Why its doneWeight loss surgeries are most suitable for people that are extremely overweight or people who have a life threatening disease related to weight. They should only be considered if ones BMI index is 35 or higher.
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Does it work?While weight loss surgeries can be very successful, there are many risks that involve the surgery. Patients who do not find the surgery a success tend to gain all of the weight back if not more.
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Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
Normally, when food is digested it passes through the stomach and then enters the small intestine where the nutrients are calories are absorbed. Then it passes to the large intestine where it stays until it leaves the body.
In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, a small part of the stomach is used to make a smaller pouch. This smaller stomach pouch is usually the size of and egg and is directly connected to the middle portion of the small intestine. So when food is digested, it passes through the smaller stomach pouch and enters the middle portion of the smaller intestine bypassing the rest of the stomach and smaller intestine.
In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, a small part of the stomach is used to make a smaller pouch. This smaller stomach pouch is usually the size of and egg and is directly connected to the middle portion of the small intestine. So when food is digested, it passes through the smaller stomach pouch and enters the middle portion of the smaller intestine bypassing the rest of the stomach and smaller intestine.
Extensive Gastric Bypass Surgery
This type of weight loss surgery goes by many different name, extensive gastric bypass surgery, duodenal switch, BPD-DS, or just the switch. In this surgery, half of the stomach is permanently removed. From the shape of a pineapple to the shape of a banana. Then the stomach gets connected to the last 8 feet of the small intestine. The rest of the small intestine is attached 100cm from the end of the small bowel.
Personal Interview- Jacqueline Bailey
What type of weight loss surgery did you have?
Roux en Y
When was your surgery?
June of 2008
Was it successful?
I do believe it was... so far! This morning at my twice a week on the scale moment (*shudder!*) I weigh less than I did even when I was in middle school. Weird, but true.
Did you lose the weight you wanted to/where expected to loose? How long did it take?
I am NEARLY there... I still have 5 to 7 pounds to go (depends on the day) to get to the best BMI I can manage. (Bearing in mind that I question the validity of BMI in any case, but it's the "goal weight" my nutritionist and I agreed upon). Sometimes those last few pounds are the hardest few pounds.
What was the process of loosing weight like? When did you lose the most? Is it taking long?
It was a very strange journey... at first, the weight came off exceedingly slowly. For about the first 2 months, I only lost about 2 to 3 pounds a week. And then, suddenly, it started dropping away like crazy. Within a year, I had gone from 299.5 pounds to 147.8. It happens very rapidly, and the thing I noticed most was "brain lag" with the physical weight-loss in contrast to how I still perceived myself, which was as a 300 pound person. To this day (yesterday's weigh-in put me at 130 pounds, which means I've lost a total of 170 pounds), I still have days where I literally FEEL like I weigh 300 pounds. Body dysmorphic disorder is a very strange and interesting phenomenon. And the surgery is not a "solution." It's simply a tool. The surgery does NOT change your mindset... if you're an emotional eater (which I was), it's very, very challenging to do the positive behavior modifications to help the surgery work for a person. You need to work very hard to find ways to ease stress, depression and anxiety without reaching for food. But it CAN happen. It just takes a lot (a LOT) of sometimes very difficult and painful mental and emotional adjustments.
How long was your recovery?
I will never consider myself a "recovered" emotional eater. I will always be in recovery from overeating.
Did you have any complications?
None that I am aware of, with the exception that I seem to "cycle" through times about every 3 months where I feel overly full even if I eat a spoonful of cottage cheese. No idea what causes that, but I suspect (because I'm married to DBH, who is brilliant in the ways of chemistry!) that it has something to do with hormone changes. The chemicals we have that make us feel "full" are, apparently, still something of a mystery to scientists and doctors.
What changes in your lifestyle and diet did you have to make after you surgery?
WOW. SO MANY. The biggest two are sugars and carbs, which were my go-to comfort foods. (Oh, my goodness. Nothing made me feel more happy and secure than glazed doughnuts or a big, warm, gooey, wonderful cinnamon roll. Oooooo....). Too much sugar puts you into "dumping syndrome," which is amazingly horrifying to experience. I've had some bad bouts of it when I wasn't paying attention (or refusing to pay attention) to the amount of sugars I consumed. It feels like you're going to die. (Or at least, makes you feel as if you WANT to). So there are foods that I used to love that I can no longer have -- honey, unfortunately, being one I miss the most. I cannot have even a teaspoon of honey without feeling horrifically sick afterwards. And, yes, I do miss those foods. But I don't miss the health problems I had, nor the extra pounds. It's a compromise, I guess. :-)
Can you still eat everything? If not, what can't you eat?
Hah! (Refer to "honey" above). Nope. There are things I will never eat again. Pork roast, for one. I just can't digest pork. Cake, doughnuts, and any sweet, wonderful, gooey treat are out forever. Bread of any kind has to be handled VERY delicately. Rice is extremely difficult to eat, so I don't generally eat that, either. Pasta is exceptionally tricksy -- I really don't eat pastas much at all. The hardest was stuffing on Thanksgiving -- that was always my favorite. Just too many carbs for me. The thing that probably changed the most, however, was that I was an enthusiastic fast food junkie -- I LOVED FAST FOOD. Burgers, fries, pizza, tacos, breakfast sandwiches with amazingly tasty sausages, egg and cheese... I loved fast food. Especially Big Macs and Pizza Hut's stuffed-crust, double pepperoni pizza with tomatoes and extra cheese... Ooooohhhh, yeah. I miss ALL that food to this day. But I just. Can't. Eat. It. :-(
Are you happy with the results of the surgery?
Mostly. It sounds so horribly WHINY, but the last 7 pounds have been on for nearly a year, and I can't seem to shake them. It's frustrating. It's also very "princessy" to whine about a mere 7 pounds when I needed to lose an entire 177 pounds, but that's just what I do. Every time I step on the scale and it reads the same number as two weeks before, I get very, very, VERY pissy. ;-)
Has it been difficult to keep the weight off?
Not so much... I have so much more energy that I find myself moving about and getting what I call "random exercise" much more than I used to. I've managed to not put the weight back on for four years, but I think (if I remember correctly) that 5 years of maintenance and/or loss is the first goal after surgery, so I still have a year to prove to myself that this can be a permanent change for me if I work at it and agree to engage in the process of staying healthy. One of the most difficult things people who've had the surgery face is that addictive behavior doesn't "go away" with the surgery -- food addictions are very real. Many, many of us simply swap one addictive behavior for others -- oddly, as far as I remember, the development of a gambling addiction is a common occurrence with people who've had the surgery. Luckily, I've managed to avoid THAT... mostly because DBH and I don't make enough money! LOL! However, I did start smoking again after six years of being smoke free. I guess that's where I went with it. I have tried to find a "healthy addiction," but so far it's been mostly smoking, endless episodes of Project Runway online (seriously! I can't get enough of that show) and obsessively playing Castleville on Facebook (also seriously. Yes, I really AM. THAT. LAME.) Addiction is ingrained in the personality, I think... it's hard to overcome that trait entirely.
What are some of the side effects that came from the surgery?
None really ... with the exception of many of my favorite foods now ending up on the, "Don't Eat That!" list, my health has been much improved. But as far as POSITIVE side effects? Wow... happiness, disbelief and wonder at being able to enjoy clothes shopping for the first time in my life. More energy, more positive outlook, less pain in my joints and fewer (though not completely removed) self-esteem issues. Also, on the physical side, better blood sugar and cholesterol counts, and somewhat better blood pressure. On the down side: slightly heightened anxiety (what do I do NOW when I feel worried/anxious/depressed/angry? I can't eat the feelings away anymore). Also, LOOSE FLABBY AWFUL SKIN. It happens -- saggy skin is part of the process, and insurance won't pay to have it removed unless you can prove that it interferes with being able to perform daily tasks (like jobs, housekeeping, taking care of family, etc). This means the flabby skin, for me, is here to stay. This means some "vanity" things are out for me, like feeling comfortable in sleeveless tops, and the saggy, horrible, awful, I-wish-I-could-cut-it-off-myself hanging belly fat will always be with me. But, fortunately, I have watched enough Project Runway episodes to know how to mask the problem areas by dressing to cover those flabby areas and also by investing in SPANX. (I love Spanx. Spanx are gods. They should be given their own zip-code, a commemorative stamp and tax-free status. They're JUST THAT AMAZING.) ;-D
However, I would have to say the best (BEST) side-effect of the surgery is increased self-esteem. If increased self-esteem hadn't happened, I would NEVER have had the courage to meet DBH, and he's been the most amazing change in my life in the past four years. And I really do attribute some of the good luck of having DBH in my life as part of the result of weight-loss surgery. You simply feel better about yourself when the weight is coming off, which makes you feel better about taking some exciting chances and risks. And DBH was the best risk I've ever taken. Hands down. :-)
Did any other health issued improve? (i.e blood pressure)
Yep! We have a genetic predisposition to HBP and diabetes in my family, and both issues were soundly trumped by the weight loss surgery. I also have a freakish spinal cord injury, which is progressive, but much more SLOOOOWWWWLLLYYY progressive since the surgery. I don't snore as much (I was on the way to full-blown sleep apnea, but not any more). I also had severe bouts of GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease -- just read it as the most wickedly awful heartburn of your life). The GERD is GONE. I used to have about 3 to 4 migraines (and I mean REALLY BAD migraines) a week, and now I've only experienced about 3 in the last six months. Not sure it's the surgery -- could be cutting out some foods -- but I'm happy they're much less frequent! Also, my joints feel better. Most importantly, I think, are the positive emotional changes. Depression was something I lived with every day, and I find that's nearly (though not entirely) a thing of the past. Anxiety is lower, and I feel far more positive and ready to take on the world. (And, yeah... Bailey generally goes all out when "take on the world" times roll around. Sorry about that, world!)