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PSWalker

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How did a former athlete who was 9% body fat in college get to this point? Well I was born with a bad heart valve that wore out faster than my body did. In my early 40s suddenly I was gasping for breath, by my late 40s I was type 2 diabetic, at 50 I had surgery for diverticulitus and lost 4" of my colon which slowed me down more. At 52 I had open heart surgery where they replaced the valve and found a aneurysm which would have killed me.

 

However, I came out of this unable to lift weights, play softball or baseball, with a right arm and shoulder with nerve damage in it and a bad knee and hip. Then the meds quit controlling my diabetes, the new meds added weight and now it is out of control, I have nerve damage in my feet and my wife has to look at them every night to make sure I don't wind up with an infection. I was approved as a metabolic Weight Loss Patient on the first go around.

 

I am now on my second doctor because the staff of the first one frankly was incompetent. I was lied to when they told me that they had filed FMLA, and I was pre-approved by insurance, they hadnt submitted either one of them. So being the analyst that I am I checked and found out everything. Added to that the hospital that they wanted to have the surgery in didnt have the best reputation. I should have had the surgery two months ago to keep nerve damage to a minimum.

 

I am very nervous, from my major surgeries I live with pain every day. I was told that while they can do the sleeve that the results are better with bypass. However, the horror stories with malabsorption worry me. I am doing this to be able to have a life again not just to trade one set of issues for a whole other set. So any feedback is appreciated.

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I've heard malabsorption isn't near the issue with the verticle sleeve as with the bypass. With the sleeve, you keep your stomach which still does it's job and feeds the nutrients you need into your small intestines as before so you can absorb the nutrients, you just eat a LOT less because they've removed approx. 85% of it (so you have to eat smarter). With the bypass, you no longer have a stomach and they take out a good portion of your small intestines, so your body's not able to absorb the nutrients you need from the food you eat.

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Yes. What TTC said. The sleeve is a lot kinder to your body in regard to mal absorption because they do not re-engineer your digestive tract like in the bypass. You keep everything as is, except for your stomach. That's downsized considerably so the challenge is to eat smaller meals through out the day to get your nutrients and mainly proteins.

You have to focus on protein and staying hydrated, but as long as you eat smarter and realize the days of "all you can eat buffets" are gone. It will do you good. I am a meat lover so the focus on protein isn't that daunting. It's learning not to gulp. Don't scarf down your food like a fiend, and pace yourself.

For sleeve patients it's not malabsorption, but malnutrition that will make it complicated. They are two separate issues.

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Also BTW, great that you found out and changed doctors. I have seen too many ppl not be as pro-active and their research. Kuddos to you for that one. Hope the new surgeon works out.

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I am right there with you. Division 1 track and swimming, 30 marathons, 25 triathlons.... and now 110 pounds overweight.

I got some great news though. I am losing weight at a rate that is beyond belief. I am working out again like an animal and the losses are unbelievable. All that old time strength and training know how comes back. I am down 42 pounds. And happier than I have been in 15 years.

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