His Fairest

Yes and no. I'd get another surgeon. I do have problems out but whatever, its not like it can be reversed.

What a change, eh? Congrats on your new life.

I'd wondered how this feels - the restriction. I'm glad you feel so good so often. Right now (pre-op) I feel so bad so often. I cannot wait to have my knees, back, and feet feel better without the weight. Congrats on your steady losses. :-)

Thank you! I've had 3 c-sections. Some hurt worse than the others. I was wondering how this would rate pain-wise. Thanks for your input, and congrats on your success. :-)

I am a little over half-way through the process my insurance company (CIGNA) requires before Gastric Sleeve surgery. My family and friends are on board. My Doctor is on board. I'm tired of being overweight.
I am a researcher. I love to study and I have probably over-studied the Gastric Sleeve, but I have a couple more nagging questions. Can you help me out?
1. If you've had the Gastric Sleeve, would you do it again?
2. What was/were the thing(s) that surprised you the most after you had the surgery?

Good Questions!
1. If you've had the Gastric Sleeve, would you do it again?
I would have to say yes. I spent a year gaining and losing the same 15 pounds! It was time. I really did not want to go the surgical route. I also knew that if I could have done it on my own, I would have. I am down 55 pounds and enjoying being lighter. For me it was the right move.
2. What was/were the thing(s) that surprised you the most after you had the surgery?
a) Lack of post-op pain-- I took the IV pain meds 3 times to sleep, not for pain. After 2 c-sections, this was nothing!
Incredible gas pain-- Had no idea gas pain could be so intense. If I didn't know it was gas, I would have thought I was having a heart attack as I had a band of pain around my entire chest.
c) The amazing effect of walking-- it took the gas pain away almost instantly. I knew walking would help- but not that much.
d) The ability I still have to eat bad stuff-- for example I can eat chips and not get full. I chew them to dust and then swallow and it was a little scary the first time I did it and found that out. I thought I would feel full quickly but I did not. I don't keep chips in the house and don't eat them when I am out. chocolate also slides down without a problem. I stay away from it as I don't want to eat too much. I do have some dark chocolate as very small amounts are satisfying.

1. Would do it again. I wish I could've had it done 20 years ago.
2. What surprised me is how little food I need to attain health. I also was surprised at how wonderful it feels to be full on a healthy quantity of food.

Lexie, your remarks about throwing up so much concern me. I do not think that is typical and it makes me wonder if you need to be evaluated - there could be some underlying issue causing this.
I have puked maybe 3 -4 times in the 3 years I have been sleeved and each and every time it was from "wolfing" down food and subsequently overeating. I knew it, I felt it, but at that moment sort of lost control.

1. Hands down YES
2. The feeling of restriction. I've read a lot about others experiences but was surprised to feel full after an ounce!

Yay! Fun is, well - FUN!! Congrats on your new life and all my best on your continued wonderful journey.

@@His Fairest
1. If you've had the Gastric Sleeve, would you do it again? In a heartbeat. I am so pleased with the results, but this is not accomplished without effort on my part. kicking ass at the gym, choosing healthy foods, quit drinking.
2. What was/were the thing(s) that surprised you the most after you had the surgery? the lack of hunger. I have to remind myself to eat sometimes. the restriction is real, you can feel it. I eat so little now (compared to before). I feel like a new man. hell, I am a new man.

3 years out, in maintenance after losing about 160#
I would absolutely do it again - I had alot of fears going into this.
for someone as obese as I was this has been earth shifting. Losing the weight of a full grown man is wow...wow... wow... what a change.
What surprised me most? That I had underlying concerns that were masked by the obesity and over eating. Some people seem to find this during weight loss phase, but I was more challenged after hitting goal. I have been at goal since Feb 2013, so doing much better know but I had to wrestle with anxiety and a few other problems. So, my advice is to have an open mind as to what issues might come up. I never imagined losing weight would "make me happy" but I also never imagined it would make me "wound up and anxious".
Anyway, now I am much much much happier and have settled on energetic and active with minimal anxiety/under control without meds.

1. If you've had the Gastric Sleeve, would you do it again?

Yes absolutely! I only wish I had done this 100lbs ago. It has changed my life.



2. What was/were the thing(s) that surprised you the most after you had the surgery?

That is did indeed put my chronic uterica into remission and how little it hurt. My post-op experience has been so insanely easy and relatively pain free. I've tolerated all foods, and other than a few aches and soreness not at all uncomfortable. I am one of those who has experienced no pain, no gas, no dizziness, no depression, no nausea, no vomiting. My medical team is wonderful and supportive.

I would absolutely do it again in a heart beat.
The think that surprised me the most is that the emotional work for me has been harder than the physical work. If you want more info on that I write about the entire journey from my first docs appointment on through today (17 months post op). Feel free to browse it. It's linked in my signature. And good luck to you!

I would most certainly have it done again knowing what I know now.I know I have been very very lucky,I never even had gas pain.I have had about 10 surgeries in my life and this was definitely the most pain-free.I could have done cartwheels out of the hospital on the 2nd day.I know this is not the same for a lot of people so as I say I have been very lucky.The only food I have had a problem with is chicken but I will try again later because I love chicken.Best wishes Pippinleicester.

I would do the sleeve again, without reservation.
Surprises: No gas. Little pain. No vomiting. No "foamies." Adjustment was easier than I thought it would be, but I have a supportive husband and few negative people around me. Follow your doctor's advice to the letter.
Biggest surprise: Post-op, being disgusted when seeing those food commercials on TV! I used to crave those grease-dripping burgers and fries, noodles and doodles, but I was surprised that I now see them entirely differently. Those images are attempts to hypnotize us into thinking eating that way is normal. It isn't. Half of the advertisements try to make us eat and half of them tell us how to lose weight! It's a friggin' racket!
Everything is easier. Walking. Getting up from a seated position.

Without question I'd do it again! What surprised me the most is how much fun I've had on this wonderful journey!

I'm on CIGNA insurance and am getting the sleeve. I've been to two out of four monthly visits required. I'm going through True Results in Dallas. So far, so good. Best wishes to you.
Melissa

My surgeon prescribed 40mg of omeprazole (Prilosec) for the first two months post-op and then recommended that if I had any continued issues with acid reflux, I continue just taking the over-the-counter dosage of 20mg daily. That's what I've been doing and it's kept the reflux at bay. When I tried going off of it completely at the two month mark, I was definitely having reflux issues pretty much right away, so I quickly went out and bought the over-the-counter version and have been taking it since.
As for the poster who mentioned vomiting a lot, I have not done that at all. I had a little dry heaving the first day post-op, but nothing since. Everyone reacts differently.When I eat too much or too fast, I just get very uncomfortably full feeling (like I'm going to burst) and I burp. I burped a lot more in the beginning, not so much now. In the beginning I would say that a lot of the burping was "productive burping" in that I could feel/taste my food coming back up into my throat, but not like vomiting. There were no spasms and heaving like with vomiting. And, like I said, I don't have that problem nearly as much 19 weeks post-op. When I overeat now, it's just the feeling like I'm going to burst thing. And I am better about not overeating in the first place now, though still not 100%.

I am a little over half-way through the process my insurance company (CIGNA) requires before Gastric Sleeve surgery. My family and friends are on board. My Doctor is on board. I'm tired of being overweight.
I am a researcher. I love to study and I have probably over-studied the Gastric Sleeve, but I have a couple more nagging questions. Can you help me out?
1. If you've had the Gastric Sleeve, would you do it again?
2. What was/were the thing(s) that surprised you the most after you had the surgery?

Your success is inspiring! Thank you for responding. I'm learning by "listening" to people who have gone before me in this that it takes time and that slow and steady really does win the race. As for the emotional eating - I think this is going to be a big wake-up call for me...but I think it will probably prompt me to journal more and (eventually) to take my frustrations on a long run through the local park. I used to love to run when I was thinner.
Best wishes to you, and congrats on the new you. :-)

Your surgeon's office can help guide you through the insurance piece. Just keep asking for help with it. If you have a high enough BMI, and/or co-morbidities, you're very likely to get approved. And you can certainly document the effort you have put into weight loss in the past.
As for the decision, we were all nervous and apprehensive. It's totally normal. For the six months prior to my surgery I was totally addicted to Buffalo Wild Wings. I'd go to 2 or 3 different BWW restaurants a week, so they wouldn't know how much of it I was eating. Since the surgery..... Haven't gone and haven't missed them. When I reach goal, I'm thinking of buying a bottle of my favorite BWW sauce to use with chicken breasts. Here's the thing... With the sleeve, you really don't miss the foods you think you love. (Used to love bread -- now don't care about it.) Once you detox from them, it's just like booze or cigarettes, the remaining addiction is in your head. "Head hunger" we call it. But with one big difference -- your tool (the sleeve) helps you make better decisions. It isn't a cure for emotional eating, but it helps you control your urges. My biggest tip is to stay full of fluids. Since I started drinking 100+ ounces of Fluid per day, my occasional hunger pangs have disappeared. I can honestly say that in the 6 months since my surgery, I have learned to "eat to live". It was a major A-ha moment that came to me about a week ago. So go for it! You've tried everything else, this is what you need to beat this thing forever!

1. I would do it again. I've lost weight before but the difference here is even when my heart isn't into it, I can't really fall off the wagon like I used to. At least at first, it takes some of the choice out of dieting and makes it much easier to succeed.
2. Most definitely and I'm going to try to keep this to the biggest things. I'm surprised at how much I've thrown up. I've thrown up more in the past 3 months than probably my whole life combined. Mostly it's my fault for not eating slow or chewing good enough and apparently I'm a slow learner because it still happens a few times a week. I was also surprised that I didn't lose weight faster. I have since made peace with this but I had certain expectations and was disappointed when I didn't drop the weight at the rate I expected. And finally, I was surprised to find out how much of an emotional eater I am. When you can physically no longer medicate with food, it's exposes those little emotional nerves. I didn't realize I was doing it to the level that I was. But I still have the urge to eat a really big, fattening meal and I know this is an emotional and irrational urge but a real one just the same.

1. Most likely not. I'm 8 weeks post-op and I can't eat much. I hate the feeling. I fear food, but I want it so bad at the same time. I'm sick a lot and I'm following recommended eating. I just want to be normal again.
2. The pain and discomfort of trying to learn to eat and drink again. It's an awful feeling. The acid-reflux can also be painful - I'd never experienced it.

YES YES YES I'd do it in a heartbeat and MY ONLY regret is not having it done sooner (I'm 53 and have been overweight since I was 13)! So much so that I don't remember ever in my life being this happy and feeling so healthy and energetic and good!
I've had a REALLY good outcome since day one. I walked 30 minutes after returning to my hospital room from my surgery and didn't feel any pain at all, only minor discomfort due to gas -- which walking helped tremendously, more than anything and I did so every 2 hours -- even at nights. I am down 73 lbs, 8 months out, am a size 10 pants (I have NEVER been a size 10 before) and loving my life.
Good luck, stay positive, stay excited and follow your doctors advises to a T. Keep us posted.