Norman

That is what I thought about the bougie. I do have to say my insurance paid for it but it was not free. I had a lot of stuff I needed to do, 6 month diet, including copays and coinsurance. You should shop around. Call up St. Alexius and DePaul and Branes. If you are paying out of pocket and want to stay in St. Louis there are choices out there. Negotiate. They want your business. Offer to pay less. What can they do say no. I would see who offers the best price. Honestly the money I have saved on food in the last eight months is amazing. So there are some upsides when it comes to money.

I understand being scared I was too. Yes I had the sleeve. At the time of my surgery Follwell had no deaths and no leaks and had done hundreds of sleeves. I got it done at St. Alexius but I am sure Des Peres is a much nicer hospital. However the staff at St. Alexius was so great I had to have it there. When I started I weighed 410. This morning I weighed 255. And I am still losing. That is 155 pounds in a little over 8 months. Pretty impressive. I only had to stay one night in the hospital. I had no pain. The scars are minimal. Just do what they say and you will be fine. I stuck to the preop diet and did not cheat once. Sitting at Olive Garden with your family downing pasta and bread sticks and I was drinking water. Eye on the prize. Exercise is the key after surgery. You have the tool that stops the food just exercise and the pounds will fly off. I started working out everyday. Lately work has been crazy so I take the steps and walk the dogs if I cant go to the gym. Good luck, VSG I can truly say has changed and saved my life. I only hope others get to experience the same. As for bougie size I do not know. In fact I am not sure if he uses one. Ask him and post it here I am curious. I know what I can eat and I can eat more today then I could 6 months ago.

Had surgery with Follwell in July and have lost 154 pounds. Everything exceeded my expectations.

A lot of medical professionals and insurances refer to the sleeve and band the same. I know my insurance pays the same for both and the paperwork said band on it. In fact everytime I go back to the surgeon they ask me how my band is. I have to remind them that I have the sleeve.

not bad at all just a little sore.

You can get Nectar at Sams Club too a bit cheaper. But I prefer Isopure which you can get at GNC. It has zero carbs and dissolves a lot better then Nectar. Just add a little Crystal Light to it.

I have lost 100 pounds since my surgery 7/19 and people I do not see are asking me to post pics on facebook or send them a pic on their cell phone. And I say no just wait I have more weight to lose. I still weigh 309 pounds and am still very fat. I still cant believe I let myself get that fat. Wow. I just walked my dog in the rain. dedication baby, I will get there.

patience is the key. at my one week post op doctors visit I was so ready to eat something I could scream. Before you know it you will be eating regular food.

Yes. I mix Isopure protein mix with Wal Mart Great Value Brand drinks. Their cherry and cherry limeade are pretty good. I drink at least two 32 ounce shakes a day.

You need to get your heart rate up. One mile three times a week is very mild exercise. If you want to lose weight go to the gym three days a week and do an hour on the elliptical. Do at least three miles in that hour. Keep your heart rate above 150. You will lose weight. I have lost 88 pounds in about 3 months. I also walk a little over an hour a day with the dog.

A lady at work lost 120 percent in first year. I have lost 86 pounds since my surgery date on 7/19. I have a long way to go.

Ever since I had the sleeve 14 weeks ago my wife says I have an attitude and act all high and mighty. She was supposed to be sleeved too but backed out at the last minute. Basically when she wants to goto the buffet and eat a ton of food, belive me I used to love that, and I say no that does not make since for me. Or when I tell her all I want is a McDouble from McDonalds without the bun she says get some fries and a soda. Oh well I guess I will continue to lose weight and she will not. Oh and by the way do not ask her why she did not have the surgery. That is another big thing.

I had Follwell too and I can tell you that he was there every time I had a question. I am very satisfied with the results. If you are worried about a leak or something some warning signs Follwell told me are not being able to keep anything down and a fever. But why not call him. You and or your insurance paid a lot for this surgery. If you are concerned call. When I first had my surgery I called about a dozen time the first month and went in for extra office visit. Everything was fine I just freaked out about every little thing.

I quit cold turkey six years ago. That is the only way I found to quit. I just put it in my head if I smoke one more cigarette I would smoke another one. Eventually you stop thinking about it.

That does not sound good. Call your doctors exchange or goto the er right away.