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Reply no. 20 is compelling reading and cautionary. I hope everyone considering bariatric surgery reads it. Twice.
That said, my condolences to that person that their outcome 28 years later has them reconsidering the entire exercise, top to bottom. As far as VSG goes, it's only a 10 year old surgery. Every year I am reasonably sure they improve it somewhat. I hope to God that not every person who has VSG ends up with an RNY conversion due to GERD. I personally have never had GERD, gallstones, or kidney stones. All are possible side effects. The only reflux I've had is due to being quite heavy and squeezing my stomach in my sleep, combined with poor eating which result(ed) in 1) acidy stomach, sometimes, and always solved by one (1) Tum's overnight 2) rare, as in couple times per year, nighttime reflux, which is horrifying. I went to a surgeon who is hugely aware of this complication, and takes some relatively recent steps (mods) to the procedure that minimizes, if not prevents, this. He saw zero signs of esophageal hernia, one cause of GERD, in me per after-action report provided in-person. Now, I have 12 days in, only, so let's just say "high hopes you're incorrect" and I encourage everyone to study and ready their surgeons's writings/publications about this subject, and HOW they perform the surgery. I do NOT want RNY in X number of years, no one needs that.
I do agree that Food Addiction, if true, needs to be addressed during that honeymoon period when the weight is sliding off. I have some sort of squirrels in my head about eating, it's true. Odds-are most on this forum whom are very heavy and yo-yo diet have this, that's why they ask most to be in counseling pre-op, or surely consider it post-op. Can't stress that enough. I'm starting that, on my own dime, this Thursday t-plus 17 days.
So, good luck OP. I cannot "refute" a thing mentioned, other than the above, and will need to ride out my own journey. How I feel not even two weeks later means very little. I will have both struggles and major wins, I know it. I'll try and honestly update threads like this in the future. Very few people, if-any, I've met who do not have major complications from the get-go say they 'regret' VSG or surgery in-general, but I'll admit that could be...what's it called..."confirmation bias" i.e. justifying one's pain and expense regardless of mediocre long-term outcomes in some cases. I've watched these people on YouTube; some fess up to yo-yo'ing around after 2-5 years, others disappear and you have to wonder. One guy went from 400 to 300 lbs and called it good, declaring 'victory' (Phyrric Victory, IMO) not to be seen again...hope he turns up once more in two years, at 200 lbs vs 300.
Can you give us an update on how it’s all worked out? I’m considering bariatric surgery, probably in Mexico, and I'm curious how it’s gone, 3+ years into the process.
I considered bariatric surgery about 25 years ago, when I was at my highest weight.
It seemed like an easy out; have the surgery, and you never have to diet again!
But then I realized that's not how it works. It's even more restrictive than most weight loss diets, and lasts the rest of your life.
I chose to buckle down and change my eating habits. I eventually found low carb eating, which has worked well for me. (We are all different, and need to experiment to find out what works for our bodies and lifestyles).
An acquaintance went in for bariatric surgery last year, had complications, and died. It's not something to be undertaken lightly.
Can you give us an update on how it’s all worked out? I’m considering bariatric surgery, probably in Mexico, and I'm curious how it’s gone, 3+ years into the process.
Three years five months later I am a success story...thus far . But it's important to stress obesity is a chronic condition requiring ongoing management. Bariatric surgery (WLS) is only part of an overall solution for sustained weight loss.
Goal weight and current weight hit October 2021
I track my intake (food) and output (activities) via a couple apps and gadgets. I need to know I/O and have guardrails. If I'm outside the guardrails, I gain or lose a little in a month. And I can return to baseline (goal weight) easily enough.
I can eat a satisfying portion size. More, I start to feel "full" and that's rare...and bad. I had to determine what "satisfying" meant.
If going to MX, select your surgeon well. There are various master-level surgeons there, my list was down to three. I bet any of my top seven would have also worked out well. That info needs to be rechecked years later, due-diligence matters.
My nutritional doctor, locally, was key to success. We visited monthly for 18 months post-VSG. Mostly counsel but a little therapy. Best to understand your "whys" as part of the ongoing management.
My primary hobby is the fitness regimen that helped me recover. We must stay active to stay healthy. I've seen that go bad for a few patients (peers).
I dare say "most" patients do well three years after WLS, assuming a competent surgical team. Some don't and it's time to reexamine the behaviors that resulted in success and/or failure. Under precision questioning most regain is caused by returning to behaviors that caused the problem. Not always!
MX private hospitals have little or no involvement in the aftercare, so do set that up before you leave. For both medical and spiritual purposes.
I considered bariatric surgery about 25 years ago, when I was at my highest weight.
It seemed like an easy out; have the surgery, and you never have to diet again!
(snip)
I chose to buckle down and change my eating habits. I eventually found low carb eating, which has worked well for me. (We are all different, and need to experiment to find out what works for our bodies and lifestyles).
An acquaintance went in for bariatric surgery last year, had complications, and died. It's not something to be undertaken lightly.
Agreed it's a massive step. I considered surgery (WLS) for two years before moving ahead. Initially I assumed it was an "easy" fix. A few months of research put paid to that idea, given the life-altering and radical changes that result.
Glad that changing the diet worked. For most WLS patients it does not, via repeated trial and error sometimes over decades. WLS may be one of the last options. I had to fail twice more before going ahead with it, on doctor supervised diets.
And yes, on one of the groups there was a recent post-op death. Happens every blue moon. Either that or awful and life-altering complications which may lead to death months or years later. That's the risk analysis, the grim calculation each patient must do to gamble on a better life.
It worked out well for me. The restriction is not even a distraction three years later: I know I can eat about (that much) and I'll be satisfied. Maybe I'll have more later, or maybe not if the day's calorie needs are met. And it's quite clear if I'm going a bit off the rails, month over month, though that hasn't really happened yet. Measurement and diligence.
Three years five months later I am a success story...thus far . But it's important to stress obesity is a chronic condition requiring ongoing management. Bariatric surgery (WLS) is only part of an overall solution for sustained weight loss.
Goal weight and current weight hit October 2021
I track my intake (food) and output (activities) via a couple apps and gadgets. I need to know I/O and have guardrails. If I'm outside the guardrails, I gain or lose a little in a month. And I can return to baseline (goal weight) easily enough.
I can eat a satisfying portion size. More, I start to feel "full" and that's rare...and bad. I had to determine what "satisfying" meant.
If going to MX, select your surgeon well. There are various master-level surgeons there, my list was down to three. I bet any of my top seven would have also worked out well. That info needs to be rechecked years later, due-diligence matters.
My nutritional doctor, locally, was key to success. We visited monthly for 18 months post-VSG. Mostly counsel but a little therapy. Best to understand your "whys" as part of the ongoing management.
My primary hobby is the fitness regimen that helped me recover. We must stay active to stay healthy. I've seen that go bad for a few patients (peers).
I dare say "most" patients do well three years after WLS, assuming a competent surgical team. Some don't and it's time to reexamine the behaviors that resulted in success and/or failure. Under precision questioning most regain is caused by returning to behaviors that caused the problem. Not always!
MX private hospitals have little or no involvement in the aftercare, so do set that up before you leave. For both medical and spiritual purposes.
Thanks for the great information, I really appreciate it.
Do you have any suggestions on how to determine if a Mexican surgeon is any good? They all have tons of reviews by happy patients, but I'm sure that is managed to present themselves in the best light possible. I've tried searching for negative reviews, but I'm finding much less available.
Thanks for the great information, I really appreciate it.
Do you have any suggestions on how to determine if a Mexican surgeon is any good? They all have tons of reviews by happy patients, but I'm sure that is managed to present themselves in the best light possible. I've tried searching for negative reviews, but I'm finding much less available.
Thanks!
Can't help you there, but an acquaintance of mine became a bariatric surgery counselor and works with patients several months before their surgeries. She had the surgery herself. I don't think I would go to any surgeon without the pre-op counseling. Best of luck to you.
A friend of mine had the gastric bypass surgery 25 years ago. She kept the weight off until 5 years ago. Now she has regained 40lbs but still much thinner than when she had the surgery. She’s 72 so age might have something to do with the weight gain.
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. But it's important to stress obesity is a chronic condition requiring ongoing management. Bariatric surgery (WLS) is only part of an overall solution for sustained weight loss.
