It seems to me that bougie size has a direct correlation with long term success.i would like to choose surgeon based on the bougie size they use.is anyone familiar with bougie size Dr Roslin or Dr Pomp in NY use?

Can you ask your surgeon for the size bougie you want?

usually in low 30s, common sizes 32-34, but you can ask anyway. Worse that could happen? You get chuckled at for asking, but I thi,k I would want to know.

Mine is a 36F and I did fine. Smaller sizes are associated with more complications like leaks and strictures. Also, bougie size is only a guide to the end size of the stomach. If your surgeon oversews the staple line, your stomach will be smaller than the bougie size. As long as your surgeon uses a generally accepted size, say 32-40, I wouldn't worry too much. We are talking millimeters of difference here.

2 minutes ago, Foxbins said:

Mine is a 36F

Sounds like a bra-size to me! Braggart ?

And you Sleevers still have a stomach left about the diameter of a garden hose, but it works, and isn't that what you wanted anyway?

4 minutes ago, Frustr8 said:

And you Sleevers still have a stomach left about the diameter of a garden hose, but it works, and isn't that what you wanted anyway?

*laughing* Does size matter? ? (getting my head out of the gutter)

I'm a sleeve. don't know what my bougie size is. Weight loss is changing behaviors and working your plan.

The smaller the bougie the More restriction you have.thus a more effective tool.

Does size matter? Well not as much as guys would like to believe. Wise woman- hood mentor told when I was a youthful Frustr8, told me. you tell a guy, who is fearful his endowments are insufficent Ooh Baby, it's fine, I'm sure you know to work what you have to the MAX! Confidence makes up a lot.
Now bougie diameters, no worries-- arguement we had a time ago, How long is your Bypass ? The right answer: long enough to do the job, short enough you don't get life- risking malabsorption. Trust your surgeon, he or she will calibrate your sleeve or pouch to the perfect for you measurement. They are extremely skilled at what. they do, elsewise you would hired a garage collector instead. NEVER SWEAT. THE SMALL STUFF! AND YOU WILL FIND OUT AS YOU LIVE LONG, LIFE IS PLUMB FULL OF SMALL STUFF! Now someone help Frustr8 down off the soapbox before I fall and do ME harm!

1 hour ago, skinnylife said:

Can you ask your surgeon for the size bougie you want?

I can ask.but would rather get an answer before meeting with them,so I can avoid an unnecessary trip.

Or garbage collector, but if you're into sheds, barns and garages that's fine also.

WTF is a bougie????

A glorified catheter. Your surgeon puts it down into your stomach to measure the diameter he wants to leave your sleeve.before removing the rest of your no longer needed stomach remnant. In theory the smaller the diameter, the more restiction, and less can be eaten at your meals. Although there ate several common sixes your surgeon is skillful enough,i can gauge the right size for each,person. Might be judged by height, activity level,,what his instructors advised him or her when they were "baby" surgeons, just learning the trade. Many facets but you chose the best, now let the best work for YOU!

Good to know...... and I really did choose the best! Props to Dr. Ann Rogers at Penn State Health! She's part of why I'm not even nervous. Yet, anyway!

I asked for a 34 French, because I'm a nurse and had talked with a lot of the surgical nurses from the OR.

Funny thing- my surgeon had been using 34F the whole time. Right from the start, I had and STILL have great restriction 4 years out.

The following study (dated March 2016) showed that there was no difference in %EWL after 1 year for patients with 32-Fr bougie versus 40-Fr bougie.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity: does bougie size matter

Conclusion: LSG is a safe and effective operation for treatment of morbid obesity and obesity-related comorbidities with significant short-term weight loss and an acceptable complication rate. Bougie size does not affect short-term outcomes. We need to extend our study to determine the effect of the bougie size on the long-term outcomes.

Note that the optimal size of the bougie remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the first year outcome of LSG using two different sizes of bougies.