Hi, I am a week away from surgery for the sleeve and i am very concerned at this moment- about the effects on the body long term from the procedure. What are your experiences?

This procedure is not supposed to be a malapsorption procedure but i seem to see a GREAT DEAL of people talking about severe Vitamin issues. At the start - and for the first few years. Then nothing. That really concerns me- partly because what happens then? Does your body start to break down from long term f-cking it up?

I've read about bones shattering and teeth shattering. Iron infusions. General feelings of unwell-ness. Since this is NOT just about losing weight- and this is a LIFETIME procedure, this is of great concern to me.

I spoke to my surgeon about it iand there seems to me to be a true focus on the major issues of leaks and strictures and hydration immediate deficiencies but then people seem to be grasping in the dark about the rest of it- for the rest of your life. What has been your experience?

Before I go under the knife to resect my stomach this is something I want to know about.

I have 65-70lbs to lose. I qualify for the surgery and am approved.

I'm not sure I'm far enough out for my personal experience to matter much, but I didn't take any Vitamins my first year and I really only started doing the B12 because I felt tired frequently. I had a full blood panel done at roughly 18 months post op and every single one of my values was perfect. I tend to think that it would have been better if I had actually taken vitamins and consistently paid attention to the B12 drops, but given I basically eat what I want to and don't pay much attention to nutrients and all of my Vitamin, mineral, etc results are exactly where they should be makes me tend to think that at least right now absorption isn't an issue.

Another point that someone else made is that while this surgery for weight loss is relatively new, removing all or part of the stomach in cases of cancer has been a very common procedure for decades. Research the nutrition of those people and in my experience not having an entire stomach or not having any stomach at all did not create major issues later down the road.

I don't know what you have been reading. Can you share your sources?

For me, I know that taking the required Vitamin supplements is critical. I also will continue to need to have blood tested regularly to make sure I don't have any deficiencies.

The sleeve is different from the bypass in that the intestinal track isn't short-circuited, it's just made smaller. So, malabsorption isn't a major issue.

I believe that with a balanced diet and supplements, and proper medical care, I am actually more likely not to be deficient than I was pre-surgery.

@AvaFern I am really happy to hear everything you wrote!

@@Inner Surfer Girl I'd have to re-search every google search I did on it but there are definitely alot of mentions of it on the SLeeve fb pages. It makes me worry there's no data looking at it.

@@Nomorethickchick - contact your NUT or ask your physician for more clarity on the long term results. They can give you all the info you need to read pre-surgery and that's who you should ask first. Us fellow post-sleevers can only provide what our experiences are and what we have learned this far post-op. This is why, especially less than 2 weeks pre-op, you need to be asking your medical team these questions/concerns and make sure this decision is good for you.

I agree with @@AvaFern and @@Inner Surfer Girl

@ I have. They just say, take your viitamins and supplements and it won't be an issue. But again, this is marketed as not a malaborbtive procedure- but if it's not, you should in theory- eventually- be able to get what you need from food right? I don't take any Vitamins currently- and I have no deficiencies. I just had my blood work done. I am pre-surg.

@@Inner Surfer Girl that's cool that just wasn't my question. I am interested in knowing if there are long term issues with not getting the vitamin benefit from eating I guess.

And by long term- I'd say as long as anyone who is far out can tell us?

@@Nomorethickchick - I don't think any of us here can give you 100% validation that you may/may not have an issue with Vitamin deficiency.

Like, I see plenty of Iron deficiencies. My doctor said it would not be an issue because I am in menopause. But I do see people posting here and other places about anemia being common.

Well, people far out from surgery can give their take which is what I'm asking. Your surgery was just in May, is that correct? I'm looking for feedback from people who had surgery and are far out from it. I was reading on here about it.

http://www.gastricsleeve.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28236

To the OP ...

What you don't know from all your "research" is whether the anecdotal complaints you've seen online were posted by people who took their prescribed vitamins / minerals or didn't. In fact, you know very little about what anyone has done based on their self-reports. People exaggerate about their "good behavior."

Here's another thing I've come to appreciate and accept during the last two years (one year pre-op and one year post-op): Everybody's body doesn't operate the same, and it's a real mistake to assume you got the same standard-issue body someone else did. The diversity of our bodies is immense -- some people never get cancer, have more stamina, have stronger muscle fibers, etc., than others. I figure there are countless ways in which our bodies vary. So AvaFern's experience (or my experience) in no way predicts what your experience will be. And our experiences shouldn't give you any comfort at all. On this board, you're just reading anecdotal reports (not doing any actual research).

Therefore, your best bet is to actually follow all your surgeon's advice about supplements post-op and to never miss a blood panel test. I don't consider my surgeon's advice about either of these things to be optional, but mandatory.

I'm not sure if it's any consolation, but I see patients every day with some sort of vitamin or mineral deficiency (iron, b12, vitamin D) and not all of them have had weight loss surgery. Just food for thought.

Well, people far out from surgery can give their take which is what I'm asking. Your surgery was just in May, is that correct? I'm looking for feedback from people who had surgery and are far out from it. I was reading on here about it.

http://www.gastricsleeve.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28236

Also, keep in mind that most people who participate on the chat boards are looking for support. There are probably many more people without any issues or problems who do not participate.

I will be 2 years post op next month. Just made a call to my group about feeling utter and extreme exhaustion. All of my panels have been great so far so its a big surprise to feel this. I've honestly felt great and amazing up until summer hit. Then in the last month its really gotten bad. But...to be fair, my job has me managing the front end of big box store so I average minimum of 5 miles per shift...and 5/6 shifts a week. I get a ton of exercise so thats not it, clearly.

I saw my family practice dr today and next week i see my bariatric group for my 2 year check up.

I should also say that I have religiously taken all of my vitamins, but gummy ones. That's one thing my RD wants me to change...she wants the pill form not the gummies. She says gummies don't have all of the necessary things in them.

This is just my own experience. I love my sleeve.