Can you lose weight after a sleeve without exercise?

Hey Swayback- make your surgery date close to mine and we can be each others support person!!! HAHAHA

Pick me! Pick me!

I am a nurse, I've never been to Thailand hahaha, I'm sure you will have plenty of people lining up to be your support person.

Good luck with whatever decision you go with.

Oddly enough, my GP just rang with my blood test results and I was telling him about jumping thru hoops to get surgery. I told him about Thailand and the cost and that it included the cost of a support person as well. And.....my GP offered to be my support person! He said he'd never been to Thailand and he'd love to go.

He was kidding of course, at least, I think he was. I don't think it would be ethical and he is a very moral person so I'm pretty sure he was joking. He is a youngish, good looking man with a lovely wife (with a handbag fetish) and young daughter. He is a devout Muslim and proud of it. He is open about his religious convictions and although I'm an atheist, I respect everyone's right to their own beliefs. In fact sometimes I get a little jealous of people's faith. It must be very comforting.

That sounds pretty good Swayback, would you need an Aussie doctor's referral to go there?

Just checked the cost $16,700 for gastric bypass in Thailand. It includes everything, hotel, air fares, sight seeing excursions, hospital, surgeon etc, etc. and that's for one person for surgery and second support person.

I forgot to mention. They do gastric sleeve/gastric bypass surgery in Thailand on those package holiday deals.

If I can't get the surgery here, I might ask the surgeon what he thinks of the Thailand option.

Hi. I haven't been back to the surgeon but there are all kinds of dramas.

Surgeon rang Physician who gave his approval (tick) but surgeon told physician he was "intrinsically reluctant" to operate (cross) but will get a report from my neuro (probably cross).

My physician said he thought I ought to know how it stands (I really like him and his values). Apparently the surgeon is concerned that
 1) I May not gain any benefit..........This one he discussed with me.
 2) I won't be able to exercise post op....this one he didn't.

So still waiting but I've almost lost any hope. It's not just about WLS....if they feel I won't benefit then it means they consider I have no hope of ever improving....it feels like my hope for future improvement is being taken away.

Hey Swayback,

Have you been back to the surgeon? I'd love to hear how you went?

Kaz

Wow, you are doing excellent considering you illness. an aunt has MS and is rarely out of her wheelchair now so it looks like a horrible type of illness.

I think you are very determined and I am hoping that you can get the help you require from the surgeon.

Hi Suzy,

Thanks so much for writing about your experience. I think it's important for people to know that when the surgeon tells you all the bad stuff before you sign the consent form that complications do definitely happen from time to time. It's not like the safety message on the planes when you board. There is much more risk with surgery.

I have got a referral from my GP. He wasn't convinced but I told him my Physician said he would write one but had gone overseas without doing it (its the truth). Anyway, as I've said before, it's for the surgeon to decide whether to operate, not the GP.

When I saw the surgeon two years ago I weighed a few kgs less and he said that he would operate except that I had recently finished chemo and was on a lot of steroids. He said my other medical problems qualified me for the surgery, I just wasn't well enough. Well, I only have steroids in hospital for a week every month now and it's been three years since chemo so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I'm not getting any younger or fitter. Last time I saw him I could still walk with a walking stick. This time it's in a wheelchair, I hope that doesn't turn him off.

This forum and learning from other people's experience is wonderful beyond belief.

Thanks to everyone.

Sway

Good Luck Sway, I'm glad I didn't put you off. Hopefully you also saw from my story I did no exercise as was not allowed to and dropped all my weight and more. Im pretty much same height as you so would be concerned your BMI is not even close to being the usual qualification for surgery but your conditions may contribute to a favourable decision. Obviously not exercising is not the ideal way to work with this sleeve as I state very clearly in my letter for newbies but certainly I am proof it can be done without it if you are restricted. Hopefully the surgeon can help you though I think you will find you will need a referral from your GP, and this will be necessary particularly due to your other medical conditions.
Hope all goes well for you
xx

Wow, thank you so much for giving me hope! I'm 88 kgs, 164cms and I'd like to be about 63 kgs. So 25 kgs off would be wonderful. I've lost weight heaps of times (haven't we all?) but I put it on again. I can lose weight through willpower but the long term willpower thing just doesn't work for me.

Everyone says this is a tool to help with weight loss and I think I just need something to stop me from the mindless eating that I do from boredom. I read Suzi's experience and I know this is not any easy option and I've taken two years to return to the surgeon to discuss this again. I'm not frightened, I've been to the brink and back quite a few times. I don't feel I have any option if I want to stay at home and be independant.

My neurologist wanted me to go into a nursing home at the beginning of last year but I went to rehab and worked bloody hard to be able to look after myself at home and I want to explore every possible option open to me to stay here with my privacy and dignity intact. I don't want to leave my little dog and two cats. They are what gets me out of bed every day.

Sway

Hi swayback

Gosh, hard road! Good you are being realistic, and also trying to think long term :) good luck I say.

My mum has rhematoid arthritis, and also very bad issues with discs in her lower back. She is not disabled in the definition sense, but live son very strong painkillers and does not exercise bar the ususal light walking - pretty much sedentary. (SHe cannot go for 'walks' to exercise, she has tried and failed, as the pain kicks up so much she is bed/chair ridden for a few days if she pushes herself)

she had the sleeve >5 years ago, and despite this (and being on endep which also promotes weight gain) she has maintained her 30kg loss - she is still overweight, yes, and still a 16, yes, but puts on weight slowwwwly and maintains by being strict every now and again.

so, yes you can lose, and maintain your weight. You won't lose as much perhaps as others who can exercise, but you will still be MUCH better off - based on a case study of one, I know, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

good luck!

Hi,
I have a degenerative condition of the spinal cord which causes leg spasticity (use a walker in the house, motorised wheelchair out of the house) and weakness in my arms. This disease is similar to MS in its result. The more I do, the weaker I get. This disease also cause joint, cartilage and disc problems. I am on fracture number three in my spine. I need hip surgery but the ortho won't touch me.

I need to lose weight so I can have my hip fixed and so I can keep my independence longer.(might help my spine fractures too)

I haven't discussed this with my GP much at all because he's not keen. My Physician wasn't keen on the surgery either but I think I've convinced him now. I also have bone marrow failure (had cancer, but chemo worked) and go into hospital for a week every month or so for intravenous treatments.

I'm worried that if I raise my questions with any of my doctors they'll veto the sleeve surgery.

I see the surgery as my ONLY option in helping me stay in my own home as long as possible but I wonder if I'm deluding myself.

I just want to formulate some answer in case the surgeon says it won't work if I can't exercise. I see him next Wednesday.

Thanks again.

have you discussed this with your gp? might be a good idea to talk to your surgeon about it. when you say you can't exercise, I don't mean to sound horrible but what disability do you have. I know you can lose weight without exercising but not sure how it works long-term. Sounds like you need to talk to the specialists who understand your situation.

I think the topic heading says it all. I'm disabled and can't exercise.

Is it worthwhile having the sleeve if you can't exercise? Would a bypass be better?

I don't really want to ask the surgeon because it might make him think about refusing surgery.

I fall occasionally and I can't get up by myself. I have to ring a neighbour to come over. If that's not embarrassing enough, it's doubly worse that I'm fat and I have to hear the grunts and groans as they try to lift me. Even if losing weight doesn't help me walk a little better, at least it might help who ever helps me get up off the floor. (I might even be able to do it myself....that would be heaven).

Thanks for reading.