[Marella]

Originally Posted by shecee34

I don't have a day that is pain free anymore. I have lived with this for 20 years. Back in Oct I finally hit my breaking point with the cronic pain. I just lost it. I cannot continue with the constant pain any longer. My herniated disk hits my nerve and I have pain all the way down my left leg and into my foot every day and about half the time I have pain down my right leg as well. I don't have any fantasies that this will "cure" my back problems. My surgeon said it best when he told me "it will make it so that in the future when (not if) you have surgery on your back it will work for you. I feel that crippling pain is just as big of a health problem as high blood pressure or anything else related to obesity.

I see by your goal that you're going for a 100 pound loss. I'd say that would be a humongous help to your back. Though my back problems were pain (no disc problems), but they're largely all gone now and I have WLS to thank for it. If you can have 50% pain reduction, I'm sure you'd do anything for a shot at it.

Have you looked into nuero blockers? (I think it's what it's called)... it's an implantation of a device which blocks the pain from the nerves. It's not a cure, just pain relief. I heard about it when Jerry Lewis had one implanted in his back, oh, some 15 or more years ago.

[Phoenixfire]

Originally Posted by Marella

If it were me, I'd wear 2-10 pound ankle weights to your next appointment -- an easy way to gain 20 pounds and raise your BMI considerably. Maybe the hoops you've already jumped through (all the tests) can still be valid and you won't have to do them again.

It takes a month post-op to lose REAL 20 pounds. I'd hate to see you have to gain it for real.

Countrygirl, personally I disagree with this idea for a few reasons that might also be valid in your mind. First, if you're lying to your doctor about what you do weigh, then how can they properly treat you for ALL of your health conditions? And second, what happens if they catch you with the weights? We got weighed more than one time before going under the knife (the last time was in my hospital gown-no room to hide weights there!) That choice of deception isn't a very good way to start a journey that requires ONE THING ABOVE ALL ELSE:

BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

I think that is the key to success after WLS. Being honest with yourself. It just puts a bad taste in my mouth to think of putting ankle weights on in order to start a journey that requires constant brutal honesty with yourself.

And hey, if you do get caught, you might not EVER get approved by that doc! Even if you do gain more weight. And THAT would suck big time.

You said that your tests for co-morbidities were all negative and I wonder if you agree with that? Do you have symptoms of health issues, ones that weren't detected by the docs who tested you? If that's the case, then I'd get those issues re-tested. Not JUST for surgery but also for your good health and proper treatment of any conditions that were not detected.

[shecee34]

Originally Posted by Marella

Have you looked into nuero blockers? (I think it's what it's called)... it's an implantation of a device which blocks the pain from the nerves. It's not a cure, just pain relief. I heard about it when Jerry Lewis had one implanted in his back.

I was offered a steriod injection in my back. Well you know how the word "steriod" can clear a room of fat people. Last thing I needed was to gain weight from it. They also don't guarantee it will work at all or for how long. It's a roll of the dice.

[Phoenixfire]

Originally Posted by Marella

but do you understand pain and desperation, what's it's like to have your back against the wall with no reasonable way out.

Yes Marella, unfortunately I am very familiar with living for many years having pain and desperation, and I've lived many years knowing what it feels like to have my back against the wall with no reasonable way out in sight.

It's a hard way to live, but I do it because the option would be to just give up. But I can't do that because I have someone counting on me.

You asked "what would you do" and I answer this: I would do what I did over 8 years ago. I sought diagnosis for all the co-morbidities I suffered preop, got treatment for those conditions for about 2 years, and when the treatments didn't work I followed my pain doctor's advice and went to a gastric bypass surgeon and had surgery 6 years ago. I was qualified because of my multiple co-morbidities. If I had not had them then I wonder if I would have had surgery...I don't know the answer to that since I chose a different path. Hard to say, looking back and asking what would have been, ya know?

[Marella]

Originally Posted by Phoenixfire

Hard to say, looking back and asking what would have been, ya know?

Exactly.

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[Phoenixfire]

Originally Posted by Marella

Everyone can have an opinion, an idea of what they'd like to do, but would they really 'follow the rules' to the letter if their was no reasonable way out?

This was kind of a separate question, and I read it a little different than you may have meant. Applying that question to myself of "would they really 'follow the rules'" to following the rules postop (not preop like I think you're saying), I say I definitely did follow the rules. Nope, not perfectly like some others here that I GREATLY admire, but as good as I could. And it worked. And ya know I like the fact that I can look in the mirror and not feel like I cheated myself or anyone else. I don't think you meant the question that way, but it made me think of the postop rules we choose to follow. And those are some hard ones!

[Phoenixfire]

Originally Posted by Marella

Exactly.

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Ok.....maybe I'm missing something, but it sounds like you're saying my input is illegitimate because I wasn't in the exact same shoes as Countrygirl, so now I have no clue what the wisest choice is in her situation? That's okay - and it's the great thing about getting feedback from different people on a forum like this. As you think wearing weights to get WLS is a good idea, and I do not think that, we can just agree to disagree.

WLS is a great tool for better health Countrygirl, and I hope you find your way to the best answer for yourself and that you can get healthy and happy in your skin.

[Phoenixfire]

Originally Posted by shecee34

I was offered a steriod injection in my back. Well you know how the word "steriod" can clear a room of fat people. Last thing I needed was to gain weight from it. They also don't guarantee it will work at all or for how long. It's a roll of the dice.

Shecee...(not to hijack your thread Countrygirl, but I didn't see Shecee post about this on another thread and I thought the info on pain may help you too perhaps.)
I've been getting epidural steroidal injections for over a year and I haven't gained weight from them. I believe they are different than the oral meds like Prednisone that DO cause weight gain. I have gotten a good measure of pain relief from those injections, so maybe you might want to talk to your doc and see if it's "transforaminal epidural injections" and ask if those do go in the body like Prednisone. I haven't had that side-effect, but I DID when I had to take oral steroids (gag!) You can PM me about the injections if you'd like to.

Countrygirl, I too had hoped my spine condition would be a "top co-morbidity" but it wasn't. I'm sorry you're dealing with chronic pain, and like others I hoped surgery would eliminate my pain but it didn't. But it sure as hell kept me out of a wheelchair, which is where my doc said I'd be if I still weighed 300 lbs.!

[shecee34]

Originally Posted by jerseygrl684

I'm sorry, but am i the only one who doesnt believe in "cheating" the system to get the surgery?

Ankle weights? And over eating to get the surgery? If your insurance company won't cover it, maybe you should finance it on your own. Don't cheat the system, that isn't fair to everyone else who had to go through this THE RIGHT WAY.

Aggravates me to no end to see people cheating their way into WLS.

I hate to point this out, not meant to start a fight. BUT...didn't you over eat to get the surgery???? I guess I don't see how you weighing enough to qualify for the surgery differs from me weighing enough to get the surgery. We both got there by eating more than we burned off.

[jerseygrl684]

Originally Posted by shecee34

I hate to point this out, not meant to start a fight. BUT...didn't you over eat to get the surgery???? I guess I don't see how you weighing enough to qualify for the surgery differs from me weighing enough to get the surgery. We both got there by eating more than we burned off.

Um, how did i overeat TO GET the surgery? Are you that much of a twit? Last I checked, you are fat too. Hello pot, this is kettle.

You have some nerve trying to tell me that i overate to qualify for surgery? NOPE I WAS OVER A 40 BMI BEFORE I EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT GASTRIC BYPASS ACTUALLY. "not meant to start a fight", meaning hi, i am going to say something to get you heated.... People like you bring out the worst in me, you really do. I'm not normally like this, but I cannot stand people who cheat the system in life. We all have to pay our dues.

Don't take your lack of qualifying for RNY out on me. Maybe you should look into the lapband if you want to lose the weight, but don't meet the weight requirement. I do not believe that it is the right thing to try to gain weight or wear ankle weights, but to each their own. As i previously stated, there are bmi/co-morbidity requirement there FOR A REASON. If you feel that you qualify with a lower bmi, then fight them on it. Just DO NOT CHEAT THE SYSTEM.

*puts on my flame retardant suit*