Guest guest Posted August 6, 2001 Report Share Posted August 6, 2001 <<<<<Wow Tom, reading your description of the horrors of this surgery that you say are no big deal, or not even unusual makes me really second guess whether I want this surgery or not. I'm not sure I want to go through all that just to be thin. What you describe here sounds truly horrifying. I really feel for and would hate to be in her shoes. I know you were just trying to help, but now I am afraid of the procedure.>>>>> Hi, - I think everyone should be scared of the procedure. NOt necessarily to the point of not choosing it but to the point where they realize how serious it is. I read somewhere that the DS is an 8 on the scale of difficult surgeries (10 being an open heart and the most complicated/dangerous). I also think everyone DOES need to do some soul searching about their reasons for the surgery. For me, and I'm sure this is true for many, many other postops -- the surgery was NOT to 'just be thin'. Morbid obesity had taken it's toll on our health, our well being, our relationships, sense of self, etc. Our concept of just how much MO as a disease affects us may be totally inaccurate. For example, I never really thought I was that huge. I was watching some older videos (from 1999-2000) and I couldn't BELIEVE that was me. I'm no skinny minny (nor will I be model thin - I am hoping to get down to 170-180 for my 5' 9 1/2 " frame) but I really, really was tottering on the edge of serious future health problems. My mother is MO and has recently developed diabetes at the age of 61 (this in addition to other health aliments such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and arthritis)... I saw myself sharing a similar future. I wanted to take action (yes, drastic action) NOW when I WAS relatively healthy and relatively less MO than I would be if this disease progressed (I was a 'healthy' fat gal with a bmi of 45 -- no co-morbidities other than ankle/joint pain, lower back/sciatia pain and mild hiatus hernia diagnosed only during pre-op testing). I have two very young children (ages 4 1/2 and 2 1/2), so I was particularly worried about leaving them, either by dying or experiencing extreme complications that would take months to recover from. I saw fellow DSers suffer from second emergency surgeries (blockage, leaks), having pnemonia post-op, developing infection and the gal I even had my consult with went into a coma for a month and wasn't expected to make it! I've known people who had amazing recoveries until about 9 months out, only to have emergency surgery for blockage. I've talked with post-ops whose labwork was severely deficient (Joe Frost is currently battling a serious protein deficiency and remains in my thoughts and prayers) and they had to struggle to get their system back in order with iron infusions and the like. All of these accounts were harrowing and caused me great anguish and second thoughts. I knew that this was my best chance and now was the time to sieze the day and take action. I am well aware that this surgery is for LIFE. I am enjoying many of the benefits already -- I am down 80 lbs in six months and feel so energetic and full of life. I have not experienced any complications or problems to date. But, along with this great fortune comes the knowledge that I must always take care of myself --- Keep up my supplementation, eat right, be sure to get enough protein in, get regular labwork and aftercare -- for the REST OF MY LIFE. It's so easy for me to even forget I had surgery -- I look at those six (or seven?) little holes (they get smaller and fade by the day) and am in total wonder at what my body has only recently been through. It IS GREAT to be approaching 'normal weight' again. It's wonderful both socially, emotionally as well as physically. NO doubt about that. The strong desire for that certainly can be powerful and one can want that so much that one loses sight of the gravity of the undertaking. I think every pre-op has struggled with this. Just know that each person has individual reactions to the surgery -- The immediate post-op life can be very uneventful (as was mine) or it can be a struggle. However, the long term benefits almost always outweight the difficulties encountered. IF you don't feel they would, then perhaps the surgery is not for you (at least not at this time). But, don't think that having second thoughts or being frightened is necessarily a sign that surgery is NOT the right choice. It is perfectly natural and it's something us post-ops have been through! all the best, TEresa lap ds with gallbladder removal January 25, 2001 six months post-op and still feeli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 6, 2001 Report Share Posted August 6, 2001 <<<<<Wow Tom, reading your description of the horrors of this surgery that you say are no big deal, or not even unusual makes me really second guess whether I want this surgery or not. I'm not sure I want to go through all that just to be thin. What you describe here sounds truly horrifying. I really feel for and would hate to be in her shoes. I know you were just trying to help, but now I am afraid of the procedure.>>>>> Hi, - I think everyone should be scared of the procedure. NOt necessarily to the point of not choosing it but to the point where they realize how serious it is. I read somewhere that the DS is an 8 on the scale of difficult surgeries (10 being an open heart and the most complicated/dangerous). I also think everyone DOES need to do some soul searching about their reasons for the surgery. For me, and I'm sure this is true for many, many other postops -- the surgery was NOT to 'just be thin'. Morbid obesity had taken it's toll on our health, our well being, our relationships, sense of self, etc. Our concept of just how much MO as a disease affects us may be totally inaccurate. For example, I never really thought I was that huge. I was watching some older videos (from 1999-2000) and I couldn't BELIEVE that was me. I'm no skinny minny (nor will I be model thin - I am hoping to get down to 170-180 for my 5' 9 1/2 " frame) but I really, really was tottering on the edge of serious future health problems. My mother is MO and has recently developed diabetes at the age of 61 (this in addition to other health aliments such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and arthritis)... I saw myself sharing a similar future. I wanted to take action (yes, drastic action) NOW when I WAS relatively healthy and relatively less MO than I would be if this disease progressed (I was a 'healthy' fat gal with a bmi of 45 -- no co-morbidities other than ankle/joint pain, lower back/sciatia pain and mild hiatus hernia diagnosed only during pre-op testing). I have two very young children (ages 4 1/2 and 2 1/2), so I was particularly worried about leaving them, either by dying or experiencing extreme complications that would take months to recover from. I saw fellow DSers suffer from second emergency surgeries (blockage, leaks), having pnemonia post-op, developing infection and the gal I even had my consult with went into a coma for a month and wasn't expected to make it! I've known people who had amazing recoveries until about 9 months out, only to have emergency surgery for blockage. I've talked with post-ops whose labwork was severely deficient (Joe Frost is currently battling a serious protein deficiency and remains in my thoughts and prayers) and they had to struggle to get their system back in order with iron infusions and the like. All of these accounts were harrowing and caused me great anguish and second thoughts. I knew that this was my best chance and now was the time to sieze the day and take action. I am well aware that this surgery is for LIFE. I am enjoying many of the benefits already -- I am down 80 lbs in six months and feel so energetic and full of life. I have not experienced any complications or problems to date. But, along with this great fortune comes the knowledge that I must always take care of myself --- Keep up my supplementation, eat right, be sure to get enough protein in, get regular labwork and aftercare -- for the REST OF MY LIFE. It's so easy for me to even forget I had surgery -- I look at those six (or seven?) little holes (they get smaller and fade by the day) and am in total wonder at what my body has only recently been through. It IS GREAT to be approaching 'normal weight' again. It's wonderful both socially, emotionally as well as physically. NO doubt about that. The strong desire for that certainly can be powerful and one can want that so much that one loses sight of the gravity of the undertaking. I think every pre-op has struggled with this. Just know that each person has individual reactions to the surgery -- The immediate post-op life can be very uneventful (as was mine) or it can be a struggle. However, the long term benefits almost always outweight the difficulties encountered. IF you don't feel they would, then perhaps the surgery is not for you (at least not at this time). But, don't think that having second thoughts or being frightened is necessarily a sign that surgery is NOT the right choice. It is perfectly natural and it's something us post-ops have been through! all the best, TEresa lap ds with gallbladder removal January 25, 2001 six months post-op and still feeli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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