Re: Slow loser - long

[Guest guest]

Tina thanks so much for sharing that. I hope your revision does the trick. I

know that you will be at the weight you want soon. hugs marg

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tina, for a very calm retrospective on your situation. I have

known intellectually that there is the possiblity for an experience

like yours, but your post helped me understand more and be sure I'm

emotionally prepared for it. Wishing you all the best.

-- In MiniGastricBypass (AT) egroups (DOT) com, Tina <tina_morris@n...>

wrote:

> Hi everyone,

>

> I've been reading all of the things pro and con about the surgery,

and I

> want to share something with you.

>

> I'm a slow loser. I stopped losing weight at the 6 month mark. To

date,

> I've lost 65 pounds and I'm 14 months post-op.

>

> Before I hit the one year mark, I asked Dr.R about the slow weight

loss.

> He suggested to me that I try one of the weight loss drugs to see

if that

> would get the weight loss started again. This is the only reason he

> suggested it. I chose not to do it.

>

> I went to see Dr.R on Aug. 29, which was almost 13 months after the

> original surgery. At this time, Dr.R said he would be glad to do a

> revision on me, after I saw my PCP and an orthopedic specialist for

the

> osteoarthritis I have. The only time I've heard of Dr.R saying no

to a

> revision is before the year is up. It takes a full year for your

body to

> adjust and as most of you know, you are still losing, even if it is

slowly,

> at a year.

>

> Sure I wish I could have been one of the majority to lose most of

my weight

> during the first year, but unfortunately, my body is still just way

too

> efficient for it's own good. It's no ones fault. There is no

blame to be

> handed down to anyone. Dr.R doesn't know how exactly each and

every one of

> our bodies is going to handle the surgery. He does know that in

most of

> his patients, bypassing 6ft of the intestine works. In a few of

us, it

> doesn't. It's not that he won't do a revision, he wants to make

sure first

> that our body has adjusted to the surgery and that we truly have

stopped

> losing. Can you imagine what would happen if you had a revision

after

> about 6 months and it caused you to become extremely malnurished to

where

> he had to go in and reverse the whole procedure as he has had to do

in a

> couple of cases?

>

> The surgery has had some very beneficial effects for me. I used to

have

> GERD that was very severe. I would take 2-4 Prevacid a day, plus

Tums or

> Rolaids on top of that! That's all gone. I no longer have a

problem with

> reflux or heartburn. You can't imagine what a blessing it is not

to be

> awakened in the middle of the night gasping for air because the

acid has

> boiled up into your throat. I can now walk distances without

having to sit

> down every five feet because of the osteoarthritis in my back has me

> doubled over in spasm. I still have the osteoarthritis in my back

and hips

> and it is because of the pain I still experience in my hips that

has me

> wanting a revision. I'm hoping that if I get off the other 50-60

pounds,

> my hip pain will diminish just like the back pain did. If it

weren't for

> this surgery, I would have been in a wheel chair by now or at least

walking

> with canes.

>

> In no way do I consider my surgery or Dr.R a failure! I'm grateful

for the

> weight the surgery has allowed me to lose. It has improved my life

110%.

> I hope to have the revision to allow me to lose the rest of the

weight, but

> if for some reason I can't, then I will be forever thankful for

what it has

> allowed me to lose.

>

> I wanted you all to know that even some of us who don't seem as

successful

> as the rest of you, are still very grateful and thankful for the

surgery.

> There is good and bad to each procedure no matter what is done.

There is

> always controversy when surgery of any kind is used.

>

> I'm very thankful to all of you and to you Dr.R. I'm glad you

didn't rush

> right in to do a revision until enough time had passed where you

knew it

> would be safer for me. If I get cancer, so be it. There is

nothing in

> this world that will stop us from getting that dreaded disease. At

least I

> won't die of high blood pressure, diabetes or any other numerable

diseases

> that plague the obese.

>

> Just my .02

>

> Tina

> 8/2/99

[Guest guest]

Dear Tina,

Well said. Even though I am a slow loser, my diabetes ia almost cured. I

have seen first hand in my own family the devastation it can do. I no longer

feel like the surgery failed. thanks. sherry