Gastric Bypass and Gastric Banding Surgeries

[mduffy31]

Just wondering if anyone here has had this procedure done. I am currently contemplating having a banding done, and I was wondering if anyone here has had it or is also considering having it done.

[MsKandice01]

1. I had the Gastric Bypass 5 years ago..

I went from 388 pounds to 175 pounds...from a size 32 to a size 12 (I'm 6'1").

[Orrex]

2. I have not, but I know four women who have had the procedure

I know three of the women quite well, and the fourth only in passing. Overall, they give it mixed but generally positive reviews. Their ages at time of surgery range from 19 to 43, and all were greatly overweight, three of them morbidly obese. The most recent surgery was two years ago.

Here are my impressions:

There was inadequate psychological counseling prior to surgery, with very little attention paid to the profound lifestyle change that the surgery would require. The 19-year-old (a lovely woman but IMO too imature for such a drastic procedure) was given no prior counseling outside of a warning that activity would need to be restricted during recovery. The other three women were given dietary guidelines but not enough to prepare them for what would follow. Vitamin supplements are almost always necessary due to the reduced volume of food that the patient is able to take in.

As you're likely aware, the stomach post-op will be about the size of your thumb, and your dietary portion-size will be much, much smaller as well. There are restrictions on how much you can eat and the volume of carbonated beverages that you can consume. All three women lost enormous amounts of weight. The 19-year-old started at 420 pounds and had dropped to around 200 when I saw her eight months ago. She's six feet tall, so she looked great, outside of the excess skin resulting from such rapid weight loss.

Three of the women quickly fell into their prior dietary habits, gradually working up to larger and larger meals. I've personally seen one of them eat half a pizza with a 20oz soda. She claims that her doctor told her that the stomach can stretch to its former size, but I'm dubious--it doesn't seem safe or healthy to stretch the organ to that extent.

The excess skin can be removed through additional surgery, of course, but it's only covered by insurance (usually) if it can be shown to be a health threat, eg. due to infection from layered folds of skin. This surgery is expensive and painful and can take a good while to recover.

In any case, all four say that it changed their lives, and they'd do it again in a minute, even knowing the difficulty they faced afterwards.

Don't take the advice of anyone here--seek a consultation with a qualified surgeon as well as a psychologist trained to assist you in making this profound decision about your life.

And good luck in any case!

[mduffy31]

3. I have been

I have been seeing a doctor and part of the process is that you have a Psych eval first. Now my father had this done d/t cancer and his stomach did stretch out a little, but not to it's normal size. I saw what he went thru as far as the pain goes, but he also had it done a long time ago and it included a large incision with a thoracotomy. Now it can be done with a lap procedure. I am a nurse I have treated some people who have had it done and there are very few that I have heard that haven't been happy with it. For me I guess I am tired of living the way that I have. I have spent way too much money on different diet programs and fitness centers, and my size is now starting to become an issue in my marriage. This is not a decision that I come to lightly, I just want to do what is best for my health, and I hope that it can help with my marriage also.

[MsKandice01]

6. I'd do it again tomorrow if I had to...

[MsKandice01]

5. My doctor and his stuff did a phenomenal job of educating me..

It's easy to fall back into those old habits though.

[medeak]

4. a friend had the banding last year

Is extremely happy with results. She goes back every 6 months or so for "adjustments".... It's an out patient surgery as opposed to being in ICU and major surgery with bypass. And...can be removed at a later date.

Am certain there is a lot of info on the net?

[MsKandice01]

7. I found this website to be extremely helpful...

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity

There are TONS of resources there.

[salvorhardin]

8. An alternative view...

I do not endorse this site, but I feel they raise some good issues. I do not feel qualified to speak to the accuracy of their claims regarding weight loss surgery however. Instead I just put this out here for any potential discussion value. You'll need to scroll down to the section on Weight Loss Surgery and click on the headline to expand it.

Big Fact Facts
The number of Americans undergoing weight loss surgery (WLS) increased four times between 1998 and 2002, from just over 13,000 to just over 71,000.1 The American Society for Bariatric Surgery reports that over 140,000 surgeries were performed in 2004, twice the number performed just two years earlier, and estimated an increase to 171,200 in 2005.2 The average cost per surgery reached $13,215 in 2002, with total costs of almost $1 billion3. In February, 2006, USA Today estimated the cost of WLS at $15,000 to $20,000.4 Are those who undergo this surgery getting what they pay for?
http://www.bigfatfacts.com