Yes, there are a lot of acronyms here. I've listed just the ones related to weight loss surgery, not ones in common use, such as LOL (laugh out loud). Be sure to let me know of any I've missed:
BMI: Body Mass Index
CW: Current Weight
DS: Duodenal Switch weight loss surgery
EWL: Excess Weight Loss
FF: Fat Free
GBP: Gastric Bypass
GW: Goal Weight
LBL: Lower Body Lift
MO: Morbidly Obese
NSV: Non Scale Victory, such as fitting in an airline seat
NUT: Nutritionist
OH: Obesity Help, another good online forum
PB2: Peanut Butter 2 (peanut powder substitute for peanut butter)
PCP: Primary Care Physcian
PPI: Proton Pump Inhibitor, such as Prilosec
RNY: Roux-eN-Y (gastric bypass) weight loss surgery
SF: Sugar Free
SMO: Super Morbidly Obese
SW: Surgery Weight
TT: Tummy Tuck
VBG: Vertical Banded Gastroplasty weight loss surgery
VSG: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy weight loss surgery
VST: Vertical Sleeve Talk, our wonderful forum
WLS: Weight Loss Surgery
A bougie is guide that is used to help the surgeon size your new stomach. Once you are under sedation, the bougie is passed down your throat and into your stomach. The surgeon cuts your stomach around the bougie. Typically, surgeons now use between a 32 and 40. The smaller the number, the smaller the guide's circumference. Early out, surgeons used bougies as large as 70.
There is a huge amount of controversy about bougie sizes. But bougie size is not the only factor in determining how large you stomach will be. Some surgeons oversew the staple line. Some cut closer to the bougie. Some people have longer stomachs. All these factors affect how much smaller your stomach is.
And your stomach size is not the only factor in your success. How compliant you are with your program and how resistant your body is to losing weight are important aspects to consider as well.
The pic I've included of bougie sizes is one that periodically makes the rounds on this board and others.
If you want more details on bougie size and it's effect on your success, read Carmelita's blog entry on this over on Obesity Help:
http://www.obesityhe.../2011/03/31/-2/
Lynda
If your WLS program provided a guide, I suggest you use that. But many people do not receive a program guide when they have WLS. If you fall in that boat, here are some links to guides that I have saved from this forum over the years. If you have any to add, post a comment with a link.
Kaiser Fremont Bariatric Program Guide (this is my program's guide and it covers VSG and other WLS)
http://mydoctor.kais...rics/binder.jsp
The Cornell Weight Loss Surgery Program: Dietary Guidelines for Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
http://www.cornellwe...gastrectomy.pdf
Institute for Advanced Bariatric Surgery: Preparatory Surgery Guide
http://www.laplose.c...urgeryGuide.pdf
Institute for Advanced Bariatric Surgery: Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery Diet Guide
http://www.laplose.c...veDietGuide.pdf
Northwest Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: Laproscopic Gastric Sleeve Diet
http://www.northwest...ectomy-diet.pdf
Ellis Medicine Program Guide
http://www.ellishosp...pGuidelines.pdf
Here are some additional guides posted by Misty (read her post here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/85182-list-of-vsg-post-op-diets-from-surgeons/)
Auckland Weight Loss Surgery (New Zealand) - Patient Information Book Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
http://aucklandweightlosssurgery.co.nz/downloads/Laparoscopic%20Sleeve%20Gastrectomy.pdf
Brigham and Women's Hospital - Dietary Guidelines for Sleeve Gastrectomy
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/surgery/services/generalsurg/WeightLossSurgery/PostOpSleeveGastrectomyDiet.pdf
Columbia University - Sleeve Gastrectomy Discharge Instructions
http://obesitymd.org/postop_sleeve.html
Goodnight Surgical – The Sleeve Gastectromy Guide (PDF)
http://goodnightsurgical.com/doc/Sleeve_Gastrectomy_Guide.pdf
HealthPoint (New Zealand) - The Sleeve Gastectromy Information for Patients (PDF,Must be downloaded, can’t be viewed online)
http://www.healthpoint.co.nz/download,267405.do
Johns Hopkins - Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Guide
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/_docs/medical_services/bariatrics/nutrition_sleeve.pdf
London Bariatric Group (UK) – A guide to eating and drinking after Sleeve Gastectromy
http://www.laparoscopicconsultant.co.uk/pdf/post-op-sleeve-gastrectomy.pdf
London Obesity Clinic (UK) - Eating after Sleeve Gastectromy
http://www.obesitycliniclondon.co.uk/pdf/eating-after-sleeve-gastrectomy.pdf
Miami HOPE Center - Patient Education Booklet Sleeve Gastectromy
http://www.miamihope.com/docs/Patient_Educational_Booklet_Sleeve_Gastrectomy.pdf
Murfressboro Surgical Specialists - Dietary Guidelines Post-Op Sleeve Gastectromy Procedure
http://www.murfsurg.com/dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.htm
North London Obesity Surgery Services (UK) - Eating After A Sleeve Gastrectomy
http://www.whittington.nhs.uk/document.ashx?id=1948
Northwest Obesity Center – Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve Diet
http://www.northwestobesitysurgery.com/pdf/sleeve-gastrectomy-diet.pdf
Peachtree Bariatrics – Gastric Sleeve Patient Manual Guide
http://www.peachtreebariatrics.com/docs/Gastric-Sleeve-Patient-Manual.pdf
Pinnacle Health (Australia) - Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery Patient Manual (Word Doc, must be downloaded, cannot be read online)
http://www.pinnaclehealth.org/pinnacle/media/Images/Sleeve-Gastrectomy-Patient-Manual.doc
St. George Obesity Surgery (Australia) - Sleeve Gastrectomy Pre and Post Operative Information for Patients
http://www.stgeorgeobesitysurgery.com.au/pdf/sleeve-gastrectomy-booklet.pdf
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (Canada) – Bariatric Surgery Guidebook
http://www.stjoes.ca/media/PatientED/U-Z/PD%206000%20Bariatric%20Surgery%20-%20Gastric%20Bypass%20February%2029%202012.pdf
University of Missouri - Guidelines Before & After Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
http://www.muhealth.org/documents/bariatric/Bariatric%20Booklet%20VSG.pdf
Upper Gastro Intestinal Surgery (Dr. Talbot, Australia) - Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Weight Loss
http://www.uppergisurgery.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/sleeve-2011.pdf
Virginia Hospital Center - Your Complete Guide for Nutrition and Exercise Following Sleeve Gastrectomy
http://www.surgicalassociatesvhc.com/Nutrition-and-Exercise-following-Sleeve-Gastrectomy-82011.pdf
Walter Reed - Nutritional Guidelines Handbook
http://www.wrnmmc.capmed.mil/Health%20Services/Surgery/Surgery/Bariatric%20Surgery/Shared%20Documents/Nutr%20Guidelines%20Section%20Handbook.pdf
Walter Reed – Nutrition for Bariatric Surgery Presentation
http://www.wrnmmc.capmed.mil/Health%20Services/Surgery/Surgery/Bariatric%20Surgery/Shared%20Documents/Nutrition%20for%20Bariatric%20Surgery%20Presentation.pdf
After more than two years post-op and almost three years on this board, I've decided to create a blog. I never made one before because I didn't want the responsibility of keeping up with new entries and dreaming up fresh and exciting content to share. But I've come to recognize that blogs, even when they are abandoned, can provide a permanent link to some great information. So, I'm going to use my blog to answer questions that I see come up over and over in the online VSG community. I'll put each topic in a separate entry so they are easy to link to.
A bit about me: I'm a retired techie. I wrote techincal documentation for end-users, administrators, and programmers. I also worked on websites and UI design. After retiring, one of my projects was getting healthy. After years of trying to lose weight including a stint with Weight Watchers in person, Weight Watchers online, hiring a personal trainer, hypnosis, and a brief fling with Alli, I decided to try weight loss surgery. At first, I wanted the band. After learning more about it, I decided on the sleeve.
I had VSG through Kaiser Fremont in May 2011. I got to my personal goal in March 2012. I've been staying there since.
I hope you find the information I provide useful.
Lynda