How many of you talked to your surgeon about the bougie size he would use for your sleeve surgery? And if you did, how did it go, did you have input?

I find myself obsessing about this because I want my sleeve to be small (within safe and reasonable limits of course) I have read that 32f is the smallest we can use here in the US? I am thinking 34f or 36f. Of course I plan on talking to my surgeon about this on Tues at my pre op, but I have a bit of anxiety over it. Worried that it seems like second guessing him, or is this a fair and common topic to discuss?

I asked my surgeon what size bougie he would use and was told a 40fr. I was very happy with that answer. He also explained that there is only mm differences between sizes, and he felt there were fewer issues with the larger size and weight loss would be pretty much the same.

Mine used a 40 and said the same as above. He also said many surgeons are moving to a 40 since it may reduce strictures.

@Thankfulmomof3 Don't feel alone. I had my surgery done in Iowa and though, it's been just over 2 years, I don't recall anyone discussing the size of my stomach with this term either. I just recall them sitting down with me individually and drawing a picture of how big my stomach would be and being very clear at not being able to hold more than 2 ounces at a time for quite a while after surgery. I think the educational session, the binder they sent home with me, and the follow-up care through visits and phone calls was very reassuring.

Regarding all the individual differences in our physical bodies that could affect our ability to absorb food and gain weight ...

When I was much younger I always imagined I had one of the world's longest human small intestines and that I simply absorbed more nutrients than "skinny girls" did.

Who knows what all the differences are that contribute to Person A being "naturally" heavier than Person B.

I gotta say that this is truly all new to me...as much research I did and questions I asked, the actual size never really entered my mind to ask my surgeon. I imagine what the surgeon did for me did indeed work, since I hit my goal in what I thought was a reasonable time frame. But wow...certainly learned something new today!!! Thanks much for this!!!

Hey Minniegirl! I asked mine and he uses the 40fr like the others have mentioned due to less occurrence of leak / complication. He also mentioned that there was a good bit of conversation at the convention he attended this past year among the surgeons there surrounding the loose or tight wrap around it which would also have an impact on the size. I was satisfied with his answer as his leak rate is well below national average.

Ok, so I am going to be a Sharpie.. lol... I wonder how large the average stomach is before?

Great chart

Bougie size:

bougie.jpg

Hey everybody! So I had my hospital pre op today and also the pre op with my surgeon.

AND the bougie size he uses is...................................(drumroll)

40f

I feel really good about this and thank you to all who helped me and contributed here xo

Wow! This is interesting! Even when I had my surgery 15 months ago the trend was to the smaller bougie size (mine is a 32 and no complications here anyhow). Seems like surgeons are moving to the bigger ones. Interesting to watch things evolve!

Here in the UK no-one seems to talk about bougie sizes, just how much your stomach will be reduced by in percentage terms. So I was told I would have 90% of my stomach removed, which sounded an awful lot. However I've had no problems post-op and manage fine with it.

I never thought of this thanks for the heads up I will have to inquire about this

Also worth noting that the bougie size only effects the width of the sleeve. The length is determined by your anatomy (distance from the esophagus to the pyloric valve) and will tend to be bigger in taller people.

That said, I think I have a biggish sleeve and I've lost fine so far (nearly 100 pounds in nearly 4 months) so I am skeptical that the difference in width between a Bic pen and a Sharpie would make all that much difference to your weight loss!

Great thread. I'm learning so much!

Yes, this is a great thread with some unique information. My friend from Australia who inspired me for WLS had a 50 bougie. I did not ask until after my surgery, but mine was a 36. The doctor told me that there is a table used for sizing the bougie. I am sure there is some discretion applied, too, but his comment was that surgeons were moving toward smaller bougies compared with several years ago. My friend lost a tremendous amount of weight, but still would have liked something more restrictive, like what I have.

What is Bougie size? That's something I've never heard of before. My surgery is March 2nd

^{What is Bougie size? That's something I've never heard of before. My surgery is March 2nd}

There are several great links in this thread that explain what a bougie is, a few pages back maybe.