Has anybody (or have a family member) had weight loss surgery and regretted having it done?

Never had it done, but, know a few who have. One , from what I can telll, is thrilled she had it done. The other, while never saying they regretted it....well, there is a lot to deal with, you have to eat at certain intervals, you burp a lot, can't eat and drink at the same time, and honestly, you can still be "fat" after having the surgery.

To anyone considering it, I would do a LOT of investigation first.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

My mother had it done, was very much thrilled with it but I'm not sure if she's changed her feelings about it. She discovered she can eat chocolate again, has gained some back but I don't think she's put a LOT back on. She's about 5'1" or so and was wearing a size 4 at one point, not sure now.

I think there's a lot to deal with when you have that kind of surgery... the weight comes off so quickly that you almost HAVE to have cosmetic surgery afterwards, and I think there are restrictions and requirements that you have to live with the rest of your life.

I have a friend who had it done 2 years ago. She claims that as a result of the restrictions on her eating her hip deteriorated and she just had a hip replacement. I don't know if she didn't follow the "rules" or not.

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Her hip was probably deteriorated from years of carrying the excess weight or she has a degenerative condition like osteoarthritis or osteopenia. The surgery and resulting changes in eating habits probably did not have a thing to do with it.

The only rules are: small portions, limit your sugar (some people find that eating sugar after surgery makes them extremely ill), eat better (more high protein, low fat, veggies, etc.) and you shouldn't drink 30-60 min. after eating a meal. You are required to take a multi-vitamin the rest of your life, Vitamin B-12 and some people due develop iron deficiency (anemia). I know many who have had the surgery and none regret it.

My sil had it done and she doesnt have any regrets about that but because she was so heavy the skin on her upper arms was really bad hanging down. she wouldnt wear short sleeves. She decided to have the extra skin removed and said it was the most painful thing and the recovery from that was long. she would never have that done again. my neice had the sugery and went down to a size one . Its been 3 years and she is a size 16. She has alot of problems in life.

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When you don`t know what to do-Walk fast and look worried.

I know of a few people who've had it, and none of them have ever said anything bad about it. My friends mother who had it done must have been atleast a size 22 now she weighs in the 140's and has been that same weight for the past 4 years!

Had it 2 1/2 years ago and regret it. In fact right now, I am recouping from having my surgery reversed. Despite compliancy, protein intake at least 100 grams a day, and vitamin regime, I ended up for the past year very sick. The past 5 months have been spent, not being able to work, and on TPN, which is like IV feeding through a catheter inserted in my chest.

I had the gamut of complications, ulcer, several boughts of adhesions, intestinal hernia, all which required surgery to fix. I was 290 before surgery and at this point am struggling to maintain myself to live at around 100 lbs. About a year after surgery I developed sudden neuropathy. Was through the drill of neurologists, and extensive nerve tests at some of the area's top hospital's, and all said, yep, severe neuropathy and nerve damage throughout my body, altered mental state, but noone knew why. All vitamin levels were intact.

It wasn't until I found a nutritional specialist who did lots of blood work, extensive vitamin workup's that found my B1, B12, deficiencies, which had been showing up in "regular" screening labs as normal for a long time, were severely deficient in my tissues, hense the damage.....

I have been unable to eat enough to maintain myself, and have not had "solid" food in such a long time..to me "solid" has become yogurt, cottage cheeses....

Please research extensively all the side effects now showing up. Google "APGARS gastric bypass" and read about the new syndrome named for Acute Post Gastric Reduction Surgery Syndrome" which is now being named for the neurological complications showing up post gastric bypass. This surgery is not to be taken lightly. Will I say not to do it? Never...that is one's own choice. Do complications occur to everyone? Not at all, but the risk is real. Instead of thinking as I did..that won't happen to me..think..what would I do, if it happened to me, cause it happened to me.

A year ago, I was a laughing, happy, active mother of three, wife, and small business owner, and now I can't muster the strength to walk to the bathroom, walk with a cane, and am being supported by artifical nutrion to live.

Who would've thought" Not me...

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Eileen

**Some people are like Slinky's, not really good for anything, but you can't help laugh when you see one tumble down the stairs**

I'm 34 years old, with 3 children. I had an open gastric bypass 7 months ago. Yes I am still a New B, but I am totally happy with my surgery. I've lost 100 pounds in 7 months & so far went from a size 26 to a 14 right now. I am thrilled to actually be living my life right now instead of watching it go by.

Just my opinion

Did you have a gastric Bypass of the lap band?

I had the LB in Nov 2006 I am down 50 which is slower than most loose. But I would rather loose slow and not have the sagging skin issue. It has been hard at times, especially when the band is adjusted. Only thing I miss like I said before is soda and bread. My energy level and mobility level is so much better. Even getting on and off our boat, it is amazing just being able to jump off.

I had Gastric Bypass..my friend had the LapBand a few months after me..and thought it would be ok, as she would follow my eating plan and lose as well, just a bit slower. WELL, she throws up daily, which I know LapBanders are more prone to that than us..but she lost about 75 lbs and stalled and wonders why, well...she has begun eating like garbage. Lots of carbs, 4 or 5 XL DD coffee's each day loaded w/ cream? Hello? Can we say like automatic 500 calories right there? She doesn't eat her protein requirments. Eats alot of fast food, chili and such, and says well it's healthy..yeah and loaded w/ sodium...instead of taking an hour a week and making a few dinners, she says she is just to lazy..she wants me to do all the work for her. Any diet takes planning, and effort to get a good result.

Alright..I'm done..LOL

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Eileen

**Some people are like Slinky's, not really good for anything, but you can't help laugh when you see one tumble down the stairs**

Lost 125+ lbs with the RNY bypass 4 years ago, was one of the best things I ever did for myself.
*However*.... one absolutely must abide by the dietary (including dietary supplements) and exercise rules post op to be able to be healthy, and even then, there will always be folks who develop complications post op.
I developed minor post-op complications, but they were swiftly taken care by my surgeon.
My worst prob post-op prob has been trying to keep weight *on*!
I know I am one of the minority who have this prob, but it is still something to consider ahead of time.
I have to spend as much time, effort, and thought to eating *now* post-op in order to keep weight on as I did pre-surgery to try and take the weight off. I'd rather have this prob, though, than the opposite.
MZ

I would LOVE to have this done but could never afford it. THe complications scare me, but at 40 and having struggled with my weight my whole life, I would love to not be heavy for once. for more than a few months that is.....

I had an rny 21 months ago and even though there are restrictions I would do it again! my health is so much better now and I feel so much better! I was a size 26 and am now a 4-6!
if you look up the statistics of post surgery complication of a morbidly obese person for any surgery they are about the same as gastric by-pass, in most instances the post surgery problems are due to existing conditions from when the person was obese or that person not following the rules!

MOMAJUM, most insurances will pay for his surgery if you are 75 pounds over weight or have a bmi over 35

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Always be a first rate version of your self instead of a second rate version of someone else.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.

I think that is one of the consequences of the surgery that would scare me the most.

I have been taping "Big Medicine" which is about gastric bypass surgery. There is a father and a son who do the surgery. And there is another doctor who does the follow-up plastic surgery to remove all the extra skin after the patients have lost a ton of weight. I just watched an episode where the plastic surgeon removed 10 lbs of hanging skin from a man's stomach.

It is really pretty scary to see the huge amount of sagging, hanging skin (stomach, arms, backside, thighs, legs).

I didn't have any plastic surgery after my 125+ weight loss. My butt and back of my thighs look like a giant prune or a deflated baloon, but the skin isn't hanging in folds or sheets or flaps. And it's only the butt and upper back of my thighs that look like that, I am able to wear mid length (shorter than bermudas) shorts, but not short shorts. Well, I *could* wear the short shorts, but I'd die of embarrassment with my pruny back of thighs ;-)
I have only a very small poochy apron of skin on my belly, it's probably less than what a lot of women have after giving birth, I can live with it, wearing a bikini isn't something I'd want to do ;-)
My bust has taken a big hit - was small busted before years of being fat, am back there again. But this time my shape is more like a coupla water ballons with very little water in the bottoms. Still, doesn't look nearly as bad as I'd expected it to look.
The more weight you have to lose the higher your chances will be of needing plastic surgery. My weight loss was on the lower end of what a lot of weight loss surgery patients need to lose.
Also, everybody's skin elasticity is a factor. Have a friend same height as me, lost about the same amount, and she had plastic surgery. I got lucky and was surprised at how apparently elastic my skin is cuz I have no batwings on my arms or huge folds of skin anywhere. I am in my 50's and really expected the excess skin issue to be horrid, am very happy this is not the case.
I did *not* want plastic surgery, did not want any more surgery ever after the RNY (and I had a very short and easy recovery - was outta the hospital days earlier than doc expected and was walking around the block a week after surgery). Am glad I turned out to be one of the lucky ones who can get away w/out the plastic surgery.
I have watched 2 friends endure recovery from the tummy tuck and it was much more painful and a longer recovery for both of them than the weight loss surgery. They both wished they'd never done it when they were going through the months long post-op from the tummy tuck, but now they are both more than thrilled with the results and they both look fabulous - both are in my age range and can wear bikinis!
MZ