Dr. Olsen went in depth regarding each form of weight loss surgery - including the statistics on the successes of each. He discussed food addictions and unhealthy eating habits. He went into great detail about the benefits - such as the large percentage of patients who find complete resolution of Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. He also provided a comprehensive listing of possible risks and complications. No sugar coating at this seminar! (They even provided healthy snacks and repeatedly encouraged us to all partake.)
From the beginning of my research - I was torn between having the lap band procedure or the gastric bypass. (I won't go into a lot of detail on the procedures - they are outlined on the previous post.)
By the middle of the seminar, I had completely ruled out the lap band procedure. I was surprised that Ed and Jana were both in agreement with me. This procedure is the least risky and is completely reversible. But it involves a mechanical device to be implanted - a foreign body. This is one of the newest weight loss procedures. As the data is being collected, it shows that there is a large percentage of people who eventually need to have the lap band removed because of simple mechanical failure over time. It has the slowest weight loss of all the procedures. There is not sufficient data to determine the sustainability of that weight loss over a number of years. In summary, the surgery to place the lap band makes it the least risky but the future uncertainties make it the most risky.
I had not considered the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy until the seminar. This procedure has been around for many years, but in the past it was normally performed on SEVERELY obese patients (BMI 60+) as the first step in a two step process to lose weight. They have recently started using this method on patients as a stand alone procedure. The main difference between the Sleeve and the Gastric Bypass is that the Sleeve is strictly a restrictive procedure and the Bypass is both restrictive and causes malabsorption.
I left the seminar with a lot of information and a decision to make: Sleeve or Gastric Bypass. I decided to discuss the two procedures with my surgeon during my private consult before making a final decision.
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On Monday, I traveled back up to Nashville. This time to the Women's & Children's Hospital at Centennial for my Nutritional Consult. I met with a dietitian who interviewed me on my various attempts at weight loss, my eating habits as well as food likes and dislikes. She provided me with my "Owner's Manual" for Gastric Bypass Surgery. (She told me that should my final decision be the Sleeve, I could trade in my manual.)
She went over step by step what my food intake would be like for the first several weeks post surgery. I use the term "food" very loosely here. There is a whole lot of liquid and not much else. And none of it involves Diet Coke. Fortunately, it is just a couple weeks while the stomach and intestines heal from the surgery.
She then explained what makes weight loss surgery successful. It is simply a tool. One that requires other tools in order to provide life long success. It means a tremendous change in diet. One that is centered around protein. One that does not include almost all of the items in my current diet. That is a good thing. Obviously my present eating regimen is not a healthy one.
I left that meeting feeling very positive, encouraged and filled with great resolve. I CAN do this. It will not be easy. In fact, it will be extremely hard. A very formidable task. But one that I will embrace with the knowledge I am using an awesome tool to change my life into a more healthy one.
Bariatric weight loss surgery at Centennial comes with a lifetime support from psychologists, dietitians and exercise professionals. All free of charge. While it might be an hour from my home - what is 60 minutes? I spend that much time every day struggling to decide where and what to eat!
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