mattr2

I have to respectfully disagree Bean. But what do I know.
If you increase the diameter of cylinder, the volume is greatly changed. Think of the difference in surface area of a tv. Do you notice the difference between a 32" and a 40" TV? Then add another depth element to it and the volume difference is that much greater.
All we can do is trust our surgeon that they make the correct choice for us. I had read that larger bougie surgeries experience less complications and less acid reflux effects, but also may have a higher change of stretching. I am sure the surgeons have waaaaaaaay more data points to support their reasons for doing what they do that we forum trolls have to consider.

Yesterday was my day! I'm in Mexico and was sleeved by Dr. Rodriguez at the Star Medica facility. I booked through belightweight, Ishi and Joanne were my coordinators.
The entire experience and staff has been exceptional, better than I could have ever imagined. Think, southwest airlines vs delta in terms of service. all smiles, always have English speakers on staff and my Spanish is even getting better.
Almost no gas pain, or any pain for that matter. From what they told me, there Wes no complications and all went as expected.
Met with Dr. Rod yesterday, and the other two doctors assisting a few hours before. Perfect English so there was no concern of miscommunications. I have felt extremely comfortable.
Leak test is later today. Fingers crossed.
Internet access has been spotty, up and down but surprisingly, my At&t service works most of the time so phone calls and email are working without an international plan.
I'm soooooo pumped up for this opportunity.

Yesterday was my day! I'm in Mexico and was sleeved by Dr. Rodriguez at the Star Medica facility. I booked through belightweight, Ishi and Joanne were my coordinators.
The entire experience and staff has been exceptional, better than I could have ever imagined. Think, southwest airlines vs delta in terms of service. all smiles, always have English speakers on staff and my Spanish is even getting better.
Almost no gas pain, or any pain for that matter. From what they told me, there Wes no complications and all went as expected.
Met with Dr. Rod yesterday, and the other two doctors assisting a few hours before. Perfect English so there was no concern of miscommunications. I have felt extremely comfortable.
Leak test is later today. Fingers crossed.
Internet access has been spotty, up and down but surprisingly, my At&t service works most of the time so phone calls and email are working without an international plan.
I'm soooooo pumped up for this opportunity.

Yup! August 13th for me. Getting close!
I'm nervouse, excited, freaked out, you name it! My dr is Dr. Rodriguez in Mexico.

To my fellow low BMI'ers....you will lose weight! I started out at a bmi of 31.1 and now I am 19.5! Hips went from 50 to 38 inches. I averaged 10lbs a month the first few months and then slowed down from there. This will work! Just follow your doctor's guidelines and let it play out! You will not regret it. And so what if it comes off slow? Better than gaining!
Went from a 18/20 pant to a size 8
Tops XL to Medium
Happiness meter went from a 3 to 10 plus!!!

A little more info:
The size of a bouge is the # of mm x 1/3. So a size 40 FR bougie is 13.3 mm in diameter, or a radius of 6.65. The stomach, after being sleeved will resemble the shape of a cylinder.
If you take the volume of a 40 Fr bougie and compare it to the volume of a 32 FR bougie, there is about
Formulas:
Volume: (r x r) x (3.14) x (height)
The length of a stomach is 10-12" or 254 mm.
I have also read the sleeve surgery includes removal of 85% of the stomach.
I know there are a few assumptions and other factors, like how closely the surgeons sews, length of the stomach, maybe even how much elasticity an individual has (althought he stretchy part was removed), etc, but am I way off on my logic?
Just for kicks and giggles, here is the volume difference in the different sizes of bougies:
32 FR = 10.67 mm diameter = 22686 cubic mm
36 FR = 12.00 mm diameter = 28712 cubic mm + 27%
40 FR = 13.33 mm diameter = 35447 cubic mm + 56%
46 FR = 15.33 mm diameter = 46879 cubic mm + 107%
50 FR = 16.67 mm diameter = 55386 cubic mm + 144%
60 FR = 20.00 mm diameter = 79756 cubic mm + 252%
There is clearly a larger difference than meets the eye when looking at the instrument itself. The size of the bougie simply HAS to correlate to the amount of stomach volume remaining.
I found an intersting article on this from India here:
http://www.bmi-india.com/does-bougie-size-in-sleeve-gastrectomy-matter/comment-page-1/#comment-22904
Originally the standard was a 60 FR bougie size at this practice. They now recommend 34-38 FR.
Now, the next step would be assuming how much of a stomach on average is generally removed with a 32 FR bougie. If that number is 85%, then the next step would be:
32 FR - 15% remaining
36 FR - 19% remaining
40 FR - 23% remaining
46 FR - 31% remaining
50 FR - 37% remaining
60 FR - 52% remaining
I would also think, the larger you go, the greater the possibility of stretch later down the road as well as greater possibility of not removing the portion of the stomach that creates the hunger hormone grehlin.
Also in the article, the end result of stomach volume after a few years is similiar, so why not remove less if the results are close to the same in an irreversible procedure?
Another interesting article:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/carmelita/blog/tag/bougie+in+vsg/
That is certainly logical. Starving your body will result in weiht loss. To me, the journey does not need to happen in 4 months, 6 months to a year is fine, maybe even 2-3 years. Is the progress, long term prognosis, and overall quality of life that I am most interested in.
I would really like to hear from someone that used a size 40+ FR bougie AND that was lower BMI going into it. Is that too much to ask. LOL.
Sorry for going on. But, I would really like to hear some other opinions on this. I can also forward this to my surgeon to get his feedback. The more the better!

Sounds to me like so many Sleevers choose to leave their old life behind, including their responsibilities and relationships with their spouses. Maybe they made that choice a long time ago and associate that life with their old self and can't get away from the sour memories without a clean cut.
I could see it the other way too with a spouse being insecure when their significant other is now so much more "marketable."
For me, my wife is extremely supportive. Then again, I am doing this for both of us, not just me.
I do think there is a lot of selfishness involved. When you share your life with someone and your role has been to help with cooking while the other goes to work, helps with the house, dedicated,to kids sports etc, and you decide you are the one no longer interested without including the other in that decision, then there is selfishness involved.
Sorry, that's just how I see it.

Hey all! I just scheduled my sleeve with Dr. Rod in Warez for Aug 13. I am super excited, but a little nervous at the same time. I am sure thats normal right? Warez, that city scares the begizits out of me too.
I am a low BMI-er at 33. I see threads here and there from low BMI sleevers, but it would be really nice to have a dedicated sub-forum for our kind. Who can make that happen?
Here's my story:
I'm 40 years old, 5'9", 215 lbs, and growing (aren't we all.) For the last 10 years I've always told myslef that 210 is my limit. Every time I hit the limit it's HcG time. after 7 rounds of HcG over the past 5 years (before that it was off label drug use, blah!), I am finally commiting to a long term solution. Sleeve here I come.
I have always been active, mostly playing soccer (indoor & outdoor), it helped keep the edge off and slow down the gain, but the gain was inevitable. Three knee surgeries later and a fourth needed, I decided to hang up the boots and execrise more traditionally. I found that once I hit 205, my knees can no longer support my weight with contact sports (soccer, basketball, flag football.) I tried ISAGENIX for about 6 months. It got me down to 196 lbs by consuming two shakes a day and following their program. I felt fantastic, but at $300/mo it was unsustainable and got very old not being able to eat normal foods. I was still unable to drop below 190. I do think that if I did that program forever I could POSSIBLY maintain at 190 lbs, but quality of life would be hanging on a thread and possible jeopardise my retirement!
My family, they are ALL large people, not vertically, but width wise. Father is 280 Lbs @ 6'. Mother, not super bad but I would guess inthe obese range. Twin brother looks exactly like me, a tad shorter but similiar build. Sister is 5'2" and has always been fighting the fight, my guess is a BMI of about 42. Type II diabeties in two siblings, I am pre diabeties and high-blood pressure. I was always fit and slender through about 27. Activity didnot change over the years, just my body did, and boy did it.
I have a very close friend who was a BMI of 36 who I thought was not going to make it to his 30th birthday, extreme personality and enormously intelligent. He had gastric bypass at 27. At 40 he swears by it. As an extrmely successful business person (tech indistry) and has personally funded surgeries for over 10 others without asking to be repaid. Nice boss huh! Getting surgery was something I have considered for about 3 years. This last injury and weight gain, despite what I think as being fairly active and aware of what I was eating, I gained to 215 and started looking for options. So glad to find this forum!
So, that's my story and my reasoning for taking such a serious step in improving my health.
I do really wish we had a BM < 35 forum where I could see other stories of those in my situation. Who can help with that? Thoughts?
I am a little concerned about active sports post sleeve. I wonder how much energy I will have to compete for 90 minutes at a high level, I would be happy for just 60 frankly. Then I imagine how much less my heart will have to work to sustain a 160 lb or less frame. Anyone out there have any experience with this? Do you just graze on carbo gels while playing? What about Water intake, do you dehydrate while competing? I made a goal to run a marathon eventually (something absolutely impossible for my future without the procedure), any post sleeve marathoners out there?
I hope to be around for a while.
Thanks to all the board participate!