Does anyone know how the Doctor determines how much of the stomach is removed during sleeve surgery?...Is it a standard amount? Does it depend on the size? I've been continuously thinking about this while I wait for my big day...

My doc said 80% will be removed. I think it is to make sure the parts that trigger hunger are removed but I could be wrong. It’s been a few months since I watched the video. I believe 80% is standard but again, I could be wrong lol


HW 248 CW 241 Surgery Date: pending 11/21/2017

There is a video of a full VS you should watch. It explains everything and shows the full surgery.

Awesome!! Thanks

Its based on the anatomy of the stomach. They dont measure or anything like that, but all patients are left with "roughly" the same amount.

With the bypass on the other hand they actually measure the intestines, and are much more precise. With the bypass the anastomosis is manually sutured vs the sleeve which is just reduced by stapling.

This is why the sleeve is considered a technically "simple" surgery and the bypass much more complicated.

There are different techniques and approaches as well as different products that surgeons use. So the approach can be very different from surgeon to surgeon.

But the basic summary is sleeve is ballparked based on anatomy, the bypass is measured and precise.

Not a fan of the way that surgeon performed the surgery in that video, or the fact that they used mesh (even if a biologic) on a clean contaminated case. But thats the thing theres so many techniques, that the surgery can look very different from surgeon to surgeon

Edited October 20, 20178 yr by Mhy12784

Does anyone know how the Doctor determines how much of the stomach is removed during sleeve surgery?...Is it a standard amount? Does it depend on the size? I've been continuously thinking about this while I wait for my big day...

I think they just wing it. They don’t go in with any plan, they just figure it out on the fly.

Ok, now that I am done being a smart ass. They measure it with a bougie. They insert it into the stomach and cut around it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wlshelp.com/news/sleeve-gastrectomy-does-size-matter/amp/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wlshelp.com/news/sleeve-gastrectomy-does-size-matter/amp/

I'm 14 days post op and after reading this I'm almost positive my surgeon used a large bougie. I'm easily getting in 1200 calories but I'm also in the gym for an hour a day.

Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 4 years post gastric sleeve surgery. I've lost 86 lbs. Rather, I lost 95 lbs and gained 10 back. I got furious with an orthopedic surgeon and ate to get even with him, cutting off my nose to spite his face. When really the plan that I found was to have a knee replacement surgery in another city by a doctor who was more than confident in my ability to recover at the BMI I was at. And also found in that city (Jacksonville, FL) the most INCREDIBLE rehab hospital (Brooks Rehab), with awesome therapists who pushed me to my limits with the result that I can do anything I need to do (including drive), which I haven't been able to do for 2 years. In rehab I lost 10 lbs.

The most important thing I can say as a gastric sleeve patient is that it is easy to overcome all that you have gained in eating smaller amounts and stuff your stomach and overcome what you have gained (lost) by having the surgery in the first place. I was 69 when I had the surgery, and I had (have) a whopping food addiction. It didn't go away when I had the ghrelin removed. It didn't go away when I had my stomach reduced to a banana-sized tube. It is deep-seated and has been the way I've dealt with stress, fear, anxiety, etc., my whole life. It now takes a concerted effort to eat half of what I am served because it is all I need. I hope I will lose more weight, but I am content to stay here, 85 lbs lower than I was and let my body, mind and inner child get used to this extraordinary weight loss & bask in the accomplishment. I dieted my way up to 350 and I don't want to do that again.

Edited October 20, 20178 yr by KatCan333
left out important info

I'm 14 days post op and after reading this I'm almost positive my surgeon used a large bougie. I'm easily getting in 1200 calories but I'm also in the gym for an hour a day.

Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

I feel the same way BuffaloBill! My intake is way more then i anticipated post surgery! I am doing liquids only but i am a little concerned about the amount of fluids i can consume! Its actually a little frustrating!! I plan to talk to my surgeon at my first pre-op to ask about it!

Liquids don't stay in your stomach and are no indication of the restriction you will feel once you are on solid food.

And no it doesn't fix food addiction or your mind. Your mind can just outright lie to you about 'needing' that food. Learning to 'sit' with the feelings of anxiety, fear, grief, etc takes a huge effort. It may require therapy, meditation, medication and time. We all need to find out how to bring that calmness to the body physically that food brings chemically.

I feel the same way BuffaloBill! My intake is way more then i anticipated post surgery! I am doing liquids only but i am a little concerned about the amount of fluids i can consume! Its actually a little frustrating!! I plan to talk to my surgeon at my first pre-op to ask about it!

I feel the same way. My wife and i were sleeved by the same surgeon and I swear my sleeve is bigger than hers. Like he didn’t make mine tight enough around the bougie when he cut it.

22 minutes ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

I feel the same way. My wife and i were sleeved by the same surgeon and I swear my sleeve is bigger than hers. Like he didn’t make mine tight enough around the bougie when he cut it.

Much like a certain part of the male anatomy, stomachs vary in both length and width. The bougie only controls the width of the sleeve, there is no way to diminish the length. What you are experiencing is the natural consequence of having a long stomach/sleeve.

But, whether you start out with a sleeve with a higher capacity, or you develop more capacity over time, the end result is the same. Calories count, so you have to either restrict portion sizes of calorically-dense foods, or you have to eat foods that are not calorie dense (or a combination of the two).

So, for me, it means I measure my fats and carbs, and don't have to measure my non-starchy veggies.

Much like a certain part of the male anatomy, stomachs vary in both length and width. The bougie only controls the width of the sleeve, there is no way to diminish the length. What you are experiencing is the natural consequence of having a long stomach/sleeve.
But, whether you start out with a sleeve with a higher capacity, or you develop more capacity over time, the end result is the same. Calories count, so you have to either restrict portion sizes of calorically-dense foods, or you have to eat foods that are not calorie dense (or a combination of the two).
So, for me, it means I measure my fats and carbs, and don't have to measure my non-starchy veggies.

If my stomach size is relative to my schwanns, then my stomach must be HUGE!!!!!!!

I am 4 years post gastric sleeve surgery. I've lost 86 lbs. Rather, I lost 95 lbs and gained 10 back. I got furious with an orthopedic surgeon and ate to get even with him, cutting off my nose to spite his face. When really the plan that I found was to have a knee replacement surgery in another city by a doctor who was more than confident in my ability to recover at the BMI I was at. And also found in that city (Jacksonville, FL) the most INCREDIBLE rehab hospital (Brooks Rehab), with awesome therapists who pushed me to my limits with the result that I can do anything I need to do (including drive), which I haven't been able to do for 2 years. In rehab I lost 10 lbs.
The most important thing I can say as a gastric sleeve patient is that it is easy to overcome all that you have gained in eating smaller amounts and stuff your stomach and overcome what you have gained (lost) by having the surgery in the first place. I was 69 when I had the surgery, and I had (have) a whopping food addiction. It didn't go away when I had the ghrelin removed. It didn't go away when I had my stomach reduced to a banana-sized tube. It is deep-seated and has been the way I've dealt with stress, fear, anxiety, etc., my whole life. It now takes a concerted effort to eat half of what I am served because it is all I need. I hope I will lose more weight, but I am content to stay here, 85 lbs lower than I was and let my body, mind and inner child get used to this extraordinary weight loss & bask in the accomplishment. I dieted my way up to 350 and I don't want to do that again.

"I dieted my way up to 350." That is such a good way to describe my last 49 years! Good for you!

I feel the same way. My wife and i were sleeved by the same surgeon and I swear my sleeve is bigger than hers. Like he didn’t make mine tight enough around the bougie when he cut it.

If you are taller than she is your sleeve IS bigger because it only reduces the width not length.