Weight Loss Surgery

I went to a seminar last night to discuss weight loss surgery. As the mother of two relatively young children, I need to consider drastic action now. I have a BMI of 51 and soaring high blood pressure. Sleep apnea is causing me to wake up at night. Now is the time.

Is it the easy way out? Some people say so. I need to get my body moving, yet I can’t exercise for a long enough period of time because of my weight. How is that for a catch-22? I can’t walk fifty yards without feeling like my heart is going to give out, and walking up and down stairs is difficult. My breathing is heavy after minimal exertion and I was sicker last winter with asthma than I want to remember. I feel like I am running out of time.

Of course, I spent a long time eating carelessly. I need to change that as well. Dieting does work to a point. Doing Nutrisystem, while successful, is too costly. Portion sizes and better nutritional choices need to be my priority.

So I took the first tentative step. I went to a Healthy Weight Solutions seminar hosted by Dr. Northup, a congenial man who did a fellowship in bariatric surgery. He talked about the band, the sleeve, and the bypass, and the differences between the three.

I love the idea of the sleeve, a restrictive procedure, because there is no foreign body, and it does not change the digestive process. However, it is not FDA approved and so is not covered by my insurance policy… so that one is out.

The band is also a restrictive procedure, but it requires the band and port to be internal, and that worries the nurse in me- what if I react to it? It can also be dislodged and there are other issues that I need to content with, like more frequent hospital visits. Not crazy about that since I work for a living. It is completely reversible.

The bypass is restrictive and malabsorptive, and changes the way the body digests food. Life-long supplements and risks, but the response is tremendous- 95% of hypertension eliminated, compared to 40% with the band.

Decisions, decisions….

I will sit down with the doctor in about two weeks, and we will go from there. I am leaning toward the band, with a more gradual weight loss, but have not ruled out bypass and the huge impact it could have on my medical issues.

I hope I am divinely inspired, cause I am not sure what to do…