My doctor has my attention now

[missdiane]

 The good news is that my GP doesn’t think my blood pressure is too horrible even though it can stand to improve quite a bit. However she’s concerned with the fact that my back is keeping me from exercising and that I’m in a bad cycle because if I exercise it currently hurts my back but I need to improve my back with exercise.

Also, my weight has stagnated and I even put back on a couple of the pounds that I lost when adjusting to the new medicine and kept me from being hungry. She’s always been easy-going when it comes to how to take care of my medical issues. But she got my attention today for sure because she suggested something she never suggested before and even warned me in advance not to be mad at her.

Gastric bypass surgery. 😳😳
  
The thought of having major surgery like that scares the crap out of me. But if she’s that concerned, I have to do something now

Comments

[spikesgirl58]

Think very carefully before you submit to that. There are all sorts of resulting issues with it. It's not the quick fix that some docs promise it is and to have your insurance cover it, you'll need another opinion. I would talk to Sparky before you get serious about this.

[missdiane]

I absolutely will. I mean I watch my 600 pound life and see what those people go through and it’s sobering to think that she is suggesting that. Also, I know someone that worked at the department I used to work who had the surgery and she was not much bigger than me, and she died from complications of couple of months later. I do not want that surgery but I need to get serious about losing weight

But since she was dead serious about me looking into it, that concerns me greatly because that confirms that she knows I’m very unhealthy because I’m not “that obese” but I’m quickly becoming “that immobile.”

[spikesgirl58]

You know, I've had two back surgeries in my lumbar region and my surgeon said that weight was not a contributing factor to my recovery or even as a cause and I know I'm heavier than you. Just be careful, okay?

[threecee]

I second Spike; think this over carefully.

I reverted to my librarian days and found a couple websites that might be helpful places to start researching this:

American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-procedures

Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/gastric-bypass-surgery/art-20046318

Bariatric Surgery Source (This is a commercial site, but looks like the basic info is sound and they compare different options in some detail.) https://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/bariatric-surgery-for-beginners.html

A list of articles from Medline Plus (My favorite medical source) https://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v%3Aproject=medlineplus&v%3Asources=medlineplus-bundle&query=gastric+bypass+surgery

And finally, a video of the surgery http://nlm.bcst.md/videos/laparoscopic-gastric-bypass-surgery?view=displayPageNLM

The video may be a bit much, but I watched a hip replacement video before my hip surgery and it helped me feel more in control.

[missdiane]

I looked over a lot of these (except th video since it’s a bit too real and I also have seen pretty much every ep of My 600 Pound Life) and it makes me want to do this even less.

That and although I have high blood pressure and mobility issues, there are many items that may disqualify me. Right now I’m about 10 pounds away from the 35 BMI cutoff, I have had kidney stones, have anxiety and panic disorder and technically I’ve never formally participated in any medically monitored diet

[asheswithroses.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. That does sound concerning. I hope it works out for you!

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

I am going to look at every other alternative before I even resort to this. But if she’s actually suggesting it, she’s concerned and that concerns me

[amethyst-witch.livejournal.com]

Oh snap girl :( That is sobering, to say the least.

Silver lining? You GET this warning, you have another chance <3 Somebody else that same day got told he or she needs that surgery, NOW.

*hugs*

If I can help in any small (or big!) way, please let me know <3 Even just for motivation, if you want that!

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I don’t want the surgery so I have to do what I need to do as carefully as I can to make myself healthier. Otherwise it’s going to be the only option left.

So clearly I am going to have to get my act together as well as start posting on my healthystart community here for support suggestions and all the other stuff.

[amethyst-witch.livejournal.com]

Ohh, can I join the community?

:)

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! The more the merrier!

[amethyst-witch.livejournal.com]

Yay!! I just requested to join :)

ACCEPT MEEEE! LOOOVE MEEEEEEE!

;)

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

LOL Spikes approved you while I was in NYC today. Guess she loves you more 😉

[amethyst-witch.livejournal.com]

*LOL* whatever--I'm in! hehe!

[sparky955.livejournal.com]

The surgery can cause serious, lifelong gastrointestinal problems. It is a very serious surgery.

Most insurances require between 6-12 months of formal dietary counseling before they’ll approve the surgery. This is a very good thing.

Many of us, and I am including myself, who are overweight eat to try to ignore certain feelings or to comfort ourselves.

When the bypass surgery prevents you from overeating, you still have all those emotions inside that played a large part in your overeating.

Losing weight is one thing. Changing long-standing behavior patterns is harder. If you’d be willing to commit to counseling on an ongoing basis to help you face and work through whatever feelings are at the core of your overeating....after surgery ... you’d increase your chances of permanent weight loss.

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the information, Sparky. I truly appreciate it.

In 1972, my Dad had the equivalent of a gastric bypass to try to fix his ulcer and was in the hospital for a year (I was only 3 at the time so I don’t remember it). He still has gastro issues to this day. Also, I already have my own gastro issues which is a big deterrent for me. A woman that worked in the department I used to work in who wasn’t much bigger than me died from complications a few months after the surgery.

I want to avoid having it unless it’s the absolute last resort but for my doctor to even suggest it means she’s concerned about my health. So I have to figure out how to slowly and safely lose weight again and keep it off and also find ways to get exercise and not compromise my back.

One thing I did ask her to prescribe is an anti anxiety med that’s safer long term than Xanax. When I was going regularly to a therapist (yay, burnout from work stress), we tried the med (Buspar) and it did a great job on relieving my anxiety. Unfortunately I couldn’t adjust to the side effects of brain zaps. However, the psychiatrist had me on other meds for depression and I wondered if the problem was a med combo rather than the Buspar on its own. I figure it’s worth another shot because I know my main issue is stress eating/nervous nibbling. If I can reduce my anxiety, I will tend to have better focus at work and will usually be less likely to turn to food for comfort

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I would get all the info I can on it, but it sounds like she has your best interests at heart here. It is a last resort type of thing, but I know people who have had this surgery and they are healthier and happier for it.

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

Even if I wanted it, I may not be approved anyway since I'm so close to the lower end of their BMI cutoff. That and I do already have issues with occasional kidney stones and with upper GI issues and acid stomach so it's very likely that they'd reject me for those.

But either way, it got my attention so while I'm trying to figure out how to get active, I need to use the diet to slowly get the number down