WLS Failures

[Guest guest]

ALL forms of WLS have great successes, and those who do less well.

There are no guarantees with ANY WLS. People " fail " with the bypass

and then go for banding or the gastric sleeve. People don't do well

with banding and go for a bypass or sleeve. AS many fail with the

sleeve and then go to the band or bypass.

ALL procedures require exactly the same things from us! Better food

choices, much better activity, much better stress control, hard work

on the psychological things and food issues. And all procedures

require that the changes be permanent changes for lasting success.

This does NOT mean we have to be perfect and can neer backslide a

bit.

Articles like this (below) are not meant to worry or depress you, but

to help you understand that you must be very serious about changes in

your life. You must commit to changes, commit to regular exercise,

commit to following the needs of your WLS. Don't be fooled by the

easy loss in the beginning - sometimes even without exercise and

building some good muscle. It rarely lasts, and then you will have to

work harder to catch up wih exercsie and the needs you thought you

could avoid.

Sometimes I think some doctors are far too quick to accept any

patient walking thru the door wth money. Before committing to a WLS,

I feel that a good deal of self-examination is needed, and possibly a

visit or two to a good psychologist, before we understand if we are

good candidates for the surgery, and really understand what we are

taking on. THis is one of many reasons that introductory seminars are

such a good idea. We can talk with the surgeon and staff, meet other

WLS patients, ask questions of the professional staff and peers, and

start to learn the basics while we continue to consider the surgery.

some people spend more time looking for a new car, test diving,

looking at different options, pricing the insurance and operating

costs - than doing thorough research on a medical procedure that will

impact every day and evry area of heir lives forever!

It is for these reasons that many US docs and insurance companies

require a psych eval. It is NOT to deny someone the surgery, but to

help them understand what is needed, what things in their lives may

work to sabotage their efforts, and how changes can be made to

promote success. I'm a strong believer in ongoing therapy to help

with these issues, as we proceed thru and after WLS.

I also think an intense 1-2 months of pre-op prep time is essential,

although some docs still schedule someone within a few days or weeks

of very first contact. It is then simply impossible, imo, to cover

the basic Band teaching, pre-op sleep studies or esophageal motility

studies that may be indicated, nutrition counselling, catch up on any

deferred health care like mammograms and colonoscopies, etc before

surgery, and help the patient make a truly informed consent as to

whether they person have a fair chance of success and should proceed.

Article:

When the knife fails

The Washington Post

Nov 01, 2008 at 0052

For the first time in my life I felt like a normal person, " says Josh

Thayer, who dropped from 367 pounds to 230 within a year of

undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 1998.

The best part, he says, was not having to " think about food. I ate

when I was hungry, stopped when I was full. I didn't feel like I was

fighting an uphill battle. "

Until five years later, when the weight started creeping back on.

When the 6-foot Thayer edged up to 310 earlier this year at age 45,

he decided to go for a second operation: adjustable banding, more

commonly known as lap-band surgery, which allows for repeated stomach-

tightening and thereby offers a new opportunity for reining in

appetite.

Rest of the article :

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/When-the-knife-fails/379998

Sandy r