I'm going for the Sleeve in November but I'm thinking is it safe long term? Can you live to a ripe old age with more than half your tummy gone???

@@VSGAnn2014, I agree! It is because of these long-term studies that we now know that patients need to take Calcium supplements (etc.) for the rest of their lives. The long-term prognosis is excellent as long as patients are armed with the correct supplementation.

Can you live to a ripe old age with more than half your tummy gone???

If you consider 53 old, then I can say yes.

Had mine at 47. So far, so good!

I do want to make a plug that a recent study (and I need to find it) is that by year 2 people stop taking vitamins but another study also said you get enough food in at year 2. Wouldn't it be better just to have your testing done by a PCP and adjust your food/supplements accordingly?.

The center I'm going through checks your blood levels every six months as part of the on-going program, which also includes group sessions and individual therapy with nutritionists and psychologists. They just got recertified as a Center of Excellence.

I have been battling also my weight and I completely understand your worry. I have tried from diet pills like phentermine and lasix for water retention. I've tried different doctors and herbal products and signing up to a gym I've tried it all from low carb diet to the cabbage diet and at 41 I am tired being that I had stress incontinence now an over active bladder. I can't have the energy to even play with my 11 year old. I have an appt with the surgeon August 5 I'm so ready to see him I can't wait my daughter will be with me as well she has pcos and as much as so many people say it's the easy way out I feel that it's the healthy way out. And yes go for it a year from now we will be happy and 100lbs lighter

Thanks for asking the original question, it had been something that had been really worrying me. But you are all right, I would rather live with vitamins than the complications of obesity.

Try studies for those with stomach cancer. It was tried on them for decades before us. The DS people, they did the sleeve first, had them lose weight, and then would do the rest of the DS. That is also how they figured out about the sleeve.

I don't do bread since surgery. For me it feels like a sponge goes down a pipe and then expands.

Yesterday I went to my one year follow up about three months late. It had been a year since I last been to my bariatric clinic (follow up appointments are required only at 3 weeks, 3 months, and one year post op) and things have changed there. There is a new bariatrician that looks about 20 years old that is brand new to bariatric surgery. I wasn't all that impressed.

What really puzzled the heck out of me was why all the clinics promotional materials only advertise the band and bypass now. It seems like they don't do the sleeve anymore or promote it. I overheard the bariatrician speaking to the nurse like I was the first sleeve patient he had ever seen there.

This all makes me a little nervous about the future of the sleeve procedure. I wish I knew the real reason why they don't do it much anymore. I hope it has nothing to do with safety.

WL Warrior,

What? No! The gastric sleeve is overtaking all other forms of bariatric surgery as the most popular. It has nearly the same effectiveness as the gastric bypass without all of the complications. My surgeon is no longer doing the band because of the problems of slippage and because it does not work long-term. Many band patients are undergoing band-to-sleeve revisions. I don't know who this young doctor is, but the impression he gave you that nobody does the vertical sleeve gastrectomy anymore is totally wrong. Look at the chart on this page: http://connect.asmbs.org/may-2014-bariatric-surgery-growth.html You can see how the popularity of the band is dropping significantly by year as the popularity of the gastric sleeve is growing exponentially. In comparison, the rates of those getting the gastric bypass remain about the same.

I agree, at Kaiser they rarely do bands due to low weight loss and complications. 2 people in my nutrition class were getting bands removed as part of the sleeve procedure. Try another clinic that will make you feel confident in their abilities. 99% of the stories I've read about and have personal friends don't regret the sleeve one bit.

This was a huge huge question I had! I'm so glad I stumbled upon this forum cause it really put my mind at ease.

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I am going to have my sleeve surgery probably in October. I got a referral from my cardiologist as I have had 5 heart attacks since 2010. The heart doctor said I need to lose this weight to take strain off my heart. I'd be lying to say I'm not scared, but I know it will be for the best. I guess I'm writing this here looking for encouragement. Any input from a fellow sleever will be greatly appreciated. Thank you Sincerely Farmboynvabch

I had to have the sleeve not just because of my weight but because I have liver disease. Cirrhosis stage 4. So to get on the transplant list I have to have a BMI of 40 or less. Meaning I have to loose 180 lbs. sleeved July 18th and have lost 35 lbs to date. Am in the real food stage and it's not coming off. Was loosing a pound a day. Now not so much. I keep getting headaches which I've never had before. One person on the forum said drink more Water. My liver disease has been going on for 10 years and called AIH. Jumped to stage 4 and didn't know I went thru stage 1-3. That's another story. So this surgery will hopefully help both of us. Good luck to you and the surgery isn't as bad as it sounds. The first three days are the roughest because it was a surgery. After that passes follow your drs instructions to the letter. And drink your water. Good luck to you. Sincerely Debra (Dabberdoo)

Make sure your eating Protein and only protein to start the weight will come off faster... I ate no carbs at all... You seem to need to lose the weight faster and so I am telling you what worked for me... High amounts of meats... chicken steak pork... turkey... make sure it is not dry or over cooked... I still cant manage water on its own about half a water bottle and i start to feel sick so Powerade and gatorade... sugar free.. I eat pumpkin seeds and pistachios as my Snacks as we tend to need a bit of fat and tend to run low on salt... I take my Vitamins daily and get blood tested all the time to make sure they are where they should be.. you got this good luck

Does the sleeve always take the hunger away ? So u don't feel like eating more

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@@kendra01

It depends. Some people still are hungry. Some people have head hunger. Some people need to take acid reducers.

I am 1 year out and I do not have, or very rarely have any physical hunger. I do have head hunger. In the very beginning I had no hunger or desire to eat.

I feel like I was going to die without it, from obesity and despair. I am not depressed or have mental illness, but the weight I was carrying, im only a week out and 30lbs down, was really not good for me in any way, shape or form, my spirit is getting stronger than its been in years. So I believe this is saving my life, not taking away from it

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