LisaK/ UnstapledLisa

6 months post op rny reversal-Is WLS worth it?

Mar 06, 2011

I am 6 months post op open rny reversal. I haven't blogged for about 3 months because I really didn't have the energy to. Finally in January my severe abdominal pain went away and it's gotten to the point I don't want to be a bariatric wls gone wrong angry person any more.But I still have active complications like dumping and reactive hypoglycemia,that I guess will always make me have a foot in the door in the wls community as I can relate still better as a wls post op, more about that later.
   Believe it or not as anti-wls as I am, I am however not anti-social about it. I have social network contacts that are pre-ops and newbies. After sharing a concern or too, I am respectful and supportive. I don't ever though congratulate people on their weight loss specifically. I congratulate people on feeling better. I don't secretly hope they will have complications because they are happy about it,I do wonder though how they will feel if they if they get hit later with negative life altering conditions. I hope that they don't have to grow though what I have and so many growing senior graduate post ops are living with, as well as newbies do as they get hit hard from day 1. One of my closest friends was only moderately to morbidly obese for 5 years as a 10 years post, she had to have hip replacement even though she never had joint problems prior to surgery,hers were from having complications from day 1 and severe nutritional deficiences. She's probably been in the hospital 2 dozen times now. She's 35 years old..One of my best friends had a vbg and was reversed 8 years post op. She also has MS. The first friend, would never consider having a reversal even though its disabled her, she's too terrified of gaining weight back, to her its worth the continual risk having her rny intact unless her life is immediately threatened by her rny. 
         My best friend I can say it wasn't worth it. Please don't mistake that I don't know the excitement when losing weight brings. I've read thousands upon thousands  of stories, being 9 years post op and I know hundreds of people personally who've had the surgery. I remember the excitement when I got into single digits. Even though when I started working out 3 year post op,I had complications for awhile, I went from a 9-10 to a size 4-6 quite unintentionally, I had all at that point, I could fit and look great in tiny cute clothes, and I could eat pretty much what I wanted, my caloric consumption was at least 3000 calories a day. Because I started working out athletically, obviously it had to be a protein based, complex carb type diet. I didn't want to build up bulky I did an amazing job of toning though. Because I was so effective in working out while I was able to reduce my fat cells to basically nothing, while I needed a panni at 9, I didn't need one at 4. 
        So its not that I don't relate. A lot of people who embark on this surgery have lost the total weight equivalent to when I was my heaviest. I knew how uncomfortable I was at 233, I just didn't have surgery to feel better I didn't have the cormorbidities that are associated as being caused by obesity. I can't imagine what it would have felt like physically to be two hundred pounds plus, overweight. 
       I just don't like the discounting and disassociation and disrespect that people do after wls. They say they didn't have a life before. Even though, they worked, had jobs, were married and children. They could walk unassisted and drive. 
       I hope that going forward every one has a positive journey, if not, I hope they get the medical and emotional support they need as I know how its like when your life is physically and emotionally upside down. I know that wls is not the easy way out. It is however the easiest way to lose over a 100 lbs in less then a year. I just don't think our bodies were meant to do that, and that's why as the wls community continues to grow you are going to see more people get sick, especially as of recent, roux-en-y gastrojuenostomies still get promoted as the most effective weight loss surgery there is.
        There is only one reason why I will never regret having my surgery and that's because my mindset as I was losing weight was confused the 1st year and I got pregnant with my daughter. It was someone with I did have a history with prior to my surgery but I should have never dated(ironically he's bbw lover,which is great, being a pathological liar is not). If I wouldn't have had the confusion that wls brings with all the almost immediate physical transformations for some of us, if I would have never had surgery I probably would have have never saw him again. So she was worth it, it was not. So I relate to both sides. I still remain an anti-wls advocate as I have a beautiful daughter who I love more then anything (as well as her 18 year old brother)but I am too sick to raise properly. It is worth it to try and get to be your personal physical and mentally fit. Is WLS though really worth it to get there though, I will always wonder that. I have to go lay back down now, the hour it took to write this has left me exhausted.
       I apologize that this turned out to be more of rant then a blog. Some of my musings though are worth considering further. I wish you the best of luck and good health on your journies. Lisa

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About Me
plymouth, MN
Location
28.2
BMI
RNY
Surgery
12/05/2001
Surgery Date
Oct 20, 2001
Member Since

Before & After
rollover to see after photo
10-16-2009 8 years post rny, SUPER SICK but still after almost gaining all my weight back
10-16-2016 almost 15 years post rny/6+ years post reversal -70 lbs from heaviest...

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