Slow loser - long

[Guest guest]

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