Mom loves this kind of thing, but I'm not so fond of it.
It's not that I'm squeamish about seeing blood; I just don't like the idea of cutting people. Even though they're anesthetized, it just makes me uncomfortable seeing people get sliced up.
Sometimes the surgery she watches is a weight-loss procedure like a gastric bypass. I have to admit that I envy the rapid weight loss that those patients can achieve afterward. I'd love to drop a bunch of pounds like that.
So yes, I occasionally think I might benefit by weight loss surgery. But then I'm reminded about the cutting. And that snaps me back into reality.
However, nowadays there's another option called "Lap Band", which doesn't involve any cutting at all. It's just a band that closes off part of your stomach, so the remaining portion is smaller (and can therefore hold less food). It's reversible and MUCH less damaging than traditional bypass surgery.
So I'm a lot more comfortable thinking about that instead.
Anything that keeps me away from knives is usually a good idea.
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9 comments:
Janna..i'm a 6 year postop gastric bypass patient :) BUT with the standard RNY( Roux en Y) surgery not being for everyone..I must say that Lap Band is major surgery and if done Laprascopically, it is done with the same type of incision as the regular Gastric Bypass or Duodenal Switch (another form of weight loss surgery). Lap band doesn't have a lot of the physical issues related to RNY (dumping syndrome, vitamin deficiency) but it is major surgery and in most cases irreversible..it's basically restrictive but no malabsoption/dumping issues. I had RNY and lost 240 pounds and have kept it off..i've run many hospital based support groups as well as angeled over 140 people who've had weight loss surgery. I know it's not for everyone..for me, it was THE best thing I ever did for me..and i'd do it once a week if I could be as happy and healthy as I am now :)
If you ever wanna talk, let me know :)
Patty: Wow, that's totally different from what I'd learned. I'd heard it was much less invasive, less cutting, AND often reversible upon request. Yikes. Now I know I DEFINITELY don't want any of this kind of surgery at ALL!
Hold on! lol.in *most* cases it is irreversible..the only way it would be reversed, would be if someones life depended on it :) Honestly, in all my years in the WLS community, i've never known anyone who needed any type of reversal..I dont even know anyone who's died from surgery since the success rate is so much higer than the mortality rate...it truly is a personal decision..for ME..I wanted to be healthy and I wanted to be able to participate in my life and my sons life..and I couldn't have done that without surgery...
..
It sounds scarier than it is..I researched for years before I had surgery...my quality of life has gone up a million percent...but like I said..it's not for everyone..for me..I couldnt do it on my own..and i'm super up front about my struggle and my surgery...don't let statistics scare you..or tv shows..it's sensationalism at its best..for me..if I hadn't had surgery..i'd never make it to 45..i'm 42 now..that is a scary thought :)
One more thing...each surgery is about the same thing..change in lifestyle and eating habits and behavioral change...no surgery will be successful without those things..as they say..it's a tool..and the surgery is on our stomachs and not our head..hell, my son is gone off to college and I still go looking for crap to eat..best thing though..I know if I eat it, it makes me feel yucky..it's like a built in security fence lol
Seriously though..i'm always here even if just for an ear :)
*hugs*
If you're ever bored..go over to www.obesityhelp.com and there is hundreds of forums you can read or research, get to know people etc..it's a great resource for anyone who has even thought about it..and there are forums specific to each surgery :)
Patty: I can't bear the thought of being cut open and having some drastic irreversible change done to my internal organs... I know that lots of people have had their lives improved drastically by undergoing this, and that's wonderful. I admire their courage. I just couldn't bear the thought of having such an extreme thing done to me. I'd been under the impression that LapBand was different, because I thought it involved nothing more than a teensy incision and a band-like object which was 100% removable at any time for any reason (like if the patient decided to have internal organs that were actually intact).
Wow.
You've been through a lot, and I totally respect that.
I don't think I could do it myself, though.
Janna..first off..c'mere and hug me dammit! lol
Lapband is NOT invasive as far as the digestive tract..I said that it was major surgery..your digestive tract remains intact..it will have a silastic ring around the top part of the stomach..it makes the *pouch* small..and then periodically you have a FILL..there is a port that is placed under the skin and a needle is inserted (it doesnt HURT lol) and the band is filled so that you have restriction..lapband iS SAFE..the ONLY risk is from havng surgery..but if you had to have your appendix out, you'd still have to have surgery..I didnt choose lap band because for me, it wasnt the right surgery..RNY WAS for me..I still dump (low blood sugar) on sugar and carbs..so I just avoid them..after all these years, I dont even miss it lol
But please..don't close the door on the lapband..at least not until you read more, research more, talk to ME more or ask a doctor more lol..I just want people to be healthy..and happy..because I know all TOO well what it's like to be in that place..i'm always here to help or be supportive..please..i'm a neighbor..dont be shy :) lol..plus i'm a NYC girl..we're super friendly lol
Ok, so I don't know how to do this..so i'm gonna try..
Me before surgery -at almost 400 pounds
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/ddbb38/before1.jpg
6 years out
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/ddbb38/9-163.jpg
Patty: Nice! You are very pretty.
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