How do you know the sleeve is going to work? No long term data!

[bangbangbarbie 52]

Today I chose the sleeve. I'm hoping for a surgery date around the end of next month. I've decided that if I can get where I need to be without the complications of bypass, I will do the sleeve. However, the fact that the sleeve lacks long term data worries me. Is the plan for most of you to lose the weight then maintain? How do we know this will last? I hate hate hate not having the guarantees that the bypass has. How much weight can I expect to lose if I'm 240, 5'4" and 25lbs?

What about the sleeve has made you choose this over the bypass?

[amyecpa 33]

I am in my thirties and I just couldn't "stomach" the thought of possible Vitamin deficiencies and my BMI was only 35. I too worry about the long term effectiveness of the sleeve. I especially worry that this honeymoon period with such tiny amounts of food will destroy my metabolism. What keeps me optimistic is the thought that if/when I get to goal, I will do whatever it takes to maintain.

I LOVE to read posts from vets that are maintaining!

[Elode 8,093]

There's not a "long "term study but there was enough Studies and evidence to prove it does work. The Bypass is defiantly no more of a "guarantee" you will take the weight off and keep it off. I know a few people Personally that have had bypass, lost weight and regained it. Truth is you can fail with any surgery if you don't do your part. You have to do the work to be successful. Nobody will be able to tell you how much you will lose with any surgery, again that will depend on your body and how much work you put into it. Good luck!

[Bobby46 327]

How can it not work if you follow the guidelines? They are removing 80% of your stomach. There is no room for overeating. If you aren't losing with the sleeve.....in my opinion, and I'm sure there are exceptions to my opinion.....then you are eating small portions of high calorie food at meals and in between meals. It is just impossible to eat large amounts of food! If you are determined to lose the weight, my suggestion is to cut out heavy, surgary, high calorie, high carb food now so that you can learn to eat healthy nutritious food ahead of the game.

Also, they have been doing the sleeve surgery for ulcer patients for several decades. The patients were dropping weight with it and they decided to offer it as a pre by-pass step. A lot of patients didn't go on with the by-pass because they were doing just fine without it. They can say they just don't have the data yet on sleeve because the data is with the ulcer patients not with bariatric patients.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

The bypass has no guarantees. It is also a little naive to think "how can you not be successful" - all weight loss surgerys have people who are not successful, or who are initially successful but regain everything. That happens with the gastric bypass too.

Here is what I do know, the sleeve is a good tool and it really really helps. I could not have lost 150-160# without it and I certainly could not have maintained that loss for the last 2 years. It is still work and I remain diligent because it is surprisingly easy ... the further you get down the road to overeat. and it doesn't take much before the pounds start coming back.

[Debbie Jean 406]

No guarantees on any type of WLS. You can and will regain if you are not compliant post op. It is a tool which can help you lose weight and maintain the loss. That's it. You do the work.

I chose the sleeve in consultation with my surgeon and endocrinologist both of whom expect good long term results with the least complications. In the end though, it will be up to me to make it work. To me that is actually the most daunting aspect of WLS. The surgery itself was only a small part of the process. It's what you do after that is critical. And it's for life.

[Sleeve101 72]

@@CowgirlJane does the uncomfortableness of eating eventually go away? I'm 2 1/2 months out...I still fear eating and it's always uncomfortable....and I fear never being able to eat normal food again...I still regret having my sleeve... :-( I wonder if this will be the rest of my life...

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

Well, for me, i felt pretty awful for the first i would say 12 weeks. i had no complications, just a weird, vaguely naseaus feeling alot.

I can eat anything now (mixed blessing!) at 3 years out.

do I still sometimes feel that vague unsettled tummy feeling? yes. a year ago i lost too much weight (which was strange because i had already been at goal for a year) and it happened because I was going through emotional turmoil and my mind turned that vague unsettled feeling into "I can't eat" feeling. My surgeon was right, it was emotional and i had to take specific steps to get out of it. However, It does not interfere with my life and it isn't bad, doesn't cause vomiting, and it feels alot better than being crazy hungry 24/7

Now, I am still at goal, but finding myself wanting to eat more that I should.. isn't it ironic? ha

anyway, regrets do you no good because the surgery cannot be undone. food tasting weird etc lasted quite awhile which was all part of that "not feeling good" feeling.

I don't think you should be afraid to eat, but i do recall the "effort" of eating often didn't seem worth it at the 4-12 weeks out stage - solid foods were alot more work than shakes. Maybe we use different words for the same meaning... but my advice is to view food like fueling up for a healthy body and try to get away from the pleasure/misery aspect of food if you can. It's hard, but it does get easier and I think you are likely to be pretty happy with the trade offs once you lose alot of weight.

Hang in there!

[JamieLogical 8,727]

Today I chose the sleeve. I'm hoping for a surgery date around the end of next month. I've decided that if I can get where I need to be without the complications of bypass, I will do the sleeve. However, the fact that the sleeve lacks long term data worries me. Is the plan for most of you to lose the weight then maintain? How do we know this will last? I hate hate hate not having the guarantees that the bypass has. How much weight can I expect to lose if I'm 240, 5'4" and 25lbs?

What about the sleeve has made you choose this over the bypass?

There's a calculator here that will help you estimate how much you might lose with WLS:

https://www.realize.com/do-i-qualify/potential-results/comparison

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Guarantees with the bypass?

Oh, honey.

There are no guarantees in life.

The sleeve, the bypass, the band -- all of it -- come with no guarantees. They are only tools. YOU have to build new behaviors and then exercise those behaviors to keep your weight off.

I hope you understand this before you have any surgery. Half of all WLS patients, no matter which tool they have inserted in them, gain back all or most of their excess weight lost.

However, half of WLS patients do maintain at least half of their weight losses. And some of them maintain a much greater proportion of their weight losses.

Which group you will be in is completely, totally up to you.

Good luck.

Edited February 2, 2015 by VSGAnn2014

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

hate not having guarantees

@@bangbangbarbie

oh oh bud

there are only two guarantees in life

Death & Taxes

"is the plan for most of you to lose the weight then maintain?"

yep that is it - in spades!!!

most of us have been able to lose their weight over and over and over etc

i was able to lose weight one time, then another time, then a third time etc etc

the problem was keeppng the lbs off a

All WLS work 99.99999% (lapband, sleeve, bypass etc)

but IT doesn't "work" on its own

you MUST follow all the rules from A-Z

this is a lifetime journey

you have a lot of work to do

"it" doesn't stop once you reach goal

Losing weight IMO is the easier part of WLS

now you must continue to use all the info you have info you have learned

for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life

i learned on the board that the sleeve has been around for a lllllllong time

docs were successfully using it to help people with stomach cancer

slowly as time passes there are more and more info stats about the sleeve

i am po 3 years - and am still around to talk about it

that must say something!!!

i think the sleeve is wonderful

that would be my choice for you

course i am slightly biased

good luck

kathy

Edited February 2, 2015 by proudgrammy

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Today I chose the sleeve. I'm hoping for a surgery date around the end of next month. I've decided that if I can get where I need to be without the complications of bypass, I will do the sleeve. However, the fact that the sleeve lacks long term data worries me. Is the plan for most of you to lose the weight then maintain? How do we know this will last? I hate hate hate not having the guarantees that the bypass has. How much weight can I expect to lose if I'm 240, 5'4" and 25lbs?

What about the sleeve has made you choose this over the bypass?

There is no guarantee either or any procedure will result in weight loss, short or long term. Agreed, there is not long term data about the sleeve, and RNY is still the gold standard in WLS. However, there is data to support it's effective as a stand

alone procedure.

I chose the sleeve because I knew I'd need NSAIDS and I didn't want to deal with the malabsorption issues. I've never been sorry I did, either. I've lost about 95% of my excess weight and kept it off for a year. That's better than I've ever done before. There is no way to know how much you'll lose - That's largely up to you.

[amyecpa 33]

There's a calculator here that will help you estimate how much you might lose with WLS:

https://www.realize.com/do-i-qualify/potential-results/comparison

OMG. That is kinda depressing. According to this calculator, I only have a 50% chance of getting to a healthy BMI nevermind my personal goal ????

[JamieLogical 8,727]

OMG. That is kinda depressing. According to this calculator, I only have a 50% chance of getting to a healthy BMI nevermind my personal goal

In what period of time? And even if you don't make it to a "healthy BMI", I am sure the weight you will lose will drastically improve your health. What are your odds of getting to a healthy BMI on your own and staying there?

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

What the hell. We're all gonna die. I just want to die later. And have a lot more fun in the meantime.

I don't think I have even once worried that I won't "make it" this time.

Protip: You've got to get your head in a positive space to have a good shot at being in the 50% who are successful long-term.

So buck up.