer is killing me". :-)
I remember when my dad had an ulcer removed, he lost quite a bit of weight and gained very little back. Another friend had his gall bladder removed and also lost a lot of weight and didn't gain any back.
However I realize with bariatric surgery once it's gone, it's gone and people will notice/talk. :-)
Congratulations on a successful surgery! I've read some disturbing things that people post-op have endured, but I guess it all depends on the individuals as I've also read where people have returned to work several days later. Sounds like you're on the latter, and are progressing nicely.
I am not telling anyone - only my wife, and son knows. My wife's niece that lives with us "knows" (in the sense she hears us talking) but is not the nosy type and as such hasn't said anything to anyone either.
Looking at it, I think the wait time is important as well - give you (and them) time to assess and ensure you're doing it for all the right reasons.
I know I'm ready for it, as I'm tired of being "that (fat) guy" all the time and can visualize myself at my ideal weight (around 160-180lbs -- been visualizing that for 15+ years LOL).
M
Well I finally had an appt. with my endocrinologist about 1-2 weeks ago and brought up bariatric surgery and it's a GO! They will refer me into the program in BC.
So glad, but now so scared.
Reading posts here and a great group on FB (hope it's OK to share this - I found it very useful - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1744254175891432/) so reading about peoples success and challenges pre and post-op so I'm better prepared.
My family (wife & son) know, but not telling a lot of other people. My son said "I'm glad it's like a year or two away so I can lose weight, otherwise you'll be smaller than me!" - LOL.
So trying to get information on waiting times, and found this:
So am I missing something? Doctors told me 1-2 year wait and depending on co-morbidities they can sometimes get people in quicker...
All,
So doing a lot of reading about gastric bypass, and the one question I had (for those that have gone through it) how do you manage your nutritional requirements? Given that your stomach is sown up (to hold about 1-cup of food) how are you ensuring you get all the vitamins/minerals you need?
Are you simply taking a daily vitamin? Vitamin water?
Thx,
M
So I finally got the "courage" to talk to my doctor about it, of course that was after speaking with my wife and seeing what her thoughts were. She is concerned, of course but given that I'm spending around $400.00/mo on medication and the long-term use of many of the medications I am on as a Type 2 Diabetic lead to cancer it was a no-brainer. I also failed to state that there are issues with my right eye, which could lead to blindness and the best way to prevent that is of course to lower my A1C and ensure my daily blood sugar tests are within a normal range...
My doctor is in agreement with me but as I'm also seeing an endocrinologist he wants me to see her first then proceed. In the meantime I've been checking out the doctors in BC that offer the surgery and doing whatever I can in advance so that when I meet with them, I'm ready to go. One of the items that they are asking for is food diary. So I'm trying to diligently record everything that I eat...
When I spoke to my doctor and said that it appears that most people opting for bariatric surgery are in their late 40's and over he said that the age is actually dropping since the surgery is more well known and there are fewer risks. He figures within 5 or 10-years they will also include skin removal as part of the package but because there are fewer studies looking at the health & psychological impact of excess skin health authorities are not willing to include that as a publicly funded option.
He also said that not everyone will have loose skin (back to the old skin issue).
So hopefully when I see my endo next, I get the go-ahead (and most importantly referral) to the doctor in Richmond, BC so I can go down this path.
In the meantime, will keep reading the posts and learning from all of you that have gone through the process or are about to go through it.
Thanks!
M
PS Posting here as the BC forum is v-e-r-y slow. :-)
Hi,
Thanks for the reply!
I will not be going out shirtless, that's just not me but I've seen pictures of sagging skin and it scares the heck out of me. I guess I'm very self-conscious about how I look in front of a mirror.
M
Thanks...
Yes and no as my motivation. Yes in a sense, but also no because I'm tired of being overweight. I understand that there is up to 2-year wait and during that time I have to keep detailed food log - so I have started that and will join a gym. Perhaps within that 2-years time I'll be able to put that weight off.
But that's half the battle. The other half is keeping it off and that's where I struggle.
I went to WW when I was in my late teens, early twenties and lost the weight. But couldn't keep it off.
I suppose I'm still not sure if this is the right step for me so am exploring what other people went through and their reasons to ensure I'm also taking this (drastic) step for the right reasons.
M
Hi,
Thank you - that's the biggest worry for me.
I was over 400lbs at one point and lost 140lbs over the course of one-year and no loose skin (maybe genetics).
It is good to hear what others went through.
I am also curious, when you decided to go through the surgery was there any worry by the doctors regarding age?
Thanks,
M
Hello,
I'm new here. Found this site from a document over at the Richmond Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery site.
Long story, but it's relevant hope I don't bore you. :-)
I'm 50-years old, and have been overweight most of my life.
Last year I was laid off, I was a senior manager. It has been difficult finding new work - not because there isn't work out there, there is a lot however as soon as the interviewers meet with me the meetings are very short and a few days later I find out they went with other candidates. I am POSITIVE that this is due to my weight and because of that my appearance - doesn't help that I sweat like crazy carrying around all that extra weight.
I DO NOT have any hang-ups on my appearance, however I am overweight by at least 100lbs and know I need to lose the weight.
I am seriously considering bariatric surgery and in fact will visit my family doctor next week (I live in British Columbia, Canada) to discuss this, he may tell me to see my endocrinologist (I have Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol). I am excited about this, but also scared.
What worries me most about rapid weight loss is loose sagging skin. Does this happen to EVERYONE that goes through this procedure? I've seen others that have lost a lot of weight in a short period of time however they have not had loose/saggy skin. What can be done to prevent loose/saggy skin if you go through bariatric surgery?
I'd appreciate any feedback that you could provide regarding bariatric surgery (I will ask to be referred to the Richmond Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery program at the Richmond Hospital).
Thanks,
M
