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Sleeves Any regrets????why and why not????



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Hi guys Iam scheduled for VSG on Thursday April 4 , not much support from family , my parents thinks it’ll shorten my life because possible complications iam 28 5’7 weight 258lbs !!! Some days I feel like backing up ,some days i really want to go for it ,but then again I don’t want to do it and god forbid something happens 😥!!!

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I was sleeved March 12, 2019. As of now no regrets. It definitely has been hard but for me the potential health benefits outweighed the risks.

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I am 5'7 and weighed 357 on surgery day (March 11) it's now been almost three weeks. I am down to 322. I can most definitely tell you that those first two weeks were absolute hell. I was feeling regret the moment I came out of anesthesia. The pain was just so unbearable. I ended up in the ER a day after being released from the hospital because I was in so much pain. BUT... things did get better and as of now I just feel sore. I am almost to the pureed stage. I am so sick of drinking my meals. In all honesty I'm not feeling super positive about this decision. I just want to feel like myself and I just feel blah. I don't mean at all to discourage you or scare you. This is just my story. Best of luck and a quick recovery.

Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

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So, I am going to preface this with the fact that I know I am not typical. The stats show that most people don't have complications. I'm the only person I've met from my doctor's office that had complications. So, please know this is just one person's story. I feel like you asked if anyone regrets this, and I don't want you to think that nobody does. BUT, linked below is a good thread to read to remind yourself that even though there are people like me out there, there are a LOT of people (likely the vast majority) who have had a good experience with WLS. So, good luck.

I had surgery in October 2018. If asked today if I'd do it again, I'd be a no. But I know that can change tomorrow. And my doc and nurse say that how I feel is not forever. But, about 2 months ago (so about 3 months post-op), after a REALLY easy first 2 months, I started getting more reflux and more nauseated by the day. I could deal with the reflux, but I HATE being nauseous. And I feel like I spent all of my energy trying not to throw up. I wwas nauseated about 90% of my day every day. I felt SO much worse than I did before and I cried every day. The doc took me off two meds, put me on a new reflux med, and I'm feeling a lot better. But I still get nauseous whenever I eat. I can eat less today than I could when I started solids 4 months ago. I can hardly drink because I'm so nauseous, and I can't drink within 1.5-2 hours of eating because I hurt so much. The doc and nurse said they'll work on figuring all out. That said, I'm not in a position where I feel like I believe her. I regret this mightily. I've even lost a significant amount of weight (over 100 total, 80 since surgery, 64% of EWL), and it is still not worth it. I broke down crying at my therapy group a few weeks ago. At this point, my team has no idea why I'm nauseated. And they are concerned enough about malnutrition and dehydration to be monitoring me closely to see if I need a PICC line. I did this to feel better - and I feel a lot worse.

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No regrets at all because life is already short and playing Russian roulette with your health feels wasteful. Obesity and related health problems will shorten it even further.

Good luck 💜

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No regrets at all 4 months post-op sleeve. Already lost 35-50 pounds, get rid of GERD, got rid of sleep Apnea and I'm just getting started. I have 50 more pounds to lose and things are just going to get better and better. I never had any complications or problems with surgery or after.

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I have no regrets, although I would warn you that in the course of this surgical journey you MUST change your relationship with food. Early on in my recovery (maybe the first 3-6 months), I went through a bit of a "mourning" period where I realized that I could no longer use food for comfort, celebration, or any number of ways that food became like that little green mucous dude in the Mucinex commercials. He's there talking to you, trying to share life with you, and gets upset when you finally kick him to the curb.

In terms of "complications", I have a little bit of nighttime reflux. It's nothing that can't be dealt with and certainly nothing like what "notmyname" above describes.

Would I do it again? Absolutely and had I known then what I know now, I probably would have done it much sooner. I lived obese and a slave to my relationship with food for too long. There's a saying..."nothing tastes as good as thin feels". I'm by no means "thin" (yet), but I'm thinner than I was and I feel REALLY great!

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Even with complications, I have absolutely no regrets. If I hadn't had surgery, I'd still be a year older now. But instead of where I am now, I'd still be obese, with aching knees and hips. At some point, I assume that diabetes and high blood pressure would kick in. Every year you get older, the harder it is to recover from all this crap, so I'm glad I did it when I did. I won't sugar-coat it, the last year has been tough. But, oh so worth it.

Perspective-wise, if you're 28 and 258 lbs., what do you think you'll weigh in 5 years without surgery?

Edited by Orchids&Dragons

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2 hours ago, S@ssen@ch said:

you MUST change your relationship with food. 

First off, on the subject of WLS no truer words were spoken. I wish the surgeons would stress this much more. What a lot of people fail to recognize is the real potential to lose all of your hard fought weight loss. This is because you did not change your relationship with food.

I've learned that people with long term successes did two things (1) change their relationship with food. They now eat to live instead of living to eat and (2) they started some sort of exercise regime.

Supergirl, it's a journey for sure but one with many benefits. The good thing, if you work hard at it those benefits can last a lifetime. Good luck.

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I only had my surgery on 3/27, besides feeling sorry for myself that I can't eat that waffles and fried chicken I just saw on a commercial (but have never thought of eating before in my life!) the only regret is that I waited so long. I am 57 and wish I considered this years earlier. :)

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No regrets here and I even had it done in Mexico so I don’t have a lot of medical support follow up here. I’m 5 months post op and I’m down almost 70 pounds. It feels so great and my only regret is I let myself talk myself out of it for so many years.

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23 hours ago, supergirl88 said:

Hi guys Iam scheduled for VSG on Thursday April 4 , not much support from family , my parents thinks it’ll shorten my life because possible complications iam 28 5’7 weight 258lbs !!! Some days I feel like backing up ,some days i really want to go for it ,but then again I don’t want to do it and god forbid something happens 😥!!!

My wake-up call. My heart to stop beating in the hospital. I shouldn’t be here. I regret that it took that moment to understand that my weight was slowly killing me.

Going back and forth and questioning your decision is normal. Pre surgery jitters are normal. You and your family are going to be nervous about treating any disease with surgery. Complications are a risk. Staying obese is a risk.

Surgery is not for everyone You can back out. If you change your mind down the road you can start the process again.

Learn from all the good and bad experiences But, know your experience will be unique to you.

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On ‎3‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 8:05 PM, S@ssen@ch said:

I have no regrets, although I would warn you that in the course of this surgical journey you MUST change your relationship with food. Early on in my recovery (maybe the first 3-6 months), I went through a bit of a "mourning" period where I realized that I could no longer use food for comfort, celebration, or any number of ways that food became like that little green mucous dude in the Mucinex commercials. He's there talking to you, trying to share life with you, and gets upset when you finally kick him to the curb.

Mourning is the perfect word! I did have to grieve for some of my faves I know I can no longer indulge in. Mainly bread and pastas!

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    • Alisa_S

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