Hello, I am a 31 yr old 6' tall male. My wife and multiple friends have had the sleeve surgery to great success. I also wish to follow them in this but am concerned with some of the initial side effects.

I work in a chemical plant as a contractor. This is a fairly physically demanding job wearing fire resistant clothing from neck to toe in a plant in south Louisiana. Needless to say it's a physical job and it's VERY hot.

My questions are as follows:

How long is typical until you can intake enough food and water to not be extremely lethargic and exhausted??

How much water can you intake in a 10hr period do you guess? (Sidebar: I need to at least be able to intake a lot of water to stay hydrated)

My boss's wife had he surgery as well and is very skeptical as to whether a guy could still do this job I have and have the surgery and I'm looking for real world people to prove it's possible. I really want to do the surgery and need to at least have some anticdotal evidence that it's possible. Thanks to all who reply.

Oh and I currently weigh 295lb.

I don't do any kind of physical job as you do but I went back to work after 2 weeks which was fine. In terms of liquid, at 2 weeks I could have drunk plenty of liquid (3 litres plus if I needed to- I wasn't restricted for liquids much/at all) but not at the same time as eating or for at least 1 hr after eating. So the main issue for me would be timings and whether you can drink enough and still have time to eat.

This is something to discuss at length with your medical team. My guess is you are going to need to be out for 4 weeks minimum given the physical demands of your job. Particularly if you have lifting that you need to do. Most sleeve patients are restricted to 10 pounds lifting for 4 weeks. For those of us that are desk jockeys, it's not an issue.

Best of luck.

My husband was retired at age 67 when he was sleeved, and he is 6'2", 320 lbs. even though he was not working, we drank with no problem, just carry water everywhere. Your surgeon should be knowledgeable, but I applaud you for taking this step at 31. This is when my husband developed diabetes, and our life was complete turmoil with his HBP, and the rescue calls when his blood sugar went to 40 on a regular basis. Your health really matters at this weight. I really hope you trust in this sleeve, four years since the sleeve,and no rescue calls since my husband's diabetes is under control. I think he would be dead if not for the sleeve. We went to WLS seminars 20 years. Be strong and keep searching for answers.

Definitely keep looking and talk to a surgeon. You need a lot of responses to put together a real starting point. For me, I recovered quickly physically. But consumption took a long time and 7 years out I still have massive restriction. I can't gulp, I still sip. I could sip enough to stay well hydrated in that environment now, but early out I can honestly say no way. But possibly by a few months. Everyone heals differently. And it is possible to convey to a surgeon your needs and ask them to use a larger bougie, allowing you to consume more from the outset. This means you'll need to work just slightly harder, but c'mon, we're talking very little difference. In the long run, if you adhere to the guidelines and change your habits, you'll succeed.

My suggestion is to talk to a surgeon. A short recovery period is absolutely going to be necessary, but if you're already fit enough to do a physically demanding job, I think your odds are better that you can bounce back afterward.

Good luck, and congrats for considering this life change. It's one if the best things I've done for myself, short of marrying my husband and starting my family.

I am hoping, along with what some of y'all have said, that if I'm physically fit enough to do the job currently that losing weight would only make it easier. And my wife is 8months post op and she can drink a half of a bottle of water every 15-30 minutes. At that rate I would get more than enough water. But then getting calories necessary is another story. But she drinks protein shakes that have 30g of protein in them so that would help too.

The surgeon i took the class with would make you take 4 weeks with the job you describe. I do think its important to allow yourself to heal with a physical job.

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At about 2 weeks, I could take normal sized drinks. At 3 weeks I could drink about 4oz at a time. I was on liquids only for the first week post-op. At week 2, I was allowed soft /pureed foods - eggs, yogurt, refried beans, etc. My energy level was better after I was able to add in some foods.

As others said, you may need 4 weeks off work due to lifting restrictions. However at 4 weeks, you should be fine energy and hydration wise to return.

Every person is different with speed of return to good fluid and food intake levels. I worried about this and it has been fine. Highly likely you will do just great. Small chance you will struggle. Always worth focusing on healthy habits and fluids now, maybe by joining your wife in healthy food and activity habits you will make a lot of progress too.