I am considering vertical sleeve surgery. Currently, I am waiting for insurance approval before setting a date with my surgeon.

I have been spending some time reading the pre and post surgery posts at this forum. And I have a question for people who have gotten the surgery done.

To be honest with you, reading some of post surgery posts are making me scared. It seems that quality of life is not much better after the surgery then it is before. Before you have to deal with problems related with being over weight, after the surgery you have to deal with so many issues relating to having almost no stomach.

IS IT REALLY WORTH IT???? After going through the surgery, recovery time, any complications, and the new life style you have to keep...If you had to do it all over again, would you still do the surgery?

In a heartbeat.

I wish I would have had the surgery sooner, but I wasn't mentally ready yet. I am now and if I had to do it over again, I would still have the surgery.

At first you go through an adjustment period. Your stomach is healing and in a way retraining itself. It has to get used to the new foods and with it you might have some side effects here and there. Its the same if you were to injure your leg. You wouldn't just go run a marathon. You would take it slow until you were stronger. Same thing with your stomach. I had some issues with my stomach refusing certain foods and nausea. I was over producing acid as well and didn't really want to eat. That is not the case now. All of that has gone away. I can eat, but in smaller portions, and my quality of life HAS improved. I feel great.

Could not agree more!

In a heartbeat.

I wish I would have had the surgery sooner, but I wasn't mentally ready yet. I am now and if I had to do it over again, I would still have the surgery.

At first you go through an adjustment period. Your stomach is healing and in a way retraining itself. It has to get used to the new foods and with it you might have some side effects here and there. Its the same if you were to injure your leg. You wouldn't just go run a marathon. You would take it slow until you were stronger. Same thing with your stomach. I had some issues with my stomach refusing certain foods and nausea. I was over producing acid as well and didn't really want to eat. That is not the case now. All of that has gone away. I can eat, but in smaller portions, and my quality of life HAS improved. I feel great.

Totally worth it! I am only 5 days post op and I know that it is the best gift I could have ever given myself. When look at what my life ahead has to offer vs the quality of life I was having before surgery there is is no comparison!

I've had NO problems. No pain, I have had NO hunger since surgery. I have not been sick one time and I have been able to eat any food I've introduced back into my diet. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I wish sleeve surgery had been around as a stand alone surgery ten years ago and I'd known about it!! I love, love my sleeve! I feel great!

After all of my complications, additional hospitalization, and extended recovery (3+ months), I would do it all over again to be living the life I have. I've never once regretted my surgery, I've never thought that my quality of life was "poor". Now with the band, life sucked, and I will be honest about that without hesitation. With the sleeve, life is pretty amazing. I live very effortlessly, and with great ease. Once you are regular food, and more active, the post-op diet, and liquid diet are a distant memory. You can read back to some of my old posts from last July and August and believe me my recovery typically scares the heebies out of people, but I survived, and living a very fulfilling, normal life. Some days I completely forget that I even had surgery.

My quality of life is the best it's ever been!!! I just had my 25th Wedding Anniversary dream trip with my husband to Italy in May. My tiny booty fit in the airplane seats, I was in great shape and able to walk around 10 miles a day sightseeing, and I never felt deprived any time we ate out. I was able to drink wine, walk stairs without huffing and puffing, and try on cute Italian leather jackets. If you look at my "before" pictures you'll see a miserable woman who never thought she'd have the life I do now.

Getting the sleeve was one of the best decisions I've ever made!

Guys: Thanks a bunch for the replies. They helped put me at ease with my decision. I have a lot of relatives (one of them a doctor) thinking that I am making a really bad choice. I am feeling better now! Not a single person said they wouldn't do it, sounds like a very powerful statement for the benefits.

I totally agree with the previous posters. Never been able to loose weight and keep it off.

I have had no pain , no complications, and feel better than ever, and have been able to stop taking BP and Diabetes meds.

Brenda

Putting in my two cents here. I am a year and half out of surgery and almost every week I think to myself how I love, love, love my sleeve! If people are complaining a bit, they are probably in the first few weeks after surgery, and let's be honest, it is not any fun! BUT then after that for the most of us I would imagine, it gets better and better. I never had complications, always felt good, and now I am so used to my stomach I can truly say I never wish I had a "regular" sized stomach again! I don't want to eat more during a meal, not even at Thanksgiving. I am very satisfied with what I can eat.

Hope all goes well with you. The rotten few weeks after surgery seem long, but this too shall pass.

9 days post op and yes I would do it again. I have not been one of the painfree patients. I wiggled my toes and swore I was popping a stitch. Much better now.

Read, research, and tell whomever you have to that it is your decision. Positive comments are welcome, negative comments they can keep to theirselves. You will be happy, afraid, scared, worried, often within the same hour. Stick to your decision and you'll be fine:thumbup1:

*very big grin* Hey, I'm only a week post-op, and it's great so far. My stitches haven't even dissolved yet, and I think it's 'way cool. Of course, I've dropped fifteen pounds since July 14, and I haven't had anything that would fit the definition of "complications" whatsoever, so I think I might have gotten off pretty easy compared to some. Also, the fact that so far I haven't had to take ANY oral diabetes medication since July 4 really figures into my loving this. This has been a snap, compared with being on Metformin for the last 3.5 years and the GI upsets and nausea and headaches that accompanied it. I've had to shoot myself up with ten units of Lantus once a day, and repeated checks of my glucose levels prove this is doing the trick. I am quite certain that as I continue to lose weight and get into an exercise routine that I'll be able to even quit that. So this has definitely been worth it for me already. I'm even looking forward to joining this gym and hauling my butt out to exercise, because I'll finally get visible, measurable results!

i agree, i was sleeved june 14 and it was the best thing i ever did for myself, my quality of life is so much better, i have so much energy, portions are much smaller but it was so worth it!

I have not had one second of negative feelings about my sleeve. It has been easy for me to adjust to and it's the best thing I have ever done for myself

Putting in my two cents here. I am a year and half out of surgery and almost every week I think to myself how I love, love, love my sleeve! If people are complaining a bit, they are probably in the first few weeks after surgery, and let's be honest, it is not any fun! BUT then after that for the most of us I would imagine, it gets better and better. I never had complications, always felt good, and now I am so used to my stomach I can truly say I never wish I had a "regular" sized stomach again! I don't want to eat more during a meal, not even at Thanksgiving. I am very satisfied with what I can eat.

Hope all goes well with you. The rotten few weeks after surgery seem long, but this too shall pass.

I am 14 months out now and I completely agree with Netherfield. I would do it all again if I had to, it was one of my better decisions in my life.

I find it's easy to keep the cals down and the Protein up.

Jane x

Getting sleeved was the best thing I ever did for MYSELF and I would do it again in a minute. I have already recommended my doctor and the sleeve to 2 other people and I am only 5.5 weeks out!!