Rootman

Guys, the Bougie is a tool used by the surgeon. Its a tube shaped long flexible rod that's pushed down your throat and into the stomach and through the pyloric valve into the very first part of the intestines. It is held there through the stapling procedure in order to provide a guide for the surgeon to use - and also to prevent them from accidentally stapling the stomach closed. Because once the surgeon pulls the trigger on the stapler the excess is cut off and it's PERMANENTLY SEVERED. YES, the difference in sizes is slight, but the surgeon is not pushing the staple tool up tight up against the Bougie inside the stomach, they generally just follow a line from where the stomach drops away from the pyloric junction to where it joins back to the esophagus. The Bougie sits there loosely, not jammed tight against the staple line. So NO the Bougie sizes don't mean a whole lot as the sleeve is formed so loosely. When all is said and done the difference in capacity of a sleeve loosely formed around a 32F isn't much smaller than around a 40F, maybe as previously stated a few teaspoons difference in capacity. You are more at to get a smaller sleeve by just being genetically disposed to having a shorter stomach than by the Bougie size and even then we're talking teaspoons size difference not cubic inches difference.

Luck!

Thanks guys, you really made my day reading the posts. I guess cause they seem so much more logical with he straight tube rather than the angled or curved tube. I see MANY women on the trails riding "boys" bikes. Since I seldom see a rider in a skirt the need for the "cutout" isn't really there any more. Every place I've seen has mostly men's styles and a few token womens bikes for the die hards that just insist on having a "real" girls bike. I didn't look real hard but I looked at a few shops. You can get a decent bike for a few hundred $$$, you can get a GOOD bike for about $500 and there is no real reason to get a real high priced bike unless you're really going gung ho. I paid $430 for mine, it's a Giant brand ( http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/ ) and I got it at my local Lewis and Clark Outfitter. Get something that has a suspension on the front forks and a suspended seat post (piston in the tube). I've been told The rear suspension bikes with a big shock on the rear don't really work that well and are more of a gimmick and they waste a lot of energy by bobbing up and down as you peddle. I don't know for sure but that's what I was told by a few people who really appear to know bikes. I'd go to a bike shop and be measured for a bike rather than just guess and pull one off a rack that looks "right" at a department store. Generally the more speeds the more the flexibility, you don't go through all of them in sequence and generally keep the front derailer in 2nd or 3rd unless really climbing a hill. Everyone has their own cadence (peddles pumps a minute) that just seems to work out and is most comfortable and the more gears it has the more likely you are to stay in that sweet spot and have the most energy hit the ground per revolution. Mine is a 21 speed. 6, 7 or 14 are popular. There are a lot of different types, the type I got was called a hybrid, not mountain bike not comfort street bike but a combo. It has a large diameter aluminum tube frame for strength and lightness and larger tires for grip and comfort. Lightness is key as the more the bike weighs the more energy it takes to just move the itself, let alone your body too. Really expensive ones are made out of carbon Fiber and cost thousands and have narrow little tires and hard seats. Not advisable unless you are really skinny and plan on putting hundreds of miles a week on the bike. If you're really not sure about biking being for you get a cheap department store bike and try it for a while. If you really get in to it then sell / give / donate it away and go get a better one. I'll try and get a pic tonight.

Well congrats on the loss, more will come and getting your head back on straight certainly makes things easier - don't ask me how I know

Yes, as stated in earlier posts, wait about 2 or 3 weeks for the incisions to heal before undertaking ANY exercise, it's important to let the incisions heal from the inside out to insure you don't have any weak spots or ruptures. Then have at it. I swim 3 or 4 days a week about 2 miles a day, then go home and bike for 10 miles on the same day. Last weekend I was celebrating getting a new bike and biked over 60 miles. It's amazing what taking a ton of fat off your body will do

Highly unlikely, they are sterile and made of material that the body tolerates and simply encapsulates, while not totally impossible it is just very highly unlikely. Other surgical implants don't cause infection either.

While not the same as a stricture I had / have a schatzki's ring which is a narrowing of the esophagus, the treatment is typically the same: balloon dilation. A small balloon is pushed down your throat to the area and inflated and the narrowing opened up. I had mine dilated twice and was still having problems. Rather than go through it again I just elected to have the VSG thinking that what I really needed was to not eat so much so fast - that's what was causing me grief, food getting caught up and not going to the stomach. Now, going on 1 3/4 years out I've not had any issues so far. Then again I can't pack it away like I used to either and may well still have it but it causes me no harm. I've heard of a few having strictures, most all were helped or cured by dilation. My sister had to have another surgery to open up hers, she is always having issues with surgical adhesions as well, seems here tissues just have an affinity to grow together and cause her problems.

Some are asked to do it others not. It is a wise thing to do. It can help shrink your liver as it is not processing as much and will shrink some giving the surgeon more room to work. One BIG benefit is that your colon will not be packed full of food post-op when you might have diarrhea or constipation. Sitting on the john pushing or gushing is never pleasant and is twice so post-op when you're hurting and sore. It also gives you a jump start on your weight loss - EVERYONE can keep a crash diet like this for a few weeks or so, especially when we know that surgery is coming.

Another thing to consider is hormonal differences, when you reduce your mass you effectively INCREASE the amount of hormones in your system - same amount of hormones spread out over less mass + MORE hormones. BOTH sexes produce some estrogen and testosterone and may cause more hair to grow.

Yep, it especially sucks when that favorite piece is just too damn tight to wear again. Soon it will be different, soon it will be "jeez - this used to fit, now it just hangs off me".

I occasionally eat a tiny amount of bread, most often in the form of a egg in the basket (I can eat only ONE) or a toasted cheese sandwich (only one). This isn't very often. Other times I might have a bite or two of a dinner roll or biscuit. It fills me up too fast with carb heavy calories and doen not satisfy me for very long.

My sleep went from bad to worse, I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night. I typically get up 2 or 3 times a night, wake more often than that and notice the clock a lot too. It's frustrating.

Well newmrsl, sorry if we offended you but I have never heard of this, and a (admittedly quick) Google search didn't turn up anything either, perhaps I'm not using the right search words. I for one would appreciate it If you would kindly point us to some online information about this happening.

All good and valid reasons, I however CANNOT abide by it. I need too many fluids to not drink while I eat due to kidney stones. I simply just eat a measured portion and NO more, so despite the fact that I might feel a little hungry I don't eat. Being "hungry" now is NOTHING like it was pre-op, I could not control myself, now I can. I drink a LOT while I eat, and it DOES get better as time goes by. I could not drink enough till maybe 1 year out. Now it's no issue.

Good for you! It will do nothing but make you better off and healthier. For the FIRST time in my life I've been exercising too, I sweat so much pre-op it was dang near impossible, post-op the sweat just stopped. I swim about 2 miles 4 days a week and bike about 10 miles the same 4 days. On Saturdays or Sundays I take a long bike ride, did 35 miles last weekend! I'm in better shape now than EVER. Go back up this thread and read ButterTheBeans comments, he is exactly right! It's tough to put on any VISIBLE muscle without adding fat, and dang hard to keep it on a diet. I just aim for fitness and getting a cardio workout. If any bulk or muscle curves show up then good for me! Just try to get in shape and burn those calories.

Yep, had 3 bouts post-op - NEVER had them pre-op. So much pain the first two times I had to get an oxycodone RX, the third time there was NO pain but my urine was the color of rose wine ! I started drinking a LOT more Water to keep my kidneys flushed and also started drinking an EmergenC drink - an OTC Vitamin C drink 3 times a week, like the cranberry juice mentioned above it works by largely passing the Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) unabsorbed which acidifies the urine and helps block the stones from forming.

Lordy, seems like 5 ponds or more some days

There is no answer to this question, it depends on the company and their insurance carrier. It would all be according to how strict the new company wants to enforce their per-existing conditions clauses in their policies. Some might not want to pick up the insurance at all and others may just refuse to cover anything that they might think is remotely due to bariatric surgery. It's really the same for ANY major surgery.

Hmm, I've never heard the "spleen thing" before and to be honest it doesn't sound very reasonable. I can't imagine 1/3 of your spleen dying and it not causing a lot of other issues. I believe it is due to the EFFECT of the gas, but NOT the gas itself. When they do laproscopic surgery they need room to work, so they blow up your abdomen like a balloon in order the get adequate work space. This CO2 gas is mostly removed upon closure and what it left is rapidly absorbed by the body in a matter of hours (at most). What DOES last is the trauma of being blown up like a balloon and it stretching and slightly tearing things up. This can cause the mysterious "phantom" or referred pain. Pain relievers help SOME but time and exercise to help alleviate the inflammation is what helps. Stuff like GasX does NOT help with this, it simply relieves the stomach gas that you might ALSO be suffering from. Your traumatized stomach is swollen about shut and what little gas is produced is too much for the limited space - and hence gas pains.

I don't know what causes this but I'm over 1 1/2 years post-op and it still happens. Maybe not as much. At first my spit was frothy and still is a bit. I also have these weird bubbles that feel like tapioca in my mouth, I can push my tongue on them and break them but they are really, really weird. I've yet to be given a logical explanation for this issue.

Kewl, bet that was fun! I remember the last time I went, was well north of 300 pounds and when I hit the pool at the end by legs went up and I hit the Water on my back, which stung but also made a huge wave of water that splashed well over the fence at the end and soaked a bunch of people waiting about 25' away Guess that's what happens when a hippo lands like that

Well I would ask him to stand up very straight and place his hands on his head and close his eyes, and then kick him square in the nuts as hard as you can and promise to do it again if he ever pulls any more crap like that. Yes, marriage is a partnership, unfortunately sometimes it seems lopsided and some times duties cannot or should not be divided 50/50 - sometimes it just doesn't work out that way - but that's for you BOTH to decide, not just HIM. Get some counseling and get this straightened out as soon as you can before the kid starts being affected by it. P.S.: And please do NOT air any more of your dirty laundry in public, this can work against you both emotionally and legally.- if it comes to that. Take care of your business or confide in JUST your close personal friends - and even be careful there. Don't try and get answers from a public forum like this. It could prove humiliating if he ever finds out.

No, but I sure was hungry, seemed like every other commercial on TV was for some delicious snack or incredible restaurant deal too Stick with it, you'll feel better post-op and get a jump start on your weight loss.

Great! Wait till you get near goal - it seems that they've made booths bigger to accommodate larger people and now It's actually uncomfortable for me to eat in some of them - the seat's too far away from the table!

Please make sure and ask the doc first, but a lot of times the OTC drug is half the dosage of the RX drug, I think OTC Prillosec is 20mg and RX is 40mg. My wife was on two 40 mg Prilosec a day so I know it can be done - but check with the doc first. There is some issues with calcium uptake with Prilosec.