jess9395

Because my specific issues were excessive hunger and Portion Control. The sleeve addressed both of these. I wanted the ghrelin reduced and I wanted the restriction.

Re insurance—read your policy. Many exclude it completely, some have specific requirements like pannus/apron must hang below pubic bone or must remove 500g volume of breast.

1. How much is whole body? Arms? Thighs? Breasts? Tummy Tuck or circumferential lift? Probably not. I had more done at one time than most and I got arms breasts and tummy tuck. Most surgeons I spoke to said only two areas at a time. A few Mexican surgeons will do even more at a time but it’s limited by time spent under anesthesia safely. If they will do twilight sedation or have two surgeons working together that can help. But also think recovery. Can you get around and function while healing?

2. Yes. Much harder. Especially if you have any Lipo for contouring or any muscle repair or tightening.

3. I consulted In Mexico but decided against it. For me the worry about handing things if anything went wrong scared me. Many gave great experiences and pay a fraction of the cost.

4. Interview a number of surgeons. Look at lots of pictures of their work. You will know when you find the right one.

5. Depends on what you mean by full body. For the three areas I did the California docs I interviewed were all in the 22-26k range. Mexico was closer to 8-12k.

7. I recovered very quickly compared to most because I had absolutely NO lipo which is often the worst. I had muscle repair/tightening in my adominals though. I was functioning well by about two weeks out.

7. Amazing. Life changing. My plastics were 3.5 years ago.

Who do you hear that from? Medical studies show the gherlin reduction is real and the restriction is permanent.

That said, there are people whose appetite is not controlled by the reduction in gherlin. Responses to the surgery varies and sadly we can’t tell who will respond which way. Hopefully one day Science will advance to the point where we can better tailor surgery choice to the individual.

And I will say, I am very careful with my carbs. Carbs can trigger appetite and binge-y feelings for me and a lot of carbs upset my stomach—I can’t eat bread or rice especially—and sugar makes me feel ill (not full on dumping but icky).

Do you really think people have VSG so that they won’t dump so that they can cheat? Why would they even have WLS. I honestly don’t think that is anyone’s motivation.

What revision statistics are you looking at? I hope you’re not basing it on board postings because that is self selection and not population based.

And I say again, we can’t predict yet for whom which surgery will work. For many the sleeve creates a new set point and the reduction in grehlin eliminates the desire to binge—long term. I don’t understand the people on this thread who say the sleeve is temporary or short term.

Honestly I don’t know because I’m not there. I don’t think anyone can predict accurately what choices they would make in circumstances they aren’t in.

But based on my avoidance of other forms of surgery for decades when I was obese, probably not. But maybe now that I know what it’s like to live life at a normal weight that would motivate me. But I think there are far more people who don’t regain large amounts of weight with the sleeve than there are those who do. These boards see more of those who regain for obvious reasons.

I also have developed new ideas since my weight loss. Most of us had surgery for our health. The first pounds we lost were Health pounds. Then many of us go on to lose more weight and that I call vanity pounds. Usually the regain is of those vanity pounds and we tend to forget how many of the health pounds are still gone and beat ourselves up over the vanity pounds.

I honestly don’t think people should fret too much about the regain of vanity pounds. That’s pretty much... normal. All people do it as they age, whether they have a history of obesity or not. So I believe I would consider that normal and work to lose it as any normal person does.

Who do you hear that from? Medical studies show the gherlin reduction is real and the restriction is permanent.

That said, there are people whose appetite is not controlled by the reduction in gherlin. Responses to the surgery varies and sadly we can’t tell who will respond which way. Hopefully one day Science will advance to the point where we can better tailor surgery choice to the individual.

And I will say, I am very careful with my carbs. Carbs can trigger appetite and binge-y feelings for me and a lot of carbs upset my stomach—I can’t eat bread or rice especially—and sugar makes me feel ill (not full on dumping but icky).

Who do you hear that from? Medical studies show the gherlin reduction is real and the restriction is permanent.

That said, there are people whose appetite is not controlled by the reduction in gherlin. Responses to the surgery varies and sadly we can’t tell who will respond which way. Hopefully one day Science will advance to the point where we can better tailor surgery choice to the individual.

And I will say, I am very careful with my carbs. Carbs can trigger appetite and binge-y feelings for me and a lot of carbs upset my stomach—I can’t eat bread or rice especially—and sugar makes me feel ill (not full on dumping but icky).

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

Do you really think people have VSG so that they won’t dump so that they can cheat? Why would they even have WLS. I honestly don’t think that is anyone’s motivation.

What revision statistics are you looking at? I hope you’re not basing it on board postings because that is self selection and not population based.

And I say again, we can’t predict yet for whom which surgery will work. For many the sleeve creates a new set point and the reduction in grehlin eliminates the desire to binge—long term. I don’t understand the people on this thread who say the sleeve is temporary or short term.

I guess I am misunderstanding this string. I do t know why anyone is assuming that we are self sabotaging or making a bad choice just because they decided to have a different procedure. I am glad I got the sleeve . I researched for a few years and met with 3 different surgeons who all thought the sleeve was my best option. Since I am barely 3 weeks out this question really threw me for a loop and had me second guessing myself. Luckily I remembered the surgeons and why they all directed me to the sleeve : malabsorption, dumping , keeping my digestive system in tact, and many other reasons. Let’s support each other and our individual choices! We have enough other people second guessing us!

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

I will say this... what worked FOR ME was staying very strict until I had changed my habits, my tastes and my gut bacteria. At that point I could aim for balance. But at that point I could have half a cookie or a few French fries without wanting the whole thing or bag. I also never felt deprived when I was strict. And I’m still pretty strict mostly because I don’t care so much... I really don’t care if I have bread or Pasta or whatever. So for me that IS balance. If I don’t care, why add it in? Balance means different things to different people.

However I think it would have been a huge mistake (again, FOR ME) to attempt “balance” too early out. I needed to relearn and retrain n myself.

I do not feel like I struggle.

I do not feel like I struggle.

But isn't that what the veterans' forum is for? Focusing on things other than the immediate effects of surgery? I imagine vets still have plenty of challenges and wisdom to share with each other. Our "old life" will always be issuing its siren song, trying to drag us back . . .
I can't wait to transition to the vet forum!
p.s. I've stepped back from most of the basic question threads. I let newer people answer them. (Unless it looks like they're not going to get a response. Then I can't help myself.) I try to make sure no-one feels ignored.

This is why I don't read most of the threads. After a while it's always the same stuff and simply boring.

I'm still a baby sleever anyways, all this BS I'm talking lol time will tell how I feel about staying active in the Bariatric community anyways. I just wish sometimes it was set up like college. I see a lot of the same discussions and I know y'all are tired of them too...
Can I eat x at y days post op?
Why am I not losing?

Kinda want more from the discussions/ interactions but it's hard the further out from surgery you get , the site seems to cater to pre/peri-op...

I was fat for so long, I still cannot get that image out of my head even while looking in the mirror. So I always feel like I am fighting the battle even though most of my food habits are 180 degrees from what they were. So for me, Identifying as a WLS patient and living as though I am following that diet works.
The people who hit goal and leave may go on and remain successful, but I am betting that many go on to regain a little or a lot and either are too embarrassed to come back or forget about this place. Some of the most successful vets from 2 years ago that I still have contact with have gained back far more than I would have imagined. And all because they hit goal and decided to live life "normal" which really means going back to the way they were pre-op.

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

Exactly this. We can’t tell ahead of time what surgery will work for whom. Hopefully one day science will advance enough that we will have better predictors.

I chose the sleeve because I didn’t want the possible nutritional deficiencies that a bypass is more likely than a sleeve to leave you with. I also wasn’t comfortable with the increased risk of other side effects that both DS and RNY have over the sleeve.

I had considered RNY for almost a decade and had never been convinced because of the risks and side effects. As soon as a learned about the sleeve I knew that was something I could get behind.

I was a binge eater. Obese from early on. Snacky slider foods were my jam. As I’ve said I still can’t let Cheez its in my house.

The sleeve has worked wonderfully for me for five years.

Ha! I bought myself a juniors size large blouse about 3 months post op. Having started at a Tight 20 I figured there’s no way I would ever shrink too small to wear it.

I now wear a 4. Gave that shirt away long ago!

Go for it, but don’t invest too much!

I think the people who truly research their options, have open, honest discussions with their doctor, are honest with themselves about making permanent lifestyle changes, and have realistic expectations and goals are the most successful, regardless of which surgery you choose. I chose VSG because I didn't want the problems of malabsorption and I didn't want to deal with dumping syndrome. This is not because I wanted to go back to eating whatever I wanted. I had my gall bladder removed several years ago and experienced dumping with almost everything I ate for about a year afterwards. It was horrible. I also didn't like the idea of switching my anatomy around. I like that with VSG the digestive process is still the same. I also educated myself on the procedure and have realistic expectations of the outcome. And, if I'm being honest, I do like being able to "cheat" on special occasions without worrying about dumping. My restriction keeps me from going overboard and I'm able to resume my regular diet after without going into a downward spiral of bad choices.

In general, we don't know what other people's needs are. We certainly don't know if they were up-front with their surgeon. And we've seen how many people on this site are in complete denial of their own situations. I think it's perfectly normal to want to do the least invasive option available that will suit your needs, but that requires the patient being brutally honest with him/herself and with the doctor.