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What was your gastric bypass surgery like?
Question : What was your gastric bypass surgery like?
My brother is morbidly obese and nothing has been able to make him lose weight yet. We are considering gastric bypass surgery but we are worried because we don’t personally know anyone who has gone through it.
If you’ve had gastric bypass before can you tell me what it was like? What was the recovery like? Did you gain the weight back? How did you get the money to afford the surgery? Having hindsight now, did you think it was worth the risk and would you make the same choice again?
gastric bypass surgery
Best answer:
Answer by PARTHA R
There has to a beginning at some stage. Somebody has to take the lead.
Let your brother initiate and tell us all about his experiences so that we decide on our future on this issue.In any case the doctor gains at your cost by cutting your throat as well as your belly.
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#2 written by koogy 1 year ago
Ah, so I am the first to honestly answer your question because I have had gatric bypass surgery.
I spent a full year researching this and learning all I could about it. A good place to start is http://www.obesityhelp.com Lots and lots of people from all over that have had that surgery and lots of forums where you can ask questions.
When I finally got to the point of surgery, I was prepared mentally for it. I knew it was going to be a huge lifestyle change from that point on. A brand new start, a new chance to lose weight and BE HEALTHY. I knew going in it is a tool, not a cure.
The actually surgery was done laparoscopically. I had very little pain. I had a PCA (patient controlled analgesia) pump for the first 24 hours – I could give myself a small dose of pain medication as often as every 6 minutes in my IV. However, I didn’t use it and it was taken off the next day. The morning after surgery, I had to get out of bed and go to x-ray where I did a swallow test, to make sure there were no leaks in the pouch or where the intestine was bypassed. I didn’t go back to bed until about midnight that night. Yep, stayed up all day, either in a chair or walking in the halls. I went home the next day. Once I got home, I started walking the very next day (of course, I had been walking before surgery so this wasn’t new.) I really felt good. I could not do any heavy lifting but I found things to keep me busy. I am now nearly 8 years post op and in good health. I have gained a few pounds back but lost them with some effort and now, after winter (I live in the southern hemipshere) I have a few pounds to shed once again. But, that being said, I have not gained the 95lbs I lost back! (my BMI was 42. I’m no skinny Minnie, but happy where I am – size 14 dress, size 13 junior jeans)
My surgery was covered by my health insurance plan and I had to use a network physician and go to an in-network hospital but that was fine with me, I only had to pay a co-payment.
In hindsight – I would have this surgery again in a heartbeat, My only regret was that I didn’t do it sooner (I was 47 at the time). It was most assuredly life changing surgery
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I had my surgery a year ago, and between the liquid diet three weeks prior and post surgical loss, I lost 95 pounds in about 7 months. I’ve stayed the same weight for 7 months now.
The cost of the surgery is rather high. Mine cost $ 32k and the average is $ 34k according to the program I am in. My insurance, however, paid for all of it but the deductible, which was just over $ 600. This can vary widely, but many insurance companies see this surgery as a cost savings benefit for them because of all the health risks associated with morbid obesity…so they cover the majority of the program.
Be sure your brother goes through a program, not to a cut-rate surgical program in another country. The environment of a program with education, psychological evaluations and counseling,support groups and diet/nutrition support by nutritionists makes a huge difference in the outcome and the 5 year results. It took about 9 months for me to go from informational meeting to surgery, and it was a very good program. I found that the program gave me the opportunity to make changes that would make my surgery a success.
As I was acutally quite fit under the fat, I had a very easy time with the surgery. The better shape you are in the easier recovery can be. I was up walking within an hour after recovery room, and I walked for nearly an hour then. I walked several hours a day for the 2 days I was in the hospital out of boredom. Most patients were not that lucky, though. They did not feel well and they hurt. partly that is whether they had a laproscopic surgery like I did or the full incision. (I’m the example of the best outcome, but not an unusual one.)
the first few weeks after you have the surgery,you have zero appetite. This makes the diet easy! Some people have some problems accepting food, they forget to chew enough, take slightly too large bites, and may vomit or have stomach pain, but I had very little trouble with this. Overall, for me the whole thing was very easy.
An outcome is considered successful if the patient keeps over half the weight off 5 years after surgery, but you just have to keep the exercise and reasonable adn healthy eating up.
There can be some serious side effects to the surgery, but considering the risks of morbid obesity, I think the chance for chronic anemia or other vitamin deficiencies is worth it.
I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat.