Does anyone regret having the surgery?

[ann1756]

Katrina, I am so sorry this did not go well for you. What has your dr suggested trying to improve things?

I do not regret doing this. I do struggle every day to get enough protein, I think I have made goal twice? I was back in the hospital once for dehydration, but that was post surgery, I went home too soon. Yes, I am getting baggy skin already, and that bothers me some, but I can get that fixed. My osteo arthritis in my knees and feet is not bothering me as much, the psoriatic is still there in my hands. I don't need to live on Advil to be able to walk.

Other than starting to look a little like a Basset Hound, no regrets.

ann

[sraebaer]

No regrets, except that I wasted so much of my life (until now) being fat and miserable. I was lucky and had absolutely no complications. I enjoyed every minute of the whole process. I looked at it as a game, followed the rules, and lost all my weight. I owe my success to my positive attitude and my love of walking/hiking.

[jennah]

I dont regret the surgery, I regret not being prepared enough for the surgery and life afterwards. I wish I would have sought out help for eating addictions before my surgery. I wish I would have been stable in my own mental health before I had the surgery. I wish I would have been more devoted to my own sucess before I did the surgery, rather than waiting to do these things almost 2 years out...its not too late not..would just have been much more sucessful and healthier to have done these upfront rather than two years after...The surgery was great, recovery was much easier than I expected with little pain...I just wish I would have done my part sooner, rather than soley relying on the doctors to do all the work!

[Shandy]

Thats a really good point because some people think it's a magic fix but it's not, it's still hard work and you really need to be mentally ready for the challenge. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I wish you all the best with your progress.

[Numbers]

look up a product called liquicell.

Anyone can get their protein in with that....

[Shandy]

Thanks for that. I found it on amazon. Will give it a try.

[incredibleshrnkngshirly]

I dont regret the surgery, I regret not being prepared enough for the surgery and life afterwards. I wish I would have sought out help for eating addictions before my surgery. I wish I would have been stable in my own mental health before I had the surgery. I wish I would have been more devoted to my own sucess before I did the surgery, rather than waiting to do these things almost 2 years out...its not too late not..would just have been much more sucessful and healthier to have done these upfront rather than two years after...The surgery was great, recovery was much easier than I expected with little pain...I just wish I would have done my part sooner, rather than soley relying on the doctors to do all the work!

Yes, what Virginia said. I have the same regrets after four years. :-(

[maritza104]

At first I regretted it quite a bit for a week or two, but as things progressed I felt good and didn't have any complications at all. I went back to work after 5 days and I never had any fatigue at all. The surgery is much more psychological and emotional than it is physical-for me at least.

[GoPackGo]

Absolutely not! I have not regretted anything other than not having it 10 years ago! I pre-pared myself as much as possible by researching any and everything good and bad I could find on the subject. I think that really has helped me be as successful as I have been. Best thing I have done in my life since marrying my wife!!

[JanPit]

I have NO, absolutely NO regrets, having this surgery. Sure the first few weeks are rough, but I would do it again. I love the way I look, loose skin and all. Before all that skin was filled with fat and it was not something you could camouflage. Clothes look amazing. I can pull anything out of my closet and be comfortable. I don't even need as much clothing. Katrina, I hope your health issues clear up. I cannot drink as much as is recommended, but then I never could before either. I drink as much as I can.

[georgiagirl1227]

I regretted it for the first couple of weeks. Change is hard for anybody. I kept thinking , what in the world have I done to myself ? Luckily, those feelings didn't last long and I began to adjust to my new life and my new way of eating and drinking. Now that I'm 16 months out it I couldn't imagine my life now any other way. I can eat what I want (in moderation). I still follow the rule about waiting thirty minutes after a meal to drink. I can't tell you how much better I feel even with a little loose skin on my arms and thighs . I can hide those pretty well. I'm a much happier person now that I have lost 100 pounds !

[odesskiy]

look up a product called liquicell.

Anyone can get their protein in with that....

It's Liquacel.

[niki k]

Katrina,
So sorry to hear about your experience. I know in my case, I have no regrets! I have moments where I just want to eat a bit more, but my sleeve stops me! And the positive comments and trying on clothes keep me super motivated. Good luck in your recovery.

[Taylor32909]

I regret it. Don't know if I will forever, but so far it has been a mistake. I have never once been able to come close to the required fluid intake since I had surgery. I can't keep any foods down. I was admitted to the hospital and then put into ICU on New Year's Day after becoming septic. A combination of diverticulitis (not surgery related) and gastritis (definitely surgery related) have left me very very sick. I've had gastritis since having the surgery, and it makes keeping anything down nearly impossible. I've been in the hospital 3 times just this month for dehydration and ketonuria (my body is starving). I am on very strong antibiotics to fight the infections, and the antibiotics make it all worse. I have to have colon resection surgery to rid the diverticulitis, but it is a challenge due to my very angry smaller stomach. The doctors here have been way less than supportive of my vsg saying that it is a horrible surgery. I call BS on that though because I see plenty of people that are more than thrilled after having it done. My body just is not one that has responded well to it. Oh, I'm losing the weight for sure, but I can't exercise or even get out of the bed from being so weak. I get a kick out of the posts talking about you won't lose weight if you don't eat properly or exercise. Ha! Starvation sure has a way of dropping those pounds. I don't recommend my body's method!! I look forward to the day that this is behind me, and not such a regret. At this point the 53 pounds I've lost since surgery on November 4th haven't been worth the extreme misery my body is going through right now. Mine is an individual case, and certainly not how the majority of vsg surgeries turn out.

OMG I am so glad to have found someone with my same problem....well sort of the same problem.....(not really glad but thought I was the only one) I don't have diverticulitis but my body is starving itself also. Been in and out of the hospital down to 100 pounds and now need to gain weight. Can't figure out how to do that I eat as much as I can. I have a long way to go to be healthy again going in the reverse direction. First I was over weight and unhealthy now I'm under weight and unhealthy. Any advice would help......sorry you are going through this but know you are not alone.

[Grace]

OMG I am so glad to have found someone with my same problem....well sort of the same problem.....(not really glad but thought I was the only one) I don't have diverticulitis but my body is starving itself also. Been in and out of the hospital down to 100 pounds and now need to gain weight. Can't figure out how to do that I eat as much as I can. I have a long way to go to be healthy again going in the reverse direction. First I was over weight and unhealthy now I'm under weight and unhealthy. Any advice would help......sorry you are going through this but know you are not alone.

Make that three of us. I did great pre-op and lost 118 lbs in the first 9 mo. Then developed gastric issues that ended partly with gallbladder removal and 3 yrs later I still have chronic gastritis. I am going in for my 3rd EGD later this month to see if I have any stomach lining left. Ironically enough I have not lost any weight with this. I gained 45 lbs of weight back at first due to eating rice and oatmeal, as it was all that would go down (I detest both), and pudding with protein powder. I stopped gaining as soon as my gallbladder came out and have stayed the same weight within 2 lbs without trying the last 2.5 yrs. I eat 1100 cal a day, mostly canned or stewed meat very plain, and some low residue veggies well cooked. Also coconut oil in my herbal tea and marshmallow root tea all day long to soothe.
I am sitting here right now with the burning in my stomach distracting me though you would think by now I should be used to it, it never ends. Some nights I am awake all night in tears. I asked my gastroenterologist if having the rny would help and he said maybe functionally but I have so many deficiencies already that he cannot sign off on it. He asked if I wanted to do it to lose weight and I said I don't care if I ever lose another lb if he can just get the pain to stop.

I have a theory. I think it is the staples doing this to some of us. I have the information from the company that makes them and they use 10-12% nickel to bind the titanium (all such things have base metal of some kind it turns out). I think it took 9 months for the nickel to leach into my stomach and start this reaction. I can't find any way to test it so far. My nickel SKIN test was negative but I think inside it might be more sensitive? if this is the case, rny won't help as they use staples for that too....


anyway, ladies, you are not alone... I am grateful for the nearly 75 lbs I took off and kept off...but in the long run I was healthier pre-surgery.