If any surgeons out there monitoring site or any patients in the know I would like to know if a surgeon is able to leave more of the stomach in gastric sleeve surgery if the patient asks them to do so. Lets say my bmi is 37 and I wish to lose 60-80 lbs total. Is it then possible to leave more of the stomach so I could eat just a bit more than regular surgery? Hope this is not a stupid question but my surgery is scheduled in 4 months and wish to gather as much info as possible pre -surgery.

Thank you all who have read this post and value all input

They could, but with sych a low BMI, you may not even lose that much with sleeve. I've heard your stomach WILL get roomier over time, so I would let the surgeon do what they do best!

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Doctors are not Burger King. You can't order it "your way"....cause you didn't go to medical school and your butt isn't on the line if an unstudied modification fails and horribly injures you.

Discuss your concerns with your doctor. They'll be able to talk you through it better than online resources, you'll see a lot of people talking about "bougie size" but honestly just ask the surgeon - not about ordering a specific stomach size, but about what your actual concerns are. From your question it sounds like you either don't want much restriction or you're concerned about losing too much? If you're concerned about your ability to stick to an eating plan even when overdoing it will make you sick, then that's something you also might want to talk to a mental health professional about.

As many have said, this isn't magic. If you're concerned about losing the ability to eat a lot of food, then best to address that head-on now, rather than post-op with a lump of chicken stuck in your throat.

11 hours ago, JR15 said:

If any surgeons out there monitoring site or any patients in the know I would like to know if a surgeon is able to leave more of the stomach in gastric sleeve surgery if the patient asks them to do so. Lets say my bmi is 37 and I wish to lose 60-80 lbs total. Is it then possible to leave more of the stomach so I could eat just a bit more than regular surgery? Hope this is not a stupid question but my surgery is scheduled in 4 months and wish to gather as much info as possible pre -surgery.

Thank you all who have read this post and value all input

I started with a BMI of about 37, and I am in no danger of losing too much :-) My surgeon used a #40 bougie -- find out what your surgeon uses. A 32 will give you the most restrictions but also the most problems.

@CreekImp from my research the most common size bougie is #35French. That said each surgeon will use 1. the size best for each patient, 2, the size his surgical instructors taught him with 3. the size he feels most comfortable using, bottom line you'll have just the RIGHT one for you?

Thanks for the replies. Will contact my surgeon for particulars

On 5/5/2018 at 7:45 AM, Apple203 said:

I started with a BMI of about 37, and I am in no danger of losing too much :-) My surgeon used a #40 bougie -- find out what your surgeon uses. A 32 will give you the most restrictions but also the most problems.

Not sure about that. My surgeon used a 32 FR but does not make it tight to give better chance of no leaks. I have had zero issues and feel like I can eat more than I should be able to eat.

7 hours ago, Losingit2018 said:

Not sure about that. My surgeon used a 32 FR but does not make it tight to give better chance of no leaks. I have had zero issues and feel like I can eat more than I should be able to eat.

My surgeon's tight 40 may be the same as your surgeon's lose 32...

source: https://www.nationalbariatriclink.org/bariatric-blog/gastric-sleeve-surgery-whats-your-bougie-size/

Edited May 9, 20188 yr by Apple203

I think you would regret that. Your stomach will relax after a while and will be able to hold more. My doctor said it would never get as big as before surgery, though. I'm 4.5 years out and can eat half a sub with no room for anything else know eating and drinking). My nut said she would expect me to be able to eat that much (I thought it was a lot). I'm almost through with my preop for revision to bypass.

On ‎05‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 7:10 PM, JR15 said:

If any surgeons out there monitoring site or any patients in the know I would like to know if a surgeon is able to leave more of the stomach in gastric sleeve surgery if the patient asks them to do so. Lets say my bmi is 37 and I wish to lose 60-80 lbs total. Is it then possible to leave more of the stomach so I could eat just a bit more than regular surgery? Hope this is not a stupid question but my surgery is scheduled in 4 months and wish to gather as much info as possible pre -surgery.

Thank you all who have read this post and value all input

I'm confused as to why you'd want to eat more? You will feel completely satisfied with a smaller portion, and that's the point of eating right?

I hope they don't start using pens and markers instead,of bougie catheters, wouldn't it be terrible to walk around with a yellow highliter in there the rest of your life??

Frustr8...you are a certified nut. But every so often you make me giggle just by being you...and I'm always grateful for an unexpected grin. Keep being you.

Edited May 10, 20188 yr by Creekimp13