Thanks folks you're very encouraging. I don't really want surgery, but I do want my life back and my way ain't workin.

that is all the knowledge you need...{:>}

No regrets about having weight loss surgery. It was the BEST GIFT I ever gave myself. I was a self payer for that surgery (RNY) and the plastic surgeries I have had since had. I'd do it all again in a nano second. It wasn't easy but I'd do even the hardcore sections (first few weeks, hairloss months 4-6, plastic surgery healing) again. So worth it!

I used to regret not having surgery sooner... in my 20's but you know I don't regret that anymore... I am at a place right now (emotionally, maturity, etc.) to deal with the lifestyle changes. Perhaps I wouldn't have been as successful a post-op had I done it back then.

Best wishes in your research!
~Michelle "Shelly"

Absolutely NO regrets! I am losing a little slower than most here, but just regret I did not do this sooner. Feel so good, much more energy! Go for it!

No I would do it again in a heartbeat. I did have issues with the medication they gave me after surgery and i had an infection in one of my wound sites. the first 6-8 weeks are hard but the 80 to 85 pounds i have lost was worth everything.

wouldnt think twice I couldnt be happier even with the little things here and there I am glad I did it and I would recomend it to anyone

I have no regrets. I am loving my new look & life. I feel great and I am off of the b/p medicine and sleep apnea machine.
Do lots of research before you decide.

Not once!!!

I must add to my reply that I wish I did this decades sooner! Although I think it has only been widely available for the past 10-15 years maybe? I wish I was the first one in line! Sooner would have been better but I'm still happy.

Having GBS was the best decision I have ever made in my life! It is hard work and alot of head stuff that you have to work on each and everyday. But the benefits are endless....no more insulin for me.....no more blood pressure medicine I have to take since my blood pressure is now normal....I sleep better and I enjoy exercising. I am eating healthy and nourishing my mind, body and soul. I feel fantastic! It has saved my life!

Well as a nurse, for 20 years i had seen the bad end of all the surgeries, so it took me a long while to decide if this surgery was for me. But one thing I can say is it made me realize how important it was to follow the doctors orders. I had my GBS on Oct 22,2010 and I wish I would have done it years ago. It has not been easy but you have to have a mind set. Remember the outcome is great. I am only 35 days post op and have lost 32# so far. I love my new life.

Yes and no. Like everyone else who has posted, I would absolutely do it again. I am almost 3 months out now, and I do regret that I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. I am still struggling with some things and it sometimes makes me wonder why in the hell I did this to myself. Then I put my new clothes on that are so much smaller, or my children hug me and can actually get their arms around me. I do miss being able to eat. I am frustrated that everything tastes aweful. But I am working through it.

Not one bit! I also had some complications and am only 2 weeks out but I am happy with my decision and am already starting to notice a difference. In a few months the challenges I faced will be far behind me and nothing more than a distant memory!

Hi there, my surgery is Dec. 6 and I am on a 2-300 calorie liquid diet right now - whic is pretty darn bad. One of the responses you got scared me a bit because they said they wish they had been more prepared with what to expect -- I am fearful that is me as well. I have watched MANY youtube videos and researced a great deal, however, I have not been wanting this for years... I decided on July 21 that I wanted the procedure due to some very big changes around me -- there were some deaths and just bad things and I though - I do not want to live the rest of my life like this (I also celbrated my 40th on Aug. 21).
I am scared to have the surgery, and I am scared I will never again enjoy a piece of chocolate.........HOWEVER, the alternative scares me FAR More.............this is the tool to actually help us feel how "nothing tastes as good as thin feels"............I have said that many times in my head all the while fudging on one diet or another......or even worse, making it on a diet and then gaining it all back...........

sorry -- I think in my response I am trying to convince myself as much as I am you...............I am scared - but very hopeful........I have had a lot of doubts this week......but for some reason I am stronger then ever about the surgery.......

i hope this made some sense.

This question comes up from time to time on this board and I usually give my standard short answer... no regrets. But that really does not tell the story of why the decision to proceed with GBS, was the most important, most beneficial decision I've ever made. At 14 months post-op, I still consider myself a bit of a newbie, but the benefits I've seen to date are nothing less than stunning. So I'm going to expand on my standard answer this time around. Those of you familiar with my story can skip the rest of this.

Let me preface my comments by saying that the surgery and subsequent change in lifestyle have not been easy. I've had my share of complications (though nothing life-threatening, it sometimes felt like it...). Changing the way we think is, I believe, the hardest task of all. We first must change the way we act. Rinse and repeat enough times and the thinking then comes along for the ride.

Each of us must find what works for us individually while maintaining "the program". One size does not fit all. As you proceed, keep that in mind.

At age 53, I'm now 14 months post-op. I've lost around 125 pounds. My BMI has gone from 38 to 23, in the normal range for the first time in my. I am completely off all diabetic meds - the insulin, the metformin, the glyburide. My A1C has been a steady 5.8 for months. I can shop at pretty much any clothing store.

This is all pretty amazing and certainly reason to not regret - not for one second (and despite all complications) - my decision to proceed with surgery. I also do not regret taking a full 6 years to come to the decision - by the time I reached the O.R., I was very well informed about GBS, top to bottom, the possible complications and the level of ongoing effort that would be required on my part. The decision should never be rushed.

But there was a second thing that happened as a result of my decision to proceed with GBS. And the benefits from that have been unimaginable.

Had I not proceeded with GBS, I would have never had the psychological screening evaluation that led to the discovery of my ADHD.

Due to my own ignorance about ADHD, I strongly resisted the initial suggestion. Me? ADHD? Hardly. What I thought I knew about ADHD was not just wrong, it was blinding me to things that were obvious. First, I was not hyperactive, thus, I inferred, I could not possibly have ADHD. Wrong. Second, I was pretty sure that ADHD went away as you entered adulthood. Wrong. Again. I also 'knew' that everyone with ADHD was skinny. Wrong. Again. In fact, recent studies show that ADHD is present in 24%-46% of all people seeking theatment for their obesity. Besides, isn't ADHD just an excuse? Can't people with ADHD simply try harder? That was, it turns out, the most wrong of all my misconceptions about ADHD.

As I learned more about what ADHD was and was not, the 'coincidences' kept piling up. The eventual understanding of how my ADHD closely interacted with my obesity has given me several effective strategies for maintaining my weight management program.

Why am I telling you all this? Because the treatment of my ADHD is not separate from my GBS; it is essential to it. And the large number of totally unexpected and very welcome benefits that have resulted - have been life changing in the most positive ways.

How has the quality of my life has improved since treatment my ADHD began? Well there's the obvious stuff I mentioned above that is the direct result of my GBS - the weight loss, saying bye-bye to diabetic meds, etc. But that really does not do justice to the changes I've experienced the past 14 months and why treatment of my ADHD is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to my ability to maintain my weight control program.

Here's a short list of the many unexpected benefits I've had. This list is woefully incomplete. Why? As you read through this, consider what these changes will mean over the long term, especially as it relates to my ability to comply with post-GBS weight management.

1. Exercise - more perceived immediate benefit. My entire life, I hated exercise. Now, for the very first time in my life, I would rate such exercise as 'slightly pleasurable'. Thus, since starting treatment, I have been more consistent in my exercise, meeting my minimum goal each week and often exceeding it. Small shifts can sometimes have very significant results.

2. Much better mornings. Mornings have always been the bane of my existence. Low energy, lethargic, impossible to get going, impossible to get 'with it'. Now, my day is much more consistent, start to finish.

3. Better able to resist food cravings. It is true that when I started taking ADHD medication, I had less appetite. But that effect was short lived - within 3-4 weeks that effect was largely gone. I still have food cravings. Food aromas - smells - are still huge triggers for me and I try to avoid them where possible. But what I do seem to have is more conscious control over these impulses. Here again, it has made some of the other management techniques - getting up and walking around, drinking water, etc. more effective. The use of avoidance. My food cravings are not 'cured' - but it seems I have better tools today for managing these cravings.

4. More relaxed. Calmer. I am just more comfortable; more consistently easy-going.

5. Better at thinking before I speak. I no longer always say the first thing that pops into my head. I'm getting better at considering who I am speaking to, what that person is communicating to me, and what the most appropriate response would be keeping the larger goals in mind. This is taking practice. I don't always get it right. But better? Definitely.

6. Better communications at home and at work. Fewer mistakes and missteps.

7. Less anxiety. Less worried about my future.

8. Much better mood. Not depressed at all. This is not just something I'm noticing. Others have begun mentioning this to me as well.

9. Less driven by my impulses - more long-term goal oriented. Not simply with regard to eating or speaking before I think, but I seem to have a bit more conscious control over all areas of impulsiveness. It's not that these impulses are gone, it's almost like I'm now an outside observer in some respect - able to recognize and then make a conscious choice.

10. Better and more consistent ability to focus. This has really helped at work where I am volunteering for more projects.

13. Better able to read emotions - both in myself and in others. Seeing smaller, more subtle clues. Not just what people are saying but how they are saying it along with their body language. This is a bit strange for me - I didn't have any clue that I was missing these things before.

14. Less internal 'buzz'. I don't know how to describe it better than that. Perhaps less distractibility?

15. Being more social. I am attending more social events and more actively participating. Perhaps ironically, I am also attending FEWER food-oriented social events as part of an avoidance strategy.

16. Thinking has become more fun. I could always think and focus at times. I seem to be getting more enjoyment out of the process.

17. Less frustration - I am better at 'rolling with the flow'. Better able to let the small annoyances bounce off of me without spending time 'managing' them.

In short, despite the difficulties and complications, I am really more alive than I have ever been. Let me be clear, nothing is 'cured', treatment does not cure ADHD. The medicines work only on the days you take them. Nor has my desire to eat in self-defeating ways ceased - I still get cravings. In addition, I still face the many unrelated issues that we all face. But I face all this with a renewed sense of optimism and courageof my conviction.

Regret my decision? How can anyone regret the choice to live life to its fullest?