I'm sure the surgery works, but the last thing I would want is surgery that I don't need. I can't imagine getting fatter just to lose weight!
Oh my goodness! That's a terrible thing to do! I don't think people realize that they have a problem with eating and even though they may lose weight from that, it won't make them happy. They probably use food to deal with some sort of emotion, and when the side effects of the surgery make it so they can't eat anymore for enjoyment, they are going to be faced with all their emotions. That's a scary thought. I gained weight when I first started couseling. She wanted me to get over the idea that certain foods had more "value" than other foods, so I gained about 20 pounds. I haven't lost anything yet, but I have been the same weight for about 6 months. I think that's half the battle right there. That means that after I figure out HOW to lose weight, I have a better chance at keeping it off :D
lambchop, to be honest it scared me. i have been hearing more and more on TV, in magazines, and newspapers about the epidemic of people being overweight. they had a feature about a woman that weighs 776 pounds, she lives in a house that has burned TWICE. i could not imagine not being able to remove myself from a housefire because i was too fat to save myself. it's really a sad situation. the only thing that i can figure about the folks gaining weight to get surgery is that they feel they can not change, or maybe their self-esteem is so low thety are willing to risk an operation to do it? i don't know.. it just seems as if that has substantial risks that are unneccessary..
Ugh! It would be terrible to be stuck inside a burning house! I can't imagine that. In fact, I don't see how that person could walk! I may be overweight, but I can still do just about anything that anyone else can do! I thought about one of those surgeries about two years ago...for about two mintues until I looked up the side effects. This is from WebMD [quote:2f35f55c12]Gastric bypass surgeries may cause the person to have a problem called dumping syndrome. This occurs when food moves too quickly through the stomach and intestines. It causes nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and possibly diarrhea soon after eating. These symptoms are made worse by eating highly refined, high-calorie foods (like sweets). In some cases the person may become so weak that he or she has to lie down until the symptoms pass.[/quote:2f35f55c12] I suggest instead of the surgery to find a good therapist to work with you and get mentally and physically healthy at the same time. I think your money is much better spent!
I recently lost a family member to complications in relation to that surgery. I'm glad it has worked for some, but bluntly it scares the stuffing out of me.
Sorry to learn of your loss. ALL surgery scares me. I will only do it if it is absolutely essential.
My sister works with a woman whose husband was told that he HAD to have the surgery in order to attempt to save his life. He was nearing 500 pounds, and suffers from a heart condition. He had the surgery, and it went beautifully. In the past year he has lost approximately 100 pounds, and is still losing. On the other hand..... A friend of mine lost a niece due to complications experienced after this surgery. The niece was very overweight, and had just gone through a pregnancy that left her even more overweight. She decided to have the gastric bypass surgery immediately after the delivery of her child, and was dead less than a month later. The family is still grieving the loss of this sweet, lovely young lady. I think that when this surgery works, it's wonderful, but I also believe that you are truly taking your life in your hands when you have this procedure done. I can't imagine going through this surgery unless there is absolutely no other option available.
I agree - have the surgery if everything else fails. If the doctor says that one will die in a year (or so) without the surgery, then one has little to lose having it done. If it works, one may have a new lease on life. If it doesn't work, while that person may lose his/her life, given his/her current lifestyle, that person may have died soon anyway. But let's think about why this surgery works. You have a shrunken stomach and reduced intestines. The reduction in intestines mean less food is absorbed. The shrunken stomach means you eat less - much less. Well wait - isn't eating less the goal anyway? If we eat less NOW we can lose weight, right? During the holidays, I ate whatever I wanted - and often too much of it. I gained weight. Prior to that, I carefully watched what I ate. I limited myself on calories and tried to eat better. I lost 50 pounds. It seems to me that if a person simply ATE LESS, he/she would lose weight. Why have surgery to do what one can do naturally? I know, for some "eating less" is not as easy as it sounds... or is it? Are we unable or UNWILLING to do this? There are often psychological factors involved in losing/gaining weight. But part of losing weight is overcoming those factors. We can't be burdened down by them any more. We have to let go of the feelings of being "big", feeling worthless, feeling unloved, etc. We have to stop using the excuse of being fat as the reason we haven't fully succeeded in life. I honestly think that some of us (myself included) used weight as a reason for a certain failure in life - and "if only" we lose that weight, all will be fine. But there's a catch there - if we lose the weight, that means we have to succeed. The pressure is on!! 8O What if we don't succeed despite the weight loss? What will the excuse be then? This is just another fear and another reason people use to not lose weight. I strongly urge people to NOT get this surgery unless there are no other options available. Eating well, eating less and exercising is enough to get you started. And trust me, once you start losing weight the RIGHT way (no fad diets, no starvation), even if you fall off the bandwagon for a bit (as I did for the holidays) you'll WANT to jump back on because you won't like how you feel. I actually WANT to exercise - something I never thought I'd say. No, I don't like exercising and probably never will. But I like how it makes me look and feel after I'm done - and that is enough to keep me going. And I think that those looking to this surgery for "answers" are in the same situation as those taking diet pills or looking to fad diets. We want our problems solved "overnight". It won't happen. Even with the surgery, it won't happen. Even with the diet pills, it won't happen. Why rely on such extremes, when far more natural methods exist? To those who have had the surgery and enjoyed success, I applaud you. But to others who are considering it, PLEASE see if you can lose the weight on your own first. I encourage you to look at the [url=www.chunktohunk.com][b:79d0dd598a]"Chunk to Hunk"[/b:79d0dd598a][/url] web site. This man dropped nearly 200 pounds *naturally*. No surgery, no fad diets, no gimmicks - just healthy eating and exercise. I love his book and feel it is something that we can all use as a guideline in our quest to drop weight. Good luck to us all!
sorry to hear of that you lost someone you knew to surgery. there is a lot of risk in a surgery that complex, so i would have to say "don't do it if you don't have to" i think people have gotten out of touch with what they eat. you don't keep track of the calories. for instance, a popular breakfast sandwich offered at a major franchise packs a whopping 460 calories and 28 grams of fat. that doesn't include the hash browns..
I found this article to be interesting. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4422368/ It's about tax breaks: here is a snippet.. The Internal Revenue Service allows taxpayers who are forced to spend thousands of dollars because of obesity to deduct expenses for stomach-stapling surgery, approved weight-loss drugs and nutritional counseling. So someone that REALLY had to have surgery to lose weight gets a break.
Wow! it is hard to believe that people wold risk there helth by gaining wieght just to end up risking their health and life by having the surgery. For me the surgery was never an option that crossed my mind. I say go for it if it is the only option. but if their are other paths open then the surgery should be avoided.
if nothing else, this will give a bit of money back to those that have to spend a lot of money on treatments. it also sounds as if you have to pretty much itemize everything, and it has to be more than 3,750.00 in order to qualify? i would think that most people would only resort to surgery after all other means have been exhausted. thanks for sharing!
I am completely chicken of surgery and would only go if needed!