Biggest Fear About Gastric Sleeve Plication Surgery?

h21 · August 22, 2011

What is/was your biggest fear/concern/worry about plication before you had the surgery and how did you overcome it? What do you still worry about after surgery?

I worry about being "different" in social settings, instead of being the "good eater" I will be the weird picky eater...

I worry this another weight loss gimmick, albeit a very expensive gimmick...

I worry about complications, results like Lena800s, long term side effects and the "newness" of plication...

I am not worried about slow weight loss, I would prefer it that way. I don't want saggy skin either chowchows

I am not worried about the pain.

How did you all overcome your fears? Where did you find the best research information? Did you just trust in your surgeon? How long did it take you to decide plication was for you?

Every time I read one of the posters success stories I worry less... I wish more plixies would post!

chowchows · August 22, 2011

I worried that I would be the one person that it wouldn't work for. It was a big leap of faith for me, and one that I still encounter sometimes when I am in a stall or having huge cravings. I wasn't really worried what anyone else thought, just worried that I was wasting money and if this didn't work for me, then what was I going to do? I freaked out when I went into a stall two weeks out. I drove my husband nuts, but eventually I figured out the rhythms and cycles my body went into after the surgery, and now I just try not to fret.

I actually developed a huge fear of going under after my last surgery (not wls), so I'm really not sure where I got the courage to go to a foreign country, meet the doc 5 minutes before I went under, and actually go through with everything. I really just tried not to think about it beforehand. I researched a lot for a couple of months, made me decision, then tried not to think about it for the month leading up to the surgery. This board didn't exist at the time I was researching my surgery, so I looked at all the other wls boards, and combined all the information from them and other sources I Googled. I did have a change of heart about 2 weeks out and considered going with the sleeve, but the extra night in the hospital (along with the worries I had from the beginning about the sleeve) made me realize that plication was a better choice for me since it was less invasive and allowed me to preserve my stomach material.

I also feared social settings post surgery (there is even a post on here about eating out for the first time with others). To be perfectly honest, if I haven't told them no one has questioned my eating habits. I think they just think I am trying to lose weight and eat less like other dieters. When I was still on liquids, I carried an ensure around with me while out with other people. If we went into a restaurant I just sipped on it explained to the waitress and others that I had just had surgery. I told them I had a hiatal hernia fixed (which was true) and was on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks. No one batted an eye.

I worried about having my surgery out of the country and explaining to my doc what I had done. Here's my confession, I still haven't told him, lol. I've decided that I will tell him when I have to tell him. I haven't gone to him for anything since my surgery, so I haven't felt the need to make an appointment just to confess. I need to get bloodwork done in the near future, to check cholesterol and such, and I will tell him then.

I travel to Mexico all the time (Cancun area), so I wasn't really scared about that aspect of everything. Everyone else was scared for me with that. I had to explain to all my friends (that I told my plans to) how safe medical care in a foreign country can be. I had lived in two foreign countries in my twenties, so I was well aware that in medical care the US is actually pretty far behind in many aspects.

I could go on and on, because worrying is my hobby. Honestly I just came to a point though where I asked myself if I could lose the weight on my own, and I knew the answer was no. I knew that my health wasn't getting any better, and my quality of life was only going to go further downhill as I got older and heavier. When I really thought about it, my fears paled in comparison to the fears I had about what would happen if I DIDN'T have the surgery. At that point I gritted my teeth, told myself that I could do it, and tried not to think about the fears. Instead I tried to picture the positive things this surgery could bring, and at that point I got really excited about it, booked the surgery and then went through with it. I've let so much of life pass me by over the years...I quit diving because I couldn't fit in my wet suit, I avoided all the fun outdoor activities here in Florida because I was so big and out of shape, I avoided parties because I was ashamed of how big I had become...the list just goes on and on. This was my chance to regain my life and reshape the path that I was on. I may never be super skinny, but for me the surgery has already been a success in that I feel like a normal person again. I feel like I have reclaimed so much of my life that I let go.

TijuanaPlication · August 22, 2011

I didn't really have any fears per se leading up to surgery, although I did have a very vivid dream in the run up to my op where I was eating like normal person post op. I brushed it off as being just a dream, but unfortunately it turned out to be very prophetic!

I read a lot on the internet and read almost everything on the plication section of www.verticalsleevetalk.com (that's where this site got launched from).

I totally trusted my surgeon - you're putting your life in their hands and you have to be sure you have a good one. Saving money on surgeons can really turn out to be a false economy (both financially and health-wise).

h21 · August 23, 2011

Chowchows - thanks you for sharing your path to bravery! Your absolutely right about taking time to think about what I have given up and what I won't do because of my weight. Focusing on fear and negativity is going to keep me fat. I don't want anymore of my life to pass me by either. I guess to put it in perspective I fear what I will be missing out on in life staying fat more than I fear surgery.

Thank you again Chowchows, your story and success is really inspiring.

Lmom1980 · August 23, 2011

I am not a success story...yet.

I have lost about 50 pounds in 5.5 months. Sometimes I still think I can eat too much, and I wish I had the VSG. Other times I have great restriction and few cravings and love my plicated stomach. I still think it is the safest WLS there is if you stay in the states. I can eat anything I want. I just eat less. I feel great, and don't have any pain or problems at all. I want to lose about 50 more pounds. When I reach that 100 pound loss, and maintain that, then I will consider myself a success.

chowchows · August 23, 2011

LMom,

While you might not be at your goal weight, I think the fact that you have done so well and are still losing is an emphatic success! You should congratulate yourself on all you have achieved while still looking down the path to where you want to go. I think 50 lbs is fantastic!

mednar · August 23, 2011

I appreciate that all the people on this board post their experiences. I found this when I was considering plication, read their stories (good, bad, and otherwise). That people who had a procedure that was still considered experimental by most and would post their ups and downs along their journey made me feel more at ease.

As far as being different, or having different eating habits from others, that wasn't a concern for me. I've always had different eating habits. It's just that in the past I was more likely to appear to eat normally in public and then overindulge in private at home. That idea that I can't easily do either with plication was an advantage.

I never felt like this was a gimmick. The idea that you physically restrict food intake plus exercise a moderate amount is a physiologically sound way to reduce weight. I've just never been able to be successful at doing both at the same time for a consistent period of time. I needed some type of tool to help me reduce my calorie consumption. It seemed very similar to the sleeve gastrectomy, but without the removal of stomach tissue.

I was worried about complications. It was why I was researched my options for someone within the US, and fortunately in the same city where I live. I investigated procedures two years ago and both had disadvantages that were greater than advantages for me. The surgeon I used also had complication insurance (Bliss I think) that offered financial insurance for common complications after surgery. Since I was self-pay, I knew that my regular health insurance would leave me in the dark if there were complications. I attended two seminars held by the physician that had patients who had procedures (not the plication though) where we could ask questions of the patient.

After meeting my doctor and questing him twice, I felt comfortable making the decision to go ahead. A large part of that was just that I felt it was the "right time" and "right procedure" for me.

Other than brief pain after surgery while recovering from anesthesia, there was almost no pain afterwards. There was "weird" feelings in my stomach for a couple of weeks when I tried to lay on my side or stomach, but that's passed.

I looked on the web, looked through many, many pages of Google links to different searches (gastric sleeve plication, gastric plication, gastric imbrication, etc). There were not a lot of published results (in peer reviewed medical journals) to rely on.

I do still have lingering questions that aren't answered. I wonder what the life expectancy for these stitches in my stomach are. The sutures used are supposed to be "durable". No one I've asked has answers for how long "durable" is. Also, we learn more every year about the role that hormone interactions play in influencing hunger (ghrelin/leptin interaction, etc). There's so much we don't know, it could turn out that these surgeries are great at reducing weight, or that they might just be a temporary stopgap. As more and more long term results are compiled, hopefully the options for people become easier. For me, at this point in my life, I wanted to make a decision, and plication was the best choice for me.

That was really long winded. I hope that you research the options available to you and make the decision that is best for you.

forensicmary · September 16, 2011

My main fear is that I will fail. I am a stress eater and I dont have to be hungry to eat. I am looking at different ways to take my life back from job that I allow to use me up everyday. I belong to Urban Active so I will be exercising daily there. I just need to get some positive hobbies:)

Otherwise over the next week and a half I will be playing with different kinds of Protein shakes and planning how to incorporate the liquid, soft and pureed meals into my diet prior to my Sept. 28 surgery.

eurogirl40 · September 16, 2011

Well go with an open mind into it.When you get hangry stick with the Protein shakes or bars ,it will help you.

Good luck with your surgery,let us know how it goes.

sadymichele · December 19, 2013

My #1 fear is not losing weight or hitting a plateau at the same weight I always plateau at when dieting

Edited December 29, 2013 by sadymichele

onedayatatime3 · February 21, 2014

Hello everyone, I had surgery in May 2012. I lost 53 lbs in six months and felt great. Every time I went for a fill after the sixth month the restriction would last only a week and a half. I questioned the nurse and told her about it and she said it was all about what I was sticking in my mouth.....I truly think my plication has come undone if there is such a thing. I have gained some of the weight back and thinking about having the sleeve operation. Very depressed about the whole thing. My insurance won't pay for the sleeve and will cost about 10,000....Like everyone else I am 63 years old and my health being over weight is slowly getting to me. Going to discuss with my doctor in the near future.

I am glad I found this forum.

JUSTWANT2SMILE · August 28, 2016

I'm really worried about sagging skin or if I look to skinny. Any suggestions on sagging skin workouts? I'm 203 and have 50lbs to lose. I'm compilation get having the surgery in September or October.

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Mary0110 · July 6, 2017

I'm really worried about sagging skin or if I look to skinny. Any suggestions on sagging skin workouts? I'm 203 and have 50lbs to lose. I'm compilation get having the surgery in September or October.
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How did you do? How is it going?

Rjc0704 · March 20, 2018

This is a great thread! Thanks for sharing your worries and experiences!

I am considering this surgery because it does not remove any stomach. My sister had the DS done 3 years ago by a very renowned dr. in area. He badly messed by the shape of her stomach and I had to take her to mayo Clinic for life-prolonging correction, but they had to remove even more. This was the only way she could survive. However, she is suffering and slowly dying of mal nourishment because her body will not absorb Protein AT ALL and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Because of what she is going through, I thought maybe this procedure would be safer, but I am still worried about complications down the road. I've heard of stitches popping and the stomach herniating. I've read that reversing it (unfolding it back to size) has not been as effective as hoped because scar tissue forms. And I know, after seeing what my sister is going through, my family would never support the notion of me doing it.