Hello,

First I would like to say hi to all and hope all is well. I have been checking out this forum for several days and decided to post and check things out even farther.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Dave and I am very intently cosidering the sleeve but to be honest I am very comprehensive and excited at the same time. Just some basic info about myself. I am 31 years old and have always been overweight. I have always been active and pretty healthy overall but always overweight. A few years ago I weighed myself and when I saw 375 ish, I said enough is enough. I became more aware of what I was eating, when, etc.... I was able to get down to about 315ish. At that time I was eating very healthy and walking/jogging 9-15 miles per week. Even with doing that for most of that summer I was unable to drop another pound below 315. My body loved that weight and would not budge no matter what I did. That fact makes me very very nervous about even doing this surgery as I am apprehensive of not being able to lose enough to justify the cost and the risk. I don't have diabetes, htn, or sleep apnea. I have had blood work checked for high cholesterol and thyroid disorder and all is absolutely perfect. The doctor and nurse actually gave me a weird look when they looked at the numbers and said that it could not be better!! Weird but hey it is what it is, right??

Anyway, I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask of you guys as to learn from the experience... I have looked over many many pages here and still have some questions that I didn't see.

I look forward to any and all info that you guys are willing to share!! Thanks again, Dave.

Hey Dave....you sound so much like me. I've always been overweight and my blood pressure has always been 120/80. Last year at my physical my resting heart rate was 56. The doc didn't believe it. I've always been very active, but I always ate too much and I just couldn't loose any weight. When I was 35 I decided to drop the weight. I cut my calories to about 2000 a day, and did at least an hour of cardio a day. I went from 390 to 270 in about a year, but it was not sustainable. I was starving all the time. I was constantly dehydrated. I was eating all the wrong things, basically living on lean cuisines. No veggies, very little Protein, but a lot of low glycemic carbs. Within 5 years I gained it all back plus 11 pounds.

So I had the sleeve in May. Since May 1st I've lost 55 pounds and I'm barely hungry. I think being active and relatively fit (fat but fit) really helped my recovery. I haven't had one problem. I haven't been sick. No food that I've tried so far has bothered me, but I get full so fast, and it's great. Now I'm eating about 1100 calories a day, about 135 grams of protein a day and only about 30 to 40 grams of carbs. Hell, 4 fig newtons is 40 carbs!!! I used to eat 20 at a time.

So now my weight is going down nicely, and at 6 weeks out my energy level has returned completely. Yesterday I bicycled 20 miles and today I went for a 4 mile hike in the woods with my dogs. I'm doing something every day, the weight is coming off, and it is sustainable because I'm not very hungry. I will no doubt hit stalls on the scale, but in the long run I will hit my goal if I keep living like this. And I could not have done it without the sleeve. So I encourage you to believe that you can reach your goal, and if you choose to get the sleeve, I firmly believe it can help you....but you still have to make it happen.

Good luck

Welcome Dave

This is definitely a great place to get advice and information! A little warning... we are all a bit biased !! First off, GREAT job on getting healthy/fit even before your potential surgery. The healthier you are before, the healthier you are after! If you do proceed with the surgery your recovery should be quicker and easier and your new habits should stick easier.

If you're magic number was closer to your goal weight, I might have a tiny bit of hesitation. But since 315 is closer to your starting weight than your goal weight (i'm assuming this, you could be really, really tall) I would say that you will have no problems at all blowing past this. From what I've experienced and read from others you may stall there, even for a couple weeks, but in the end you will lose and push past it. The amazing thing about the sleeve is it takes care of you as long as you take care of it! Whenever I stall or have a bad day I just remember that sleevie is still there preventing me from doing any serious damage to my weight loss. So, in my opinion, the sleeve would be a GREAT tool to get you past this.

I also feel like from what you've said that the sleeve (versus band, RNY, etc) would be great for you since you are capable of good eating. The sleeve is a tool, it will help you lose weight of course, but like everything it is your choices that will ultimately keep the weight off. I have always thought of it as my life preserver. When I first started this journey I felt like I was stranded in the middle of the ocean. I was strong enough to keep my head up, but I wasn't going anywhere. The life preserver (my sleeve!) keeps me up, while I swim for shore. I still have to do the work, but I'm not struggling to keep my head up anymore. To further this very corny metaphor, this site, my family and my support group are my lighthouse. They help me know where to swim and keep me on course.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask! Also, if you haven't already. There is a great search function on here that will make it easier to browse through all the posts. And there is a "mens room" too, for male specific questions. (warning, us ladies tend to linger there sometimes too lol!!)

HI! Ask away....we'll answer what we can. There is an "FAQ" post that may interest you. It should be pinned in.....pre op questions? I'm not sure exactly, but it's pinned in one of the main forums. That may help you out a lot right away.

(Yes, I looked and it's the first post in the pre op forum)

Hey guys thanks for the responses. To address a couple things in specific.... Bean, it sounds rather similar to me as well. I lost about 60 lbs or so down to the 315. I got a little laxed and got back to about 340-345 and stayed there for a looooong time with no effort to lose but as the same time had no problem staying at that weight. Back in February, I had to get a new Dr as I had moved to a new town and in the process got to talking to him about options. That was the first time that he checked my numbers and all was great. We basically at the same moment thought adipex. I started it and used about 3-4 months and decided to break on that for a bit. I went back today and am down about 25 lbs from February. I am glad to hear that you have been able to eat basically whatever you want. That is one of my concerns as I am some what of a picky eater, not overly so, but would consider myself a meat and potato kink of guy. I just never acquired a taste for broccoli or celery type foods. In the same breath I can also say that I am not a sweets addict at all and never binge ate just because. I just always preferred real food and would eat the sweets if I wanted a little depending on what it was. You sound a lot like my friend that had this done last year. He says that he has not found anything yet that he has not been able to eat. That is somewhat of a concern in all honesty. With my luck, I won't be able to eat anything that I could before. Not kidding, I can always pull the skunk out of the hat instead of the rabbit!!

Emily. In regards to your post..... I am 5'10" and currently range from 327-330 lbs. To be completely honest, I would be happy to hit 250 and stay there. I am not looking to get into the modeling industry or anything so a super skinny me isn't really what I am after lol. I just know that I am only capable of losing a few more pounds on my own before I hit the stall of all stalls that will not give. When I got there before I tried diet pills, high protein/low carb, carb cycling.... you name it and not another ounce. Given these facts, I know I can't get there on my own therefore I know it's time to look into my options while I am still young enough and in good enough health to do what I need to do to get where I need to be.

A few concerns besides the food not agreeing anymore are.... I am concerned that I won't have my stomach if I need it. I know it sounds like a stupid thought but if a person were to get deathly ill (cancer, accident, etc) I wouldn't have it. That just really sticks in my mind when mulling this thing over. Another thing I worry about, which may not even be relevant is meds for my kidney stones. I have to take potassium citrate every day. Two concerns about these pills are that A) they are sort of acidic and not very little pills at that, so I am not sure how they would work with a sleeve and they do not "dissolve" like regular pills. Your body just kind of absords what it needs from them and they well, they just kinda pass on and I'll leave that at that. Sorry about that detail!

Thanks again for the responses guys.... Keep the info coming. I need it all right now.

Hey guys thanks for the responses. To address a couple things in specific.... Bean, it sounds rather similar to me as well. I lost about 60 lbs or so down to the 315. I got a little laxed and got back to about 340-345 and stayed there for a looooong time with no effort to lose but as the same time had no problem staying at that weight. Back in February, I had to get a new Dr as I had moved to a new town and in the process got to talking to him about options. That was the first time that he checked my numbers and all was great. We basically at the same moment thought adipex. I started it and used about 3-4 months and decided to break on that for a bit. I went back today and am down about 25 lbs from February. I am glad to hear that you have been able to eat basically whatever you want. That is one of my concerns as I am some what of a picky eater, not overly so, but would consider myself a meat and potato kink of guy. I just never acquired a taste for broccoli or celery type foods. In the same breath I can also say that I am not a sweets addict at all and never binge ate just because. I just always preferred real food and would eat the sweets if I wanted a little depending on what it was. You sound a lot like my friend that had this done last year. He says that he has not found anything yet that he has not been able to eat. That is somewhat of a concern in all honesty. With my luck, I won't be able to eat anything that I could before. Not kidding, I can always pull the skunk out of the hat instead of the rabbit!!

Emily. In regards to your post..... I am 5'10" and currently range from 327-330 lbs. To be completely honest, I would be happy to hit 250 and stay there. I am not looking to get into the modeling industry or anything so a super skinny me isn't really what I am after lol. I just know that I am only capable of losing a few more pounds on my own before I hit the stall of all stalls that will not give. When I got there before I tried diet pills, high protein/low carb, carb cycling.... you name it and not another ounce. Given these facts, I know I can't get there on my own therefore I know it's time to look into my options while I am still young enough and in good enough health to do what I need to do to get where I need to be.

A few concerns besides the food not agreeing anymore are.... I am concerned that I won't have my stomach if I need it. I know it sounds like a stupid thought but if a person were to get deathly ill (cancer, accident, etc) I wouldn't have it. That just really sticks in my mind when mulling this thing over. Another thing I worry about, which may not even be relevant is meds for my kidney stones. I have to take potassium citrate every day. Two concerns about these pills are that A) they are sort of acidic and not very little pills at that, so I am not sure how they would work with a sleeve and they do not "dissolve" like regular pills. Your body just kind of absords what it needs from them and they well, they just kinda pass on and I'll leave that at that. Sorry about that detail!

Thanks again for the responses guys.... Keep the info coming. I need it all right now.

My husband also wanted to know "well what if you got stomach cancer? (God forbid) What then?" So I asked and they said in that case you can be given a gastric bypass removing the affected stomach area. As far as pill size- my cardiologist gave me these fancy fish oil pills to take to rebalance my cholesterol. (It's low--it's just too much LDL to HDL. Anyway...I digress...) These suckers are MONSTERS!!! They're like the size of those huge glucosamine pills or whatever those are. They seem to go just fine. They do break down, unlike what you're talking about.

Hope any of that helps...

I researched that same issue about not having your stomach and what would you do and here is what I determined. Your stomach is a holding organ -- it just holds the food prior to its entry into the small intestine. Even if they had to remove your entire stomach -- and this had been done before - they can create a pouch out of the top of your small intestines that would serve the same purpose. So while difficult, not impossible to go without one.

I researched that same issue about not having your stomach and what would you do and here is what I determined. Your stomach is a holding organ -- it just holds the food prior to its entry into the small intestine. Even if they had to remove your entire stomach -- and this had been done before - they can create a pouch out of the top of your small intestines that would serve the same purpose. So while difficult' date=' not impossible to go without one.[/quote']

My mother had stomach cancer and had a complete gastrectomy three years ago. They did exactly as you said here, made a small pouch out of the top of her small intestine. She eats like a someone who has been sleeved, although she seems to tolerate bread well. She was obese before her surgery and is now slim and hasn't gained any weight back. But she does play gold four times a week so she's also very active!

Hey Dooter,

Thanks for the post. I also take the glucosamine pills as well and those suckers are frickin huge! I have a pretty ragged left knee due to an old injury back in high school. It's not bad enough (pain wise) to have it cut on yet so I have put off and put off having it repaired. It occasionally flares pretty good but a little advil and tylenol goes a long way. I also know that if I have it cut now, that I will probably have to have it done again years down the road..... not looking forward to that the first time much less twice.

Regarding medications...... Are there things that you guys find that you can no longer take??? I have read a few posts that say Drs have discouraged the use of NSAIDS. I am sure there is a reason for that??? As far as the potassium citrate I have to take for the kidney stones, it is an absolute MUST. No way around that one, without it, I live in kidney stone hell!! I guess that is one of the questions that I am gonna have to ask at consult.

Sorry about all the long posts guys but lots of questions and fear of the unknown right now... I am one of those people that does not scare easily and I do not jump into anything without knowing exactly what I am getting into. I am just a little perplexed at the thoughts of doing this.

Hey Dooter,

Thanks for the post. I also take the glucosamine pills as well and those suckers are frickin huge! I have a pretty ragged left knee due to an old injury back in high school. It's not bad enough (pain wise) to have it cut on yet so I have put off and put off having it repaired. It occasionally flares pretty good but a little advil and tylenol goes a long way. I also know that if I have it cut now, that I will probably have to have it done again years down the road..... not looking forward to that the first time much less twice.

Regarding medications...... Are there things that you guys find that you can no longer take??? I have read a few posts that say Drs have discouraged the use of NSAIDS. I am sure there is a reason for that??? As far as the potassium citrate I have to take for the kidney stones, it is an absolute MUST. No way around that one, without it, I live in kidney stone hell!! I guess that is one of the questions that I am gonna have to ask at consult.

Sorry about all the long posts guys but lots of questions and fear of the unknown right now... I am one of those people that does not scare easily and I do not jump into anything without knowing exactly what I am getting into. I am just a little perplexed at the thoughts of doing this.

OH definitely this is the time to ask all you can, and read all you can. The NSAIDs can be hard on your stomach beFORE surgery, much less after. Some people don't have trouble with them, but surgeons don't like us dumping Drain-o on their work. That said...on rare occasion, if I have a bad enough pain, I'll take ONE 'profen and that usually helps.

Ya, you have to stay on top of those kidney stones! My dad just had a 12mm one busted up and that wasn't even his biggest one! So definitely find out about the ramifications of that!! Might have to chop up your pills. I was told after six weeks, I could take pills the size of an M&M or smaller. Before that, everything had to be crushed up. See if you can take your potassium citrate in crushed powder form. I think if you get that issue straightened up, you will do very well with this surgery! It is awesome!!

OH...one more thing....keep in mind- when you are lighter, your joints are MUCH happier. Your knee will thank you, hopefully by less pain!

Hi Dave, and welcome to the (prospective) club!

I have been monitoring this WLS world for about nine years now, since my wife and I decided to get serious about our respective weight problems - she had a DS about seven years ago and is maintaining well at a normal weight and down 200lb. Beyond researching and starting to go to support group meetings/seminars, we started doing the classic diet/exercise program that is often required by insurance companies as a roadblock to approval, and while it didn't do much for her, I found that I liked getting into the gym, doing strength training that I had never been into before and going back to swimming. I fairly quickly lost around 50lb (335-285) over six months or so before hitting an extended plateau. I kept at it, basically with sane balanced nutrition and moderate caloric restriction - I was looking for long term results with permanent lifestyle/habit changes rather than crash or fad diets - and over time hid a hard wall at around 240. No doubt with some laxity (but not a lot,) I did regain some of that back to the 280 range, but maintained that for several years. That basic stability gave me the confidence to use the VSG as the tool for moving the rest of the way down the scale over the stronger medicine of the DS which does offer better regain resistance for its more invasive character (the RNY gastric bypass was never under serious consideration for numerous reasons.)

I had the VSG last May, and hit my goal range of 190ish in a little over seven months by applying the restricted intake of the VSG to the basic balanced diet that I had already adopted - no ultra low carb or other fad diets involved - emphasizing the Protein as is common with all WLS programs and cutting back the lower nutrional density items in the diet. I typically was running in the 1100-1200 calorie range at 100+g protein thru the weight loss period without any particular struggle or discomfort in doing so; it was more of a struggle to get up into my current 1800-2000 calorie range to maintain things, but that's comfortable now (note that it's generally easy to add junk calories as most junk food are so-called "sliders" that slide on thru; adding nutritionally valuable calories is a little tougher, but not impossible - it just takes practice.)

On the med front, the consensus medical opinion is that there is no problem with NSAIDS with the sleeve (or DS), though there can always individual variations. Indeed, this factor is often used in successfully appealing insurance decisions directing patients away from the VSG and DS and toward the RNY. Some surgeons apply their RNY experience to the VSG when they are still getting their feet wet with the less familiar (to them) procedure and warn against using NSAIDs, but surgeons with long sleeve experience have no problem with NSAID use, though many will want to minimize their use early on while things are still healing.

The NSAID issues stems from how the RNY is crafted, where a part of the intestines that are not resistant to stomach acid is connected to the RNY stomach pouch, and the duodenum (the part of the intestines immediately below the stomach which is acid resistant) is bypassed along with the rest of the stomach. That suture line between the RNY stomach pouch and intestine is constantly being irritated by stomach acid, so the blanket medical advice for bypass patients is to avoid any of the drugs classed as stomach irritants. Since the basic stomach and duodenum anatomy remains intact with the VSG, there are no such medication restrictions long term.

Good luck in your decisions and journey!

Thanks Rick. I was seeing some mixed things on the NSAIDS, that makes sense, especially not to use them very early. The sleeve is the only procedure that I am looking at seriously. The DS and RNY are completely out of the question for me and I can say that I would just deal with what I have before I would use that. I know some people that have had the RNY and had absolutely nothing but problems, and serious problems at that.

The fact that the stomach is the only thing affected and no other replumbing makes the sleeve seem like the best choice of all the procedures I have looked at. Thanks again.

Now regarding dumping syndrome.... I get mixed opinions on this as well. I understand that a lot of this relies on what people are eating but is it as bad as the others??? Like I said, a lot of questions that I would like to hear from real people with real world results, not from a hospital salesperson just trying to get patients in the door. I work in a hospital so I know how things sometimes seem to be. I am thinking about making an appt for next week to consult.

Keep the info rolling guys. You don't know how much I appreciate it!!!

Thanks Rick. I was seeing some mixed things on the NSAIDS, that makes sense, especially not to use them very early. The sleeve is the only procedure that I am looking at seriously. The DS and RNY are completely out of the question for me and I can say that I would just deal with what I have before I would use that. I know some people that have had the RNY and had absolutely nothing but problems, and serious problems at that.

The fact that the stomach is the only thing affected and no other replumbing makes the sleeve seem like the best choice of all the procedures I have looked at. Thanks again.

Now regarding dumping syndrome.... I get mixed opinions on this as well. I understand that a lot of this relies on what people are eating but is it as bad as the others??? Like I said, a lot of questions that I would like to hear from real people with real world results, not from a hospital salesperson just trying to get patients in the door. I work in a hospital so I know how things sometimes seem to be. I am thinking about making an appt for next week to consult.

Keep the info rolling guys. You don't know how much I appreciate it!!!

Dumping is very individual. A portion of us never experience dumping, while others do. I think a part of it has to do with food choices but part of it just can't be controlled. It is definitely much less common with the sleeve. From what I understand about dumping, it could happen even to a "normal" person. Of course it is very, very, very rare.

During the seminars that i've attended they say that it doesn't happen with the sleeve. And I suppose they say that since the way food enters the stomach and the way food exits it doesn't change, so technically dumping shouldn't happen. From talking to people you figure out that it does.

I know that was kinda convoluted and didn't give you a straight answer, but I came to the conclusion that there isn't one. It will either happen, or it won't.

You mentioned you might make an appointment for a consult, have you attended any seminars? They are normally free and they are a great place to ask questions.

Emily,

That was sort of the conclusion that I had came to about the dumping thing as well lol!

I have not been to any seminars or any of that at this point. I have just been doing a lot, I mean a lot of research, and talking to anyone that I can about it that has personal experience with it. A lady at work just had it this week and I am anxious to speak with her. She had it at the same hospital that I would be going to so I am very interested to see how it went. Another friend of mine had it done at the same hospital as well. He had a couple complications, but I have always said that he is "special" anyway so I wasn't surprised. He ended up with pneumonia and an infection BUT he was a smoker and I am not sure which one incurred first that may have lead to the other. Kinda of a six of one, half a dozen of another type situation I think.

I am still gathering info and working it over in my head at this point....

WOW I think I really screwed up....

I was almost completely convinced that this sleeve was gonna be the way to go then....

I watched a Youtube video of the surgery. Now I am not so sure. I am not squeamish about things at all but that literally turned my stomach!!

WOW

I think ANY surgery is disturbing to watch. Bleh