Search the Community

The way my doc explained is is that as your stomach heals it basically heals "over" the staples. Something about the way the scar tissue forms it does so around the staples. Yes, there is risk of developing a leak down the road, but it's not a common thing. As with any surgery there are risks. With WLS you have to carefully weigh out the pros & cons (no pun intended). For many of us it was the risks that other health issues could cause by continuing to be overweight. It's good that you're already looking at it that way. Keep in mind that forums such as this can sometimes skew your perception of things. Lot of people may only post when they're having issues. In my experience however it's safe to say those that are happy with their choice to have WLS greatly outnumbers those that regret it. It's easy for me to say how happy I am with my choice when I haven't had the struggles that others have, and my heart goes out to them. Despite having some initial bumps in my road with a few complications it was worth it for me, and I'd do it all over again now that I've seen the results. This is a bigger mental challenge/battle than most people expect so it's good to be cautious and think things through completely.

I was in the hospital 6 days due to complications. I came home weighing 5 pounds MORE than I did the day of surgery. They pumped so many fluids into me that it took several days to get back to where I was prior to surgery. After that things kicked in. We all get anxious to see the scale start dropping but give it time. There are always going to be differences between people. Too many factors such as genetics, age, sex, how much weight you have to lose, etc. It's kind of like comparing gas mileage between 50 different cars. Some may be the same and others will be drastically different.

I think the other thing you need to consider is if one of these complications is possible, what is the rate at which it happens. Most surgeons and practices will tell you their stats, mine has it presented in a video that you need to watch before your first appointment so that you can understand that yes there are possible complications, but they are very very rare.

I'm a teacher as well. Yes, they are extremely nosey. I got question after questions about my weight loss. I had been out a few months prior with another surgery. I just put it on complications of that surgery. Of course I didn't tell them what that surgery was either. So you know there were many rumors. I just sat back and laughed. I didn't think it was anyone's business so I still don't budge. HW 330 SW 292 CW 185 GW below 200

Greetings everyone! I am 5’11” and 315lbs. I also have high blood pressure. My wife had the gastric sleeve surgery about a year ago and is doing wonderful! I have always struggled with weight and after seeing her success with it, I started researching online as well. I was EXTREMELY excited at first. I was reading all the positive reviews and how much it has cured different issues related to being obese. Then one night, randomly, I asked my wife what happens to the staples? Do they stay in? Do they dissolve? Turns out they are titanium and they remain inside. For some reason, this started me down a rabbit trail of research. “how long do people live after getting sleeved?” “Do the staples ever cause complications?” “Are there any long term issues? From what I could find there isn’t much long term research on this surgery as it was first performed in the late 1980’s (according to online sources). So now I’m kinda freaked out. I understand there are risks. It there are also risks with staying obese. I am at the stage where I was 100% invested, but for some reason I started to research everything more and more. Now I still feel like it’s the right thing to do, but I am afraid of the complications and possibility of death. Did any of you experience the same anxiety about getting the sleeve? I go in tomorrow afternoon for my first initial appointment. I’m assuming they will get my vitals, draw blood, etc. Any advice?

Hi Hanne, I can relate to so much of what you've written! I'm 11 weeks post op, started at 94.3kgs with PCOS and insulin resistance. I'm 33, turning 34 this year. Everything you wrote about how you felt about your body is what I felt, and our concerns where almost identical! I'm certainly not as proficient in lifting as you are, but I've been working with a PT for the last 8 months and love our lifting sessions. I also run, do pilates, yoga, and hike. Pre-op I made sure I worked out as much as possible (5 sessions a week) to help my body be in the best shape possible for surgery. My biggest fears were complications from surgery keeping me out of the gym for too long post op, and not being able to drink enough water during a workout (and just in general!). To my relief, surgery went well and my recovery was (close enough) to a breeze! I was cleared to start working out again 3 weeks post op and have stayed committed to building my strength back up, am just now back to where I was pre-op in terms of my stats. The only difference right now is that I've dropped my workouts back to no more than 45 mins a session (otherwise I'm just to beat, but this will change, I'm sure) and I sip on the water instead of gulping. For the first 2 weeks post op I really had to focus on taking small sips, but that has now become my new 'normal' (and the restricted feeling has eased somewhat as well). Like you, my PCOS (and insulin resistance) stopped me from losing weight regardless of my good diet and exercise. I literally didn't lose a gram in the 8 months pre-op and it was so frustrating to feel trapped in a body which did not convey how seriously I was focusing on doing all the 'right' things. I lived like this for 10+ years before making the decision to have surgery. I'm losing very slowly compared to most people, am sitting at 15.7kgs down right now and I have hit so many 'stalls' in the last 11 weeks I've lost count. But I don't dwell, I just pack my gym bag and head off for a session! I look forward to hearing how you go

Hi everyone I was handed on December 12, 2017. I have been feeling great, no complications and headed to have my first fill at the end of next week. Between the pre-op shakes and after surgery I am down 36lbs. I’m just looking for more tips and advice as I got. It seems many of the recent forums are people disappointed with their band. I am just wondering what to expect during the fills and would love to hear more success stories. Thanks

Spoke with both surgeons and they assured me everything sounded fine - just a typical cold that's easy to pick up when flying. They said if the pill hadn't gone down that there would have been no doubt - it would have caused a partial blockage and I would have more pain and not be able to take fluids as well. Also the cold medicine was fine to take as a liquid - since I am taking a PPI there is much less chance of stomach irritation (their words, not mine). They said that after the Day 10 mark you kind of turn a corner and have a far less chance of a leak or post-op surgical complication, and more a chance of having something like an obstruction, which of course is an emergency. That's why the diet phases are so strict. They were concerned with the distention, but after further discussion said it sounded much more likely to be gas in the large bowel, which crosses from right to left about a few inches above the belly button, which of course is where I was feeling the "tightening band" sensation. Just advised to be careful in taking in excessive air unnecessarily, and try Gas-X and/or a warm heating pad to help with the cramping/spasms (tight band sensation). Actually got a pretty good anatomy lesson as well as more insight into this surgery and recovering from it, so it was kind of worth it. So just some extra info for anyone who might have the same thing happen, but of course you should always consult your own surgeon, especially if fever/chills/extreme nausea/vomiting are present.

If you go by data gathered by doctors on their patients...actual weights taken by doctors at the one month check up (rather than what people report...people lie a LOT about their weight)....the average weight loss in the first month after sleeve is 18% of excess body weight. Which means....if you have 100 pounds to lose on the day of surgery...you will probably lose 18 pounds in the first month. If you have 50 pounds to lose on the day of surgery....you will probably lose about 9 in the first month. If you have 200 pounds to lose...you could lose 36 pounds in the first month. But yeah...according to hard data taken at doctor's visits......18% loss of excess body weight at the time of surgery....is average for the first month. And of course individuals vary. Some lose a little more, some lose a little less. Other factors....surgical complications, slow healing, fast healing, menstrual cycle, adjusting to any alterations of maintenance meds, etc....can cause a bump in either direction.

I opted to be open/honest with my boss. Mainly because if I had complications and/or needed some special requests once I came back I wanted him to know. I kept it to only a few people at work, however. I didn't just go around telling everyone about it. Not that I gave a crap of what anyone thought about. Normally I keep things pretty private about my personal life. That being said keep in mind that as long as you are covered by FML you can still get time off due to it being related to your surgery and still keep it under wraps. Being in that small of a work environment definitely has its own set of pros/cons with something like this.

(1) your taste for foods may change a bit. For me its in a good way. I prefer healthier foods. Junk makes me feel crappy. I enjoy trying new things and cooking again. I can swallow and tolerate any foods just like before surgery. I just eat slower. (2) Most of the post are honest that that this takes work and dedication. people struggle and overcome. If we have a gain ...we get back on our program. It does not matter how much or how fast your weight comes off. Its the fact it's coming off. The goal is healthy. (my weight loss was fast.) Restriction alone does not get the weight off. If you eat unhealthy and small meals all day long (grazing) you will gain weight. Some gain may be due to medical issues or complications. Head hunger and real hunger will be there. It's not the same as pre surgery ..Its manageable. It's rare that I see anyone that has no hunger for life. Sticking to your dr and dieticians instructions. Log your food, hit your protein and calorie goals hydrate and exercise. Will get you to your weightloss goals. (3) Many debates on if sleeve surgery actually stretches...So I'm not going to comment.

I understand the fear, Chandni. The risks is not zero, but it is low. And if you decide to move forward, you will do everything you can to prepare and take care of yourself after surgery to minimize any possible complications. I also have mobility challenges due to size/back pain. I have been losing weight pre-op, and I notice improvements. It's helpful to read here people saying things like, "I'm able to walk for miles without pain" after being a few months out from surgery. May we both get our mobility back!

Relationships are definitely more complex than friendships. In a relationship, we look for different things and we have different needs. Attraction is also a very complicated thing and I don't even understand it myself because sometimes there are bigger women that I've been strongly attracted to, and at other times, I have not. I have been strongly attracted to women whom would not be considered pretty in the classic sense. It has to be the totality of the person. This is why I really don't have a type! I have to meet the person and if we click, sh*t, we click. If not, that's fine too. Sometimes I bemoan the fact that not even bigger women will check me out and then I have to remember that I as a bigger man, don't always check out bigger women. See, attraction is a really complicated thing. I've had bigger women look at me with disgust. I've had women whom would not be considered classically beautiful look at me with disgust. But I am never bitter because the shoe could just easily be on the other foot.

Were I you, I would just go without. The risk of complications is just too high for so small a reward.

My dr told me no workouts, but screw all I want. Just be extra cautious to not allow bodily fluids into your incisions. They need to stay clean to heal with no complications

60 had the sleeve late August. So far no problems. Walked after surgery, no pain meds needed and no complications. Getting my liquids the first two weeks was my most difficult thing. Sent from my SM-T350 using BariatricPal mobile app

I wanted to sleeve to begin with but my insurance didn't cover it at the time. And I was impatient and didn't want to wait for the time that my insurance would cover it. So I went with the band. The first Year I did pretty well with it, I lost about 35 pounds and kept it off for about 5 years but I didn't put in as much effort as I should have to lose more. But as time went on food started to get stuck more and more frequently and it got to the point that I was vomiting every day....so soft foods were my go to. And soft foods are not the healthiest thing in the world...so the weight came back on and the vomiting continued. I finally had enough and went to my doc and he recommended the revision which I wanted anyway. I have had more trouble with it than what she it's been worth. There are some people that have been very successful and happy with it, but I'm not one. My surgeon even said he doesn't do lapbands anymore from the high rate of complications he's seen. He told me the sleeve has been the most successful with the lowest rate of long term complications that he has seen in his practice. I hope this helps. No matter what you decide just remember WLS is a tool and it still takes a lot of work on your part. Good luck to you.

I wont have access to a scale again until i fly home on the 10th, probably a good thing since im sure i have swelling and fluids from the IV still. I feel like i should be in pain, but hardly none. This is wonderful. I'm so relieved since my healh insurance will not pay for anything obesity related or complications from surgery. It sounds like youre doing equally well, and that is awesome to read.

Hi Everyone, So I'm curious if anyone out there has PCOS and how well the sleeve helped with weight loss? I was diagnosed at 20. I'm 34 now and my husband and I have been trying for 2 years to get pregnant with no success. I know losing weight will help alleviate some PCOS symptoms....but it has been so hard to lose weight with PCOS. I had the LAP-Band in 2011 and was a huge failure with it. I lost roughly 35 pounds after the first year, but it all came back and then some. After having some complications with it I'm having the Band removed in Feb. and hopefully sleeved 3-4 months after that. I just would like to hear from anyone with PCOS and has been sleeved....how have you done with it. Even if I can never have children...I still just need to lose weight and keep it off to be a healthier me.

I had bypass on 12-6 and am 18 lbs down. I also had gall bladder removed and hernia repaired so i still have wound vac due to complication and so not so worried about weight loss yet. Just want to eat now after liquid phase. Having challenges getting enough water. Any tips? HW. 263 SW. 208 CW. 190 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using BariatricPal mobile app

No. In my mind i was like "who gives a ****, take out my stomach, make me skinny, have a nice day lol" i don't need to be besties with the man. I literally only need to know that he knows how to do his job. Fortunately i haven't had any complications. Obviously if your surgeon makes your overly nervous or uncomfortable, pick another one. I interviewed 4 surgeons in my area. I was fine with two of them, but one had unnecessary extra fees, and another was close to my house so i went with that one.

On my way out the door today I went to grab another Mucinex and the pack I had originally taken from was empty. So I just grabbed one from the next pack...popped it in my mouth...took a swig of water...swallowed it...noticed how huge it felt sliding down my sore throat...and realized I had - being on auto-pilot - just swallowed a huge gel-cap! Like huge, huge. And thought, "What the Hell did I just do?! What was I thinking?!" (I wasn't, obviously). It was too late to undo it, so as my son drove me to the eye doctor's I just kept sipping on my water hoping all would be ok and I didn't pop a stitch/staple with this ginormous pill - or whatever else might go wrong as a result, I don't even know. The eye doctor appt took 2 hours. A lot of sitting, leaning forward, carefully bending down to look at frames, etc. By the time we left I was NOT feeling so good. My voice was extremely froggy, throat dry and sore (forgot to take my water bottle in w/me, of course). I felt really tired, and I started getting some cramps on the left side of my abdomen. Sort of felt like menstrual cramps - def partially around the ovary area - but then some slightly higher. At first I was really worried, but then I got home, my son brought me home Liquid cold medicine - whoo hoo! It's so gross...but anyway...I had some chicken broth...a little vitamin water...promptly fell asleep watching TV w/hubs. He woke me at 8:30 and sent me off to bed. I took my usual night time meds for my Fibro/Back Pain/UTI prevention/Migraine prevention/Cholesterol (whew I really hope I can get off some of these one of these days). Anyway, I have an adjustable bed, so I had the head raised and was going to do some stuff on my laptop til the meds kicked in bc I was feeling a little awake by now. Next thing I know it's 3:30 a.m., my laptop is still on the bedside cart (I never even got far enough to pick it up...?). Get up to use the bathroom and notice my stomach is really distended. It feels all big, round, and tight, and one of my incisions is really sore - which they have been healing fine. So I take a look and I think it looks ok (incision) but can't believe how huge my stomach is! This was a busy day and I ate less than usual due to being sick and having the long appointment. So one protein shake, one cup of chicken broth w/added protein powder, a sugar-free popsicle, a vitamin water, and regular water surely were not the cause of THIS? Feeling super worried, but take more cough medicine, try to fall back to sleep. Notice that while lying more flat now it feels like there's a tight band around my abdomen. Like when I breathe it feels like there's a tight but stretchy belt between naval and sternum that stretches out when I inhale, and back in when I exhale. It's pretty scary because I've only ever felt anything similar when I was hugely pregnant (nope, not a chance)...So I get up to consult Dr. Internet, and I can't even find a complication that matches my symptoms! Huh. No nausea/vomiting, no fever/chills, no real issues taking fluids (hurts some/get gurgling still if I accidentally swallow too much at once or too fast, but that seems to be the normal response to accidentally doing those things this early on). Maybe it's a lot of gas bloating for some reason? Maybe I'm premenstrual and this is super-duper fluid retention? I don't know, and Dr. Internet is being of no help. Anyone else ever experience something like this (especially after swallowing a big pill/chunk of food etc. that already has you concerned?

Turn off GOOGLE and BING as your search engines no matter which browser or mail program you use. I switched to DUCKDUCKGO about six months ago and my laptop speeded up. Fewer complicated algorithms. Fewer ads. No GOOGLE targeting. No BING targeting. Just go to www.duckduckgo.com and tick the box that says you want it to be your primary search engine. No metadata collected for the USA govt or Australian govt, unlike GOOGLE which hands your metadata over freely.

Hey Brittany, I’ll start off by saying I’m also 27, and having my surgery on January 17th (currently on preop diet). I can relate to your comment about making such a life changing decision so young. I grappled with that immensely and at the end of the day I had to choose between continuing on my barrage of failed diets, failed lifestyle changes, etc, or to do something permanently to help me avoid getting prematurely ill or dying young. I have only one health complication, high cholesterol, but I’m now borderlining high BP as well. I know that if I keep going the way I’m going, I will be having a triple bypass by the age of 40; and that’s if I survive any sudden and/or catastrophic health issues. I had to look at this surgery as a preventative life saving measure. I know it’s hard at 27 to think we are changing the course of our lives (along with our anatomy) permanently, but it’s a positive change. I have not heard anyone say they regret the sleeve, and many members here will tell you they were scared too, but after doing it, they wish they had done it sooner. I wish you all the best on your journey to making peace with your decision. It’s a roller coaster of emotions but it’s important you determine why you’re opting to do the surgery and how it can help you long term. Happy to support you if you need anything. You’ve got this [emoji1377]

My perspective from three years and seven months out from sleeve. My hunger and the way it made me feel was a part of why I had surgery. My health was my number one reason. Imagine having control over your food life. Food no longer controlled you. What would that feel like to you? Surgery will not take away hunger. You may not feel hungry or feel like eating in the first few months. You will have times of head hunger and real hunger. My hunger is not like it was pre surgery. It is manageable. Get in touch with a bariatric program in your area. Find out if they give seminars. Medical facts, risks and statistics are going to help you in your research phase. You are going to read many peoples personal experiences online. Some negative some positive. Your surgery experience is going to be unique to you. Many people are here for support that will be able to relate. It's normal to fear the unknown outcome of surgery. Common fears I hear are... Am I doing the right thing. risks of complications or death with surgery. will I fail another attempt of getting my weight off What if I have loose skin and what will that look like for me Hair shedding/thinning. It will grow back. what happens if I have a weight gain Will food be as good as it was (addiction) will I feel satisfied on smaller portions of food. Can I have discipline and control of food. I couldn't have lost this weight without my sleeve. I'm thankful. For me I have no regrets or complications. I bounced back quickly from surgery. I had to learn to control head hunger and deal with emotional/stress eating. I had a gain after goal and I worked it back down (136 pounds today). This is still work after goal. If you go back to old behaviors you will gain. This is about learning a new lifestyle. This is about getting your health and your life back. You can have this long term if you are willing to change and work for it.