COsleeveDude

The process definitely isn't pain or willpower-free. The first few weeks after surgery can be a drag, even if you don't have pain. You just have to decide if the delayed gratification is worth some suffering. That's the tradeoff we all have to make. And you might be able to lose it on your own. I don't think most of us do this to lose the weight, but to keep it off long-term. Good luck.

Nice job. Sweet beard.

A lot of guys probably worry women will be more attractive and might look for something "better." Everyone has their insecurities. Weight loss definitely changes confidence levels and relationships.

That's true, basically any excess calories in any form can be converted to fat. And it definitely makes sense to be more cautious if you only have one kidney.

I take Protonix, you don't need to crush it. I started taking it one week after surgery. I started taking full on large vitamin pills 3-4 weeks after surgery. You'll be fine, just take things as you can handle them.

I don't sip much anymore, but I can't chug like I used to either. I can take a few big gulps of water when I'm really thirsty, but I fill up much faster than I used to. If I gulp too much I can get temporarily uncomfortable.

As long as you spread it out over several meals you'll have a hard time getting too much. Just don't go overboard with protein adding additional calories unless you're doing serious workouts like strength training.

To me it's a "yes, but" type question. Yes, no doubt your pulse and blood pressure will go down when you drop a lot of weight. It will go down even further if you work out. But, you should ask your doctor. You want to make sure your pulse and//or blood pressure aren't too low for another reason.

Seems like more insurance companies are now willing to pay for sleeve if they pay for RNY. Both of the HMOs I've had in the last few years cover the sleeve. The big insurance companies will usually be all over cheaper options that cost them less in follow-up care and complications. The federal government is always a little behind the curve with updating their policies. Hopefully that will change soon.

My decision came down to benefit-risk. Sleeve is an easier procedure for the surgeon, and doesn't involve rerouting the anatomy. The sleeve is not reversible like RNY, but RNY would not be easily reversible either, even though it's technically possible. The long-term studies show similar weight loss between the procedures after several years, and most people aren't as restricted in what they can eat or which medicines they can take, just how much they can eat. Also, removing the portion of the stomach removes a large chunk of the hunger hormone production is most individuals, which in my mind is one of the benefits that should be touted more as one of the major upsides of the procedure. The reason you find more people with RNY is because more people still get RNY. My guess is you will see that tide turning in the next 5-10 years.

My doctor only uses one size, makes sense to me. He can't control the length of the stomach, but he can consistently control how close he staples by using one consistent size of bougie. It wouldn't make sense to me to, say, measure the length of individual stomachs and then adjust the "horizontal" size to accommodate. You can only take something so big through an opening no matter how long the stomach is.

The sutures along with the staples dictate where the stomach heals itself together. After the healing is done the staples don't really matter either, they just stay in there for obvious reasons.

The difference can be quite large. You have to calculate the difference as a volume measurement. That having been said, different things work for different people. Some surgeons make it smaller than the bougie size by oversewing the staple line.

32-36F is the international consensus "standard": http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/47390-international-sleeve-gastrectomy-expert-panel-consensus-statement-best-practice-guidelines-based-on-experience-of-12000-cases My surgeon uses a 36 because he feels it's the best balance between safety and restriction.

Sounds like a sweet victory to me. Congrats.

Hard to say. Having been thinner and in shape when I was in my early-mid 20s, I think there is a big embarrassment factor because some people you know remember the way you were. Then again, I find I'm having what seems to be an easier time than some getting back into shape because I've been there in the past, my body remembers it and I know how to eat right and work out. I'm hoping that's a bonus for my skin shrinking back to a more normal size, but who knows?

I will give you my take after I'm done with this sandwich.

You'll find a lot of mostly positive info around here. Welcome.

I didn't really feel the full effects for at least a month. Wait for some time to pass and your diet to normalize some.

food for thought: Many sleevers do have an obsession with the idea of hitting a "random" lower goal number on the scale or BMI chart, and it doesn't always have anything to do with health or looks. There's no question that I've run into people who look way, way too thin after weight loss surgery. If we didn't care what other people thought, we wouldn't be interested in losing weight. Assuming that someone says one looks too thin may be a negative comment, or it may be a constructive comment. Kind of like if someone says "you're fat and I find that unattractive" vs. "you need to lose weight because I care about you and your health."

My program told us some people have a hard time digesting raw vegetables and/or fruits right away. They suggested waiting six months and eating non-stringy things without skins and seeds.

There's nothing that you can never have again unless you, as an individual, can't tolerate it. Everything is basically guidance. Everyone will cheat and fudge, even just a little. Im two months out and have tried a lot of things, including soda, pizza, cheeseburger, salad, buffalo wings, Mexican. I just find I don't crave it as much and don't need or want to eat as much. So I still partake in social situations, but just much less frequently and in greatly reduced amounts. I think fear of food is unhealthy and may contribute to failure long-term. The sleeve just helps learn portion and control. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

It signifies how many people have put you on their ****list.

I'm not a huge fan of organized religion, but I've never bought the idea of religion as the primary cause of violence and/or war. People are the cause of violence and war. If there was no concept of god(s) people would still find reasons to kill each other and go to war.

The whole people not exercising pre and/or post surgery drives me nuts. Spending time obsessing about post-surgery complications and weight loss, yet not fighting half the battle...the vast majority of us can get in decent shape and walk 30 minutes 5-6 days a week in the few months before surgery. Best preventative and proactive measure you can take. Now that I'm on my own journey, I also think a lot about "skinny fat people": people who are thinner, yet are out of shape and/or look like crap because they have no muscle or tone. Not gonna be me.