Hello, to introduce myself I'm 18 almost 19 and a junior in college. I'm a female and I've had weight issues my entire life. Obesity runs in the family. As does arthritis, major knee problems, type 2, and a few other horrible things I can't remember right now. I'm 260, BMI of 43 and around 5'4. WLS has been suggested by a family doctor and another physician, the last like 4 months my health has gone down the crapper honestly. And I would rather do something, vsg, now than wait 10 years just to suffer and be miserable more.

I've begun to take the steps towards it however I'm still not 100% sure. Maybe like 99% most of the time and sometimes it's like 75% lol. My question is would you have done the surgery sooner if you had the chance to? 18/19? And what was it like waking up from surgery? I've seen some say 'not much pain' and some say the worst pain in their life - I've never had a major surgery before.

So far with my research and consulting with my doctor I feel like a VSG would be the best thing for me. But I couldn't find any testimonials /articles about a teen with VSG. A few for the lapband but I know that is just not for me (long story short a family friend has it, and while he's kept the weight off and still is able to go through one of those pint size ice-creams a night he can hardly keep food down and it gets 'stuck'). .And was wondering, because quite a few of you seem more informed than my newbie self, if anyone had any articles or blog or youtube or anything of a teen who underwent vsg.

Sorry for all of the questions, Jay.

Hi Jay,

I like you have suffered (yes I believe is a suffering) from obesity. I wish I had the oportunity to have WLS when I was your age, I am now 30 and will be having my sleeve done in May. I have all of those risk factors in my family as well. I can only tell you what I have found in medical journals and what I have learn here and from my surgeon. There is very little to no real data in medical journals in teenage weight loss surgery (you are a young adult so you would be a little closer to that age group). There are currently many studies being done in that age group but the sleeve (VSG) is a very new procedure overall. The studies for the general population (most done ages 18-70 year old patients, but the great majority of the patients in between 30-50) have great things to say about the sleeve, very low mortality rate (death rate) and complication rate. With any major surgery there are risks, but I personally believe that for me the benefit greatly outweights the risks. The risks are also dependant in who your surgeon is, I would definitely take some time finding out about surgeons that could do your surgery if you decide to go this route. I do not recommend the lapband, after much research I find that that procedure is a lot more risky long term than the sleeve (but again we don't have a lot of long term research on the sleeve either). I would suggest watching some youtube videos on the subject, there are people who talk about their experience with the sleeve. here are some of the ones I have been watching most talk about the good the bad and the ugly....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGHbL0U0g3Y&feature=plcp&context=C41054d7VDvjVQa1PpcFPZV6uruC1EVkag5nkUvI0lFxrKCuFWYng%3D

the first one Daisy I believe she is 25, the others are older. I wanted to give you somewhere to begin your search but I am sure you can find more information and other videos here, and in youtube (I am a extremelly visual person so I like watching the videos)

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you want there are many people here who love to give info, but also read the many great discussions, blogs and such that are available.

oh by the way I only posted their first video if you go to youtube you can find all of the ones that they made after.

Here are 2 youtube girls 'bbypdog" and "mesaucedo1" are both young one is 19 and one is 20 that just had the vsg surgery.

If I had the capability to do the surgery when I was younger with a weight problem yes I would have done it. I did not have the weight problem at that age but would definitely do the surgery if so.

In college? Probably not, because I was not weighing so much during that time. I started to balloon out only after I joined my job and moved away to a new city. No home cooked food and had way too much money than I have ever had (not much of allowances for kids in India, lol).

But I really regret that I havent had VSG done sooner. Like probably a couple of years before (maybe at 25). It would have given me so much of energy to enjoy my life. I have a great bunch of friends and I really regret having to say no to 3 out of 4 outings a month. And my younger sis -- she loves going out for shopping and will literally beg me to come with her. Again I refuse 3 out of 4 times coz I'm too lazy to dress up and leave home on a weekend.

I'm really hoping that I get my energy back and have some quality time with friends and family every now and then.

Hello, to introduce myself I'm 18 almost 19 and a junior in college. I'm a female and I've had weight issues my entire life. Obesity runs in the family. As does arthritis, major knee problems, type 2, and a few other horrible things I can't remember right now. I'm 260, BMI of 43 and around 5'4. WLS has been suggested by a family doctor and another physician, the last like 4 months my health has gone down the crapper honestly. And I would rather do something, vsg, now than wait 10 years just to suffer and be miserable more.

I've begun to take the steps towards it however I'm still not 100% sure. Maybe like 99% most of the time and sometimes it's like 75% lol. My question is would you have done the surgery sooner if you had the chance to? 18/19? And what was it like waking up from surgery? I've seen some say 'not much pain' and some say the worst pain in their life - I've never had a major surgery before.

So far with my research and consulting with my doctor I feel like a VSG would be the best thing for me. But I couldn't find any testimonials /articles about a teen with VSG. A few for the lapband but I know that is just not for me (long story short a family friend has it, and while he's kept the weight off and still is able to go through one of those pint size ice-creams a night he can hardly keep food down and it gets 'stuck'). .And was wondering, because quite a few of you seem more informed than my newbie self, if anyone had any articles or blog or youtube or anything of a teen who underwent vsg.

Sorry for all of the questions, Jay.

You are young. Getting the surgery will help you enjoy being young healthy and fit. You will not regret it.

My ONLY regret of this surgery is not having it done when I was younger. Dont waist your youth being unhappy and unheallthy. GET IT! I promise that this is the best thing you could ever do for yourself! Good luck!

I would've definitely done it earlier, had I had the money. I remember first considering WLS in like 2006 - I was looking at the lap band. Good thing I didn't get that band! LOL.

One of my surgery-buddies was 20. She was only about 30-45 lbs overweight, but her family is all obese and has diabetes, etc. She was doing it for preventative reasons. SO don't blame her. She looks amazing now!! She was very pretty before anyways.

If I could of gotten sleeved back when I was 17-18 I wouldn't of hesitated for a second. It would of spared me a lot of pain and heartache and stress.

I would have absolutely done it sooner! I wasnt heavy till mid to late 20's but if it were available then I would have done it. Like you said, everyone is different as far as "handling" the surgery but I would assume that the younger you are the easier the recovery should be. Why not take care of your health when you are younger, less problems when you get older! Good luck with your decision.

If the VSG had been available when I was a teenager I would have had it done. Instead, I had to wait until I was a 55 yr old grandmother and had 2 artificial knees and a rebuilt foot and who-knows-what kind of damage from years with high blood pressure. If I had been able to live the past 40 yrs as a fit and trim woman.... Lord only knows what kind of life I would have had.

I know that God is in control, so this surgery was meant for me to have done now, at this time in my life. Perhaps this is the time in your life that it is meant to happen?

I had considered gastric bypass and lapband but they were both rife with lifelong consequences.

Anyhow, enough rambling. Be brave and be healthy and be prepared to be disciplined ! (i.e. no eating pints of ice cream !)

When I was 9, I went from a healthy, active, thin child to an overweight woman with huge boobs and PCOS... It happened literally within a summer. If I could have had this surgery then, oh yes. I have lived my whole life obese, and fighting to lose. Every day I am on a diet, with every scrap of food and calorie counted. If I could have never developed the long, hard wall of mental anguish I have now, I would pay almost anything. I say do it as young as possible. I just did last week, at 33. I wasted more than half of my life fighting obesity, and it was a war I could never have won. If you sincerely think that you cannot win the war on your own, do it asap.

I am one of the gals that 2bsmallagain was talking about. I am 20, just turned a few months ago, and currently a sophomore at UCSB. I have been fluffy for a very long time, and it just seems to get worse as time goes on. My family has a history of diabetes, heart conditions and weak bones. I have tried everything from nutri-system to juice fasts to hardcore gym sessions only to always gain it back.

I knew that if I wanted to be able to have a family and be healthy and travel and enjoy my life that I needed to get this done. I didn't want to waste anymore of my time being unhealthy and unhappy when I see so many around me enjoying life.

Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself. It is very tough but I think worth it. I would wait until summer to get it done though. I did mine, a week ago, during our spring break so I had time to recover.

We will support you no matter what path you chose to take.