i am scheduled for oct 19th and i have been looking at this option for probably six years. i am 32 years old and about 120 lbs over weight. i have been big my whole life not just fat but big also. The older i get the more i realize how much i have missed out on in my life because of my weight. Im sure it has effected me in ways i am not even aware of , and many waqys that i am. so finally everything fell into place for me and i am getting the sleeve. this was a tough decsion because everyone i have met (because when u tell people u are having this all the wls people come out of the closet) has had rny. which i think i am better suited for the sleeve being a volume/recreational eater. But now that this is a reality i am having seriuos second thoughts i dont know if this is a defense mechanism or what but i keep telling myself just try "weight watchers or shakes or calorie restriction again u can do it", then i think wait you have been on some sort of diet all your life, food is always in the back of your mind rather it be feelings of guilt because of eating something or thinking of what my next meal will be. this is really sad. so i have to force my brain into this, because no matter what it tells me i am doing this thing. ok enuff about me, one of my greatest concerns (other than death) is severe acid refulx or gerd. i dont have an issue with this now but am afraid of this. Is this something that usualyy goes away or stays with u forever. Some of people post on here freak me out alot and it seems like acid reflux affects everyone with sleeve not rny. and some more info my surgery will be a university hospital case medical center by dr alan saber i guess he has done over 500 sleeves with no deaths and 1 leak he couldnt tell me what bougie he uses cuzz he says he just uses a platic tube wich is a bougie lol. seems like a very knowledgable man and i trust him. well thanks for listening to me and any words of encouragement will be appreciated

mike w

Good question I have avid reflux already, too. Look forward to someones answer on this...

Good question I have avid reflux already, too. Look forward to someones answer on this...

I work for the surgeon that is hopefully going to be doing mine. I do have reflux, so next week I am having esophagram, ugi and gastric emptying scan to see how my stomach emptys. To see how bad my reflux is. Because my dr says that if it is too bad i should do the RNY, which I do not really want to do because he does not do that and I will have to go to someone else out of my office. So I am praying that my reflux is not too bad and just caused from eating to spicey and to fast and too much at a time.

Laura

Good for you, Mike! I am scheduled for 10/19 also. I've only been thinking about it for two years. Your comment about 'recreational eater' really hit home. That's what I do and like you I am not allowing myself to think "try WW or Slim Fast, or something else" this time. THIS time I am going to change my life.

Way to go, Mike. I admire your insights.

Sincerely, Mary

My date is for the 10/19 too!! My surgeon knows I do not currently take anything for GERD or Reflux but i have been treated for it in the past. He says the sleeve will help me identify foods that I should stay away from but is confident that I should be ok. He also does the scope before surgery to check my esophogus and stuff. This guy is very thorough. He said that I didnt really need to lose a 100lbs because of my body and that I actually have more muscle than he expected so the most he would like me to lose is between 80-85lbs. So I asked if he would leave a little more of my stomach so i didnt get to small. ( I really have no desire to be skinny, I just want to be healthy) He said that he would rather over perform the surgery than under perform it and that the bougie size he uses is a 36. So hopefully if you dont have gerd now you wont get it. To the rest of the 10/19 sleevers..I'll see you on the losers bench!!

I am so excited as I am an October 19th sleever too. I have been taking Prilosec for years and have my GERD under control so taking Prilosec is ok for me. I look forward to hearing all the words of wisdom from you 19th ers after surgery when we are all on the LOSERS SIDE. YEAH US

I had heartburn alot and I contribute most of it to being overweight. When I was thinner, I never had it. I was sleeved Sept 19 and just this past week as I moved to mushies, I started noticing it coming back. I didn't have it for the first 2 weeks after surgery. I started taking prilosec once a day and when that didn't work I started taking it twice a day. That didn't stop it either, so I called my doctor and he told me to double it and take two prilosecs in the AM and two at night. So far so good. There are a lot of stong prescription acid blockers and reducers that you can get to help and honestly, I am curious to see what happens when I get thinner, maybe it will go away on it's own. If not, I will just stick with what the doctor prescribes and if that doesn't help, well, the good news is I can always revert to the RNY.

I have heard of a lot of people having trouble at first but then it goes away after awhile. I guess you won't know until after the fact. Wish I could give you better advice, lol. Good luck!

Hello I am new to this..my sleeve is scheduled for Oct 19th, I had an EGD done on Sept 29th, the reason for having this done was to test for H Pylori infection..which is a type of bacteria it is the common cause of peptic ulcers. It is present in about half the people in the world. Most people dont relize they have H pylori, because they dont get sick from it. Also my Dr. said acid reflux could be a sign, altho being over weight and not eating right will cause acid reflux. Anyway I tested positive. YUK! Was on 3 antibiotics for 2 weeks and haven't had anymore reflux. When I say my Dr. last wednesday I asked him about it, he said the antibiotics cures it 99% of the time. He also told me thats why they test/cure for it so my sleeve is less likely to get ulcers.