Chatting with my sister today...

[Spiky Bugger]

She had the VSG. Lost about 140-150 pounds. Regained about 70, so far. Didn't want the DS.

 

[DianaCox]

That situation always reminds me of Flowers for Algernon.

 

[Larra]

But she wouldn't have handled the vitamin and protein requirements of the DS, and she knew it. She would probably be doing worse by now with the DS than she is with her VSG - lighter, but sicker.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

But she wouldn't have handled the vitamin and protein requirements of the DS, and she knew it. She would probably be doing worse by now with the DS than she is with her VSG - lighter, but sicker.

Yes. You are right.

Over the years, she has become convinced that she is stupid. She's not a particularly scholarly woman, but she is not stupid. She is capable of learning new things, but is so sure she can't, she doesn't try.

Example:
Me: why doesn't your credit card offer points/credits?
Sister: no! No! No points. That stuff is too complicated.
Me: uhm..? I charge shit, the credit card company gives me points. Every once in a while, I they remind me that I have tens of thousands of points and click a button that says "Credit my Account for $324.00" or something.
Sister: no! I tried it once. Too complicated.

So, she's "a better man than I" in that she goes for daily walks at the mall...but then she spends hours and hours every day doing jigsaw puzzles. Every once in a while she reads a book. And enjoys it. She was going to order one I just finished, so we have some similar interests.

And she's not stupid.

But she can be frustrating.

(Didn't help that the year I skipped a grade she got held back a grade. We're 19 months apart in age and we graduated from HS four years apart.)

 

[Spiky Bugger]

That situation always reminds me of Flowers for Algernon.

That story makes me all teary-eyed.

 

[JackieOnLine]

She had the VSG. Lost about 140-150 pounds. Regained about 70, so far. Didn't want the DS.

do you think she will keep gaining?

That story makes me all teary-eyed.

me, too

 

[Spiky Bugger]

do you think she will keep gaining?

Yes.

She feeds her fears and frustrations and anger...and she is scared and frustrated and angry that her DH has come so close to death several times this year alone.

 

[JackieOnLine]

 

[hilary1617]

I'm sorry Sue.

 

[Duckman]

sorry to hear it. My echo tech Thursday said her sister did the same thing - VSG and is powering through it with McDonald's sweet tea. She said she buys four larges at a time and just inhales them

jfc

 

[southernlady]

sorry to hear it. My echo tech Thursday said her sister did the same thing - VSG and is powering through it with McDonald's sweet tea. She said she buys four larges at a time and just inhales them

jfc

Back long ago when I was working in fast food, I lived on sweet tea. When I finally switched to unsweetened (which I still hate), I dropped 25 lbs.

 

[JackieOnLine]

one of my Home Health patients mentioned his son is about to get "that" surgery for weight loss (because there's just the one, right?) and I usually will NOT stick my nose in but I had to say "I hope not the band".

He was unclear enough about other things (his sister lives "in Oklahoma or one of those places near where The President lives") that I decided to meet his son just to make sure, and he is getting a VSG.

I didn't say any thing more but it's not easy. But I'm in someone's home as a COTA and I need to stay within my scope of practice. and yet, I will say "for god's sake, don't get a band" !!!

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I'm becoming less militant on this issue.

It's been another year. She has regained half the weight she lost.

HOWEVER, that means that for the past...I don't know, maybe...5-7 years, she has weighed AT LEAST 75 pounds less than her highest weight At some point, she was down 150#. Much better. But the worst it's been, in 5-7 years is that she weighs 75# less than her highest.

So, not ideal, but that's STILL a lot of weight to not have to carry around anymore. That makes it, for me, a better alternative than doing nothing. (And she didn't screw up her innards with any other surgery.)