No Thanks given this latest article, which only backs up what I've seen for myself.
Yes I know there are some people who spin this roulette wheel and win, but having known 5 people personally who have gotten very sick and/or died of weight loss surgery, I'm not going to line up too soon. This has ranged from people who died right on the table, some with the need for respirators to keep them breathing, and death coming after a year with several complications for a few. When it comes to weight loss surgery, why can't they come up with something better that actually works where dieting [which already failed before isn't required to keep it going?] As the website for Lapband states " You are prepared to make major changes in your eating habits and lifestyle", this begs the question, well if that didn't work before why now?
Big fat blog talks about weight loss surgery as "the new lobotomy", they are correct it's like medical treatment with a chain saw. The same affects could be had, saving $40,000 by locking a fat person in a room [no I'm not supporting this] and only sending in some jello and broth in the early stages, and little quarter cups of food in the later stages and seeing what happens, at least the person would be spared the horror, pain, and dare I say torture? [of having their innards rearranged.]
Sadists couldn't have come up with a worse solution for fat people. Take it from me the digestive system when it doesn't work right, is not pretty, and even sicker that is among all the false expectations, their trying to turn fat people into thin ones via induced illness just makes me sick. From what I can tell, those who survive the surgery itself, and live, manage one or two years, lose about a third of the weight, and then regain it all back or nearly all of it, 5 years down the road. Of course when these people go back to the doctors to say "my surgery failed", they will be blamed and told they "out-ate" their surgery.
"You are prepared to make major changes in your eating habits and lifestyle", this begs the question, well if that didn't work before why now?
ReplyDeleteBecause WLS dramatically changes the body's responses, making it possible for people to do what they couldn't do before. They have to be ready to accept those changes and work with them, not against them. People talk of having little to no hunger for many months, even a year or more, thanks to the disruption of ghrelin production in their modified stomach. The reduced capacity allows them to feel a heightened physical satiety from a small quantity of food. Many people have spoken of feeling the greatest freedom of their lives with food no longer a preoccupation or priority. They do say they experience a bit of anxiety when hunger returns but by then they have usually already accomplished significant life changes. Steady, consistent weight loss is exciting for many people and they eagerly adopt new pursuits. Having a large weight loss to maintain changes the perspective.
In the absence of complications, WLS does fail when a person does not develop the appropriate habits and maintain them consistently. This is why WLSers get so upset with the "easy way out" accusation. Overeating after WLS takes a great deal of work and determination and pain tolerance. Consuming fat and sugar can cause fainting, the shakes, and dizzyness. Overeating results in really unpleasant nausea since the stomach is modified.
Having WLS is a singular life experience and I'm always intrigued to hear someone's story. If I'd heard a lot of stories of regret I'd admit as much but I'm sorry to tell you people gush with gratitude for what they usually call a "second chance at life."