Hello from the Delaware Watergap

Denis,

I've been trying to figure out when Diana challenged your IQ and now I see. She was not challenging "your" IQ but the lack of prevention by surgeons in giving people this surgery before finding out if they are 1. Sane 2. Bright enough to not end up killing themselves by not following basic guidelines and 3. So emotionally damaged that they sabotage any surgery and any attempts.

I've been around 3 years and I've seen some doozies come in and out. People who eat a big mac, I think it was on the way home from the hospital (I may be exaggerating that one, it's been a while). People who have no idea what surgery they have had or what they need to do after surgery. People who are already normal BMI but convinced they are fat and self pay someone to do the surgery. There are a lot of real winners out there and a competent responsible surgeon should weed those folks out. Problem is that they don't and then the surgeries get a bad name because these people end up sick. She wasn't referring to your IQ, she was referring to a long standing movement to make the criteria for getting the surgery stricter when it comes to intelligence and emotional stability.

As a point of information. A good surgeon will recommend the DS for someone of your size if they believe you capable of following the nutrition and vitamin regimine. The DS takes at minimum twice the time as a RNY or sleeve and pays the same amount. That is a big reason the RNY is so popular. If you could be paid the same amount for 3 hours work vs 6 hours work, which would you choose. Just something else to ponder. Read, research and investigate. Think twice and cut once. Unless you plan on dying in the next 7 years, look at the long term stats, it becomes a no brainer.

I will say the same thing as Rob. Have a good and safe journey, whatever road you end up on.
 
BOHICA!!



A few things...
~Fuck! No reason, except that I'm pushing 70 years old and my mother said that when we turn 80, we can say whatever we want. I am rehearsing;
~while 143 is a respectable IQ score, Diana will not have to look up to view that neighborhood;
~she isn't just Doctor Diana, she is...no shit...Doctor Doctor Diana;
~the types of programs you mention are long on sales and short on long-term results, and will offer you about a 50-60 pound weight loss. To wit:
"The research on residential weight-loss programs is limited, and the results have been mixed. Studies of the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa, in Aventura, Florida -- the most researched program of its kind -- have found that guests lose between 4 percent and 5 percent of their body weight. (Other measures of health, such as their cholesterol levels and blood pressure, also tend to improve measurably.)

"As for the permanence of the weight loss, a study conducted by researchers from the University of South Carolina found that one year after their stay, just 22 percent of Hilton Head Health guests weighed 10 percent less than they did when they entered the retreat. Similarly, in a 2006 study of people who attended a weight-loss camp in Europe for more than five months, just over one-quarter maintained a 10 percent weight loss after four years."

~unless you are planning concurrent limb amputations, your "goal" is likely to cause you severe frustration. My sister was SURE she would lose 120# her first year with her sleeve. She didn't and was VERY upset and was considering goofy shit like liposuction.

~I'm an old time Viet Nam Era, MI, ASA enlisted swine from back in the day. So I know from *BOHICA. Nothing personal, but your attempting to deduct Style Points from Diana's presentation shows a clear misunderstanding of the group dynamic. Start reading and ASKING more than TELLING and you'll see what I mean.

Sue
 
Hi Denis,

First off, I wanted to say that I read through all the posts and agree with what everybody has said. I've only been on these forums a few months, but I've been on different forums for a gazillion years and I personally look for the message and don't pay much attention to the delivery method.

Secondly, I thought I would share my story. I have pretty bad back issues. Over the years it got progressively worse and the worse it got, the less I could do, the more weight I would gain. I had looked into WLS and the only options at the time were RNY and lapband. Neither of those surgeries made any sense to me and I wasn't about to do something I didn't believe in. I chose to stay fat. Fast forward several years to 2010 when I decided to look it up again and see if there was anything new. I read about the sleeve and I read about the DS. By this time I was up to 292 lbs on my short 5'2" self. I had long lost any illusion that I could lose enough weight on my own and keep it off to be healthy. I had super high cholesterol, borderline HBP, and had sleep apnea. At that time, I felt the DS was too "drastic" of a surgery for me. I went with the sleeve. I did great...I lost 120 lbs in a bit over a year. I didn't quite make it to a normal BMI...I got down to about 150-155. Then life stuff happened (kinda like you with your knee and back) and I stopped being diligent about making sure I was getting in enough protein and fluids and NOT watching carbs as closely as I should. Then more life stuff happened. I had back surgery in the summer of 2011. Then all of 2012 I was sick from being severely anemic from female issues. I pretty much lived off of sonic ice, coffee, and pistachio's. Pretty sure that year is what put the proverbial nail in the coffin of my metabolism. When I was finally well, after a hysterectomy and big ole iron I fusion, I started eating better. I was always conscious of what I ate, and very carb conscious but I did consciously choose to eat carbs on occasion. I still had restriction from my sleeve but not nearly as much as I did the first couple of years. I started gaining weight. This past summer I ate a lot of fruit..it was hot and the fruit was refreshing...I gained another 15lbs. At that point I was up to 200lbs...so a regain of 45-50 lbs. i was back on cholesterol meds, my doc was threatening BP meds, and my back was acting up again. I said...I gotta stop this! Went back to basics..cut out all the fruit and all other simple carbs and started monitoring what I ate and adding more protein. Couldn't lose a lb. it was very frustrating. I started looking into a revision. RNY still doesn't make any sense to me. You couldn't PAY me to have that surgery.
DS it was...which always made sense to me...I just felt like I didn't need that much surgery and that the sleeve alone would suffice. I was wrong!

Back in November I went to Mexico to have my revision surgery. Had a partial resleeve and added the switch. My insurance doesn't cover WLS at all, so I was self pay for BOTH surgeries. I'm a lightweight and I'm a revisioner with a seriously screwed up metabolism so the loss is slow but at least I'm losing. I was 196 the day of surgery and today im 171.

The point is, had I known then what I know now...I could have saved myself a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of heartache, and a second instance of going under the knife. No one can predict "life stuff" but sure as shit, we will all have some. Again, just like you with your knee and your back...and God only knows what else might come up to derail you...or me. But at least now I know I have the best tool for fighting it.

Good luck to you...your "resoluteness" is admirable. I thought mine was too when I went back to basics and put my all into losing the regain on my own. Unfortunately, my body's resolve was stronger! I couldn't compete with my f'd up metabolism. If I were you, I'd turn that resolve and tenacity into getting the very best tool that you can to help you achieve your goals...and this is where the numbers and the math DON'T lie....that tool would be the DS.

PS...whatever you do...DO NOT get RNY. It should be banned along with the band, IMO.
 
star0210 said:
Hi Denis,

First off, I wanted to say that I read through all the posts and agree with what everybody has said. I've only been on these forums a few months, but I've been on different forums for a gazillion years and I personally look for the message and don't pay much attention to the delivery method.

Secondly, I thought I would share my story. I have pretty bad back issues. Over the years it got progressively worse and the worse it got, the less I could do, the more weight I would gain. I had looked into WLS and the only options at the time were RNY and lapband. Neither of those surgeries made any sense to me and I wasn't about to do something I didn't believe in. I chose to stay fat. Fast forward several years to 2010 when I decided to look it up again and see if there was anything new. I read about the sleeve and I read about the DS. By this time I was up to 292 lbs on my short 5'2" self. I had long lost any illusion that I could lose enough weight on my own and keep it off to be healthy. I had super high cholesterol, borderline HBP, and had sleep apnea. At that time, I felt the DS was too "drastic" of a surgery for me. I went with the sleeve. I did great...I lost 120 lbs in a bit over a year. I didn't quite make it to a normal BMI...I got down to about 150-155. Then life stuff happened (kinda like you with your knee and back) and I stopped being diligent about making sure I was getting in enough protein and fluids and NOT watching carbs as closely as I should. Then more life stuff happened. I had back surgery in the summer of 2011. Then all of 2012 I was sick from being severely anemic from female issues. I pretty much lived off of sonic ice, coffee, and pistachio's. Pretty sure that year is what put the proverbial nail in the coffin of my metabolism. When I was finally well, after a hysterectomy and big ole iron I fusion, I started eating better. I was always conscious of what I ate, and very carb conscious but I did consciously choose to eat carbs on occasion. I still had restriction from my sleeve but not nearly as much as I did the first couple of years. I started gaining weight. This past summer I ate a lot of fruit..it was hot and the fruit was refreshing...I gained another 15lbs. At that point I was up to 200lbs...so a regain of 45-50 lbs. i was back on cholesterol meds, my doc was threatening BP meds, and my back was acting up again. I said...I gotta stop this! Went back to basics..cut out all the fruit and all other simple carbs and started monitoring what I ate and adding more protein. Couldn't lose a lb. it was very frustrating. I started looking into a revision. RNY still doesn't make any sense to me. You couldn't PAY me to have that surgery.
DS it was...which always made sense to me...I just felt like I didn't need that much surgery and that the sleeve alone would suffice. I was wrong!

Back in November I went to Mexico to have my revision surgery. Had a partial resleeve and added the switch. My insurance doesn't cover WLS at all, so I was self pay for BOTH surgeries. I'm a lightweight and I'm a revisioner with a seriously screwed up metabolism so the loss is slow but at least I'm losing. I was 196 the day of surgery and today im 171.

The point is, had I known then what I know now...I could have saved myself a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of heartache, and a second instance of going under the knife. No one can predict "life stuff" but sure as shit, we will all have some. Again, just like you with your knee and your back...and God only knows what else might come up to derail you...or me. But at least now I know I have the best tool for fighting it.

Good luck to you...your "resoluteness" is admirable. I thought mine was too when I went back to basics and put my all into losing the regain on my own. Unfortunately, my body's resolve was stronger! I couldn't compete with my f'd up metabolism. If I were you, I'd turn that resolve and tenacity into getting the very best tool that you can to help you achieve your goals...and this is where the numbers and the math DON'T lie....that tool would be the DS.

PS...whatever you do...DO NOT get RNY. It should be banned along with the band, IMO.
Click to expand...

:D I appreciate your information, and as I stated before while I may not like the idea of the DS, I didn't rule it out, and I have begun asking questions
 
We don't have a horse in the race. We already ran. You do! The whole idea of this place is to make sure you get some real information about what's out there, your choices, and what to expect. We live in a less than honest world and there are scads of doctors out there who want your money. And not all of them have your best interests at heart.

If you hang around in fat world long enough you too will hear the horrendous stories about docs putting lap bands into 600lb patients. The people who almost die postop DS because their docs told them to just take a couple Flintstones every day. The list goes on and on. Fat people are willing to settle and they blame themselves for their failures. In general, they need to be taught to ask for and expect more. Desperate to lose weight, they will attach themselves to any doc who says he/she can help. Even when the surgery they suggest is obviously wrong for the patient.

The key to the the whole thing revolves around you putting a lot of thought into why you are heavy. No, I'm not asking you to post about it, just think about it. Long and hard. And did you diet yourself up to your present weight? Do/have diets worked for you? Is your metabolism ruined? Can you gain weight on 1000 or so calories a day? Next what do you want your postop life to look like? Do you want to diet forever or do you want to be eating a relatively normal diet? Are you able and willing to do the supplements if necessary? Answer these questions and you will figure out what you need to do.

And it's possible you may not be ready for surgery at all. Nothing wrong with that, it happens. If you really believe all that calories in vs calories burned stuff you may need a few more diets to convince yourself it's all a lie. Perpetrated by weightloss 'professionals'. It's not really meant to shame all of us out of control fatties but that's what it does. It should be right and it's quite logical. The scientist in me loves it. But it's still a lie. Too many unknown variables. You need to reach the point where YOU know that obesity is a disease.

There isn't anyone here who doesn't want you to succeed. We hope you will get to the point where you are ready to change.
 
I have an appointment on March 11th to see my Nutritionist and get weighed, I don't know if I'm a super absorber yet, but it will be interesting to find out. I have eaten zero simple carbs since 2/18 and they have asked me to eat 2300 calories a day, so I'm sure I'm about to find out. If I don't lose weight, or I don't lose the weight I'm expecting to lose I will certainly have an interesting conversation with my doctor.
 
First off....How does one get to 596 lbs if you are so knowledgable on how to lose and/or control your weight????.. Have you ever watched that show "My 600 lb Life"? The first thing is says on there, and that Dr is performing the RNY, is that the chance for success is LESS THAN 5%. I, myself, don't like those odds. I opted to do something about my weight and my health when I only had 125 lbs to lose. I also had a metabolic situation and not that much an overeating situation, though I cannot imagine ever eating 3 helpings of spaghetti! After months and months of research, I chose the DS surgery as the best method for success with the least risk of regain, with the highest rate of curing co-morbid conditions. I also don't enjoy vomiting so I knew I wouldn't enjoy the RNY. LOL.
 
marissamast said:
First off....How does one get to 596 lbs if you are so knowledgable on how to lose and/or control your weight????.. Have you ever watched that show "My 600 lb Life"? The first thing is says on there, and that Dr is performing the RNY, is that the chance for success is LESS THAN 5%. I, myself, don't like those odds. I opted to do something about my weight and my health when I only had 125 lbs to lose. I also had a metabolic situation and not that much an overeating situation, though I cannot imagine ever eating 3 helpings of spaghetti! After months and months of research, I chose the DS surgery as the best method for success with the least risk of regain, with the highest rate of curing co-morbid conditions. I also don't enjoy vomiting so I knew I wouldn't enjoy the RNY. LOL.
Click to expand...

My story is here...http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/dkorb01/http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/dkorb01/
 
Denis, if you are on SSDI, you have Medicare. This means you can have any of the bariatric surgeries available, you just need to pick a surgery and then a vetted surgeon. With your wife working and I don't know what your income you probably won't qualify for QMB (medicaid help) so you will have copays but most surgeons and hospitals will accept your medicare and you can make payments.

You are spending all that money on diets and this and that. Fix the problem once and for all, buddy ;) It's scary, I'm not saying it's not. I'd gotten to the point I was ready to apply for SSDI myself prior to my surgery. I was on state medicaid because I hadn't worked in two years. I went through voc rehab trying to find a job I could do at my weight with my failing health. I used the system (I admit it) so I could become a functioning member of society. I now have a new career and a new part time job to boot. I have energy and my back and knees only bother me in bad weather (like today). I no longer snore and while I still have Afib, my diabetes is resolved. I'm so far from perfect it's not funny but I have found happiness in my new health and new body. I'll be honest, I hate not being cushy anymore when I cuddle my daughter.

Your life isn't over by a long shot, it's just beginning. Listen to the vets out here, throw away everything you know and listen. The medical profession doesn't always know what is best. If you are having a heart attack, they are all you have. This is different, you can listen and learn from people who have been there. Look at what your life will be after weight loss. Look at how long the surgery will last. Look at what it will feel like to have a piece of your own birthday cake and dump because you had a rny. Look at the resolution of co morbities with each surgery. If you actually look at the real numbers...There is only one choice, the DS.

Sleeve stretch and have regain.
RNY, low success rate after 5-7 years
DS, high success rate after 10 years.

Sadi or Sips...no long term data available

Know that with any re-routing of your intestines, your poop is gonna stink ;) A very small price to pay for your new life.
Know that with any of the surgeries, you will always have to take vitamins and have labs.
Know that you deserve to have health and see your child graduate and walk her down the aisle. Know that the medical establishment still blames fat people for being fat.
Know that you will not succeed with dieting long term. My cardiologist told me he'd rather have 1 DS patient than 10 biggest losers because their weight loss never lasts.

Analyze this as you would a broken computer. Find your only option on your own then come back and say...oh hell, you guys were right all along ;)
 
I was told it takes 6 weeks to create a habit and I still thinks that's not as easy as it sounds. If it takes 3 days or 20 or 42what makes you feel it is that easy? If it were that easy you wouldn't be over weight and need a WLS to begin with. Heck none of us would be over weight, I would just get my handy dandy calendar in and pencil in at what date I would have my bay watch body. I don't know much about the math of the weight loss but I do understand broken metabolisms. Do You?
 

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