Chime in if you know yours...

I'm 3 months and a week out. I can eat 4 oz of a sirloin steak - I feel full but its not a "stuffed" feeling - like I could hold more if i ate it, but I cut myself off. My surgeon used a 40fr. bougie (pulled my records for other reasons and saw that). What size was yours? How is your restriction? At first I felt restriction much more so than now, but the swelling went away pretty quick... Im eating 900-1100 calories a day....

curious about everyone else and their experience.

I begged for a "bigger" stomach, didn't want one where is was too difficult to eat. He used a 40. I'm 3 1/2 weeks out and can't eat as much as friends who had the surgery in the same day using a 32, so I think it just depends on an individual basis, how the doctor shapes it, etc... I saw mine in a barium test, looks like its shaped like a kidney not a banana... ???

I do not care at all about bogie sizes, the main goal is to loose the weight.

What is a boogie

A boogie is something that comes out of my child's nose.

A bougie is the tube thing they put down your esophagus to size your stomach

I'm not sure what mine was, told I was normal? Guessing that's the standard size. I'm 6 months post-op and down 80.5 pounds. I had a really rough go at first as I was very, very swollen. I can eat about 4oz at a time but it also depends on the time of day for me as well as what I'm eating. My loss has started to slow down. My dr said that is normal at this point. I struggle getting all my protein in but I'm working on that now. I love my sleeve. It was very hard and super painful at first bc of my complications but I would never go back now!!! I have a blog too if anyone wants some more info. It's www.sleevelessnomore.blogspot.com. :-)

See below:

This is crazy to see it this way!

Mine was a 32 and I'm 3 weeks out. I can't get much down at all.

What problems are you having with that size? I am due for surgery on May the 8th.

So size DOES matter!

(Sorry could't resist )

Due to severe GERD my bougii size is a 56. My Doctor says twice the size he normally uses. I am almost a year out and am having a hell of a time loosing any weight since 6 month out. I wish I had more restriction. It's like I never had any surgery at all . I've gained a few pounds back from my 60 lb. loss and I am quite discouraged. Please help with some words of encouragement.

More than bougie size, I think the more important thing is how you "work your bougie". Remember, it is just an AID and tool for weight-loss...it will NOT do it for you. You have to do "clean eating" and significant exercise everyday in order to be and remain successful at this journey. If you are struggling, I would suggest journeying everything you eat to track what you may be eating that you do not need in your diet and find some form of exercise you can do every day...I will be 67 yo next month and I do at least 1 hr of treadmill everyday in front of a favorite TV show or movie (7 days a wk) at a good walking clip of 2.5 mph (my running days are over), which gets my heart-rate up to target zone and makes me sweat (you want to sweat every day!)...pick what works for you and just do it. You can do this weight-loss thing...you have invested in one of the best tools around...the vertical sleeve bougie!

Let's see.........."Size doesn't matter, it's how you use it" ..........I thought that saying was already taken??

Ckunes: go see another surgeon for a second opinion- never hurts

I was told my whole lapband "life" it was me not the lapband, it's a tool it's how you use it! Now everyone says the lapband is BS. I believe bougie size does matter. And 56 is pretty big!

Last resort I would join weight watchers or revise to another surgery if I were you.

Due to severe GERD my bougii size is a 56. My Doctor says twice the size he normally uses. I am almost a year out and am having a hell of a time loosing any weight since 6 month out. I wish I had more restriction. It's like I never had any surgery at all . I've gained a few pounds back from my 60 lb. loss and I am quite discouraged. Please help with some words of encouragement.

Sorry to hear this ckunes,

Unfortunately the evidence as to whether or not the sleeve makes gerd worse is mixed..

I looks like your surgeon believes in the worse scenario, as evidenced by the larger bougie.

I tend to disagree with broken halo about the potential for a bigger (or better) weight loss and the differences in bougie sizes when they are in the standardly used ranges (32 though 40).

But your bougie size is not that "standard" anymore..

Larger bougies (up to 60) are not being used so much anymore so I'm surprised he did this.

Did your surgeon try and talk you into a different procedure, like bypass?

Have you spoken to him about your concerns?

I never have found out about my bougie size, even 14 months out. The only indicator I have is I can eat about 5 oz protein comfortably. At 1 month out, it was 1-2 oz comfortably. At 3 months, it was about 3-4 oz comfortably. Not sure it makes any sense to go back and ask now. Water under the bridge. If I find out they did a 44 on me, what, am I going to ask them to redo it with a 34? I do not think so...

Fiddlemen: You may if you felt little difference and are gaining.

Mine was a 36 and I can only do about 4oz on a good day at 3 months post op. Studies show that your size of bougie doesn't make a difference on the weight loss. My doctor doesn't like to do them smaller because he feels they cause more complications. I think whether you have a 32 or 40 it is all up to you on how you handle your diet and exercise to maximize your weight loss.