I'm concerned that this is feeling too easy at the mo. I'm 4.5 weeks out and don't feel very much restriction, although I've not really pushed it. I've not vomited since my surgery so nothing should've torn. I'm just wondering what is considered 'normal' at this stage.

I'm 5.5 months out and I've discovered that with plication there is no enough restriction to maintain wight loss

For me,I've failed to continue the journey ....Plication is completely different from sleeve ...It's so strange that they r still comparing the weight loss to that of the gastric sleeve

I'm so disappointed ....I read more and more about people who r not satisfied with the loss .

Maybe your doctor will let you have the regular verticle sleeve for a discounted price? Who was your doctor?

I'm 5.5 months out and I've discovered that with plication there is no enough restriction to maintain wight loss

For me,I've failed to continue the journey ....Plication is completely different from sleeve ...It's so strange that they r still comparing the weight loss to that of the gastric sleeve

I'm so disappointed ....I read more and more about people who r not satisfied with the loss .

Sarah,

Sorry to hear about your situation. Can you give me some idea about where you are

hearing or reading information from people who are not satisfied? I am deciding

between the sleeve and the plication so this information is particularly helpful to me now.

Thanks and I hope you find a surgery that works for you.

genepha

Hi Sarah, first I want to say I am sorry that you have to feel this dissappointment, I can only imagine since I have not had a wls, but I have been researching the gastric plication surgery. Just knowing that there is so much thought and energy into the actual decision making of the right surgery and then the fear and excitement and all the other emotions the it all entails, not to mention the dreaming of a better you, so when I say I am sorry, I truley am.

I personally would like to know more of your thoughts and views on this surgery and if you would not mind telling the Dr. who performed your surgery, if you do not feel like sharing I totallly understand. I wish you all the best and please know that you are not a failure on this journey, you may just choose another road to get to your destination.

Take care.

I'm 5.5 months out and I've discovered that with plication there is no enough restriction to maintain wight loss

For me,I've failed to continue the journey ....Plication is completely different from sleeve ...It's so strange that they r still comparing the weight loss to that of the gastric sleeve

I'm so disappointed ....I read more and more about people who r not satisfied with the loss .

who was your doctor? and are you reading reviews on this site? i am getting the procedure done in a week and if you have found a site where people are sharing negative results, well then, please share that info...it may help the rest of us.

I'm 5.5 months out and I've discovered that with plication there is no enough restriction to maintain wight loss

For me,I've failed to continue the journey ....Plication is completely different from sleeve ...It's so strange that they r still comparing the weight loss to that of the gastric sleeve

I'm so disappointed ....I read more and more about people who r not satisfied with the loss .

Hi NotSoLittleMermaid [bTW love the name! ]. I have no plans to go for a VSG, as I'm not up for having the majority of my stomach removed. It'd be good to know if there really is much of difference in fullness sensation between GPS and VSG, but unless someone goes from one to another we're not gonna know. There are people who haven't got all the way there with RNY, so I'm just gonna pull my socks up and make every effort, ie track what I eat, workout/use pedometer, etc.

Maybe your doctor will let you have the regular verticle sleeve for a discounted price? Who was your doctor?

BTW my doc was Dr Lopez Corvala.

I'm 5.5 months out and I've discovered that with plication there is no enough restriction to maintain wight loss

For me,I've failed to continue the journey ....Plication is completely different from sleeve ...It's so strange that they r still comparing the weight loss to that of the gastric sleeve

I'm so disappointed ....I read more and more about people who r not satisfied with the loss .

An important distinction here is if the plicated sleeve is still the appropriate size. This should be easy to see on a barium study (drink barium in front of the x-ray machine). When we do a post-op barium study on GPS patients it looks just like the stapled sleeve which I find pleasing. If the plicated sleeve is the appropriate size it should create fullness on a small healthy meal. Any liquid or mushy food will be able to be consumed in greater quantities.

If an x-ray shows the sleeve to be the appropriate size, then "self-monitoring" is helpful (tracking eaten calories against burned calories). The best self-monitoring websites (free) I've seen are www.FitDay.com and www.Livestrong.com (calorie tracker, myPlate). These help us identify liquid calories or imbalances in protein/carbs/fats as percentages of total calories.

I would start with a barium study and go from there.

Brad Watkins MD

Hi NotSoLittleMermaid [bTW love the name! ]. I have no plans to go for a VSG, as I'm not up for having the majority of my stomach removed. It'd be good to know if there really is much of difference in fullness sensation between GPS and VSG, but unless someone goes from one to another we're not gonna know. There are people who haven't got all the way there with RNY, so I'm just gonna pull my socks up and make every effort, ie track what I eat, workout/use pedometer, etc.

Sorry my reply was meant for Sarah, regarding her plication surgery not being restrictive enough. I was worried about mine because recovery has been so easy and I feel so great no nausea or vomiting. I read who people who eat one more bite and vomit _ so I was kind worried that doesnt happen to me. But so far so good. I can get pretty filled up on 1 to 1.5 pieces of string cheese. I guess that is a fairly small portion..I am still counting calories though. Thanks for your post, Dr. Watkins.

Good point, TjiunaPlication, about putting work in. Reading this forum, the ones who focus on the protein first and rarely eat white carbs loose the most weight. Of course we would all figure that..but some who have VSG seem to have trouble eating any junk food..they must eat only good stuff or they feel sick. Sometimes it can be scary if it is too easy to cheat. But anyone can make the most of their powerfull tool or consume around their power tool. Sarah, I hope you can have a barium test and resolve your most disappointing problem. We send our support and regards.

I wanted this surgery to do all the work for me. Just being honest.

When I was banded, it did do all the work for me. For a while anyway. I couldn't eat all the things I loved most,,, like bread, pizza, sandwiches, chicken. Sometimes just a bite of something would get me "stuck" and I couldn't eat anymore. The problem is I couldn't eat anything healthy either,, like fresh veggies, chicken. My friends used to say "omg, how can you handle not eating anything!" my response was always "thats what i paid $10,000 for" So, obviously it didn't work long term, I had horrible reflux, fills, unfills, I realized it wasn't healthy for me, and besides, I had gained every ounce i lost. (I did quit smoking tho!) So, I decided on the plication. Its not giving me the restriction I'd like. I wanted to get full from a small amount of food, and stay full. I get full from a small amount, but I get hungry again sooner than I'd like. (in a few hours) I am following the rules, and hoping that as my stomach heals more, I will stay fuller longer,,,, So, I'm trying to work this "tool" !! I have to use it simply as a tool. I'm going to the gym, eating healthy foods, and trying to make the lifestyle change that I need to make to be healthy. I love that i get full pretty fast. I love that i "can" eat anything I want, just in small portions. I love that I NEVER puke, like i did with the band. But i sure wish I was seeing results that the other sleeve patients see. I wish it would do the work for me. I'm fat because I've not been able to do this on my own. Now, I just hope the "tool" of getting full fast will be enough for me to take control and be in charge of my weight loss. I see it as my last hope! So,, to sum up my babbling, I would agree, its not as restrictive for me as I'd like. But I don't regret the surgery, and I'm going to work really hard everyday to do what I need to do to make this work for me.

Thanks so much to all of you. I am trying to decide between the VSG and the VSP. Please continue to post.

So far, it sounds like, with the Plication, you can eat anything you want, but with the VSG, you cannot? Is that correct? WIth the VSG, can you eat vegetables?

And it sounds like that with the Plication, you still get hungry, so that is a drawback.

Please keep posting, you are my sources of information regarding the VSP, and there is so little info available.

Also - a question, are the other doctors (besides Watkins) correcting the h. hernias when they to the Plication?

Thanks so much to all of you. I am trying to decide between the VSG and the VSP. Please continue to post.

So far, it sounds like, with the Plication, you can eat anything you want, but with the VSG, you cannot? Is that correct? WIth the VSG, can you eat vegetables?

And it sounds like that with the Plication, you still get hungry, so that is a drawback.

Please keep posting, you are my sources of information regarding the VSP, and there is so little info available.

Also - a question, are the other doctors (besides Watkins) correcting the h. hernias when they to the Plication?

I can't answer for the plication stuff.

But, with VSG you can literally eat anything you want. I eat tons of raw, steamed, cooked, baked veggies. I eat on average 2-3 salads a week. So, that information is incorrect. I eat a very balanced, nutrient dense diet with VSG. At 19 months out, I still never experience physical hunger with VSG.

Keep reading, and base the decision on what you need for long term success.

I've had a VSG I'm 5 months now, I have restrcition though by now I can eat mostly anything just in tiny amounts. I was never ever expecting it to work on it's own, I actually thought I would have to work harder. I have nearly 20lbs still to goal, but I am still amazed of how well I'm doing, I just asked my mum via skype to tell me that this is not a dream !