Weight Loss Surgery The Pros and Cons

Nine years ago I made the decision to have lap-band surgery and today I am 80lbs thinner. It was not easy but what it did do for me was give me back my life and get rid of my comorbidities that I had such as high blood pressure, chronic back pain, my asthma was out of control and I was just miserable. Every day I looked in the mirror I hated myself. So on December 14th 2009 I had weight loss surgery.

I must say that this road traveled has not been easy as I knew it wouldn't and why? Because I, like everyone else that is obese, has a love for food and did not know when to quit. My diet consisted of two dunkin doughnut cinnamon rolls for breakfast, some junk food before lunch, a big fried hamburger for lunch, more chocolate in the afternoon, a big greasy dinner and some cake before bed. In the middle of the night I would get up and eat cereal, cookies, or whatever I could get my hands on.

Today my diet consist of an egg or protein shake for breakfast, some greek yogurt mid morning, some kind of protein for lunch or a salad, fruit in the afternoon and fish or chicken for dinner with a vegetable.

It has made my life easier but not all roses and cream cheese. There are times it has actually been horrible but they don't tell you those things.

You go to a nice little seminar with other weight loss surgery patients before and after and they give you the spiel about how they will save your life with weight loss surgery. I have actually felt like a prisoner in my own body.

If you follow your doctors weight loss plan you will lose weight.

You will get your life back and you will feel better.

You will be able to get off of some medications for high blood pressure and the gastric by pass is known to cure diabetes.

You will become more active.

You will be alive to see your children grow up and have grandchildren.

You will love yourself and not dread looking in the mirror every day.

You will not be told your body will be starved for the first couple of months. Your calorie intake will only be about 500 calories total for the day. You won't be able to eat more then that after surgery.

You will basically be on a liquid diet a month before and a month after. That is when most of your weight loss will occur quickly.

You will have to exercise. You can't sit around like a couch potato and expect the weight just to fall off. It won't.

They don't tell you that the band can erode in your stomach causing your stomach contents to leak out in to your body and cause you to become septic.

You will have to eat like a child once you can eat food.

The lap-band is the one that has more issues like food getting stuck and spending time in the bathroom trying to vomit to get it to move but it won't. That is the fun part.

Complications can occur as with any surgery such as:

Blood clots to the lungs, leaks in the new surgical gut connections, bleeding ulcers, heart attacks, Gall stones often requiring gallbladder removal. Vitamin deficiencies or malnutrition, from poor absorption and Sagging skin, requiring body contouring surgery.

If you don't follow the rules, you won't lose weight.

If you go back to your old way of eating and consuming high calorie foods, you might as well not even give in to have surgery. You will be wasting the surgeons time and yours. You have to be mentally as well as physically ready before surgery.

There are three weight loss surgeries that you can choose from, but as I have said you must be ready mentally and physically.

The Gastric By-pass was one of the first weight loss surgeries. If you choose this surgery you will be required to take vitamins the rest of your life because the large intestines are detached and your small intestines can not absorb nutrients you are getting from food.

The Gastric Banding is the least invasive and an adjustable band is placed around the fundus of the stomach creating a pouch. There is many follow ups with this surgery because you have to have the band filled to restrict your food intake.

The newest of the surgeries is the Gastric Sleeve where part of the stomach is actually cut away from the body. The stomach is shaped into a banana shape so that you will not be able to consume a lot of food.

Before you decide to have weight loss surgery, talk to your primary doctor as well as a bariatric surgeon. Weight loss surgery can be life saving. In my opinion, I have not been happy with my Lap-band. I had many issues eating and had to have all the fluid removed. So now it is empty doing nothing but taking up precious space in my stomach. If I could have it removed yes I would but unfortunately you can't unless it is life threatening. I was all for the surgery and did well, but now not so happy with it.

Just remember do your research and don't put all your eggs in one basket.