[kimthecatlover]

I was refused for gastric-bypass surgery..supposedly the doctor was worried that my mental health would be an issue. Why would I be refused on those grounds? It's not like I wouldn't be compliant with the aftercare or the diet..is it that they're afraid I might get a relapse or become unstable? Or is it that someone at my mental-health treatment program(I'm seeing a PACT team for mental health issues and have been stable since 1998)told them something about my being a compulsive overeater? What is so bad about someone with mental-health issues who is obese getting the surgery? Just curious.

[(JD)]

IDK good question. I would think just about anyone who needed this would be considered a compulsive overeater???

It's not a nice thing anyway. If you can go through 6 weeks of eating tablespoonsful of food at a time, and puking alot the first few weeks.. why not really punish yourself without having the surgery? Good wishes, and good health in the future!

[Rhapsody]

All I can see is that maybe he feels as though the weight problem might be more emotional than physical, therefore, having the by-pass would not necessarily be the proper solution in his opinion.... many doctors will ask have you been mentally Dx or taken medication for mental problems with in the last 5 years before they will perform any type of surgery.


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

[Maven]

Yeah, if you're considering gastric bypass, you want to really think about it. I've read that after five years, it's very common to start having problems, even if you didn't before. My bf's mother had it. I don't know if it's true, but I've also heard that you produce some very nasty odors when you use the bathroom after gastric bypass. A shrink once suggested it to me, as if it were nothing. Another shrink suggested a hysterectomy in the same manner, because I don't want children. We're talking about changing the way your body works, so you really want to educate yourself before you jump into that. And you don't lose weight easily...besides the stuff Sky mentioned, it doesn't change your appetite. You still crave the food. It forces you to change the way you eat, though, but it doesn't always work as well as you hope (see Roseanne, the actress/comedienne).

[drunksunflower]

Why don't you just exercise and eat well?

Proven formula for losing weight.

[h0kie]

Deleted at the request of the poster.

January

[January]

Hugs,

Jan

[jennie]

sounds like the doctor is worried you might hurt yourself (by overeating) . . . some doctors don't care about long-term effects and and will perform surgery just to make the patient initially happy . . . if that doctor is wrong, i'm sure you'll be able to find someone to do the surgery for you (doubt he/she will be as good as the first doc)

[Maven]

That's right...I forgot about lap-banding (and I didn't remember what it was called). I'm not against gastric bypass, but I think it should only be done as a last resort. Lap-banding sounds like a much better alternative, although I know little of it. I do know it's reversable, as 1day said.

[kimthecatlover]

I don't want the surgery now, that was a while ago. I just wondered what made the dr. say no. this was back in 2003..I'm now under 300 lbs. I think they also worry about anesthesia....

[(JD)]

(((hugs)))) who knows what goes on in the minds of doctors??? glad to hear you're losing... yes of course they worry about anesthesia, and bleeding, and the heart (which is already under a strain when we are overweight.) TC!

[drunksunflower]

If you want to explain it to me 1day feel free. Otherwise I just don't get it ..

[h0kie]

Deleted by me.

[nothemama8]

I was told that this surgery was very dangerous, if you have an eating disorder your still going to over eat plus if you have high blood pressure it can be risky
as was said , eat better and exercise more, use smaller plates and eat only small servings then do the hardest push up ( push yourself up from the table) Im not making fun I am obese and must think this way to get through each day
Angie

[SweetSunshine]

Sunny...Sometimes it just doenst work that way for some people... Wish it could. Boy do we wish it could. But our metabolism just isnt like some of yours is.. some of it is hereditery.. believe me .. I have proof of that in my family. Some of it is emotional eating because of depression and abuse issues and other times its a combination of things. Obese people dont need healthy people to tell us this is all we need to do... even though it may be that way.. but we need you to be understanding ,supportive and helpful about it thru the process. As easy as it was for those pounds to go on... its a thousand times harder for them to go off because your not only dealing with the physical aspects of it but the emotional and mental aspects of how they went on and how hard they are having to come off too. I hope this helps you to understand a little bit better of what 1day was trying to say. And 1 day I hope I didnt mince your words up. Your both good friends of mine. Luv you both. Take care~ Bethy

Maybe this will be helpful to those who don't understand?

Obesity all in the mind?

Hypertension, diabetes, stroke - these are just some of the many health risks involved in obesity. But even though people know the risks and the weight-loss steps to take to overcome obesity, they still fail to shed extra weight.

According to experts, many people don't address the multiple factors leading to obesity. Unhealthy eating patterns and a sedentary lifestyle are well-known causal factors, but we often ignore the crucial role that psychological factors play in obesity.
"Overeating may be part of our coping mechanisms," says Dr Clara Gerhard, obesity expert and associate professor in Family Studies at Samford University in America.

"We can, for example, try to handle stress through eating. It doesn't help us to be more successful in handling it, but it does provide comfort. Regrettably the price thereof is longer lived. This form of stress relief is often followed by guilt and as a result, a vicious cycle develops," says Gerhard.

Graham Alexander, a Cape Town clinical psychologist who specialises in treating eating disorders, agrees. In his experience, the obese often come from families with a history of addiction and which are characterised by poor conflict resolution and over- or underinvolvement. In these families, people typically overcompensate by overeating.

Sexual abuse is a common trigger for all types of eating disorders, including binge eating. "For such people, food fills the empty hole left by abuse. Fat provides a symbolic protective layer against exposure of their sexuality. Of course this is illusionary, because no-one can be protected from others," says Alexander.

The long walk to health
Permanent weight loss is extremely difficult because people are programmed to eat for survival. *This is where food addicition differs from drugs and alcohol issues because humans do not need alcohol or drugs to live, like they need water and food.*
The food industry can be a friend or an enemy, depending on whether we are able to make correct choices, says Gerhard.

"Diets don't work - 90% of people fail to maintain weight loss. People might have the best intentions, but if they follow a restrictive diet they are likely to relapse because such a diet will make them feel deprived and will only lead to further binge eating and further weight gain," says Alexander.

Experts therefore suggest that, for weight-loss to be successful and long-term, it should be approached from several angles – diet, exercise and psychological support.

With regards to diet, Alexander feels that the emphasis should rather be on adopting a healthy lifestyle and achieving a sense of overall well-being than on weight loss. Focusing on weight loss alone is dangerous as it reinforces further pathological eating.

The role of the psychotherapist is to look at the root cause of obesity and encourage adherence to the meal plan. "When a patient begins to lose weight, anxiety is heightened because when the protective device is removed, the wounding baggage people carry is exposed. Because the defence is no longer in place, the therapist needs to assist the patient in addressing and repairing the deeper psychological wounds."

Read more at--

http://www.health24.com/mind/Eating_disorders/1284-1299,30733.asp

* my own words*

[h0kie]

[drunksunflower]

I worked with three obese people out of ten when I lived in the US.

I saw what they ate for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and sometimes dinner. What they ate wasn't healthy, really, but the SIZE of it was.

It seems to me, in America things are literally supersized (and yes, I've seen the movie SuperSize Me).

How can that sort of thing be conducive to people staying at a healthy weight?

It happens here too, they have noticed children getting more obese earlier - so they're trying to implement education and exercise in schools.

I understand that for some people there may be a degree of emotional eating involved. But when I watch a programme on the issue and the things that some people make for dinner/lunch/snacks - holy %$#@. Your portion of carbs should be the size of your fist. Not an entire plateful. That's not just an emotional factor IMO ...

I also have a bad habit to comfort eat and it also makes me put on weight - quickly. So I have to be very careful to keep to moderation and if I eat a pizza well, it will be fish and salad and stuff for the next couple of days, or I WILL end up a balloon. My metabolism is not perfect either. Just in case you think I'm coming from a naturally skinny person's point of view

[(JD)]

maybe I have been maintaining the way I eat since I went off the CR (which is another story) except rather than the one meal I eat each day, divided into two time periods of eating... I made sure NO soda, NO fried, NO bread, NO sugar or sugar substitutes...no rice, potatoes, etc only grilled lean meat and veggies and water with lemon... and I gained again last week, only this time it was 6 lbs!!!!

It's all due to the stress hormone cortisol. It's terribly depressing. I've reached the point where even my big clothes don't fit. : (((((

When ppl are actively trying to lose weight and it isn't working... the support they need is increased, to help them feel good about what they are trying, and to help eliminate the stress, not add to it. IMO

I'm saying this because I care... putting my two cents in and my own story.

[drunksunflower]

_Sky I understand that all bodies are not created equal.

But my point is that a LOT of us have messed up metabolisms, for a variety of reasons.

My body is hardly perfect naturally, in fact right now I feel like I have a winter 'layer' and can't fit my skinny clothes. But I know a lot of the good tricks around food and exercise thanks to friends who are of the health profession variety - my best friend is a physio with a background in personal training, and another friend also has a PT qualification. I also used to flat with professional bodybuilders.

Another thing that motivates me is having done work for SPARC, a government agency - Sport and Recreation New Zealand. We did ad testing for their 'Push Play' campaign - totally cool, getting people to move just a little within the context of their busy day and targeting all age groups. "Walk an Email" ... "Play Kilikiti" (Pacific Island sport commonly played by families ... in PI and Maori obesity rates are rising so targeting them). So I guess seeing that sort of thing instils into you that ANYONE can build their exercise regime. I have a beautiful beach right next to work. That's all I have time to do at the moment for exercise but it's like meditation and walking all in one.

Right I'm gonna hop off my bandwagon right now. My point is really just to me, surgery seem drastic ... I understand comfort eating but I don't believe that emotional eating is something that can't be overcome with support ...

good luck everyone.

[kimthecatlover]

I think that when the weight does come off that drastically as it does with gastric bypass...some people can't deal with the attention paid to their bodies, even if it's compliments...because their defense against abuse is no longer there..they fear it happening, all over again..and sometimes, people around them still don't like them.

I've learned to love myself as is, if everyone else does not, that's on them.

[drunksunflower]

Well in terms of general health, if you are larger and yet are sensible in terms of eating and exercise and do what you can to lower chloresterol, BP etc ... there is totally no problem with that. Enjoy yourself and enjoy life.

From a personal point of view though, if your quality of life is poor or you are continually placing a strain on the health system with weight-related illnesses - that's not so good is it?

[(JD)]

Local news report here just discussed this with an MD... and covered the facts about HAIR LOSS problems for the patients

[jbug]

As many of you know I had gastric bypass. I have mulitple mental illnesses and me and my surgeon discussed them at length before he said he'd do the surgery.

If I had a nickel for anytime I heard just cut down on the amount you eat I'd be a millionare. For some its not that easy. I am a compulusive over eater and yet am doing well after having the surgery. Yes I can't eat as much as I did before and I am quite happy about that. Being able to shop at walmart is a great incentive to not eat that thing. Yet other times as you know I do eat the ice cream and pay the price. There is something that happens to GBS patients that is called dumping...its not a fun experience. When I eat something that I'm not to eat I usually dump. Not all the time and as time goes on it doesn't happen as often as it used to and I am not happy about that.

Yes I had Gastric Bypass and I'm proud of it.

Jbug

[(JD)]

I knew you had When I have an allergic reaction my system extracts it one way or the other rather quickly too.

No, I put up a flag anytime someone uses the word "just" in anything. It's never just one thing etc... I wish they would find a better solution for heavy ppl though