Hellooo, Lunatics!
I can not believe it has been almost 20 years since my gastric bypass surgery (GBS) – June 28, 2004. I am now at the point where, when people ask me what is my recommendation or what do I think about it I honestly want to run out the door screaming “Don’t do it!!”
Although I do not want to dissuade anyone from getting their surgery, I want to make sure that people understand clearly what they can get themselves into if they do get it. So, in all truth, I begin urging people not to do it. There are reasons why I don’t recommend it, but in the end, it is their decision.
If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have done it. At all. I know it sounds hypocritical because I have lost weight after surgery. However, the truth is that when I got my surgery, GBS was in its infancy stages. Doctors did not have all the research that is available today. Now please understand that this is my own personal experience, and that everybody has had different results. Also consider that there are several people in my family who have done it, and have had different results.
Let me being with the negatives and then, I will go into the positives.
- No blood donations from or for me! I became anemic because my iron levels have severely low since then. I am still highly functional and I try to eat as well or as healthy as I can most of the time. I do not follow a “bariatric maintenance diet” like I did at the beginning. Also, I can’t donate blood – not even for myself it there is an emergency.
- Teeth repairs, anyone? Malabsorption of minerals and nutrients caused my teeth to become very brittle. I am not sure if this is related to my genetics or if it started because of gastric bypass, but I was not expecting this to happen at all. As a result, many of my teeth have had to be repaired because they broke eating things like peanut butter!
- Surprise: Ruptured ulcer! This was a big one for me. I had an ulcer rupture in my duodenum in 2011. Doctors and surgeons explained to me that since my stomach continues to pump stomach acid, the inside of my “old stomach basically ate itself out.” WTF? Had it not been for friends and coworkers colleagues at work who rushed me to the emergency room, I wouldn’t be here to tell my story today. Since then, I have been on Lansoprazole (a pump prohibitor) so my stomach will pump ‘less’ acid – precious!
- A tool is as good as the way you use it. I hold myself accountable for the “almost” inevitable: weight regain. Over the years, the research has shown that, bariatric patients gain much of the weight back. What is worse is that women gain at a higher and faster rate than men do. I did. Gastric bypass is a tool. It is and it was a good tool to begin with, but although mentally, my relationship with food has changed over the years, I am still an emotional eater. When I’m stressed, bored, tired, or angry, I eat. When I’m depressed or my energy is vibrating low, I turn to comfort foods.
- Oh, what to do about my ‘do? I significantly lost the volume of my hair over the years. My hair thinned out immediately after gastric bypass and has never recovered since. I do believe that some of it has to do with my genes. Both my mom and my dad have very thin hair now that they’re elderly. I manage to get through with very good haircuts and my stylist nose exactly how to do my hair. The reality is that my hair is not what it was 20 years ago and will never be.
- Gimme some skin… maybe not. I had to get both a tummy tuck and a breast lift to stretch out and remove excess skin. It was both a physical and psychological struggle to make sure that my clothes fit right and that I “looked” right after weight loss. I waited about 2 years before getting the tummy tuck, which is when my weight loss felt more stable and consistent; and a year and a half later, I had my breast lift done. Boobs were so perky!
- Ice cream, milk? Forget about it! Gastric bypass caused me to become lactose intolerant to some dairy items. I am not sure what causes my stomach bloating after I drink cow’s milk, but it is extremely painful too. In addition, I cannot be too far from a bathroom because, you know, dairy…
There are good things about bariatric surgery. It’s not all “bad, bad stuff.”
For example, you get to lose weight at an incredibly fast rate. The average weight loss varies depending on what you’re eating, how much and the type of bariatric surgery you had. It all affects the speed and the number of pounds that come off. Also, working out may (notice I am writing may vs. will) help with your lose skin.
You will also go through shrinking clothes sizes very fast. As you lose weight, your sizes will drop quickly. My advice is that you go clothes thrifting until you get to your goal weight. Then go to town, baby! Get a haircut, a glass of (insert drink here), get the works and enjoy yourself!
If you have any type of obesity-related conditions (high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart conditions, gout, inflammation, etc.), most likely, many of those may go away. It is a blessing in disguise as doctors will either have you cut back on your medications or completely remove them from your roster. So, chop away!
Gastric bypass is here to stay as part of our society.
I hope this post gave you some insights and help you make an informed decision. If something is still not clear, drop a comment and I will reach out to talk about it!
