hi guys,

I just joined from the Lapband forum which I have been folowing for two years. I have seen a few doctors and all say that I am not qualified. I am 5' 11" - 251 - 37.1BMI. Last month I read about the Sleeve and so now I am in the research phase. I am sure somewhere in this forum all the answers are here and I will find them but if anyone would be so kind as so give me their input on the following:

Is my BMI too low for the Sleeve?

Is the sleeve safe?

How many days after surgery will I be up and about?

Is it possible to lose to much weight?

Will I ever be able to eat a 'normal' meal?

I will have to self pay and I am thinking of going to Mexico - I work there and speak spanish but I just don't know about the quality?

My wife is afraid that we wont be able to go out to eat anymore? I told her we could go dancing instead but she is worried we wont have 'fun'?

I am just very nervous and I think I am really going to do since I have been gaining about 2-3 pounds a year for the last 10 years.

Thanks,

TCL

Hi TCL - My BMI was 36.6 - so you are just over what I was. We are probably considered fairly low, but still obese. I have not had ANY "buyers remorse". Getting the sleeve is the best decision I've ever made for myself. I too was a self pay, but I left Wisconsin, where healthcare is expensive and I went to my home state of Texas. The sleeve is safe, I was in good health, so I think that made a difference, but I never had one problem. I've never even thrown up!! I haven't found anything I can't eat, although I'm careful with Pasta, it fills me up fast! I'm a pretty cheap date, my husband and I share a meal, or else I bring home my left overs and have lunch the next day, and depending on what it is, possibly a third meal. I am real aware of everything I put in my mouth, I did not suffer from a food addiction, so I don't have some of the issues that some folks do I guess, so I'm lucky. I reached my goal in just under five months (first part of Nov) and am now 6 lbs under. I was up and about walking the hall in the hospital several hours after surgery and was walking around Wal Mart (slowly) four days later. Walk, walk, walk....it's good for you. We rented a beach house for week two of recovery and I was walking on the beach for a short distance then. I felt good!! I took a nap every afternoon for about ten days, I would get tired easily, but I think that is normal. As far as eating a "normal" meal, I have a NEW normal and I look at what others eat and is THAT normal???!! Yikes! I still like food, and I eat because I need to and because it tastes good, I'm not really hungry. I feel an empty feeling some times....it's great! I have control, food does not! I left the table on Thanksgiving for the first time in my life not stuffed, satisfied. I had a few bites of everything. I cannot eat much....but I enjoy what I do eat!

hi guys,

I just joined from the Lapband forum which I have been folowing for two years. I have seen a few doctors and all say that I am not qualified. I am 5' 11" - 251 - 37.1BMI. Last month I read about the Sleeve and so now I am in the research phase. I am sure somewhere in this forum all the answers are here and I will find them but if anyone would be so kind as so give me their input on the following:

Is my BMI too low for the Sleeve?

Is the sleeve safe?

How many days after surgery will I be up and about?

Is it possible to lose to much weight?

Will I ever be able to eat a 'normal' meal?

I will have to self pay and I am thinking of going to Mexico - I work there and speak spanish but I just don't know about the quality?

My wife is afraid that we wont be able to go out to eat anymore? I told her we could go dancing instead but she is worried we wont have 'fun'?

I am just very nervous and I think I am really going to do since I have been gaining about 2-3 pounds a year for the last 10 years.

Thanks,

TCL

My BMI was 36 at the time of the sleeve and I've had no problems losing weight nor keeping it off. I'd say go for it.

Is my BMI too low for the Sleeve?

Not from what I have seen on these boards. Maybe too low for insurance to cover without co-morbidities, but I've definitely seen self-pay that is lower.

Is the sleeve safe?

I think the sleeve is much safer than the band or bypass, based on my own personal research.

How many days after surgery will I be up and about?

I was up and about within hours of surgery (walking the halls) but I have been an avid exerciser for almost 7 years now, so that might have helped. I spent one night in the hospital and was really truly feeling myself about 1 week post-surgery.

Is it possible to lose to much weight?

I think there is a post in this very forum about that topic from someone who is struggling with that right now. I would say in the 3 months I've been here, that is the first one I've heard of truly struggling with going too low. I would venture a guess that is is more the exception than the rule.

Will I ever be able to eat a 'normal' meal?

Well, if you consider a HUGE plate of food normal, then no. But at Thanksgiving I had all my favorites on my plate, even if I only ate 2 bites of each thing. I felt normal and there were several people at the table who did not know I had surgery and no one asked a single thing about what was on my plate (they were too busy digging into their own plate...lol)

I will have to self pay and I am thinking of going to Mexico - I work there and speak spanish but I just don't know about the quality?

Totally can't answer that one for you. I was sleeved in the states.

My wife is afraid that we wont be able to go out to eat anymore? I told her we could go dancing instead but she is worried we wont have 'fun'?

Eating out is a bit of different experience than what I had pre-op. In fact the restaurant portions are just out of control enormous. I suggest sharing a meal, or bringing home the leftovers for another meal (or 3 or 4...lol). The leftovers are currently my hardest to deal with. After I've eaten the same food about 3x I'm done with it. And the rest gets thrown in the trash. I do need to get more creative with 'repurposing' the leftovers, but I'm pretty newly sleeved so I have lots of time to learn. I did get some Mexican Gumbo at Qdoba (about 3 weeks ago, black Beans, chicken...no rice, cheese or tortilla strips) and came home and calculated out that it would give me 6 WLS servings. I ate 3 servings in 2 days and measured out 3 more servings and froze them in individual snack size baggies. Then on a cold day, I just take out the pre-measured serving and heat it up. So eating out won't be the same amount of FOOD, but it is still (or can be) FUN.

Good luck in your decision. I have not once regretted my sleeve!!! I've never thrown up (hate to do that ... which is what steered me away from the band) felt great after surgery, and continue to have nothing but good things to say about the sleeve.