Jillyr

Hello, I have searched everywhere for information about suceess stories on the topic of Asperger adults and WLS surgery. My son is 23-years old. He has mild Aspergers. You wouldn't know it but it is there. His weight is out of control and he wants the VSG that I had. I watch him eat and he practically swallows his food whole. I mean he crams food into his mouth, chews twice, and swallows the whole lot in one gulp. My husband thinks he will never learn to chew and swallow small amounts at a time. I explained that you don't have a choice. The other benefit for my son having the surgery would be that he simply will not be able to eat large quantities and this will cut down on foods that make his Aspergers worse. There are studies that show glutin can make symptoms worse. My son eats poptarts, donuts, pizza, giant shakes, quadruple patty burgers, etc. If I had to guess, I would say 4,000 to 6,000 calories per day. He also suffers from depression. He is on medication for that. BTW, Aspergers is in the Autism family. I see that children have this surgery all the time. I just read about an 11-year old having the VSG. The reason I mention this is because one can liken an Asperger's person to child-like behavior. I am sending my son to an information seminar about WLS at an american facility. Just so he can really hear and undersand the procedure. I talk to him all the time about how careful you have to be with chewing and swallowing. If I were to help him, I would take him to Dr. Aceves. If I stay out of it, I watch him get larger and larger and more and more miserable. He has stretch marks all over his body. Keep in mind, my husband thought I was off my rocker when I had the surgery myself. He thinks my son will blame me forever if I help him get teh surgery. My husband is appauled that I even present VSG as an option. I do not present this option to my son, only to my husband. My son asks me about it all the time and I reply "it isn't easy, kiddo, you have to be really careful." Any thoughts?

I think you need to get a couple of consults from both bariatric surgeons and psychiatrists (ideally those who work with bariatric patients), it's not something that you alone can decide, because it could turn out to be a disaster. I agree. That is good advice. I remember one of Dr. Aceves' coordinators told me a story about a patient of theirs who got a pass to go to the mall with another pt the day after his VSG and ate an ENTIRE BIG MAC while he was there. WHAT!?! OMG, how is that possible? His sleeve burst and Dr. Aceves had to perform open abdominal surgery on him to clean everything up and ensure he didn't die from sepsis. Obviously, this person had some sort of unadressed mental health issues to go and do something like that - and without the psych evals that happen if you go through insurance, he slipped through the cracks. Wow! You have to consult doctors who are experienced with Aspergers AND WLS to make sure something like that doesn't happen with your son. I totally agree. I am looking for help but it seems the WLS folks don't understand Aspies and the Aspie folks don't understand WLS. I am looking though. I appreciate you pointing this out. And if you go to Dr. Aceves for the actual procedure, I'd absolutely notify him of your son's condition so he's aware that your son may be in need of special care post-op. I definitely will. Thank you!!

My opinion is that this is NOT the thing for you son right now. The sleeve is a tool for weight loss. It is NOT the answer to weight loss. Yes, this is indeed a good point. I can tell that you are a very concerned parent who wants the best for her child, but the sleeve will not help your son if he doesn't get control of his eating habits. If he binge eats the way you describe, he could do severe damage to his sleeve and to his health. This is my husband's concern also. One thing about Aspies (at least my son, for sure), they are very rule-oriented. My son does not think outside the box. If you say the stomache only hold four ounces, he will freak out if he thinks he consumed 4.1. Do you think he could do the all liquid diet? I think that is a good idea. I will look into that now. Why don't you try having him do a "pre-op" or "post-op" diet for a few weeks and see if he can handle that. If he shows that he can handle it then maybe you should look into it further. But him getting sleeved without resolving the food behaviors will result in failure. I definitely do not want that. This is just my opinion. Thank you so much! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let me know your thoughts. I wish you and your son the best of luck!! I can tell that you do. Thank you!

Hi Jilly -- I have a son with Asperger's too, and it's mild. He's in college right now and my mom (who lives near his school) reports he's gained weight. He tends to have my body type, and eats in reaction to emotional upset, etc. SOOOO, I'm hoping that he can get his eating under control before he ends up like me. The thing is, as I'm sure you are aware, like all people with Asperger's, he has no self-reflection -- he thinks he's fine. He also thinks he's fine when he doesn't shower, but that's another story. Yes, he comes downstairs just about every morning and as he his heading out the door, my husband or I holler "have you brushed your teeth?!" Nine times out of ten he goes back upstairs saying "what's the big deal?" So, yes, I can see that you totally get it! BUT to your question -- as you know, people with Asperger's learn very quickly from non-social feedback -- in other words, negative stimulation goes miles -- which makes me think that the VSG would be perfect (rather than RNY) because it gives IMMEDIATE feedback that you've eaten too much -- you literally get sick. Now it will probably be more traumatic for him than it was for you because he won't be able to process what's happening to him as well as you did. That is very true about Aspies. They do not understand "hot" unless they touch it and get burned. I've got a couple of questions -- if he's mildly Asperger's, is he self-sufficient?? I mean, does he have a job, etc?? Yes. He has been working at Ralphs Grocery Store as a checker for five years. The reason I ask is because at some point, he can and should make this decision on his own. He is the one who wants the surgery. I would have never even brought it up as an option. He found out I had the surgery and he told me today that it is unfair that I am giving him a hard time about having it done. I know that if you determine that you can present him with the information, you could do it in a very logical, scientific way -- one that would grab his attention -- making sure you include that it takes more than the surgery to be successful. Today, he and I went out to lunch and he brought it up. I told him to give it a try . . . the way you have to eat. I told him to take a bite of his food and chew, chew, chew until it is the consistency of baby food. He did it and said, what's the big deal? But, then came the deal killer. I told him he won't be able to drink carbinated sodas anymore. He was VERY upset about that. He lives on Diet Coke. If you know Aspies, you know they have their comfort issues. He told me he cannot live without having his soda. I also told him he cannot eat and drink liquids together. I told him there are lots of rules. He got upset with me and told me I was just trying to talk him out of it. I told him he could learn to live without diet soda and switch to tea or somethihng. It is true that we cannot have soda, right? I'm not sure if that is a permanent thing or a temorary thing. I don't know if this was helpful or not, but I know how you feel and I worry about my son's weight as well -- he's not obese yet, but he's definitely overweight. But I can see him getting there in the next 5 years or so. . . I hope this helped -- hugs, Julie This helped so much, thank you! He needs some kind of intervention but I am very concerned that VSG might be too drastic. I am going to look into the liquid medical diet plans on line. If you have additinal thoughts, please let me know. If there are any Aspie's out there who had the VSG, pleeeeeeease chime in. Thank you so much! Good luck with your son.

You are most welcome. One more thing, wait until you have lost most of your weight. They have to measure your breasts and take into account your volume-loss before determining the size of the implant. If you still have a signficant amount of weight to lose, the implant will be saggy after you lose more weight. My doctor told me that my weight loss had to be stable for six months. As for breast discussion boards, prepare yourself for big-time boosom wishers who strive for tripple-Gs. Just be careful. The advice is not always as sincere as it is on this board. For me, I was okay with realself.com. The point is, you can at least educate yourself. PS: I posted this before reading the one just above. I don't think I came across that site. I wish had because I was so desperate for advice.

Okay, so i never thought I would care about my breasts losing volume . . . but, that sure changed when I began to see my great-grandmother's 89-year old National Geographic breasts every time I saw myself nude in the mirror! After I lost all my weight, I became embarassed about my breast bags. That's just me. I hope no one else feels that way. But, for some stupid reason, that is just how i felt. Anyway, I began to explore breast augmentation sugery. My husband was VERY against it. My poor husband! He must think I'm crazy!! Weight loss surgery in Mexico and now this. Seriously though, I even thought myself to be pretty selfish, foolish, and vein to put myself through breast surgery. But, I just made myself do it. Don't even ask me about the first month because i was miserable and full of regret. They seemed huge and unnatural. But, now, three months later, I am so so so so so glad i did it! The swelling went away and I now feel totally normal. Actually, they just look like they did before, except on a skinnier frame. I can wear all my fat bras! You should probably explore breast implant discussion boards to find out more about it. It's a big step. Just my two cents.

Count me in! I had a perfect experience. Everyone from Nina (the coordinator) to Eduardo (the driver) to Dr. Aceves (the star) to Dr. Campos (the other star) to the anesthesiologist (can't remember his name but he was a sweetheart) to EVERYONE! I just respect and admire all of them so much. I am eternally grateful for Dr. Aceves and his team!

No regrets! Except, that I regret not doing it sooner! Jilly

I am nine months out. The VSG is the best thing I ever did for myself. I have NO REGRETS. Sure, eating out is a bit boring now because i am finished eating waaay before anyone else at the table. Sure, I miss eating big meals sometimes but those meals were the reason I was fat! I definitely do not miss that. I had no "off" switch. I just kept eating! I used to go to bed at night with thoughts about a new tomorrow and a plan to eat healthy. I used to wake in the morning with a food hangover and another pound gained on the scale. Before I knew it, no matter how good my intentions, I was making poor choices and kicking myself the rest of the day. So, the cycle would repeat over and over. My husband was against me having the surgery and that made it difficult for me to go through with it. But, I did it . . . with his reluctant blessing. He tells me, "I didn't know I had a say in the matter!" Now, I am free. Forever! I am so relieved. I am so grateful I had this opportunity. I wish I would have done it sooner! My husband agrees it was the right choice for me. He tells me he could not bear to go through it again but he sees the positive effect it has had on me. Forget about the weight loss . . . (YAY ME) . . . he sees that I am finally free (I know, I already said that but it is soooo how I feel) and I am finally at peace! Never again will I be CONSUMED with constant , pervasive thoughts about my weight. I AM FREE! (Last time, i promise.) Now, I get to stress about real stuff! Crazy. Jilly

Hello All, I was sleeved by Dr. Aceves January 2010. I trust him completely. I am very particular and i only choose the best. I researched him and Dr. Campos before going to Mexicali. They lived up to their reputation. I know sugeons in California and i work at a surgery center that specializes in gastric surgery. The surgeons i work with are phenominal. Yet, when my son expressed interest in having the VSG, my first thought was, "I'll call Nina!"

I am nine months out. In the beginning, I had a hard time after eating, in general, because I struggled with post-eating nausea. I do not think there was anything in particular, just felt crummy after eating. That does not happen anymore. But, there are some foods that give me heartburn. The only thing I never consume is carbonated drinks. But, that is not because i have ever had problems. I was told that this is a no-no forever. How come? Does anyone know? I really miss beer!

I thought of a few more things and editted my post above. Still not a bad con list!

Here is my list of cons: 1. I can't "down" my Water like I used to. 2. I am ready to leave a restaurant long before everyone else at the table is finished. 3. I sometimes get heartburn. 4. In the beginning, I really had to figure out how to eat. I have learned that I can still take regular sized bites but i have to swallow it in sections. Before figuring that out, I used to feel pretty icky after eating. 5. I hate it when I come across people i haven't seen in awhile and they blurt out "wow, you have lost so much weight!" 6. I am at the point now where I have to be sure to get enough calories. No big deal, I just have to be sure to eat all the time. 7. When I go out to eat with people, I have to fake that I am chewing and still eating when I am so ready to just leave. I move the food around and hide it so people won't question my portion size. I even hide food in my napkin sometimes because I don't want the waiter to ask me if I am unhappy with my dish. 8. I miss beer! I really can't think of anything else. It has been nine months and I have not regretted it for a moment. I feel so free. Don't even get me going on the list of pros! We will be here all night!.

Hi Tracy, I am wonderful. I have zero problems. The surgery was a huge success!! Who is the other surgeon you are considering? For me, it was between Aceves and Alvarez. I have heard great things about both. I chose Aceves because for logistic reasons. I am very happy with my decision.

Hey, I like the gas/reflux excuse. I am totally going to use that one!! Very brilliant.

Hi Lan2k, Have you gone to your doctor to see about taking antidepressants? I take antidepressants and I am not ashamed to admit it. You have done the right thing with your surgery. If your brain chemistry is off, the medication will fix you right up. If you had high blood pressure, wouldn't you take medication? If you had diabetes, wouldn't you take medication? This is no different. It is a shame that you have to suffer. Please see your doctor. PS: sorry, if I overstepped or offended you. I write this only because I am sympathetic. Very sympathetic.

Hi Coopersmama! Good for you! I weighed 188 on surgery day. They told me I was a lightweight too. But, I knew it was only a matter of time before I put myself in a weight category that would make surgery too risky. I do not think it is a vanity thing, at all. It is a life decision that I regret not making twenty years ago. I have struggled with my weight every day of my life. The day I graduated law school, I weighed 250! I am too ashamed to show my graduation pictures to anyone. Very sad. There is no doctor in the US, who would even consider me a candidate for surgery. Thank God for Mexico! Today is my one-week anniversary! Wow. I am celebrating with an Isopure. Ohhhh, I am soooooo over the Isopure. Anyway, I believe you are doing the right thing. I totally support you. As for me, I will never tell anyone except my husband. I know people will think I am crazy so I am just going to lie and say I am on Atkins or make something up like the DNS Diet (do not swallow - he he he). I am sure I will find a confidant here and there but for now, my lips are sealed. By the way, I feel fine. Just fine. I have felt fine since the day of surgery. I had one rough "gasy" day when I got home, but that was it. I am so happy. I never again have to go to bed with that horrible, disgusting, you-know-the-feeling.

Okay, I will stick with the clear liquids until Jan. 16th. Thanks for talking me down. I feel the spasms sometimes. I have NO ENERGY though.

Hello Everyone, I was in Mexicali with Megan. (Hi Megan!) I was fine at the hospital but I am having a terrible time getting my fluids and protein down. Dr. Aceves repaired a hiatal hernia during the VSG. I did not think much of it but now I am wondering if that is the reason I am so swollen. I do not even know what the repair is. Is it a snip or a stitch? I guess I should have asked Dr. Aceves but, like I said, I thought nothing of it at the time. Last night was probably the worst night for me. I had so much gas that my back and shoulders were hurting terribly. I took GasX strips, put on a heating pad, moved up and down, walked, . . . I tried everything. Anyway, I was fine by morning. I think it was the Miso soup (with chuncks of tofu) that caused the gas. Today, I was able to drink down two Isopure drinks (40 grams of protein each). I can barely keep from gagging when I drink those. Today, I ventured out and had an Atkins shake (15 grams) because I needed substance. I actually did fine. I am going to move on to full liquids. Starting very very slowly, of course. I start my new job on Monday 1/18. I really, really hope I will be okay. I will keep you posted.

Hi, I am only one week post op so I'm afraid I do not have personal knowledge on the subject. But, I know two people who freaked out about losing their hair four months post vsg. They had gobs of hair in the shower drain and hair just everywhere. When it calmed down, they looked totally the same. I want to say it took a couple of months but don't quote me. Hope this helps.

Oh, thank you so much for responding! Dr. Aceves cautions that we can only drink clear liquids for ten days. I have done it for six. I am going to add a protein shake starting tomorrow. I will be careful though. Please keep me posted. It helps so much. Jilly

Hi Bernadette! Okay, so today is Day 6. My biggest stressor is getting my fluids and protein. I hate the Isopure drinks and I hate "sipping" water all day. I am used to downing my water three times a day. I feel like I would rather have an IV. Will you give me an idea about your diet these days? Other than that, I am great. I have lost eight pounds. I start a new job one week from tomorrow but I think I will be fine by then (right?) I love my sleeve so much. I feel so free! How are your incisions healing? How much weight have you lost in the eleven days?

Thanks Mary, I did end up going alone and everything was just fine. Today is Day 4 post surgery. Today, I feel pretty good. A little weak though because I am on liquids. Still worth it!!