VSGAnn2014

It's common for a surgeon to repair a hiatal hernia during VSG surgery. (Mine was repaired during VSG.) However, an abdominal hernia seems to me to be a horse of a different color. Not the same thing at all (not strictly part of the gastrointestinal system). But I could be wrong.

Quest, my bigger point was that dumping is not the only side effect with very negative effects that you might very much wish to avoid.

You may have already done considerable research about RnY. But there are some very significant medical complications and side effects with the RnY that the sleeve doesn't (usually) trigger. For instance, * significant malabsorption and anemia issues requiring very serious Vitamin, mineral and other supplements for the rest of your life (more than with the sleeve) * reactive hypoglycemia -- as many as 72% of RnY (bypass) patients have it; it ain't a minor thing at all. "Reactive hypoglycemia is a late complication affecting up to 72% of RYGB patients although it seems to occur also after SG, in about 3% of the cases." See http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01581801 * more complicated surgery and more surgical complications with RnY than with gastric sleeve That's not to say that there aren't some diagnoses / patients for whom gastric bypass is the better choice. But IMHO you should choose bypass ONLY if you have those diagnoses. The choice between bypass and sleeve is not a simple 6 of one, half-dozen of the other proposition.

Yeah, it finally takes the uncertainty out of it all. From here on, things will start to get more real and you will probably feel more (deep breath) stable.

Look below my post here. See the "Report" key? Click that.

Seriously? Wearing a too-tight girdle that makes you throw up is a viable solution for weight maintenance after WLS? Well, if that doesn't wind up working for you, you could wear a chastity belt with an hook that pokes you in the stomach. Or you could wear a full coat of armor that's a size too small. Or you could lock a full-face helmet onto your head without any opening to your mouth. Or you could find an old Iron lung and move into it with only your head sticking out and no way to feed yourself. Seriously ... if you lost 10 pounds in a month because you didn't work out, it's likely that most of that weight loss was muscle mass.

Send a PM to the site owner / operator Alex Brecher. Or report this message (of mine) and explain in your report message what you would like Alex and/or the mods to help you do. Good luck.

@TropicalGirl ... this is one of the most staggering before/after combos I've ever seen. You were so pretty before. You are so pretty now. But your life's trajectory will now be so different than it would have been. I couldn't be more happy for you.

Whew! Doesn't that feel good?

LOL! You should see my list! The local network news shows and reporters, not to mention the news editors, fear my emails. Not only do those "professionals" too often fail to spell, punctuate and write correctly, but they mispronounce the most common English words. Ex-specially?! Real-a-tor? Nu-cu-lar? Ex-presso? If those guys and the state's Department of Transportation and all the billboard companies would just get their acts together, I could relax. It's hard being us.

@@bikrchk ... urdoinitrite.

I am treating this journey exactly like MissMac and Cowgirljane describe it. I know it requires courage, hard work, persistence, willingness to experiment and to fail and then to stand up again and do it all over again tomorrow. I'm 68 years old. In the year and a half prior to WLS, my world shrunk far too much and too fast. I glimpsed what my husband's and my retirement life would be like because of my obesity, and it was so much less than either of us wanted or deserved. WLS is a great gift, an advantage NONE of us have had until now. Prior to WLS, I never had a 50% chance to defeat my obesity. I had only a 2% chance that the weight I lost on "the next diet" would never return and not bring 20 or 30 extra pounds along with it. I know the value of WLS because hundreds of people on this forum have lost all their excess weight, kept it off and are living better lives than they otherwise would have had. That's what I want for myself. Admitting we feel vulnerable, being honest about our feelings is important. But when our vulnerability turns into habitual self-talk and becomes our mental mantra it will sabotage us. That's why I have chosen not to be afraid of this opportunity. I choose not to be miserable and fearful. I choose to be full of hope and gratitude for this new chance I've been given to create my health and happiness.

I've been meaning to ask this question for nearly a month: Why did you guys have a drain? And where was it? I didn't have any drains at all. Just incisions and little bandages over them.

Holy cow! Some horrific stories here and some important lessons to take on board. For those of us who've been obese for so long and have toughed through so much more than most people have just to live life daily, we've probably built up some really stupid thinking about how we can endure anything and survive. Well, apparently not.

Funny thread. Sad thread.

Due to my own deliberations about my decision and the fact that my local bariatric center of excellence was whelmed over with patient applications, it took 14 months from my first intro lecture by the WLS surgeon to surgery. Get in line early is all I can advise.

I think my initial appointment for the psych testing / interview and the second appointment for psych evaluation report to me were a month apart. It doesn't take so long because we're so "special," but because most bariatric centers these days are overwhelmed with so many patient applications.

Excellent post. Just because we haven't died up to this point in life doesn't mean we won't die. Strange concept, eh?

I went with two-week staycation for most people and, for family, a hiatal hernia repair. End of problem. Oh, and I was one of those who had to have gall bladder surgery post-VSG. Four weeks later, in fact. So now I can explain the holes in my tummy if anyone winds up seeing them. Other people are actually less interested in our stuff than we believe. A.

I had my first gall bladder attack ... wait for it ... 10 days after my VSG surgery. The ultrasound done in the ER showed 30 gallstones. Gaaahhh! Obviously, I didn't manufacture 30 gallstones in 10 days. So I just had my gall bladder removed two days ago -- 4 weeks post-VSG. So now I have 10 holes in my tummy instead of 6 and am recovering from a second surgery. Happily, my WLS surgeon also did my gallbladder surgery (he's a general surgeon ... yea!). When I saw him prior to the gallbladder surgery, he said, "We used to remove the gallbladder proactively when we did WLS. But the insurance companies had a problem with us doing surgery for something that wasn't yet a problem. I wish we could still do it though. So many patients have their first symptoms after WLS." So I asked, "What if I'd 'proactively complained' about my gallbladder prior to WLS? Would you have ordered an ultrasound pre-op? And when you saw the 30 stones in there would you have taken out my gallbladder at the same time as WLS?" My doctor just smiled a big ole grin. It was his way of saying, nonverbally, "Hell, yes!" So here's a word to the wise. During your first meeting with your WLS surgeon, you could say: "Gee, I may be starting to have some troubles with my gallbladder." (At this point you might rub your abdomen just under your right breast/chest.) "But I've never had an ultrasound taken of my gallbladder before. Do you think we should do an ultrasound to find out if I've got a problem with gallstones in there?"

I agree ... this isn't a high Protein, low carb diet like Atkins or some of the other diets that eschew most carbs. I plan to eat plenty of carbs during the rest of my life -- the ones with good nutrients like veggies, healthy grains, Beans, fruits, dairy products (which have a lot of carbs), nuts (which have carbs), things like that. Months from now, I surely will indulge in a bite or two of good Desserts very occasionally. I will surely drink a glass of wine from time to time. But I won't be living on the planet of Pasta, eating all the bread in the basket, or sucking down sugar.

Thanks, Mbstas. What is the cost?

ladybug, Congrats on starting your WLS surgery. I hope you find the benefits and peace you're looking for.

I've been wanting to try the Rx Latisse. Has anyone tried this? If so, what was your experience? I'd like to use it on my eyebrows, too. As I've aged, the hair all over my body has gotten thinner. But I only want to replace the hair around my eyes.

It would sort of be nice, after losing 100 pounds, to move somewhere new and deal only with people who didn't know you before and don't burden you with their issues about how confused they are by the fact that you're not obese anymore. Sheesh!