natasha88

Well thanks for your reply....How is anyone supposed to figure that out...LOL! USed to be that to reply, one would hit a button that said reply!

I just have a question...I am in the process of prepaeing for the surgery. Are people having problems not being able to eat certain foods? I had the VBG in the past and could not eat healty foods like fruits and vegetables. The pouch couldnt process more than a bite or 2. HAs anyone run into this problem with the sleeve? Thank you!

I want to thank those who have replied to my question and those who might reply in the future. I cant seem to find a button to click on to reply to posts....does anyone know how to do that?

I just have a question...I am in the process of prepaeing for the surgery. Are people having problems not being able to eat certain foods? I had the VBG in the past and could not eat healty foods like fruits and vegetables. The pouch couldnt process more than a bite or 2. HAs anyone run into this problem with the sleeve? Thank you!

I just have a question...I am in the process of prepaeing for the surgery. Are people having problems not being able to eat certain foods? I had the VBG in the past and could not eat healty foods like fruits and vegetables. The pouch couldnt process more than a bite or 2. HAs anyone run into this problem with the sleeve? Thank you!

It sounds like there is a variety of ways people respond to the sleeve in terms of what they can eat, So there is a gamble in that sense. I had the VBG 12 years ago and could not eat healthy foods. The opening was the size of a dime and the pouch was the size of an egg, so I was very restricted in how much and what types of food.I could eat.....after 10 years the opening got blocked and I had to have surgery to remove half the band...the back half is still in place. Now, I can eat anything, the size is still restricted because of the stapling that had been done so it sort of sounds like it is comparable to the sleeve but I also gained the weight back. I am trying to determine if havign the sleeve done will be worth it....if it will restrict the amount I can eat more than I am restricted now. So Does anyone know the diameter of the sleeve? From what I have been reading it seems lots of people have had problems digesting certain foods or feeling full and uncomfortable. From the diagrams of the sleeve it looks a lot bigger around than the size of a dime yet people describe their experiences which sound exactly like what I went throgh with the VBG. The pouch was the size of an egg and the opening was the size of a dime.....but with the sleeve it is the whole length of the stomach, so I am puzzled when people say their sleeve feels full or they feel uncomfortable with what they have eaten because the sleeze looks a lot bigger than the pouch was.....I hope I explained that clearly enough for people to understand...... Any thoughts?

And thank you for explaining what a bougie is....after I posted the question, it occurred to me to look it up...duh!

To: Wannabehealthy2: Thank you that does help! I need to be very careful about this decision....I never want to go back to being unable to eat healthy foods...

I am asking this question because I had the VBG 12 years ago and after the initial healing, I besically could not eat healthy foods, and by that I mean meat, fish, fruits and veggies....I seemed to exist mostly on junk food because my stomach could process that. My theory was that the pouch was so small it did not have all the necessary stomach juices to digest the healthier foods. A year ago the opening, which was the size of a dime, got completely blocked...water wouldnt even go down. I had emergency surgery and he unblocked it and removed half of the band. So the size of the upper stomach is stil smaller than the a regular stomach but then it passes through and is digested in the lower stomach. And I can literally eat ANYTHING but It is still not restricted enough to make a difference because I re-gained 80 of the 100 pounds I lost. However, I do not want to put myself in the same position of not being able to digest healthy foods. Can anyone tell me what your experience is with foods such as steak, fish, vegetables and fruits, 6-12 months after the surgery? Thank you, Natalie

TO VSGKIRK: Regaining the weight occurred AFTER the pouch got blocked and he had to remove the band..... so the opening was much larger......so after feeling like I had starved for 10 years, within a year and a few months I gained weight back. I just dont want to be in a position again where I CANT eat healthy food which was the case with the VBG.

To ISLEEVED IT..............What is the bougie?

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. It sounds like it is different for everyone.... I dont mind eating smaller portions, in fact I prefer that, but the problem for me with the band was EXTREME discomfort with any of the "healthy" foods I mentioned........like the pouch just wasnt able to digest those foods and I usually ended up vomiting so I was unable to eat all that good stuff.....I cant stand the thought of being so uncomfortable for the rest of my life that I cant eat meat,fish, veggies and fruit.....so I guess there is some risk of that from what some people said. Another question....with the VBG, the opening was the size of a dime......what is the diameter of the sleeve? I assume it is fairly standard? thanks again...