Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery

I received a message asking me why my Lap Band failed and if I would recommend it if it worked. This is a great question and one that is somewhat complicated to answer. Bariatric surgery is a difficult and scary process to undertake. I did over six months of research and personally interviewed twenty people that underwent bariatric surgery. The vast majority of those I spoke with received bypass rather than lap band procedures. WLS is a wonderful method of helping the person that has reached a point in their life that they feel is hopeless, full of despair and no way out… except death. You must be at peace with yourself and your Lord, because death is a possibility during and after your surgery. You must have the support of those closest to you and they must be willing to understand that WLS could take your life. Here is a post from my WLS blog that is just a few days post operative and I think you can see where my mind and body were at the time. I have not looked at this blog for a couple of years and it really is quite emotional for me. The pain physical and emotional still feels very real and although I really did well with the Lap Band the first six months, the realization that the Lap Band would only be of minimal help crashed my world.

6/14/2006
Well, It has been a while. I am banded and was banded on 6/7/2006, delayed by one day to treat me for respiratory problems left from Bronchitis and Strep. I didn't update right after surgery, because it probably wouldn't have been too positive. The pain of surgery is moderate; however, for me the discomfort from the surgery was pretty intense. It really caught me off-guard! In fact, today is day seven post-op and only now am I starting to feel the discomfort lessen. I have not enjoyed the CO2 getting out of the body, but more I have really not enjoyed the gas/air that has come into the digestive system. It seems to compound itself when I drink liquids, even the smallest sips as instructed. If I do not drink liquids for a while I get very painful hiccups, that feel like they are going to shoot my band right up through my throat. If I do drink liquids as instructed, I get painful burps with a golf-ball feeling in the middle of my chest. Today, I was allowed to introduce Fruitless Yogurt Smoothies (4oz) and that has gone down better and has lessened the gas/air problem. My surgeon's dietician said I would NOT have Physical Hunger for the first 7 or 8 days... for me this was totally WRONG! My stomach has been grumbling, growling and shaking and I am Physically Hungry and when this grumbling starts it hurts an already sensitive system from surgery. Do not believe all that is told to you by surgeon's dieticians unless they have experienced the surgery themselves. Until day 4 post-op I had "Buyers Remorse", wondering what the hell did I do to myself. I must admit those first four days post-op, no weight loss was worth that discomfort... until I looked at my beautiful children and realize if I don't do something I will not be here to see what they become. WLS is serious business folks and should ONLY be done if it is your last and final avenue for weight loss.

Things to know before you consider WLS. Everyone that I know that has experienced WLS, myself included, still had the exact same issues and battles with losing weight and keeping off the yo-yo cycle. When the doctor drained my band back to no restriction because of complications, I gained weight at a rapid pace and eventually gained back everything I lost in the six months of lap band success. I became depressed and felt nothing in this world could help me. I was not binging, gorging, over-eating and yet I gained weight at a rapid pace. I went on a quest to educate myself and find out why I keep falling back into old habits and gain weight although I do not gorge myself. I tried hypnosis, counseling, all the weight loss programs, pre-packaged food programs, everything I could find. I would lose weight only to gain it back when I left the program. Then I discovered what everyone in every support group I have attended was lacking. We were all lacking the tools necessary to handle emotional eating habits and behaviors.

This is from the following website:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/weight-loss-surgery.aspx

Bariatric Surgery: Other Conditions to Meet

Prior to having surgery for weight loss, you and your doctor will most likely want to establish that you:
1. Will most likely not be able to lose weight or maintain weight loss without bariatric surgery
2. Are well-informed and prepared for what you can reasonably expect after bariatric surgery
3. Are committed to losing weight and improving your health
4. Understand that you will have to make major lifestyle changes after having bariatric surgery, such as dealing with the surgery's side effects and learning to eat differently
5. Know about your risk of potential side effects and complications associated with bariatric surgery
6. Are willing to adopt a new, healthier lifestyle after your bariatric surgery that includes eating a healthful diet, exercising regularly, attending regular medical follow-up visits, and taking recommended vitamin, and perhaps mineral, supplements

Support groups motivate us and can assist in emotional distress, but I needed something that addressed why I had emotional eating problems. I tend to eat bad foods when I am stressed, depressed, bored, feel anxiety, and feel angry. I used to feel deprived if someone offered treats and I was on a program and did not eat the treats. This deprivation led to depression, which led to more bad choices. No matter what WLS you choose, you will have problems unless you address the person in charge. Unless support groups plan to be a lifetime commitment, you need to address this on your own. You will need to address your mind and heal it and expand it. I cannot stress this enough that our minds are the answer to all of our problems. Our minds are the key to successful long-term weight loss, with or without WLS.

This brings me to my question of would I recommend WLS. I do not recommend the bypass surgery, only because I feel it is too risky and I know very few people this surgery type has worked for long term. There are exceptions to this and those I know that received bypass WLS, lost weight very quickly and I envied them. Bypassing a major section of intestinal track sounds dangerous to me and as proven can cause malnutrition. However, I am no physician and I have not walked in your shoes so you must decide for yourself. I do recommend the Lap Band WLS if you meet the qualifications and if you are willing to do what is necessary for it to work. I recommend a trial run and eat your food with absolutely no liquids for at least one-hour after eating. No liquids are allowed during the meal and no liquids following the meal for at least an hour. This is where my lap band quit working for me. Everything would get stuck in the lap band opening without liquid and I would vomit and foam (Lap Banders will know what I am talking about). I can tell you it is painful, scary and if you vomit, it can rip the band loose and require surgery to repair.

My final thoughts are that no WLS will work for you long term unless you heal the mind and make continuous efforts to keep improving the mind. Personal growth programs and books will assist you in your long-term goals and will allow your WLS to be far more successful than you ever thought is possible. However, you can do the same thing without WLS. I guess it comes down to urgency and your current health condition. Be advised that it is required to lose five percent of your body weight in the weeks leading up to WLS to shrink the liver. I do not regret my lap band experience and it was one more step in the journey to find a solution to my problem.

Taken from “Day by Day with James Allen” included with As a Man Thinketh:

“It’s a sad fact that obesity has become a major health threat as it has reached epidemic proportions according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Despite the epidemic, the vast majority of those on a weight-loss diet today will fail.

Virtually 100% of the people who fail won’t know the REAL reason for their failure. Many will blame the diet they chose, the circumstances in their life, their “lack of willpower,” and on and on. But, the REAL reason… the ONLY reason… they won’t succeed is because they didn’t change their thoughts. Their thoughts about themselves and the food they eat.”

“Change of diet will not help a person who will not change his thoughts. When a person makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.” --- As a Man Thinketh

www.asamanthinketh.net