Guest guest Posted August 14, 2004 Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 years. I hope we all see a cure very soon. What kinds of complications have you had? Beth retinopathy, neuropathy, heart attack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2005 Report Share Posted July 16, 2005 There are a couple of people on the board who experienced some complications...but overall, they were relatively minor, and resolved after a couple of days or weeks. None of them (that I know of) have been ongoing complications. As for gallstones, any major weightloss can result in gallstones. This is a temporary pain, and while it may be bad...certainly having your feet amputated due to uncontrollable diabetes is more painful. Surely cancer contracted due to excessive obesity is worse. Certainly the pain of a heart attack, or the recovery from a stroke is far worse than the pain of gallstones. And frankly, the day to day agony of arthritis and joint inflammation due to excessive weight on the skeletal system is up there in the pain department. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that this surgery is designed to save your life. To rescue you from the hopeless downward spiraling cycle of health that obesity frequently, usually brings with it. i am relatively young (41)...I had two co-morbidities: sleep apnea (relatively mild), and hyperinsulinimia (while not diabetes, it can lead to diabetes.) I am athletic, and I have always worked hard to try to lose/maintain weight loss. This resulted in an extreme yo yo effect in my weight...this is also a threat to health. The bottom line is that every single time I read yet another story about how I had nothing to look forward to in my life other than an array of horrible diseases, including Alzheimer's, as a result of obesity...I felt completely helpless. Because, despite my valiant efforts, I could not seem to lose weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time. So, I knew that my weight was likely to continue to get greater year after year after year...regardless of my countless hours in the gym and my frequent rounds of dieting...everything from absurd crash diets, to Weight Watchers, Craig, Optifast, good old fashioned moderation...I'd probably end up fatter in the end. So, I finally realized that I needed another arrow in my quiver. This surgery doesn't negate the need for diet and exercise...it just makes portion control and quality of intake control MUCH easier. People still struggle with temptations after being out for awhile...and no one is completely immune to the possibility of weight gain should the individual start eating too much and start failing to exercise. However, the success rate is soooo much higher than it is for any other method available out there. SO, at 5'6" and 261 lbs., I took the plunge. Let's see..I was referred by my PCP in December, and was accepted later that month to the Richmond program. I had my orientation in mid-January. It is at the orientation (if you are in the Richmond program) that you are weighed in...and whatever weight you are, you are expected to lose 10%. (Orientations are held about 2 times a month, sometimes more often, at each facility. You have to be accepted to the program first, and then you are assigned to an orientation date.) For me, that was 26 lbs. In February and March and April, I had a number of classes and appointments to attend. They were scheduled, fairly routinely. But, I was aggressive and nice, and made it known that I was very very eager to get this thing on the road. Unfortunately, the weightloss efforts didn't cooperate (had an unbelievable period of work stress and personal life stress). But, finally, at the end of May, I reached my 10 percent weight loss goal. I know others who managed to get to there goal in much less time...but I think I had some mental evaluation I needed to do, to make sure that I was really ready. So, at the end of May I went in at goal weight, and June 8th I received my surgery. That was about five and a half weeks ago. In that time, I've already lost 30 lbs. Combined with my 26 pre-surgery, I am now down 56 lbs. I have already gone down two categories on the BMI scale: from morbid obesity to severely obese to just plain ole obese...and I'm only a few lbs. from being "overweight"...and then voila, I will be normal weight soon afterwards. I have NO doubt that I will get there. Nor do I have any doubt that I will stay there, as I intend to do everything necessary to make sure of it. For the first time in a long long time, I have real and tangible hope. Every single day I see a change in my body. I feel lighter, more active. And yes, I'm fatigued. It takes a lot of energy to burn the fat off of me, to metabolize it all. But, you know what...it's TOTALLY worth it. I look forward to a future when I can just think about the normal threats in life, without feeling pre-ordained to develop any manner of horrible diseases due to my obesity. And yes, I'm getting checked out right and left by men already. And I feel more "normal" already. I went to Cobb's Comedy Club last night to see Greg Behrendt (the comedian who co-authored the book, "He's just not that into you" and who writes for Sex and the City. He was utterly hilarious by the way, and I think he'll be there tonight, too. ) Because of the topic of the book, the place was jam-packed full of hot women. I mean really pretty, young, 20s and 30s, well taken care of City girls. And you know what? I was totally one of them. I fit in. I wasn't huge, I didn't feel like a big fat matronly failure. That, my friend, is worth the weight I have lost so far...in gold. And hopefully, I won't get gallstones. They do check out your gallbladder while they are in there, and sometimes yank it out if necessary during the procedure. Othertimes, if they see a potential problem, they give you medication to help defray the risk. Gallstones may be painful...but continued obesity is deadly. Good luck during your search. You may want to check out obesityhelp.com. It's a good website with lots of information. If you go to the "photos" section, there are tons of before and after pictures which are quite inspirational. You can click on the picture, and a lot of times it will lead to a journal. This journal will talk about any complications, etc...and just set forth the steps of the journey that the individual had to take in order to arrive at their goal. Read some of those, find the ones written by men (there are plenty)...take a deep breath...and make the decision that works for you. I can tell you this...I have moments of fatigue, and a few moments where I wish I could dive in and devour an entire hamburger...but I have many more moments of joy, peace and utter relief that the future that looms ahead of me promises good health, self-worth...and smaller clothes! Peace to you, Robynn 5'6" Orientation weight: 261.5 Post-10% weight loss, and weight at surgery: 235.5 Surgery: June 8, 2005 (five and a half weeks ago) Current weight: 207 Total weight loss from Orientation: 54.5BMI: from 42.3 to 33.4Dean wrote: Does anyone know of anyone who has experienced complications? I read on the Kaiser pages that 30% of those who go through the procedure get gallstones. After going through this with a friend [ not from GB] I wonder if the pain would be worth it? Can this procedure be reversed? Does anyone know someone who has done so, using the Kaiser system? What is the approximate timeline for this? Wait time? How many appointments? How often are info sessions given? At each facility? thanks, dean in the sfba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2005 Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 Dean... I am so glad that I was able to answer your questions in a way that has helped you to find YOUR answer. Congratulations to you. Making a decision that will fundamentally change your life...your future...your body, your health, your self-esteem....well, that takes a lot of courage. I wrestled with this whole decision, too. But, I think it is important tot wrestle...because through that process, the asking of questions, the researching...you can finally make a decision that is thorough...that is correct..and that is made with sufficient self-reflection so that you can really get your mind wrapped around the ramifications of that decision. And that self-reflection will help ensure your continued success in this journey. So, kudos to you, Dean. I am proud of you for doing this. If you have any little lingering thought like, "Well...gee, isn't this kind of cheating? I should be able to do this by myself!" (and sadly, you may get a few people voicing that opinion to you)...just remember that this is not a magic bullet. It requires some effort on your part. It requires a daily decision to pay attention to your pouch...to not overeat...to not stretch it...to avoid drinking water during a meal...to exercise. This isn't the "easy" way. Major surgery is never the easy way. And as I said before, it will still boil down to your discipline: diet and exercise. It's just that the diminished size of your stomach, and the decreased ability to absorb calories will help to ensure that your diet and exercise regimen do not go unrewarded. And losing the weight relatively rapidly will help you to keep the eye on the ball...because you'll see the changes and the positive effect of your hard work. In the beginning, in some ways...it is easier with the surgery. But you know what? It is easier to control high blood pressure if you take certain medications...but you still need to avoid salt, watch your weight and exercise in order to really get it controlled. It is easier to control diabetes if you take Metformin or insulin...but you still need to really watch your diet and exercise to help manage your diabetes.. What I mean is that modern technology, whether it is drug therapy, surgery, or the most recent data on how the body metabolizes food and what foods are best for you...well, it should be taken advantage of...right? And notice that the examples I note above require some effort on your part, too. It's just that the drug therapy augments your chances of successfully combatting those diseases. And this surgery significantly augments your ability to successfully combat the disease of obesity. As for feeling a bit "stung" by the fact that peple are sometimes nicer to us when we lose weight...I look at it this way: it is human nature. You know that there is documented evidence that teachers are nicer to students who are attractive? Even animals that are "attractive" by the breed standard are more sought after than those that aren't. So...yes, it is not highly evolved, but it is what it is. So, I just take the new attention and I'm gracious about it. I'm the same in many ways...but also, I know that I erected some barriers with my fat, and I also recognize that I'm more happy when I'm thinner...so I very well may be more open and accessible now that I'm thinner. In any event, I'm sure there is a combination of my own walls coming down, and the lesser evolved tendencies of people to respond more favorably to attractive people at play. Again, it is what it is...and I just choose not to let it hurt me. You know? You can do this. Just have a positive outlook...be willing to peel the onion a bit, and look deeply at any emotional issue that may have caused you to go down the path to obesity...think about more positive ways to handle stress and emotion...and voila...you'll be on your way. Congratulations! Robynn Dean wrote: Robynn, Well, Robynn, after reading your letter I feel my life has changed. You answered all my questions and some that I thought of but I thought would be too much for one letter or one person to try to answer. Obviously I don't know Robynn. I guess up to now I've just considered obesity and diabetes something that would shorten my life and I didn't really consider the 'quality' of that life. I looked at dieting as something 'female' .... a thing the women did and men never talked about. IOW, I wasn't concerned with " getting checked out right and left by men" as you said you were experiencing, hehehe. In high school I lost 45# and many people came up and congratulated me. This, at first, seemed nice, until I realized that most of these people hadn't talked to me before and it seemed the loss had suddenly made me 'visible' , a 'human being' and worthy of talking to......This was a sad realization. I guess also there was the fear of change, even positive change....the mental readjustments, the ups and downs, the history of failure. Your account was very realistic, i.e., it pointed out that even with this being one of the most successful weight loss methods, you still have to diet and exercise. However with these large weigh losses over a year, it should enable people to get into a lot of physical activities which people had previously given up even considering again. It also seems that Kaiser keeps track of you on the way, which is a good thing to know. Well, my doctor will probably want to know why I changed my mind and I'll just have to tell him 'Robbyn'... Bless you, dean ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Message: 3 Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 08:25:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: ComplicationsThere are a couple of people on the board who experienced some complications...but overall, they were relatively minor, and resolved after a couple of days or weeks. None of them (that I know of) have been ongoing complications.As for gallstones, any major weightloss can result in gallstones. This is a temporary pain, and while it may be bad...certainly having your feet amputated due to uncontrollable diabetes is more painful. Surely cancer contracted due to excessive obesity is worse. Certainly the pain of a heart attack, or the recovery from a stroke is far worse than the pain of gallstones. And frankly, the day to day agony of arthritis and joint inflammation due to excessive weight on the skeletal system is up there in the pain department.I guess the point I'm trying to make is that this surgery is designed to save your life. To rescue you from the hopeless downward spiraling cycle of health that obesity frequently, usually brings with it.i am relatively young (41)...I had two co-morbidities: sleep apnea (relatively mild), and hyperinsulinimia (while not diabetes, it can lead to diabetes.) I am athletic, and I have always worked hard to try to lose/maintain weight loss. This resulted in an extreme yo yo effect in my weight...this is also a threat to health.The bottom line is that every single time I read yet another story about how I had nothing to look forward to in my life other than an array of horrible diseases, including Alzheimer's, as a result of obesity...I felt completely helpless. Because, despite my valiant efforts, I could not seem to lose weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time. So, I knew that my weight was likely to continue to get greater year after year after year...regardless of my countless hours in the gym and my frequent rounds of dieting...everything from absurd crash diets, to Weight Watchers, Craig, Optifast, good old fashioned moderation...I'd probably end up fatter in the end.So, I finally realized that I needed another arrow in my quiver. This surgery doesn't negate the need for diet and exercise...it just makes portion control and quality of intake control MUCH easier. People still struggle with temptations after being out for awhile...and no one is completely immune to the possibility of weight gain should the individual start eating too much and start failing to exercise. However, the success rate is soooo much higher than it is for any other method available out there.SO, at 5'6" and 261 lbs., I took the plunge. Let's see..I was referred by my PCP in December, and was accepted later that month to the Richmond program. I had my orientation in mid-January. It is at the orientation (if you are in the Richmond program) that you are weighed in...and whatever weight you are, you are expected to lose 10%. (Orientations are held about 2 times a month, sometimes more often, at each facility. You have to be accepted to the program first, and then you are assigned to an orientation date.) For me, that was 26 lbs. In February and March and April, I had a number of classes and appointments to attend. They were scheduled, fairly routinely. But, I was aggressive and nice, and made it known that I was very very eager to get this thing on the road. Unfortunately, the weightloss efforts didn't cooperate (had an unbelievable period of work stress and personal life stress). But, finally, at the end of May, I reached my 10 percent weight loss goal.I know others who managed to get to there goal in much less time...but I think I had some mental evaluation I needed to do, to make sure that I was really ready. So, at the end of May I went in at goal weight, and June 8th I received my surgery. That was about five and a half weeks ago. In that time, I've already lost 30 lbs. Combined with my 26 pre-surgery, I am now down 56 lbs. I have already gone down two categories on the BMI scale: from morbid obesity to severely obese to just plain ole obese...and I'm only a few lbs. from being "overweight"...and then voila, I will be normal weight soon afterwards. I have NO doubt that I will get there. Nor do I have any doubt that I will stay there, as I intend to do everything necessary to make sure of it.For the first time in a long long time, I have real and tangible hope. Every single day I see a change in my body. I feel lighter, more active.And yes, I'm fatigued. It takes a lot of energy to burn the fat off of me, to metabolize it all. But, you know what...it's TOTALLY worth it. I look forward to a future when I can just think about the normal threats in life, without feeling pre-ordained to develop any manner of horrible diseases due to my obesity.And yes, I'm getting checked out right and left by men already. And I feel more "normal" already. I went to Cobb's Comedy Club last night to see Greg Behrendt (the comedian who co-authored the book, "He's just not that into you" and who writes for Sex and the City. He was utterly hilarious by the way, and I think he'll be there tonight, too. ) Because of the topic of the book, the place was jam-packed full of hot women. I mean really pretty, young, 20s and 30s, well taken care of City girls. And you know what? I was totally one of them. I fit in. I wasn't huge, I didn't feel like a big fat matronly failure. That, my friend, is worth the weight I have lost so far...in gold.And hopefully, I won't get gallstones. They do check out your gallbladder while they are in there, and sometimes yank it out if necessary during the procedure. Othertimes, if they see a potential problem, they give you medication to help defray the risk. Gallstones may be painful...but continued obesity is deadly.Good luck during your search. You may want to check out obesityhelp.com. It's a good website with lots of information. If you go to the "photos" section, there are tons of before and after pictures which are quite inspirational. You can click on the picture, and a lot of times it will lead to a journal. This journal will talk about any complications, etc...and just set forth the steps of the journey that the individual had to take in order to arrive at their goal. Read some of those, find the ones written by men (there are plenty)...take a deep breath...and make the decision that works for you.I can tell you this...I have moments of fatigue, and a few moments where I wish I could dive in and devour an entire hamburger...but I have many more moments of joy, peace and utter relief that the future that looms ahead of me promises good health, self-worth...and smaller clothes!Peace to you,Robynn5'6"Orientation weight: 261.5Post-10% weight loss, and weight at surgery: 235.5Surgery: June 8, 2005 (five and a half weeks ago)Current weight: 207Total weight loss from Orientation: 54.5BMI: from 42.3 to 33.4Dean wrote:Does anyone know of anyone who has experienced complications? I read on the Kaiser pages that 30% of those who go through the procedure get gallstones. After going through this with a friend [ not from GB] I wonder if the pain would be worth it?Can this procedure be reversed? Does anyone know someone who has done so, using the Kaiser system?What is the approximate timeline for this? Wait time? How many appointments?How often are info sessions given? At each facility?thanks,dean in the sfba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2005 Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 Dean... I am so glad that I was able to answer your questions in a way that has helped you to find YOUR answer. Congratulations to you. Making a decision that will fundamentally change your life...your future...your body, your health, your self-esteem....well, that takes a lot of courage. I wrestled with this whole decision, too. But, I think it is important tot wrestle...because through that process, the asking of questions, the researching...you can finally make a decision that is thorough...that is correct..and that is made with sufficient self-reflection so that you can really get your mind wrapped around the ramifications of that decision. And that self-reflection will help ensure your continued success in this journey. So, kudos to you, Dean. I am proud of you for doing this. If you have any little lingering thought like, "Well...gee, isn't this kind of cheating? I should be able to do this by myself!" (and sadly, you may get a few people voicing that opinion to you)...just remember that this is not a magic bullet. It requires some effort on your part. It requires a daily decision to pay attention to your pouch...to not overeat...to not stretch it...to avoid drinking water during a meal...to exercise. This isn't the "easy" way. Major surgery is never the easy way. And as I said before, it will still boil down to your discipline: diet and exercise. It's just that the diminished size of your stomach, and the decreased ability to absorb calories will help to ensure that your diet and exercise regimen do not go unrewarded. And losing the weight relatively rapidly will help you to keep the eye on the ball...because you'll see the changes and the positive effect of your hard work. In the beginning, in some ways...it is easier with the surgery. But you know what? It is easier to control high blood pressure if you take certain medications...but you still need to avoid salt, watch your weight and exercise in order to really get it controlled. It is easier to control diabetes if you take Metformin or insulin...but you still need to really watch your diet and exercise to help manage your diabetes.. What I mean is that modern technology, whether it is drug therapy, surgery, or the most recent data on how the body metabolizes food and what foods are best for you...well, it should be taken advantage of...right? And notice that the examples I note above require some effort on your part, too. It's just that the drug therapy augments your chances of successfully combatting those diseases. And this surgery significantly augments your ability to successfully combat the disease of obesity. As for feeling a bit "stung" by the fact that peple are sometimes nicer to us when we lose weight...I look at it this way: it is human nature. You know that there is documented evidence that teachers are nicer to students who are attractive? Even animals that are "attractive" by the breed standard are more sought after than those that aren't. So...yes, it is not highly evolved, but it is what it is. So, I just take the new attention and I'm gracious about it. I'm the same in many ways...but also, I know that I erected some barriers with my fat, and I also recognize that I'm more happy when I'm thinner...so I very well may be more open and accessible now that I'm thinner. In any event, I'm sure there is a combination of my own walls coming down, and the lesser evolved tendencies of people to respond more favorably to attractive people at play. Again, it is what it is...and I just choose not to let it hurt me. You know? You can do this. Just have a positive outlook...be willing to peel the onion a bit, and look deeply at any emotional issue that may have caused you to go down the path to obesity...think about more positive ways to handle stress and emotion...and voila...you'll be on your way. Congratulations! Robynn Dean wrote: Robynn, Well, Robynn, after reading your letter I feel my life has changed. You answered all my questions and some that I thought of but I thought would be too much for one letter or one person to try to answer. Obviously I don't know Robynn. I guess up to now I've just considered obesity and diabetes something that would shorten my life and I didn't really consider the 'quality' of that life. I looked at dieting as something 'female' .... a thing the women did and men never talked about. IOW, I wasn't concerned with " getting checked out right and left by men" as you said you were experiencing, hehehe. In high school I lost 45# and many people came up and congratulated me. This, at first, seemed nice, until I realized that most of these people hadn't talked to me before and it seemed the loss had suddenly made me 'visible' , a 'human being' and worthy of talking to......This was a sad realization. I guess also there was the fear of change, even positive change....the mental readjustments, the ups and downs, the history of failure. Your account was very realistic, i.e., it pointed out that even with this being one of the most successful weight loss methods, you still have to diet and exercise. However with these large weigh losses over a year, it should enable people to get into a lot of physical activities which people had previously given up even considering again. It also seems that Kaiser keeps track of you on the way, which is a good thing to know. Well, my doctor will probably want to know why I changed my mind and I'll just have to tell him 'Robbyn'... Bless you, dean ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Message: 3 Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 08:25:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: ComplicationsThere are a couple of people on the board who experienced some complications...but overall, they were relatively minor, and resolved after a couple of days or weeks. None of them (that I know of) have been ongoing complications.As for gallstones, any major weightloss can result in gallstones. This is a temporary pain, and while it may be bad...certainly having your feet amputated due to uncontrollable diabetes is more painful. Surely cancer contracted due to excessive obesity is worse. Certainly the pain of a heart attack, or the recovery from a stroke is far worse than the pain of gallstones. And frankly, the day to day agony of arthritis and joint inflammation due to excessive weight on the skeletal system is up there in the pain department.I guess the point I'm trying to make is that this surgery is designed to save your life. To rescue you from the hopeless downward spiraling cycle of health that obesity frequently, usually brings with it.i am relatively young (41)...I had two co-morbidities: sleep apnea (relatively mild), and hyperinsulinimia (while not diabetes, it can lead to diabetes.) I am athletic, and I have always worked hard to try to lose/maintain weight loss. This resulted in an extreme yo yo effect in my weight...this is also a threat to health.The bottom line is that every single time I read yet another story about how I had nothing to look forward to in my life other than an array of horrible diseases, including Alzheimer's, as a result of obesity...I felt completely helpless. Because, despite my valiant efforts, I could not seem to lose weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time. So, I knew that my weight was likely to continue to get greater year after year after year...regardless of my countless hours in the gym and my frequent rounds of dieting...everything from absurd crash diets, to Weight Watchers, Craig, Optifast, good old fashioned moderation...I'd probably end up fatter in the end.So, I finally realized that I needed another arrow in my quiver. This surgery doesn't negate the need for diet and exercise...it just makes portion control and quality of intake control MUCH easier. People still struggle with temptations after being out for awhile...and no one is completely immune to the possibility of weight gain should the individual start eating too much and start failing to exercise. However, the success rate is soooo much higher than it is for any other method available out there.SO, at 5'6" and 261 lbs., I took the plunge. Let's see..I was referred by my PCP in December, and was accepted later that month to the Richmond program. I had my orientation in mid-January. It is at the orientation (if you are in the Richmond program) that you are weighed in...and whatever weight you are, you are expected to lose 10%. (Orientations are held about 2 times a month, sometimes more often, at each facility. You have to be accepted to the program first, and then you are assigned to an orientation date.) For me, that was 26 lbs. In February and March and April, I had a number of classes and appointments to attend. They were scheduled, fairly routinely. But, I was aggressive and nice, and made it known that I was very very eager to get this thing on the road. Unfortunately, the weightloss efforts didn't cooperate (had an unbelievable period of work stress and personal life stress). But, finally, at the end of May, I reached my 10 percent weight loss goal.I know others who managed to get to there goal in much less time...but I think I had some mental evaluation I needed to do, to make sure that I was really ready. So, at the end of May I went in at goal weight, and June 8th I received my surgery. That was about five and a half weeks ago. In that time, I've already lost 30 lbs. Combined with my 26 pre-surgery, I am now down 56 lbs. I have already gone down two categories on the BMI scale: from morbid obesity to severely obese to just plain ole obese...and I'm only a few lbs. from being "overweight"...and then voila, I will be normal weight soon afterwards. I have NO doubt that I will get there. Nor do I have any doubt that I will stay there, as I intend to do everything necessary to make sure of it.For the first time in a long long time, I have real and tangible hope. Every single day I see a change in my body. I feel lighter, more active.And yes, I'm fatigued. It takes a lot of energy to burn the fat off of me, to metabolize it all. But, you know what...it's TOTALLY worth it. I look forward to a future when I can just think about the normal threats in life, without feeling pre-ordained to develop any manner of horrible diseases due to my obesity.And yes, I'm getting checked out right and left by men already. And I feel more "normal" already. I went to Cobb's Comedy Club last night to see Greg Behrendt (the comedian who co-authored the book, "He's just not that into you" and who writes for Sex and the City. He was utterly hilarious by the way, and I think he'll be there tonight, too. ) Because of the topic of the book, the place was jam-packed full of hot women. I mean really pretty, young, 20s and 30s, well taken care of City girls. And you know what? I was totally one of them. I fit in. I wasn't huge, I didn't feel like a big fat matronly failure. That, my friend, is worth the weight I have lost so far...in gold.And hopefully, I won't get gallstones. They do check out your gallbladder while they are in there, and sometimes yank it out if necessary during the procedure. Othertimes, if they see a potential problem, they give you medication to help defray the risk. Gallstones may be painful...but continued obesity is deadly.Good luck during your search. You may want to check out obesityhelp.com. It's a good website with lots of information. If you go to the "photos" section, there are tons of before and after pictures which are quite inspirational. You can click on the picture, and a lot of times it will lead to a journal. This journal will talk about any complications, etc...and just set forth the steps of the journey that the individual had to take in order to arrive at their goal. Read some of those, find the ones written by men (there are plenty)...take a deep breath...and make the decision that works for you.I can tell you this...I have moments of fatigue, and a few moments where I wish I could dive in and devour an entire hamburger...but I have many more moments of joy, peace and utter relief that the future that looms ahead of me promises good health, self-worth...and smaller clothes!Peace to you,Robynn5'6"Orientation weight: 261.5Post-10% weight loss, and weight at surgery: 235.5Surgery: June 8, 2005 (five and a half weeks ago)Current weight: 207Total weight loss from Orientation: 54.5BMI: from 42.3 to 33.4Dean wrote:Does anyone know of anyone who has experienced complications? I read on the Kaiser pages that 30% of those who go through the procedure get gallstones. After going through this with a friend [ not from GB] I wonder if the pain would be worth it?Can this procedure be reversed? Does anyone know someone who has done so, using the Kaiser system?What is the approximate timeline for this? Wait time? How many appointments?How often are info sessions given? At each facility?thanks,dean in the sfba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2005 Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 Dean... I am so glad that I was able to answer your questions in a way that has helped you to find YOUR answer. Congratulations to you. Making a decision that will fundamentally change your life...your future...your body, your health, your self-esteem....well, that takes a lot of courage. I wrestled with this whole decision, too. But, I think it is important tot wrestle...because through that process, the asking of questions, the researching...you can finally make a decision that is thorough...that is correct..and that is made with sufficient self-reflection so that you can really get your mind wrapped around the ramifications of that decision. And that self-reflection will help ensure your continued success in this journey. So, kudos to you, Dean. I am proud of you for doing this. If you have any little lingering thought like, "Well...gee, isn't this kind of cheating? I should be able to do this by myself!" (and sadly, you may get a few people voicing that opinion to you)...just remember that this is not a magic bullet. It requires some effort on your part. It requires a daily decision to pay attention to your pouch...to not overeat...to not stretch it...to avoid drinking water during a meal...to exercise. This isn't the "easy" way. Major surgery is never the easy way. And as I said before, it will still boil down to your discipline: diet and exercise. It's just that the diminished size of your stomach, and the decreased ability to absorb calories will help to ensure that your diet and exercise regimen do not go unrewarded. And losing the weight relatively rapidly will help you to keep the eye on the ball...because you'll see the changes and the positive effect of your hard work. In the beginning, in some ways...it is easier with the surgery. But you know what? It is easier to control high blood pressure if you take certain medications...but you still need to avoid salt, watch your weight and exercise in order to really get it controlled. It is easier to control diabetes if you take Metformin or insulin...but you still need to really watch your diet and exercise to help manage your diabetes.. What I mean is that modern technology, whether it is drug therapy, surgery, or the most recent data on how the body metabolizes food and what foods are best for you...well, it should be taken advantage of...right? And notice that the examples I note above require some effort on your part, too. It's just that the drug therapy augments your chances of successfully combatting those diseases. And this surgery significantly augments your ability to successfully combat the disease of obesity. As for feeling a bit "stung" by the fact that peple are sometimes nicer to us when we lose weight...I look at it this way: it is human nature. You know that there is documented evidence that teachers are nicer to students who are attractive? Even animals that are "attractive" by the breed standard are more sought after than those that aren't. So...yes, it is not highly evolved, but it is what it is. So, I just take the new attention and I'm gracious about it. I'm the same in many ways...but also, I know that I erected some barriers with my fat, and I also recognize that I'm more happy when I'm thinner...so I very well may be more open and accessible now that I'm thinner. In any event, I'm sure there is a combination of my own walls coming down, and the lesser evolved tendencies of people to respond more favorably to attractive people at play. Again, it is what it is...and I just choose not to let it hurt me. You know? You can do this. Just have a positive outlook...be willing to peel the onion a bit, and look deeply at any emotional issue that may have caused you to go down the path to obesity...think about more positive ways to handle stress and emotion...and voila...you'll be on your way. Congratulations! Robynn Dean wrote: Robynn, Well, Robynn, after reading your letter I feel my life has changed. You answered all my questions and some that I thought of but I thought would be too much for one letter or one person to try to answer. Obviously I don't know Robynn. I guess up to now I've just considered obesity and diabetes something that would shorten my life and I didn't really consider the 'quality' of that life. I looked at dieting as something 'female' .... a thing the women did and men never talked about. IOW, I wasn't concerned with " getting checked out right and left by men" as you said you were experiencing, hehehe. In high school I lost 45# and many people came up and congratulated me. This, at first, seemed nice, until I realized that most of these people hadn't talked to me before and it seemed the loss had suddenly made me 'visible' , a 'human being' and worthy of talking to......This was a sad realization. I guess also there was the fear of change, even positive change....the mental readjustments, the ups and downs, the history of failure. Your account was very realistic, i.e., it pointed out that even with this being one of the most successful weight loss methods, you still have to diet and exercise. However with these large weigh losses over a year, it should enable people to get into a lot of physical activities which people had previously given up even considering again. It also seems that Kaiser keeps track of you on the way, which is a good thing to know. Well, my doctor will probably want to know why I changed my mind and I'll just have to tell him 'Robbyn'... Bless you, dean ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Message: 3 Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 08:25:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: ComplicationsThere are a couple of people on the board who experienced some complications...but overall, they were relatively minor, and resolved after a couple of days or weeks. None of them (that I know of) have been ongoing complications.As for gallstones, any major weightloss can result in gallstones. This is a temporary pain, and while it may be bad...certainly having your feet amputated due to uncontrollable diabetes is more painful. Surely cancer contracted due to excessive obesity is worse. Certainly the pain of a heart attack, or the recovery from a stroke is far worse than the pain of gallstones. And frankly, the day to day agony of arthritis and joint inflammation due to excessive weight on the skeletal system is up there in the pain department.I guess the point I'm trying to make is that this surgery is designed to save your life. To rescue you from the hopeless downward spiraling cycle of health that obesity frequently, usually brings with it.i am relatively young (41)...I had two co-morbidities: sleep apnea (relatively mild), and hyperinsulinimia (while not diabetes, it can lead to diabetes.) I am athletic, and I have always worked hard to try to lose/maintain weight loss. This resulted in an extreme yo yo effect in my weight...this is also a threat to health.The bottom line is that every single time I read yet another story about how I had nothing to look forward to in my life other than an array of horrible diseases, including Alzheimer's, as a result of obesity...I felt completely helpless. Because, despite my valiant efforts, I could not seem to lose weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time. So, I knew that my weight was likely to continue to get greater year after year after year...regardless of my countless hours in the gym and my frequent rounds of dieting...everything from absurd crash diets, to Weight Watchers, Craig, Optifast, good old fashioned moderation...I'd probably end up fatter in the end.So, I finally realized that I needed another arrow in my quiver. This surgery doesn't negate the need for diet and exercise...it just makes portion control and quality of intake control MUCH easier. People still struggle with temptations after being out for awhile...and no one is completely immune to the possibility of weight gain should the individual start eating too much and start failing to exercise. However, the success rate is soooo much higher than it is for any other method available out there.SO, at 5'6" and 261 lbs., I took the plunge. Let's see..I was referred by my PCP in December, and was accepted later that month to the Richmond program. I had my orientation in mid-January. It is at the orientation (if you are in the Richmond program) that you are weighed in...and whatever weight you are, you are expected to lose 10%. (Orientations are held about 2 times a month, sometimes more often, at each facility. You have to be accepted to the program first, and then you are assigned to an orientation date.) For me, that was 26 lbs. In February and March and April, I had a number of classes and appointments to attend. They were scheduled, fairly routinely. But, I was aggressive and nice, and made it known that I was very very eager to get this thing on the road. Unfortunately, the weightloss efforts didn't cooperate (had an unbelievable period of work stress and personal life stress). But, finally, at the end of May, I reached my 10 percent weight loss goal.I know others who managed to get to there goal in much less time...but I think I had some mental evaluation I needed to do, to make sure that I was really ready. So, at the end of May I went in at goal weight, and June 8th I received my surgery. That was about five and a half weeks ago. In that time, I've already lost 30 lbs. Combined with my 26 pre-surgery, I am now down 56 lbs. I have already gone down two categories on the BMI scale: from morbid obesity to severely obese to just plain ole obese...and I'm only a few lbs. from being "overweight"...and then voila, I will be normal weight soon afterwards. I have NO doubt that I will get there. Nor do I have any doubt that I will stay there, as I intend to do everything necessary to make sure of it.For the first time in a long long time, I have real and tangible hope. Every single day I see a change in my body. I feel lighter, more active.And yes, I'm fatigued. It takes a lot of energy to burn the fat off of me, to metabolize it all. But, you know what...it's TOTALLY worth it. I look forward to a future when I can just think about the normal threats in life, without feeling pre-ordained to develop any manner of horrible diseases due to my obesity.And yes, I'm getting checked out right and left by men already. And I feel more "normal" already. I went to Cobb's Comedy Club last night to see Greg Behrendt (the comedian who co-authored the book, "He's just not that into you" and who writes for Sex and the City. He was utterly hilarious by the way, and I think he'll be there tonight, too. ) Because of the topic of the book, the place was jam-packed full of hot women. I mean really pretty, young, 20s and 30s, well taken care of City girls. And you know what? I was totally one of them. I fit in. I wasn't huge, I didn't feel like a big fat matronly failure. That, my friend, is worth the weight I have lost so far...in gold.And hopefully, I won't get gallstones. They do check out your gallbladder while they are in there, and sometimes yank it out if necessary during the procedure. Othertimes, if they see a potential problem, they give you medication to help defray the risk. Gallstones may be painful...but continued obesity is deadly.Good luck during your search. You may want to check out obesityhelp.com. It's a good website with lots of information. If you go to the "photos" section, there are tons of before and after pictures which are quite inspirational. You can click on the picture, and a lot of times it will lead to a journal. This journal will talk about any complications, etc...and just set forth the steps of the journey that the individual had to take in order to arrive at their goal. Read some of those, find the ones written by men (there are plenty)...take a deep breath...and make the decision that works for you.I can tell you this...I have moments of fatigue, and a few moments where I wish I could dive in and devour an entire hamburger...but I have many more moments of joy, peace and utter relief that the future that looms ahead of me promises good health, self-worth...and smaller clothes!Peace to you,Robynn5'6"Orientation weight: 261.5Post-10% weight loss, and weight at surgery: 235.5Surgery: June 8, 2005 (five and a half weeks ago)Current weight: 207Total weight loss from Orientation: 54.5BMI: from 42.3 to 33.4Dean wrote:Does anyone know of anyone who has experienced complications? I read on the Kaiser pages that 30% of those who go through the procedure get gallstones. After going through this with a friend [ not from GB] I wonder if the pain would be worth it?Can this procedure be reversed? Does anyone know someone who has done so, using the Kaiser system?What is the approximate timeline for this? Wait time? How many appointments?How often are info sessions given? At each facility?thanks,dean in the sfba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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