Hi

R

Rose McNose

New member
Hello everyone - I am new to this forum but could do with some advise. I am trying to decide whether I should go for weight loss surgery. I have the funds in place but it scares the hell out of me. I have been over weight now for 4 years. Up till then, I never had a weight problem but I had an unplanned pregnancy and gorged throughout - I also was laid up for the duration. I have tried and tried and nothing works for me. I have a lot of complications from the pregnancy - I have high blood pressure and a lot of back and hib problems. I cannot excercise. I am between a balloon and a band. The band just seems so permanent and invasive. The balloon sounds like a less invasive procedure but I am worried it wont work for me and am worried about the weight in my tummy of the balloon exaserbating my back issue. I go from one to the other. I have looked at a number of providers of the procedures and I a torn about that as well. Any advice? I am 34, 5 foot 7 and 15 stone 10.
 
Hey Rose, welcome to the forum!


Are you sure that you can't exercise? Have you tried pool exercise/therapy? Also, what is your daily diet like? Are you sure that there's nothing you can do there to improve things? With the money that you would likely drop on a dangerous surgery, you could probably get an amazing team working with you (dietician, qualified pool therapist, physiotherapist, etc.).
 
Originally Posted by PLBFitness


Hey Rose, welcome to the forum!



Are you sure that you can't exercise? Have you tried pool exercise/therapy? Also, what is your daily diet like? Are you sure that there's nothing you can do there to improve things? With the money that you would likely drop on a dangerous surgery, you could probably get an amazing team working with you (dietician, qualified pool therapist, physiotherapist, etc.).
Click to expand...




Hi, thanks for the welcome. Yes, I am sure I can't exercise - not at a level that is beneficial to weight loss. I have attended physios for my back and hip issues but have had no improvement. I now attend a personal training sessions for Pilates to try and build core strength. I have tried pool therapy and my back was a million times worse. My physical issues are complicated. I am hyper mobile and in addition over produced relaxin during my pregnancy. This caused back and hip damage. With the excess weight I am carrying, this means it is extremely risky for me to carry out the exercises to build core strength without me doing further damage. My abs also split (which is quite common in pregnancy) but have not returned to their normal position.

I am not quite sure what you mean about the money - it is not an issue of money whatsoever. I should also point out, I am a doctor so I am very aware of the risks involve and also the health issues that I have. My blood pressure has not stabilised which makes cardio very risky for me (I have recently had a TIA. Believe me, surgery is not something I take lightly, hence I have not already jumped in and had it done. I need to loose weight to take the strain off my back and hips - I can then work on doing more exercises to build my core strength.

As I said above, previous to this, I have never been over weight. I was always very active - I still have my horses that I am currently too heavy to ride, I used to run regularly, hike, and swim. I understand the importance of exercise and diet. I have analysed my diet (with the help of a dietician) and have indeed made some changes i.e. low GI, avoiding eating late, portion control (awareness). Unfortunately this has not yielded results; hence I am now considering surgery.

From being a very active mobile person for 30 years and then thrown into a life of constant back and joint pain along with migraines, sleep apnoea and basically completely sedentary life is a living hell and I must do something to get my life back.



Sorry, this has turned into a bit of an essay but it is very difficult when folk continually point out the obvious solution i.e why don't you just exercise? After studying medicine for 13 years, I have thought of that! :p


Maybe this is in incorrect forum for me to join - I apologise is thats the case.
 
A Hey Rose, You'd be surprised how often exercise and nutrition are not the "obvious solution." As a doctor, if you tell people that they should "eat right" and exercise, then your patients likely nod their heads in agreement and you probably are made to believe that they will put in some effort. In reality, people are too afrad to say anything to their doctor (or don't have time), so it's once they get out into the real world and are sitting in front of me for an assessment, they make all the excuses in the world as to why they didn't exercise even though their doc told them to and they know that they should. Many people out there go for the pill, short-term diet, or surgery (at least as a consideration), before they think about making positive lifestyle changes. "Lifestyle changes" are viewed to be more effort than taking a pill, etc., so people would rather opt for a pill than have to put in effort in the long term. When I was asking if you were "sure," I was basically hoping to get more detail on what you have tried, so thank you for sharing some more details - and no worries if it's an essay, it sounds like you're dealing with a lot! If you're a doctor, then you're absolutely right - you're probably much more aware of the risks related to the 2 surgeries than most people. And you have more access to the people who can answer your questions. A major issue that I've observed/heard from individuals who've had or considered having these surgeries is that there is not always support for before and/or after the surgeries. Too often, people have their surgeries, the hospital/surgeon/etc. takes their money, then they wipe their hands clean and move on to the next... If you're seriously considering this as an option, find a program that provides support starting before the surgery and continues for at least 6 months, preferably a year or more afterwards. By program, I mean a program that includes support form professionals such as nurses, dieticians, qualified exercise personel, and someone who manages your case and coordinates with all of those professionals. You need to have people checking in on you regularly and ensuring that you're on the right path. It's probably obvious that I'm not a fan of these surgeries, but I'm aware that it could be a helpful tool for those who truly need it. I just have a hard time encouraging it based on some of the absolute horror stories that I've heard. I can't ethically encourage it because I couldn't live with myself if I told someone they should go for the surgery and they die on the table, or their life is turned upside down due to complications. So, when I talk to people about it - it is an absolute last resort. (OK venting over :)) You're not in the wrong forum, but this section http://weight-loss.fitness.com/f/19/surgical-weight-loss might be more helpful to you :)
 
AHi,

Thanks for your response. I will look at the section you recommended. As I said, up until 4 years ago, I was very active and "lived" life. Thats where I want to be again. I am certainly not someone that thinks "I don't understand where the weight comes from" I know exactly where it came from, I just have to get rid of it! Unfortunately, conventional methods are not am option. My weight gain was ridiculously quick too - I gained 70lbs during my pregnancy through hidious binging. I did what I did and thats the past - I now have to deal with the damage that the whole experience dealt me and get my life back.
 
Hey Rose,


Well, I hope that you can find some good information in that other section.... Or at the very least, hopefully you can find someone who has gone through something similar. Good luck to you!
 
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