
Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group
Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight in the form of fatty tissue, and the health problems ("co-morbidities") which result. If you are considering gastric bypass or have had it, join the community where we share our experiences and find support.
First I want to give you a couple of websites to check out for some good information:
www.webmd.com and www.mayoclinic.com. In each do a search under "gastric bypass".
I haven't had my surgery yet, but will in February. BTW, I'm 43 and was thin until I was 19, then started gaining weight and haven't stopped. It took my doctor a year to talk me into going for surgery because I was so ashamed that I couldn't lose the weight on my own.
Here's a few things about gastric bypass as I understand it:
* Gastric bypass is a complete and irreversible life change.
* Sweets or fatty foods will make you feel horrible, like you have the flu.
* You can only eat about 1/4 cup of food at a time for the first year or so, then your stomach stretches a bit and you can eat about 1/2 cup.
* You have to eat a lot of protein and take supplements, and stay away from empty carbs like pasta, bread, and rice so your body gets all the nourishment it needs.
* Some people have problems with their hair thinning if they don't eat right and take their supplements.
Does any of the rest of the group have other info or am I wrong about any of this? Since I haven't had the surgery I'm only going by what I've read and heard, not my own experience.
I have a question for you - What weight loss methods have you tried in the past? A lot of insurance companies won't cover the surgery unless you have documentation that you have tried other methods for a serious amount of time (6 months to a year).
I think you'll find lots of info here, both from people who will respond to your post and also of you read previous posts.
Best wishes!