What made you decide? - ThinnerTimes

CrystalDream · 01-04-2005, 11:39 AM

What made you make the final decision to get this surgery?

I am having thoughts about it and would like some imput, thanks

bridgetgirl · 01-04-2005, 11:53 AM

I was tired of being heavy, tired of peeing my pants with the least amount of stress on my body. Tired of the knee, hip and ankle pain. Tired of being out of breath. risk of blood clots, had one already being Mo.Tired of watching my legs swell... tired of felling like I was 80 instead of 30. I wanted my children to have a mommy they would be proud of..... they are so incredibly proud of me now. Tired of the prejudice... just sick and tired of being sick and tired.

There is so much to gain.. its amazing. Your life becomes an incredible transformation.. I cant even explain how surreal it feels sometimes... its simply amazing!

CrystalDream · 01-04-2005, 12:03 PM

Wow! I think you just posted my problems

I have a dull lower back pain all of the time, dizzy spells, numbness in my ears, leg cramps, stomach pains, and I feel like sleeping all of the time I am soooo exhausted and I get headaches on a daily basis.
I am barely active, I walk from the PC to the fridge and back.
My poor son feels bored because I'm always too tired to do anything.

Plus, looking in the mirror sucks.
I gained 70 lbs during my pregnancy (I was 270 BEFORE I got pregnant!)

I had a very thin childhood, I was so thin people worried I wasn't being fed!
Then in my mid 20s I started to pack the pounds on and fast!

I'm currently eating low carbs (3rd attempt), it's my 2nd day watching what I eat, but the problem with that is I go to a low carb forum, and everyone there that still has weight to lose (a lot of them succeeded quite well), has to lose about 50 or 100 lbs, which is significant, but... I have to lose about 190 lbs and it's a long road.

I wanted to be thin and fit by the age 33, well I'll be 32 in 5 months and it's not gonna happen

My husband and I were planning another baby when I lost this weight (2 years ago) which never happened and now he is saying that if I don't lose the weight by the age of 33, he doesn't want any more children because he'll be 35 and wants to have a relaxing senior life without young pre teens or young teenagers around (which I can understand)

Plus him and my mother constantly worry about my health.
I also worry about my health.
The ONLY thing that scares me into thinking this might be a bad idea is because my fear of dying at the operating table, but who is to say I won't have a heart attack in the next few months anyway?

I'm glad I found this forum, because so far you seem really helpful and welcomed me right in.

bridgetgirl · 01-04-2005, 12:38 PM

Oh the back pain... I forgot all about that. Its funny how it use to plague my life everyday and now I cant even remember having that pain... isnt that wonderful?

I have 2 boys, and I love to run with them everywhere. We race all the time, and never being out of breath is just totally freaking awesome. Wearing shoes (heels) all day and not having one part of my foot hurt, is totally awesome! Squatting is totally awesome.. not hearing those crackily noises in my kees when I squat is totally awesome..... I dont have enough good things to say about WLS! It rocks... but you know if bypass seems to invasive for you, there is always the banding option. You loose the weight, you dont get dumping... you get full quickly, you dont have malabsorption but the weightloss is ALOT slower... that might be something you might want to look into as well. But for those of us who are MORBIDLY OBESE... our BMI's are over 40 are in fact a walking time bomb and our weight alone is enough to kill us.... we need the weight off fast to improve our health and quality of life... thats why many of us choose to have gastric bypass. I hope my input helps.. Im sure you will hear from others as well. Welcome to our forum (9 HUGS ))

pambragg · 01-04-2005, 01:03 PM

The deciding factor for me was that I wanted to be alive in another 5 years. I have 3 beautiful granddaughters that I want to see grow up. No more constant back pain, no more high blood pressure meds, no more sleep apnea, no more sleeping my weekends away because carrying 333 lbs kicked my ass. Now I take my "girls" to Legoland, play on the floor with them, have them sit on my actual lap, spend my weekends doing fun things, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. I wish you the best in your decision, each person has to individually weigh the pros and cons. I myself, have never regretted for one minute what I view as the best decision I have ever made. Welcome to the best place on earth!

Bigdave · 01-04-2005, 01:10 PM

For me it was a combination of pain(back, knees, feet, etc), Sleep apnea, long 12 hour shifts at work, and not able to enjoy my Italy vacation due to my inability. Now...what a WONDERFUL change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave

Dara · 01-04-2005, 01:10 PM

Why did I have this surgery? I honestly did it to feel better. At 48, I felt like I was 88. I was only 100 lbs. overweight and my health was ruined. I had sleep apnea and had to sleep with a CPAP machine (oh, so romantic). I had GERD, took medication for it, and STILL had reflux. I had hypertension, averaging about 160/110 on TWO medications. I had stress incontinence and would pee with laughing, coughing, sneezing, lifting...you name it. I had unrelenting headaches every day of my life, and took 1000mg of Tylenol every four hours around the clock. I had joint pain all over and took at least 3000mg of Ibuprofen a day. Satisfactory intimacy with my husband was extremely difficult, just because of my size. I felt horribly ugly, had no motivation, slept too much, and was REALLY depressed.

I also had the surgery because I was a serial yo-yo dieter and I was sooooo tired of going up and down. I could lose a lot of weight temporarily, but it ALWAYS came back. I just couldn't do it myself and I was done with trying. I researched and thought about the surgery for five years before I finally made the decision to go ahead with it. Now I wonder why it took me so long to decide!

Today I have lost 100 lbs. and am ONE POUND from my goal.

My sleep apnea is gone. My hypertension, GERD, stress incontinence, and continual joint pain are gone. My headaches are in control. I am off all medications except one. I walk three miles at least three times a week. At 48, I now feel like 28. I wear a size 6. My husband and I have started another honeymoon.

Yes, I was afraid of the surgery itself. It's nothing to poo-poo--it's major surgery. However, like so many others, I felt like I was a walking time bomb--a major health catastrophe waiting to happen. So I chose surgery, and it has literally restored my life. I would never go back.

Best wishes to you and whatever decision you make.

CrystalDream · 01-04-2005, 01:18 PM

Thanks for all your imput.
My BMI is 48 and that is really really bad

I know surgery is nothing to sneeze about, but I want to lose this weight as quick as possible and I know I can control my eating when it's all said and done.

(I remember morning sickness, but I had it morning, noon and night for 3 months), so if overeating gave me that feeling, forget overeating!

I think I have sleep apnea, but am not sure.
Sometimes in my sleep I jump awake because I realize I wasn't breathing.

triciaknox · 01-04-2005, 01:26 PM

I had it for many of the reasons others stated. Physically my health wasn't too bad. Back pain, incontinence, asthma, that was about it. My B/P has always been low, so I am lucky there. I have tried every diet out there, lost weight, gained more back. I was tired of the stares, the looks, the "different" treatment. I was just ready to be a "NEW" me. Today is my 3-month checkup. Can't wait to see if I have lost more weight. I am down 63.25 inches from 3 months ago though!!! YIPPEE!!

Americanwoman397 · 01-04-2005, 01:32 PM

Bridget you are the best you know I just set here and looked back on the last 5 months of my life. It has changed so much for the better. I can now run, play tennis, and just general enjoy life. You know there is not a sec of a day that goes by I don't know how lucky I am. I feel like I'm really living life again. I would do this again and not think twice about it.

If you have questions feel free to ask. We are open books around here.