Hello Everyone,

First of all , let me say these forums have truly been God sent. I am inspired and informed! Congrats to all of you have have taken the step to a healthier life.

I am 280 pounds and only 5 feet and 1 inch. My goal weight is about 170 pounds (I don't want to be skinny)! I was originally scheduled to have LapBand on Tuesday, November 30, 2010. I went to see my doctor this past Thursday for a pre-surgery consultation and he begged me not to have LapBand and have the Sleeve instead. He said I would be pleased with the results of the Sleeve and not be as sick as I would be with the Band. He also mentioned the number of revisions he is doing!

I was numb initially! I had spent weeks toiling over having LapBand and Gastric Bypass:unsure:. I had briefly looked at the Sleeve, but had not given it serious consideration. After having several friends with serious ByPass complications, I finally decided to have LapBand. Now my doctor is confusing me all over again!!!!

I came home and began to research. I watched You Tube videos and then I found this site! After days of reading posts on this site, I contacted my doctor today and changed my procedure to VSG! I am nervous, yet encouraged.

Your support is so needed! Please post any pre-op or initial post-op advice, do's and don'ts. Thank you in advance for your help. This site truly helped me make my decision. I am looking forward to the new me!

NewNatalie

Scheduled for VSG - November 30, 2010

Start Weight: 280 pounds

to Newnatalie or anyone else -

I am having the super-sleeve surgery though BeLiteWeight and after reading it seemed the absolute best choice because:

It is reversible;

it involves no cutting;

there are no foreign bodies;

no nutrient deficincies through lowered uptake.

The following is some of the info they sent me:

Laparoscopic total gastric vertical plication (TGVP) is a new restrictive technique for the treatment of morbid obesity. This operation may be considered as an advancement of the well-known sleeve gastrectomy and is carried out with the use of pure non-absorbable surgical sutures.

In TGVP the gastric capacity is diminished without gastrectomy (removal of the stomach,) or foreign implants. Due to the lack of gastric strictures TGVP does not cause any food intolerance nor impair patient’s dietary habits. The excess weight loss is about (62-67% EWL.)

In comparison to other modern restrictive bariatric techniques, (laparoscopic gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy,) the advantages of TGVP are minimal risk of acute or late complications, and it’s reversible, (removing the gastric sutures will allow the stomach to go back to its normal form.)

As I said in an earlier post, I tried with my health provider Kaiser - went to all the classes, saw the psyc, read all the materials but was unable (my husband said unwilling) to lose 10% of my body weight which is an absolutely mandatory requirement. I have weighted within the same 10 lbs for the past 10 years and within the same 20 lbs for the past 20 years which would be great but it is 100 lbs over what I should weigh. Now as I am aging, this weight is beginning to slow me down, make getting up and down difficult and my blood sugar is slowly rising ie it is killing me. If I could have lost it without surgery, I would have and here I am.

Tiffykins!

Thank you so much for all the advice and encouragement! Did I mention how much I love this site?1?!

It seems like the first 4 weeks are really difficult because of recovery and afterward, things get better. Is this a fair assessment?

Go, no RUN, and kiss that surgeon. I can tell you firsthand that your surgeon just did you a huge favor. The sleeve is far superior to the band not just with weight loss stats, but with far less complications, and minimal follow-up and maintenance like you'd have with the band. I've had both, and can tell you that the sleeve is amazing ! ! !

Pre-op advice:

Stop eating and drinking at the same time now so you can break this habit before the sleeve.

Sit your eating utensil down in between bites so you can slow down your meals

Start eating your meat first, and make your meal last 20-30 minutes

Prepare mentally for the changes, if you have food issues i.e. emotional eating, reward eating, tackle those issues now, don't want for the sleeve to do it for you because you'll be disappointed when you realize that they've operated on your stomach, not your brain, and it takes time for your brain to catch up

Do not compare yourself to other people. You are an individual, your body is different than everyone else, and you might not lose at the same rate as others, BUT you will lose

Get Protein samples (check out the Protein Drink forum for places to order samples and do not buy in bulk, your taste might change, and you might not like or be able to tolerate that huge tub of protein that you loved pre-op)

Take measurements of your body, neck, breast, waist, hips, thighs and calves

Take before pictures

Prepare yourself mentally for stalls, and weeks where you may only lose 1 pound, but celebrate that 1 pound as it's 1 less pound you have to lose to get to goal

Come here often, read, read, read and reach out for support and questions

Post-op advice

Use common sense and stick to your post-op diet (your stomach has just been cut, sliced, stapled off and removed from your body) don't put food in there too early

Do not eat and drink at the same time

Take your Vitamins

Walk, walk, walk, walk

Sip, Sip, Sip, Sip

Set a schedule, make a menu, be prepared

Come here often, read, read, read, reach out to us and questions

Edit to add: You're starting off with similar pre-op stats that I had. I'm 5'2" and started with the sleeve at 263. Got to goal in 6.5 months with 115lbs lost, and then continued to lose another 23-25lbs over 4 months which got me to my current weight of 123-125lbs on any given day. I bounce up and down on a regular basis, and have gained up to 131lbs (which did NOT freak me out because I knew what caused it, DAMN that Halloween candy, parties, and several mixed drinks LOL), and I went back to eating my normal foods, and dropped 8lbs in less than a week. So, don't get discouraged because you are starting off with a high BMI. If I can lose all my excess weight so can you, and I did it by sticking to the rules, and listening to my body. I went from a size 22/24W pant, 3-4XL top, to a size 0/2/4 jean(depending on where I buy them, but I wear 0 at the Gap, 0 and 2 at Old Navy, and Levis are mostly 3-4s), and an xsmall to small tops ! ! !

Aquamama,

This is the first I have heard of the Super Sleeve. It sounds great! Is your insurance covering the procedure? What are the chances of the sutures breaking?

Thanks for sharing!

to Newnatalie or anyone else -

I am having the super-sleeve surgery though BeLiteWeight and after reading it seemed the absolute best choice because:

It is reversible;

it involves no cutting;

there are no foreign bodies;

no nutrient deficincies through lowered uptake.

The following is some of the info they sent me:

Laparoscopic total gastric vertical plication (TGVP) is a new restrictive technique for the treatment of morbid obesity. This operation may be considered as an advancement of the well-known sleeve gastrectomy and is carried out with the use of pure non-absorbable surgical sutures.

In TGVP the gastric capacity is diminished without gastrectomy (removal of the stomach,) or foreign implants. Due to the lack of gastric strictures TGVP does not cause any food intolerance nor impair patient’s dietary habits. The excess weight loss is about (62-67% EWL.)

In comparison to other modern restrictive bariatric techniques, (laparoscopic gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy,) the advantages of TGVP are minimal risk of acute or late complications, and it’s reversible, (removing the gastric sutures will allow the stomach to go back to its normal form.)

As I said in an earlier post, I tried with my health provider Kaiser - went to all the classes, saw the psyc, read all the materials but was unable (my husband said unwilling) to lose 10% of my body weight which is an absolutely mandatory requirement. I have weighted within the same 10 lbs for the past 10 years and within the same 20 lbs for the past 20 years which would be great but it is 100 lbs over what I should weigh. Now as I am aging, this weight is beginning to slow me down, make getting up and down difficult and my blood sugar is slowly rising ie it is killing me. If I could have lost it without surgery, I would have and here I am.

Your Dr is a very smart man!!! Wish mine was. I remember being banded only a year... my weight stalled and creeping ever so upward even then. I'm lying on the exam table looking up at the ceiling. Getting ready for my umpteenth fill... wondering WTH I'm gonna find that ever elusive "sweet spot". Well, I'd recently then only heard about the VSG, and said to my Dr...

"Hey, I just heard about this WLS called the VSG"

His reply?

"That is total BS"

Silence.

Well here I am two years later with my BS -- but guess what? I'm losing and I'm losing really good too! I'm loving my sleeved life. Better than the band? Oh... the Band doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the sleeve.

Read all you can! We are here to help! You have already gotten super information from other posters before me. Just be prepared for a rollercoaster ride... while you are in it it has it's ups and downs, but when you get off the ride - you think... SWEET!!!!!!!

A great majority here loves their sleeve. More than anywhere I've ever read regarding other procedures. The Sleeve ROCKS!!!!!!

Tiffykins!

Thank you so much for all the advice and encouragement! Did I mention how much I love this site?1?!

It seems like the first 4 weeks are really difficult because of recovery and afterward, things get better. Is this a fair assessment?

Yeppers, totally fair assessment at least in my experience.

Go, no RUN, and kiss that surgeon. I can tell you firsthand that your surgeon just did you a huge favor. The sleeve is far superior to the band not just with weight loss stats, but with far less complications, and minimal follow-up and maintenance like you'd have with the band. I've had both, and can tell you that the sleeve is amazing ! ! !

Pre-op advice:

Stop eating and drinking at the same time now so you can break this habit before the sleeve.

Sit your eating utensil down in between bites so you can slow down your meals

Start eating your meat first, and make your meal last 20-30 minutes

Prepare mentally for the changes, if you have food issues i.e. emotional eating, reward eating, tackle those issues now, don't want for the sleeve to do it for you because you'll be disappointed when you realize that they've operated on your stomach, not your brain, and it takes time for your brain to catch up

Do not compare yourself to other people. You are an individual, your body is different than everyone else, and you might not lose at the same rate as others, BUT you will lose

Get Protein samples (check out the Protein Drink forum for places to order samples and do not buy in bulk, your taste might change, and you might not like or be able to tolerate that huge tub of protein that you loved pre-op)

Take measurements of your body, neck, breast, waist, hips, thighs and calves

Take before pictures

Prepare yourself mentally for stalls, and weeks where you may only lose 1 pound, but Celebrate that 1 pound as it's 1 less pound you have to lose to get to goal

Come here often, read, read, read and reach out for support and questions

Post-op advice

Use common sense and stick to your post-op diet (your stomach has just been cut, sliced, stapled off and removed from your body) don't put food in there too early

Do not eat and drink at the same time

Take your Vitamins

Walk, walk, walk, walk

Sip, Sip, Sip, Sip

Set a schedule, make a menu, be prepared

Come here often, read, read, read, reach out to us and questions

Edit to add: You're starting off with similar pre-op stats that I had. I'm 5'2" and started with the sleeve at 263. Got to goal in 6.5 months with 115lbs lost, and then continued to lose another 23-25lbs over 4 months which got me to my current weight of 123-125lbs on any given day. I bounce up and down on a regular basis, and have gained up to 131lbs (which did NOT freak me out because I knew what caused it, DAMN that Halloween candy, parties, and several mixed drinks LOL), and I went back to eating my normal foods, and dropped 8lbs in less than a week. So, don't get discouraged because you are starting off with a high BMI. If I can lose all my excess weight so can you, and I did it by sticking to the rules, and listening to my body. I went from a size 22/24W pant, 3-4XL top, to a size 0/2/4 jean(depending on where I buy them, but I wear 0 at the Gap, 0 and 2 at Old Navy, and Levis are mostly 3-4s), and an xsmall to small tops ! ! !

Thank you so much for this post! It is filled with so much information and excellent advice. I'm hoping to be sleeved in late January if all goes according to plan. I think the hardest thing for me will be the not drinking while I eat. I don't even know if I CAN do that! I need to start being more mindful of that now as I eat.

Thanks for all the advice!!

after seeing so many complications that are occurring with the lap band that people have. I'm surprised more doctors aren't opting out of performing that surgery. Just seems like a slew of complications and annoying things you have to do if the lap band is life long.

I hope you make your decision wisely and I hope that you have a very successful surgery with either option you chose.

I had a similar experience with my surgeon... went in resigned to have the Lap Band, and I had read all the complications it but was that desparate, and my surgeon basicaly said "You don't want that."

He then drew me a picture of the sleeve and explained about it, and said, "I know it sounds extreme but it is actually only about 15 minutes more surgery." And then he drew me a picture like a graph, and said that in the beginning, and during surgery, the lap band is much safer than the sleeve.

BUT, over time, the risks of the lap band increase, while the risks and problems with a sleeve decrease. So for me.. it's the sleeve.

Now, just to get my hands on that insurance letter!!! Glad to hear that my surgeon is not alone in his opinion.

GOOD LUCK!

Hi Bryn,

I am having VSG this Tuesday! After talking with my doctor and others on this forum, it was an easy decision. Keep me in your prayers!

I think many doctors still perform LapBand because so many patients are adament about having it. My sister had LapBand about a month ago. She would not even consider anything else. She likes that it is reversible. The thought of altering her stomach was not appealing. I hope she does well.

after seeing so many complications that are occurring with the lap band that people have. I'm surprised more doctors aren't opting out of performing that surgery. Just seems like a slew of complications and annoying things you have to do if the lap band is life long.

I hope you make your decision wisely and I hope that you have a very successful surgery with either option you chose.

Thanks for sharing your story Rain! My surgery in this Tuesday!

I had a similar experience with my surgeon... went in resigned to have the Lap Band, and I had read all the complications it but was that desparate, and my surgeon basicaly said "You don't want that."

He then drew me a picture of the sleeve and explained about it, and said, "I know it sounds extreme but it is actually only about 15 minutes more surgery." And then he drew me a picture like a graph, and said that in the beginning, and during surgery, the lap band is much safer than the sleeve.

BUT, over time, the risks of the lap band increase, while the risks and problems with a sleeve decrease. So for me.. it's the sleeve.

Now, just to get my hands on that insurance letter!!! Glad to hear that my surgeon is not alone in his opinion.

GOOD LUCK!