Hi there.

So since telling my parents, who decided to share with the rest of the family, my aunt has sent me an email persuading me not to have the surgery and why.

I've searched this site and YouTube and haven't found any complication posts and have been looking for many weeks. All I hear is good with a little trouble.

Please share any complications stories that you've had so I'm making a knowledgeable decision.

Have you read the forum here "VSG complications support group?" A number of people have written about leaks and other complications. Maybe start there--and remember, the complication rate with VSG is extremely low. Keep researching!

Here's the link to the complications support group: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/48-vsg-complications-support-group/

Have you contacted a surgeon yet? If yes, you should be able to get a list of possible complications with that surgeons rate of complications, rate of death, rate of leaks, rate of failure, etc.

While it is nice to know that your aunt is concerned but this is an informed decision. You are not going to have an unknown surgery in a back alley. Risks, yes there are risk but they are minimal.

Best wishes on your road to a decision!

There is a risk of complications with any surgery, but there are health risks associated with being overweight/obese also.

It really depends on what you consider a complication.

Leaks, death, blood clots, anesthesia issues, general surgical complications can occur. Those stats are specific to each surgeon.

As for complications post-op, those range by patient. Some, not all, experience the following;

1) Difficulty drinking/sipping the recommended clear Fluid levels (you'll find this is most likely to occur the first 2 weeks when swelling from the trauma of surgery is most common)

2) Progressing through the food stages (some take longer, others are able to progress faster)

3) Fatigue

4) Lactose Intolerance (can occur shortly after surgery and last for several months with varying degrees of intolerance with milk products)

5) Nausea/dehydration

Thanks everyone for the help and support. I feel better knowing that I've read about everything that's been mentioned.

I have chosen not to tell too many people for that very reason. I have done my research, I have thought about it extensively, I have made my decision for myself and i don't really want to hear what anyone else thinks about it. My mother is concerned, but she has still being positive with me. I'm sure she is not saying what she really feels about it. But this is a woman who still makes me call when I get home from leaving her house, and i'm 45 years old with two grown kids! Lol. So that is natural concern from a parent.

So my advice, for what its worth, is to do your own research and search yourself for what you really want, then make a decision and stick to it. Tell you Aunt that you thank her for her concern but that you have done your research and you feel the risks, however small they are, are worth it (if that is what you decide).

Good luck to you!