mattr2

Man, this sleeve thing just gets better and better doesn't it! If there was one food I was hoping the sleeve would accommodate, it would be popcorn.

I'm day 2 post op. The pain the day of was about a 4 for me. Last night was rough becuase I couldnt sleep, took a pain pill and a gasx and viola, I went down. Maybe there is a little pain but I don't notice it? Maybe just laying in bed for the last three days made me stir crazy. I still made my rounds walking every two hours and that helped a ton. Once they took out the drain and the IV it was easier. I also sleep walk and tried getting up in the middle of the night which made my main stitch hurt. I remember that. The next morning (today) I think pain is at a 2. liquids are getting a little easier too.

+1 Correct. This is exactly what my surgeon said.

I have to respectfully disagree Bean. But what do I know. If you increase the diameter of cylinder, the volume is greatly changed. Think of the difference in surface area of a tv. Do you notice the difference between a 32" and a 40" TV? Then add another depth element to it and the volume difference is that much greater. All we can do is trust our surgeon that they make the correct choice for us. I had read that larger bougie surgeries experience less complications and less acid reflux effects, but also may have a higher change of stretching. I am sure the surgeons have waaaaaaaay more data points to support their reasons for doing what they do that we forum trolls have to consider.

Count me in as an Aug 13th sleever! We leave for the El Paso airport at 10:30 am to fly home. Whenever I swallow, I feel a little pain bubble about 3-5 seconds later. It's minor but it happens every time. I also developed a sore throat last night. I don't think it's from acid reflux as my wife you I trawling with me caught it too. I am sure it's all normal. These next few weeks are gonna be tough, but sooooooo worth it.

I was a low BMI-er going in at 32 and wondered the same thing. I wanted a larger Boogie, a 40f but the dr pretty much ignored me. He said he was doing 32f only but would make it "loose." Who know how much difference it will make in the end since it really does matter how the dr sees it up, but the simple math can't be ignored. The larger the bougie the larger the sleeve. You can't control the length of you stomach and that is the biggest factor as previously mentioned. Personally, I was really hoping for the 40f but ohh well. I'm only 2 days post op, leaving back to the states today. It's going to be interesting learning to swallow again. There is no room down there for much Water let alone food. Patience and time will make all the difference.

Would most protein drinks also count towards water too?

Well, I am 1 day post op and everything went perfectly. I am so happy I went through this. Thank you to everyone that helped me along the way. I just know, in a few months I will be a new person with an improved outlook on life. This past week has been crazy, lost a loved one, bought a house, and had vsg surgery. Wow.

Yesterday was my day! I'm in Mexico and was sleeved by Dr. Rodriguez at the Star Medica facility. I booked through belightweight, Ishi and Joanne were my coordinators. The entire experience and staff has been exceptional, better than I could have ever imagined. Think, southwest airlines vs delta in terms of service. all smiles, always have English speakers on staff and my Spanish is even getting better. Almost no gas pain, or any pain for that matter. From what they told me, there Wes no complications and all went as expected. Met with Dr. Rod yesterday, and the other two doctors assisting a few hours before. Perfect English so there was no concern of miscommunications. I have felt extremely comfortable. Leak test is later today. Fingers crossed. Internet access has been spotty, up and down but surprisingly, my At&t service works most of the time so phone calls and email are working without an international plan. I'm soooooo pumped up for this opportunity.

I see a huge difference, congrats!

I'm allowed much more freedom. I am instructed to drink a ton of water, lots of protein, and to keep carbs to less than 50 grams a day.

Wow Elindoll, you lost that much weight on the pre-op diet? Hats amazing. How are you doing at 5 weeks out?

I'm a 32 and getting sleeved on Monday by Dr. Rodriguez in Mexico. No matter what I do, I come back to this weight. After 10 years of failing, this is m y choice. I'm curious what size bougies your surgeons have used and how your recovery has been so far. I'm an considering going to a larger size to minimize complications and to hopefully not have extreme restriction. I had a light per-op diet, just restrictions on carbs, and told to drink a ton of Water. Post op is 1 week of clears, 1 week of regular liquids, 1 week of mushies. Does that sound right for you other low BMIers?

Yup! August 13th for me. Getting close! I'm nervouse, excited, freaked out, you name it! My dr is Dr. Rodriguez in Mexico.

Yeah, I will be back to work one week after too. I heard the first two weeks are tough and then it gets better. Hang in there!!!

Great thread everyone. I am a 32 BMI and scheduled for Aug 13. I am curious how everyone is doing. How is the recovery? Are you still happy with your decision to get sleeved? With having to lose less weight than the average sleever, are you happy with the size of your stomach? What size bougie did your surgeon use? Do you wish he woul dhave gone larger/smaller, or simply no opinion? I am very excited but very nervous at the same time! Your thought and feedback is very appreciated! Matt

Echo wits, a boogie is the size of the guide the surgeon uses to guide him in shapin your new stomach. How do you feel after surgery?

I know, odd question and maybe I can over thinking this too much but you can never be too infomred right?! I have about 70 Lbs to lose at a MBI of 33. I keep reading how the extremely low amount of food consumption for years following surgery and how FAST sleevers are losing weight. Why doesn't it make more sense to go with a larger pouch/bougie which should help with food tolerance, still give a large amount of restriction, and level out the extreme front end weight loss? I have read bougie sizes can range from 30-40. Are there any opinions out there? What about you low BMI-ers? what say ye?

Hi Patty! Thanks for the feedback. How's it going so far? When did you get sleeved?

Yes, like an endoscope

A little more info: The size of a bouge is the # of mm x 1/3. So a size 40 FR bougie is 13.3 mm in diameter, or a radius of 6.65. The stomach, after being sleeved will resemble the shape of a cylinder. If you take the volume of a 40 Fr bougie and compare it to the volume of a 32 FR bougie, there is about Formulas: Volume: (r x r) x (3.14) x (height) The length of a stomach is 10-12" or 254 mm. I have also read the sleeve surgery includes removal of 85% of the stomach. I know there are a few assumptions and other factors, like how closely the surgeons sews, length of the stomach, maybe even how much elasticity an individual has (althought he stretchy part was removed), etc, but am I way off on my logic? Just for kicks and giggles, here is the volume difference in the different sizes of bougies: 32 FR = 10.67 mm diameter = 22686 cubic mm 36 FR = 12.00 mm diameter = 28712 cubic mm + 27% 40 FR = 13.33 mm diameter = 35447 cubic mm + 56% 46 FR = 15.33 mm diameter = 46879 cubic mm + 107% 50 FR = 16.67 mm diameter = 55386 cubic mm + 144% 60 FR = 20.00 mm diameter = 79756 cubic mm + 252% There is clearly a larger difference than meets the eye when looking at the instrument itself. The size of the bougie simply HAS to correlate to the amount of stomach volume remaining. I found an intersting article on this from India here: http://www.bmi-india.com/does-bougie-size-in-sleeve-gastrectomy-matter/comment-page-1/#comment-22904 Originally the standard was a 60 FR bougie size at this practice. They now recommend 34-38 FR. Now, the next step would be assuming how much of a stomach on average is generally removed with a 32 FR bougie. If that number is 85%, then the next step would be: 32 FR - 15% remaining 36 FR - 19% remaining 40 FR - 23% remaining 46 FR - 31% remaining 50 FR - 37% remaining 60 FR - 52% remaining I would also think, the larger you go, the greater the possibility of stretch later down the road as well as greater possibility of not removing the portion of the stomach that creates the hunger hormone grehlin. Also in the article, the end result of stomach volume after a few years is similiar, so why not remove less if the results are close to the same in an irreversible procedure? Another interesting article: http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/carmelita/blog/tag/bougie+in+vsg/ That is certainly logical. Starving your body will result in weiht loss. To me, the journey does not need to happen in 4 months, 6 months to a year is fine, maybe even 2-3 years. Is the progress, long term prognosis, and overall quality of life that I am most interested in. I would really like to hear from someone that used a size 40+ FR bougie AND that was lower BMI going into it. Is that too much to ask. LOL. Sorry for going on. But, I would really like to hear some other opinions on this. I can also forward this to my surgeon to get his feedback. The more the better!

I'm also not so sure the "size of tr bougie doesn't matter" logic works either. I'm not sure what the numbers stand for, but if they are for diameter size then the VOLUME difference between a 32 and a 40 is about 50%. I assumed (incorrectly I'm sure) that a stomach is 5" long. Even though that number is certainly incorrect, when talking volume of a cylinder there is a large difference in overall volume.

Yeah, thats what it appears so can you see my point? Why not go a little larger. I mean, why not go to a 50? The best would be to ask a surgeon about why that is not a good idea. But, I cant imagine restriction of 70% of stomach capacity being nearly as effective, if not more healthy, than 85% rstriction. The other question is how that would affect the production of the grehlin hormone (AKA Gremlin, dont eat after midnight, you might not like what you turn into) I guess my queston is, why go as extreme if the need is not as great? This is apre-emptive strike. I KNOW there is no other way for me to get back to a healthy weight. I have tried all other options. Are there and success stories of different "degrees" of getting sleeved?

Great posts and thank you for joint in! My doc is using a 40 French boogie from what I understand. Let me know what you find out!

Sounds to me like so many Sleevers choose to leave their old life behind, including their responsibilities and relationships with their spouses. Maybe they made that choice a long time ago and associate that life with their old self and can't get away from the sour memories without a clean cut. I could see it the other way too with a spouse being insecure when their significant other is now so much more "marketable." For me, my wife is extremely supportive. Then again, I am doing this for both of us, not just me. I do think there is a lot of selfishness involved. When you share your life with someone and your role has been to help with cooking while the other goes to work, helps with the house, dedicated,to kids sports etc, and you decide you are the one no longer interested without including the other in that decision, then there is selfishness involved. Sorry, that's just how I see it.