I had gastric bypass surgery in April 2005. I started out at 268, now I’m 180 and holding. These links will help you in many ways to make a decision if this is for you or not. I vote yes, because it made such a difference in my life. I was taking 8 pills a day, and after my surgery, I lost my diabetes. The way they do the surgery, takes your diabetes away. I no longer have to take glucophage, and I no longer have high Cholesterol or high blood pressure. I’m down to 2 pills a day. I went from a size 26-28 to a 16-18. http://obesityhelp.com/member/rjpoole/ Most people struggle with paying for the surgery. Go to this site, it is a great support system for you, because it’s only people who have had gastric bypass or lap band. Every insurance program has been rated, and you’ll get tips on how to deal with your insurance company, as well as, surgery tips, food tips, and just support. This site is free! I’d have to rate it a #1 site if you want to learn about the surgery and how to deal with the insurance companies and get support from other people in the same boat as you. This is the #1 site for gastric bypass and it’s free! Extremely helpful! http://www.obesityhelp.com/ http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ObesityHelp This explains about the surgery: http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gastric.htm I really researched my surgeon, and I made a wise choice. Always get a surgeon that has done at least 200 of these surgeries. Get someone with a lot of experience, and you will do well. Here’s all about my surgeon… http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+profile+James+Pilkington+djp.html http://www.cmch.org/profile-pilkington.html You just can’t find a better surgeon than him! He’s probably done at least 500 of the surgeries, so far. I did so well after my surgery, I thank him every time I see him. I made it to 175! It s been almost 2 years since my surgery. I haven t had any complications at all with my surgery! My health has been very good, and I ve lost the weight nice and slow, so my body doesn t look that much out of shape. I ve been faithfully taking my vitamins, and my blood work came back excellent! I still think very highly of Dr. Pilkington, and would recommend to anyone thinking of this surgery, to have Dr. Pilkington as his or her surgeon. I m walking proof, that he is an excellent doctor. I just spoke to another patient of his who told me she had a very good experience with him, and she is in excellent health, as well. He is a very caring doctor. I live in Florida in the winter. I see alot of folks down there because of my job, and I see people from all over the USA and overseas. Since my surgery, I ve talked to lots of others that have had the surgery in Florida, and some of them didn t do as well, and I tend to think it s because their doctors weren’t as competent as mine. I feel that part of how you do, is because of your general health and attitude. The other major part is how good your doctor is. Here’s a website that tells what to look for in a surgeon; http://www.texasbariatricspecialists.com/gastric-bypass-surgery.html http://www.docshop.com/education/bariatrics/choose/ Gastric Bypass diet: (after surgery) http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs22.htm There is a very good web site by a guy named Basil White. He’s a govt. worker and a comedian. He walks you through everything. Very interesting. He had the surgery and did well. If you want an idea how people handle the surgery, read here! http://www.basilwhite.com/gastric/ Here’s Basil! http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=basil+white hl=en http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass/HQ01465 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass-diet/WT00007 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass-surgery/AN01378 http://www.webmd.com/content/article/46/2731_1654.htm http://www.lapband.com/lapband/aboutlapband.do A must read if you have questions: http://www.liteandhope.com/livechat_archive1003.html http://www.bariatricedge.com/dtcf/pages/finding_support.htm?WT_srch=1 Check out this link, this lady put her heart and soul into it, with lots of great info: http://www.gastricbypassfamily.com/index.htm Vitamins I take… you have to be very faithful about taking them after surgery, because you can become very sick if you don’t. There were recommended by my surgeon and nutritionist. http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301120 navAction=jump navCount=0 id=prod403359 http://www.webmd.com/hw/weight_control/hw252819.asp Some other helpful links… http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Obesity/Gastric_Bypass_Surgery/ http://www.stapleclub.com/general_info.htm http://www.locateadoc.com/articles.cfm/1454/1337 http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2 org_id=28 morg_id=0 sec_id=0 gsec_id=35507 item_id=35508 http://www.connectionwls.com/ http://www.mygastricbypass.com/ http://www.gwdocs.com/health/eHA-eHA_Content_C-Generic_Content_Page_Template_1131123706877.html Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery Gastric bypass surgery is considered the safest and most effective type of bariatric surgery. But as with any major surgery, the procedure does carry some risks. http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2 org_id=28 morg_id=0 sec_id=0 gsec_id=35507 item_id=35508 http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2 org_id=28 morg_id=0 sec_id=0 gsec_id=35507 item_id=35514 Good luck with your surgery and new life!