Archive through January 03, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: 2003 January: Gastric Bypass Surgery or Extreme Diet???: Archive through January 03, 2003

Curious1

Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 10:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have been considering applying for a gastric bypass surgery since I am extremely overweight (250 pounds approx.). I am however VERY scared of the surgery, and I don't honestly know if I could go through with it.

I am only 30 years old and I have gained over 100 pounds in the least 4 years. I have been going through a very hard time with some depression and stress disorders. I became basically inactive and ate only fast food! I am doing better now but I have got to get my weight back under control. The weight issue has become the greatest depression issue for me.

I was wondering if any of you out there had any information on any successful diet plans? I have tried Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet, no-fat diets, Slim Fast etc. My problem is that I can't seem to stick to anything for very long. I am going to join up at the YMCA tommorrow and start exercising in moderation again. But food is the problem for me.

I think one thing that might work for me is the "protein shake programs" but I don't know if you can get these prescribed through a M.D. or if you just have to find one that works for you? My Medical Doctor is not very helpful, he just advises exercise and healthy eating (which of course is great advise but is just to vague for me).

I want to really work on this, but I don't honestly know if I can wait to shed the pounds just a pound a week at a time. I know that's not very positive, but I just hate this weight and the idea of 1 pound a week just isn't enough. Does anyone understand where I'm coming from?

Juju2bigdog

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 06:37 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious1, have you seen this thread?

Who Wants to Lose Weight With Me?

Squaredsc

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 06:43 am EditMoveDeleteIP
curious, you may also want to try a nutritionist or a new doctor who can give you specifics instead of being so vague.

Tntitanfan

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 07:06 am EditMoveDeleteIP
My niece had the bypass surgery a year ago last Thanksgiving. She has lost about 140 pounds from a starting weight of 320. She is the most changed person I have ever seen - her whole attitude is different, and she looks great even though she still has weight to lose. She was VERY good about following the program's restriction and also about exercising EVERY day. You need to see if your insurance will cover this as not all programs will -

Tntitanfan

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 07:17 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I forgot to say that one of the requirements ofmy niece's program is participation in a support group both before and after the surgery - that has been really helpful for her!!

Schoolmarm

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 07:20 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Shoot, curious, I could give you MY doctor...she is always handing out diets! That is, if she is still seeing patients now that it's 2003....we are losing doctors becuase of malpractice insurance. Actually you should ask Spy about her Doctor's diet program...it has worked really well for her!

I had a good friend who did this surgery and she lost a TON of weight. The hardest part for her was that you are only allowed to have 1/4 cup of food once you go off the liquid diet stage. The food regime is VERY restrictive. She would actually chew tasty/spicy food and spit it out just so she could have some flavor.

I have a colleague who did this recently, but I haven't seen her yet to get the report.

There are some VERY bad complications with this surgery. There is also the fairly common occurance of the stomach expanding again, and then the weight comes back on.

For this to work well, you must be VERY committed to the diet restrictions and the exercise regime.

Why don't you try LITTLE steps towards exercise and "eating healthy"....for me that means lots of fresh veggies (you should probably have fruit, too...but I can't eat much fruit due to hypoglycemia) and fresh meat, I also drink skim milk, eat non-fat/sugar free yogurt, and caffiene-free diet pop. I wish I would drink more water, but we have cancer-causing chemicals from acid mine drainage in our water. I avoid processed foods, with the exception of DiGiorno pizza! OR you could take the healthy stance to avoid foods made with white sugar, white flour and to limit your salt.


If you find that you can't follow some easy diet modifications such as these, then you probably don't have the personality/will power (whatever) to follow the post-surgical diet requirements.

SMALL steps! You can do it!

Zachsmom

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 08:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious..

I have had a stomach bypass (not for weight loss)
and I can tell you that you need to think long and hard about it. There are side effects that last a lifetime.

Jo_5329

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 09:32 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious .... have you had your thyroid checked? I ask this because of the rapid weight gain and the depression you indicated.

Most doctors still use the "old" thyroid level information to go by, although the AMA is adjusting those levels now. TSH is the Thyroid level most doctors use today to determine thyroid problems. The "point" they use as indicating a slow thyroid is "5" when the AMA is changing that to "3" now.

I would suggest going to www.thyroid.about.com and reading through the Hypothyroid thread, and see if any of those "symptoms" meet your symptoms. I wouldn't wish a thyroid condition on anyone, trust me, I have been through the mill with mine. But I would rather find out you had that then going through a major surgery and finding out later it was a matter of getting a gland adjusted properly.

Jo
Hyopthyroid due to Radio Active Iodine Treatment for Graves Disease.

Halfunit

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 09:38 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious,

Please forgive me for being nosey, but there are some things that I'd like to ask.

Did your 4 year weight gain come from the depression, or did the depression come from the weight gain? (Vicious circle, I know.)

Is your depression being monitored (therepy, medicine)?

Did you stick to the weight loss programs you mentioned for at least 4 weeks? I agree with Titan that a support group would be beneficial, if not mandatory. Support will help you to stick to a program. And the "weight loss" thread here is very supportive!

I realize you'd like to get rid of the weight quickly. Most people love instant results. But you have to remember that it took 4 years to put it on.

Elective surgery is right for some, wrong for others. Whatever you decide, I wish you success.

Curious1

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 10:08 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Halfunit...you aren't being nosey I welcome the questions actually, someone might hit on something that could help me alot.

My 4 year weight gain I would say came from the depression initially (I was dealing with some past issues of severe child abuse that I endured). BUT most recently the weight gain has caused ALOT of depression.

I am seeing a psychologist and a therapist (actually I see one person who does both and she is a great doctor). I have been on about 10 different anti-depressants over the past 4 years and none of them has worked very well. Most recently I have stopped all meds and have just been focusing on the therapy. Stopping the meds (prozac) hasn't really had an effect on me, so I don't really think they were working in the first place.

I really am doing very well with the depression, it's just the weight gain that bothers me so much. I don't want any of you to think that I'm some basket case with depression, I get that to often from my medical doctor (I think that's why he's so vague with the diets). It's difficult when you have a history of depression because they ALWAYS think that's the problem and they don't consider other things. For instance....

I HAVE been diagnosed with hypothyroid....I probably have had it since my son was born 5 1/2 years ago...my doctor just recently decided to check my thyroid 6 months ago and discoverd the hypothyroid....I am on a very low dose of synthryoid .075mg and I have asked to have the dose increased because I still have so many of the symptoms I have read about...MD says levels are fine, but he has only tested my TSH 3 times, and has never done a T-4 test that I've read about???

Sorry to ramble on.. thanks for any help you all can give me. The surgery has wonderful results I know, but I'm scared of it. I have tried diets in the past for about 3-4 weeks and I have had small results, just haven't found one I could stick with and I just wonder if I ever will.

Halfunit

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 10:37 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Don't apologize for rambling! All of us here LOVE to read!!

I don't get the impression that you are depressed 24/7. It sounds to me that you are more up than down, but can get really down when you do. (Just a note - I have psoriasis over 40% of my body and it gets me down at times, so I understand getting mad at your body!!)

How long has it been since you've stopped taking the anti-depressants. I've never taken them, but from what I've read you need to keep trying until you find one that works for you, and it can take a while for them to "kick in".

It is good that you like your therepist. I think that's half the battle. If I were you, I'd find another doctor / nutritionist (like Square said). I know the doctor you're seeing now was vague, perhaps you can find one with more focus. (Not to mention a 2nd opinion on the hypothyroid!!)

Please please please know that I have absolutely NO education in medicine! I am just going by my experiences, and what I've read/heard.

Denecee

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 10:47 am EditMoveDeleteIP
One thing that helps me with my intention to lose weight is when I go to the grocery store and I want to buy this yummy(not diet) food, I just pretend that I bought it and ate it. It's wierd, because I actually feel guilty about eating something that I didn't eat. Sounds silly but alot of my problem is that I don't think about what I'm eating. I'm working on not letting myself get so hungry that I just eat the first thing I get my hands on. I am mostly staying away from enriched flour and sugar, so far, I haven't lost much weight but I'm thinking this is a lifelong change I have to make so I have the rest of my life to see the results. One day at a time.

Hermione69

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 12:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious, my heart ached to read your email because I know how you are feeling. I have to say that I would advise exteme caution as far as the surgery goes. A friend of my mom's and a coworker of my sister's both died from complications of gastric bypass. When we hear success stories, it is easy to gloss over the risks. Gastric bypass is still one of the riskiest elective surgeries. The ratio of people it worked for versus people it didn't is so evenly split among those that I know personally, that I just don't know that I could do it. I don't feel comfortable with those odds. But that's me. I would recommend a lot of research and a no hold barred discussion with a medical doctor that you trust before you opted for the surgery.

Another thing that came to my mind is why you are eating the way you are eating; why the weight gain happened, especially since you suffer from depression. If you have unexorcized demons that are causing you to overeat and gain weight to that degree, the surgery doesn't solve that. If you are eating for reasons that need to be worked out in therapy, you may need to finish that before you take such the extreme step of gastric bypass. If you don't get those issues worked out before you have the surgery, you might hurt your health with an inability to follow the guidelines. Overeating can be just as addictive as alcohol and drugs.

I sympathize with you strongly and understand completely where you are coming from. I have fought weight problems all of my life. I have been as small as a 6 and as large as a 22 and it almost always goes hand in hand with my mental health. I also suffer from depression and have been hospitalized twice for depression. My last bout with major depression, which was two years ago, resulted in a huge weight gain that I am still struggling with getting off. I have never felt less attractive in my life than I do now!! I really understand your pain. I am 33 years old and divorced and my ex-husband was abusive and I know that's part of it. Please feel free to email me if you want to "talk" with someone who struggles with the same issues. My email is in my profile. God bless you and good luck whatever you decide.

Northstar

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 01:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
First off Curious1, I want to commend you on your courage for posting with honesty. I couldn't have said it better than Hermione. I mean no offense in what I have to say.

About the surgery.... know three people who have to go to a clinic every week, for the rest of their lives, for the rest of their lives, for the rest of their lives, and be hooked up to a potassium IV drip. Their bodies can't absorb enough nutrients to sustain life. Not only did one person lose lots of weight, but she has also lost all her hair. My girlfriend's sister can only eat 600 calories a day before she gains a pound. My girlfriend and her parents have gained all the weight back and more. Cases like this are seldom discussed. Please think long and hard before surgery.

The saying "it's not what you eat, but what's eating you" is very true. And recovering from our eating habits and dealing with our "issues" is often our greatest life challenge. No powder shake will ever measure up to truth, courage and loving oneself.

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned, nor often discussed, is that one side effect of some anti-depressants is weight gain. I swear I don't know anyone that's been on them who hasn't gained at least 20 pounds, some up to 80 pounds.

I wish you the best Curouis1. It's important to surround yourself and relying on support from others. AND, most importantly remember, you are all you really need for the answers.

Squaredsc

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 01:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
curious, please keep on with your thoughts. a few months ago i saw some show, don't remember if it was inside edition or e-news daily but Roseanne was on and she said she also had the surgery, lost weight but then put the weight back on. not sure exactly what happened with her but there maybe some info on the 'net about it.

Mygetaway

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 01:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious, I did the liquid medi-fast through the DR and lost 85 pounds in 1988. I didn't follow through afterwards and change my eating habits, and eventually gained it all back plus more.

My MIL had her stomach stapled many years ago, and now suffers from a herniated esophagus and has really bad acid reflux etc. She throws up almost all her meals because the food gets backed up and doesn't get into the stomach. And after all that, she is still overweight.

Unfortunately I now believe that it has to be a choice and a change of life. I'm in the same boat. I'd give anything to kick start a weight loss right now. They have that new bypass that's supposed to be safer, but who knows 10 years from now what they'll discover about that.

Good luck to you..

Jo_5329

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 02:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious .....

You said: "I HAVE been diagnosed with hypothyroid....I probably have had it since my son was born 5 1/2 years ago...my doctor just recently decided to check my thyroid 6 months ago and discoverd the hypothyroid....I am on a very low dose of synthryoid .075mg and I have asked to have the dose increased because I still have so many of the symptoms I have read about...MD says levels are fine, but he has only tested my TSH 3 times, and has never done a T-4 test that I've read about??? "

The test he needs to do is the Free T3 Test -- I'm not saying that getting your thyroid under control is the "answer", but getting one part of you "fixed" could assist you in a long way to getting you completely healthy.

I would suggest that you find doctor in your area that will do a comprehensive "complete" thyroid panel of blood on you ---- I would also suggest you read through the thyroid area an About.com, that I listed above. Thyroid at About.com. Also, there are many thyroid drugs out there and $ynthyroid has only just recently been approved by the FDA --- I currently am on Armour Thyroid myself for my hypothryoidism -- and it took me a year of missery(sp) and problems before I fired my doctor, and found another one. Within 1 month of being switched to the new medication, and my TSH levels going down and my T4 and T3 levels going up, my life was on an up swing.

I know I sound like a nagging mother hen here -- but I just want to help! I went through so much depression after my thryoid was killed off, I was to the point of doing myself in when the brain fog got so bad and I forgot where I lived one day. That's when I went crying into my doctor and he just patted me on the head and told me it was all in my mind. By that time, I'd found the thyroid area on About.com, and had read Mary's book and another book called The Thyroid Solution by a doctor in Houston, Texas. I found the "top doc" list in the support area, found one in Austin, called him up and the rest is history.

Okay, off my soap box. Please please please consider finding another doctor to deal with your thryoid problem .....

My mother's favorite saying is: Doctor's are not GODs and they bury their mistakes


Jo

Ginger1218

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 02:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ok, I was not going to weigh in on this, but I think I should. I had the Roux N Y Gastric Bypass surgery in 1997. I lost 110 pounds rather quickly. I had absolutely no problems and recuperated well. My sister had it and had a wound infection that was rough.

Ok, now, first of all I did not lose all the weight that I should have, I also have gained back 25 pounds, BUT - I plan on seeing my surgeon and having it revised. I want to start again.

It is a hard decision to make to do this Curious. I know. I suffered with weight problems since I was 8 years old. My whole family was heavy. So genetically, I was a loser.

I did a lot of research on this. I had previously been on every diet you can imagine. Even the liquid diets. UGH omg it was horrible and that made my sicker than the surgery did.

I saw about 10 different obesity specialists and was told that in actuality, only 1% (yes ONE PERCENT) of obese people can actually lose the weight they need to from diets. And even less can keep it off.

So, now I said to myself, what to do, I was desperate. I was healthy, except that 1 year before I developed Type II diabetes. My sister also, and she had high blood pressure as well.

Well, after the surgery my sugar perfectly normal, as is my sister's and her pressure is too.
Everyone I know who had this surgery that had diabetes before, never had it after.

It is easy for people who have not had to live with this problem to say, Oh - don't do it. Go on a diet. If it was that easy, it would have been done already.

Obesity is caused by so many things. Depression, anxiety, genetic causes, thyroid and so many more.

I also say that of course there is a risk. It is not a tremendously high risk. There is a risk to stay overweight, that is more dangerous.

I am not saying you should definitely do it, but don't be frightened by people who don't really know about it and have not had the surgery.

I have had it and so have about 20 people that I know.

This is a decision you need to make. But, first do research online. Interview different surgeons. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to take vitamins for the rest of your life. (a small payment, in my opinion)
You will also have to have blood tests every few months after the surgery.

They have also developed new methods that are not as invasive. Laparascopic (small incisions) easier to recuperate.

If you would like any further information or would like to discuss it, please email me. I will tell you anything you need.

Good Luck.

Ginger1218

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 02:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Also, just wanted to add, my sister was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (don't laugh) It is a disease that attacks the thyroid. You cannot tell by a regular blood test. It is a special test for the antibodies. I too have the antibodies but it is dormant in my, - right now my thyroid is not affected. But my sister is on synthroid and believe me, it does not help her metabolism any when it comes to weight. There are too many outside factors.

Max

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 03:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious,
You're going to have to get REALLY assertive with your doctor. I know from experience that many times health care professionals have an attitude problem with people who are obese. They sometimes tend to view us as lost causes with no real desire or ability to change. Your physician's attitude towards your hypthyroidism pushed that button for me. Read all you can (some great links have been provided here) about your thyroid condition, then go to your doctor with printouts of information in hand and DEMAND that s/he take you seriously and run the appropriate tests. If s/he still poo-poo's you, get a different doctor.

That's number 1.

Number 2 is this: The surgery can help. As some have pointed out, it's helped lots of folks. As others have pointed out, though, there can also be complications.

The thing is, no matter what you do to lose weight, it won't stay off until you deal with the issues that got you putting it on in the first place. I'm still in the process of that myself. You mentioned sexual abuse. That's a pretty common reason for women to gain weight. Dr. Phil talks about it as a cloak of protection that you wrap around yourself. It works really well at keeping men from thinking of you as a sexual object. Unfortunately, it can also kill you.

Anyway, before you make any decisions about surgery, be sure you've dealt with the real reasons you gained weight in the first place. Otherwise, when you do start losing weight, all the triggers might be pulled again and you can end up right back where you started or worse.

YOu said you're working with a therapist or two. I hope they are good ones who really insist that you face some of the tough issues head on. I think some therapists are a bit too wishy-washy sometimes, but that's just me. :)

Wargod

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 04:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
When I was 13 my mom and grandma decided I wasn't going to have the life long weight problems they had had. So, off to the doctor we went. The doctor took one look at me, my mom, and my grandma and said to me, "Honey, it's in your genes, and there's not much I can do to help you." Last time I went to the doctor for weight issues.

I can't add anything to the surgery or diet really. My weight has fluctuated for years...I lose, I gain, I lose, and I do nothing different for that. For years, I walked everywhere I went, not becuase it was exercise, but because I enjoyed it.

Guess I'm just agreeing with Max, that sometimes Doctors are no help at all and you either need to fight with the one you have or get another one.

Curious1

Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 08:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks everyone for your continued input. I have read up alot on the thyroid disease over the day today and I've decided to get a different doctor and hopefully he will have a different opinion as to a course of treatment.

I completely understand what you are saying about physicians not taking obese patients seriously, max. 4 years ago when I was a pretty 140 pound woman all my health concerns were completely looked into. I also wasn't suffering from depression then either, so it's a double-whammy now, no respect because of the obesity and the depression.

I also know what you mean about facing the issues that caused me to gain all the weight. My therapist/psychologist that I see is not at all on the wishy-washy side. She forces me to face the abuse issues of the past head-on. Unfortunately my abuse was VERY severe and it is not an easy or short road of treatment to deal with all the issues (when I entered therapy I was still being abused emotionally by my family, it took me over a year and a hospitalization to realize that I was going to have to cut myself off from the people who abused me as a child because it wasn't my obligation to make our "family" appear as if nothing was ever wrong.)

I don't think I cared at the time (the last few years) if I got fat. I honestly didn't care about much at that time, I was merely trying to live day by day. My self-worth was nothing. My self-love is still not very good. BUT I don't want to continue with that outlook and I don't want to look this way anymore. I realize that weight may always be an issue for me, the hard part is that until I was 26 I never really struggled with my weight. (okay as a teen-ager I always THOUGHT I was fat, even though I weighed a whooping 125.) But I never had gotten over 145-150 in my life prior to this bout of depression and what was obviously a undetected thyroid disease.

As usual I'm rambling again...thanks for any input you all can provide...it is really helping me and making me re-evalute things, especially like getting a different opinion on the thyroid problem...from what I've read alot of things might be improved from properly treating the thyroid, not just the weight. Although I'm sure that getting the thyroid corrected isn't going to just make the weight fall off (darn it) :)!!!

I really think that surgery is a great option for the severely obese, even though there are undeniably many risks. The risks of being obese are high too. It just shows me that some doctors are realizing that the obese really can't just "diet" on 1000 calories a day and loose the weight. For some obese people it is an addiction not just a matter of will power. I think I am going to seriously try a few other things before resorting to the surgery, but I don't think anyone should rule it out completely because being obese is really a struggle everyday and I can honestly say now after experiencing it, that people who aren't obese really can't understand how hard it is.

Hermione69

Friday, January 03, 2003 - 08:16 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Curious, please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, as I am sure that you are in many others'. I meant what I said about emailing me. Please feel free to do that. My situation right now is very similar to yours, with the depression, weight gain, and abuse issues. Please do not hesitate if you ever get in a spot where you are feeling lonely or hopeless and need to reach out to someone. I admire you tremendously for posting this. My AA sponsor told me that it takes a great deal more courage to admit that you need help than to struggle on alone, which continues to be a novel concept for me, but one that I am slowly starting to live by.

I have considered finding an OA group because my eating can be very much like my drinking was-- very much of the binge variety. With the help of AA, I celebrated 6 years of sobriety last August. I know OA could bring me the same peace. That might be something else to think about. I know from some online groups that a large percentage of women in both OA and AA suffered from abuse at one point in their lives. It can be a wonderful support system. Just a thought.

Whatever you do, best wishes and good luck! I hope that you have success in finding a doctor that you can work with re: the thyroid problem and just about your weight in general. I understand comepletely about doctors and weight. I have never had one that understood.

Spygirl

Friday, January 03, 2003 - 07:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, I guess I need to post in here...hehe. Curious has unknowingly called my bluff and I must come clean Everyone in my real life knows, so I think it is past time that my TVCH life knows, too.

In September, when I took a brief (but annoyingly mysterious to some - lol) break from the board, I had major surgery -- Gastric Bypass Surgery (Open RNY). Since that time, I have lost 60 pounds and have between 40-50 pounds more to go until I reach my goal weight.

I spent 20 years being overweight and 3-5 of those were morbidly obese (I hate that stupid phrase). I had zero complications and feel more normal post-op than I've ever felt in my entire life. I've spent almost 75% of my entire life struggling with weight and I went on my first diet before the age of 10. Trust me when I tell you that no diet in the world worked. I even played basketball and ran track all through high school (in VERY VERY VERY good shape exercising 1-4 hours per day) and was still overweight. There are a lot of studies out there that show only 1-5% of overweight people are able to lose and maintain weight loss on their own. That is a scary statistic, but one that I can attest to firsthand.

The major reason I've not revealed my surgery to this board is because I faced some very ugly people's responses when I told them in my real life that I was having this surgery. I didn't want to face some unknown and quite hateful responses of some people who post anonymously and without feeling to people on the Internet. So I'll be very clear right now and say that if you have nothing neutral or positive to say to me about this surgery, then please keep your thoughts to yourself. That does not mean that I am asking people not to post about the complications of the surgery, I'm just asking for no ugly things posted directly to me about my decision. If anyone is ambivalent or curious about my surgery, post away -- even email me. I don't mind that at all.

I'll spare everyone the LONG details of my personal philosophy of weight, but I will say that obesity is life-threatening, serious, and has very little to do with "will power". People are uneducated about obesity, and it carries a stigma unlike any other stigma. There are likely people reading this right now thinking that fat people just need to put down their spoons and exercise if they want to lose weight. The thing that irritates me the absolute most are people who have never carried an extra pound in their life and who are the first to offer advice on weight loss and say something snide about fat people.

But would you ever say to someone diagnosed with breast cancer to not get treatment because they should have tried harder not to get the disease? Never. Same as you'd never tell an alcoholic to just put down the drink and never pick it up again and call them weak or stupid because they can't stop drinking without help. Obesity is a disease and the risks of this surgery are in no way shape or form worse than carrying 100+ extra pounds for 20+ years of your life and having little chance of living to see your grandchildren born. When was the last time you saw a morbidly obese senior citizen?

Anyway, the surgery is certainly serious, it is no easy fix, and there are risks. But as I said, I do not believe they are more life threatening than morbid obesity.

Doing your research, "weighing" your options (hehe), gaining the support of your loved ones, and finding an incredibly good surgeon are the keys to this process. This was something I researched more than I've researched my own dissertation topic. I know pretty much everything there is to know about the surgery (including the various options) that anyone may want to know. I'll be glad to talk this over with you more, Curious, as I said in chat, and that goes for anyone else as well. :)

I do not expect an outpouring of congratulations or cheers from people for my post as that is not the intention or motivation behind it at all, but I do feel that it is important for me to speak out and to clear up some very common misconceptions.. Plus, I also felt it was the appropriate time to share my story with you all.

One more thing -- Roseanne Barr did not have Gastric Bypass Surgery. She had a procedure called a Fobi Pouch. Can't even compare the two.

Bookworm

Friday, January 03, 2003 - 08:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hi Spy!

I was in chat when spy revealed her 'secret' and we were all floored. While I am obese myself, and maybe even morbidly obese, I have not considered this option because it is such a life changing thing to do. I do applaud Spy for being brave enough to make this decision. It would definitely seem she has researched her options and does not take her decision lightly. (No pun intended)

Spy I have always considered you a beautiful person and one of my best friends here. I have nothing but respect for you and wish you the best. Now that you have gotten this off of your chest, get you diminishing butt on that ISU app so we can be neighbors!!

<Bookworm whistles as she leaves>