Cape Crooner

We debated this one a while back. Sugar drinks are bad because they have tons of calories and go down without restriction. Carbonated beverages are off limits while healing due to acid and expansion. Carbonated sugar free beverages are okay once you're fully healed (3/6 months out). I challenged everyone who said "never for life" to produce one credible source and no one did! That said, you do get filled up quickly, so you won't be drinking too much...

In America, legal action would get you what you want. Don't know about NHS in England. I tend to expect the worse from the government...

My line is "I gave up on fad diets and did EXACTLY what my doctor told me to do".

Connie - One problem I did have and have warned others about is the reaction of others. Most folks - even those with complications, lose a lot of weight very quickly. Depending on how large your circle of friends is, this could lead to what seems like a never ending conversation about "how did you do it?" In my case, this was undoubtedly the #1 negative of the entire experience. And the "watchers" and stupid comments while eating in public. I did choose to limit who I told to 6 family members, but this too had left me feeling bad about not "fessing up" to my closest friends. That said, I'm now 10 months out and the watchers seem to vanishing.

I was told to read a book by the psychologist that did warn me to expect the kind of issues you encountered, they just never happened to me.

I don't doubt anything you've said, but I have to say my experience couldn't have been any more different. I felt like I was on a fairly strict diet for 6 weeks before surgery, but it was easy because I stopped drinking alcohol. After surgery, I had no pain, no side effects, and no hunger. I followed the 30 day post opt diet to a T and by 6 weeks out, I eased back to a normal life, just ate less. Oh yeah, never had a second thought, mood swing, or anything but joy over the new me! The only thing I wish I'd known was how easy it would all be. I would have done it 20 years ago!

I have been an unequivocal proponent of VSG, but after reading these stories, I must add something. Surgery is an art and a science. There are great surgeons and teams and some that aren't so good. I drove past a half dozen wls hospitals to go the hour and a half to Newton Wellesley because they are the best. They had 9 surgeons do my operation and it took less than 30 minutes. I think anyone considering elective surgery should research their surgeon and their team.

There is a huge difference in what doctors recommend. My surgeon was a top European specialist who trains many American docs. Did y'all realize there are many US docs who fly to Europe for bypass procedure training? He also spends one week per month in the Middle East, doing surgeries for the wealthy there. He commented to me that all his Middle Eastern patients want the sleeve and he tries to talk them out of it for a number of reasons (I wasn't paying a lot of attention to them because I never considered the sleeve). In my case, and there are multiple general ways of performing RNY surgery, I essentially have a sleeve but the bulk of my stomach is sutured closed and food passes through a small sleeve. You say you love the simplicity of the sleeve but in most cases the RNY is more simple. As for your question about why someone would have this reversed, there are multiple reasons. My neighbor had been obese for years and after a broken bone and hospitalization suddenly developed malabsorbtion syndrome in which food just passed through him without being absorbed. In short order he became scarily malnourished and emaciated. I have known folks with cancer who have also gone through serious weight loss, and a couple of people I know were told by their docs at the time of diagnosis to gain weight and stop trying to take it off. These were people who were already obese. I have the RNY, my stomach is just smaller than it was before, and my doc said drinking is fine. Only 6 weeks out and I've been indulging in a couple of drinks per week for 3 weeks now. It is inaccurate to generalize that RNY patients can't drink. Yes, I have a lot of dumping 6 weeks out, but I think my situation is unique. First, since I am a 'low BMI' patient, my surgeon removed almost no intestine, less than 2 inches. There is likely no correlation between the amount of intestine removed and dumping in my case. For years I had bad stomach pain, at times so awful that I was incapacitated. After 3 years of trying to find a solution I found an expert who solved my problem. In short, the source of my pain was that my intestines are sluggish and don't work well, and my stomach was contracting harder and harder to push food through, I suspect that my frequent dumping is caused by my stomach still contracting super hard - it's been doing that for years so I doubt it will change very quickly. Also (apologies if this is TMI), for years I had pellet BMs and frequent constipation, and suddenly post surgery my BMs are soft and normal. I am so happy about that and about not having to daily think about pills or supplements. There is no single 'best surgery' or guaranteed avoidance of particular issues which should make the selection of surgery simple or generic. Do good research of RECENT studies. Look for a doc who does a LOT of GBs and listen to his/her advice. I didn't generalize, I simply reported what my surgeon told us. I did leave out one other issue with RNY (as reported by my surgeon) and that's "dead stomach syndrome". Once the top of the stomach I'd severed from the esophagus, it is no longer possible to view it by placing a camera tube down the throat. Apparently, this can lead to issues.

I went with the sleeve. It was recommended over RNY unless you had acid reflux (which I didn't). I also think that RNY results in a quicker weight loss thanks to malabsorption. The pluses of the sleeve are: 1. It's less likely to stretch because the stretchy part of the stomach is removed. Since an RNY pouch is constructed from the esophagus, it can stretch. 2. My surgeon told us no alcohol or NSAID'S with an RNY for life. I'm a weekend social drinker with arthritis, so this was my primary reason for going VSG. 3. I love the simplicity of the sleeve. Once I healed, I'm basically "normal" with an itty bitty stomach. Who doesn't love that. Yes, they say that that RNY is reversible, but I've never heard of anyone doing it and why would you? 4. I have also heard that the malabsorption factor goes away down the road and your left with just the restriction of the pouch, which can stretch (at least a little). 5. Finally, remember that VSG was first developed as stage one of a DS surgery, so I suspect you could always go back to get the malabsorption part done later if needed (at least I think this is true). Btw, there is nothing I can't eat - no hint of dumping whatsoever!

Same here, I was told to go with the sleeve because I was going to be taking NSAID'S for arthritis and drinking alcohol. I was cleared for NSAID'S after one month post opt. My hospital was Newton Wellesley, the top wls hospital in Massachusetts.

Thanks @@Dub for starting this thread. I always feel like we're coming from a similar place. I hit my goal really quickly by doing exactly what I should for the first 6 months (starting right after my post orientation weigh in). I've been on maintenance since March 3rd and only gone over goal a few times and immediately go back on my post opt routine. So far that gets me back under goal in one day! Summer on the Cape has really been a test, but as you say, the sleeve is a beast. Last night I ordered a pizza and had two beers. The pizza was really thin and I had three small pieces (probably 8 ounces). I've only had pizza a few times and it's fine. I'm not having trouble with complex carbs/starches, I just have really watch simple carbs/sugars. I never dreamt that I could live life this way - unbelievable!

Sorry, I don't buy it. WLS is a multi-billion dollar industry in a country's where shyster lawyers like John Edwards convinced a jury that MS was the result of not enough c-sections. If WLS wasn't as safe as a root canal over the long haul, we'd be hearing about it on 60 Minutes, let alone every forum we follow. Do a google search. You can find plenty of lawsuits related to WLS, as well as plenty of lawyers who specialize in it. ANY surgery can kill or cause serious damage after that 30 day window. You don't hear about it because surgeons aren't required by law to count it as a direct result of surgery. My grandmother just died due to complications of a surgery she had 20 years earlier. Now, that surgery was to remove precancerous polyps. Without that surgery, she'd likely have died far sooner. But the surgery still resulted in the scar tissue that caused the bowl obstruction that caused sepsis and ultimately resulted in her death. This isn't about bashing WLS specifically. I have issues with ANY surgery not having to go beyond the first 30 days in terms of counting the side effects and dangers. And especially elective surgeries, which, no matter how you may personally feel about your WLS experiences, WLS very much IS. I guess I have no idea what you're talking about. I was talking about WLS and my hospital presented 5 years post surgery stats and they were similar to that of a root canal.

Sorry, I don't buy it. WLS is a multi-billion dollar industry in a country's where shyster lawyers like John Edwards convinced a jury that MS was the result of not enough c-sections. If WLS wasn't as safe as a root canal over the long haul, we'd be hearing about it on 60 Minutes, let alone every forum we follow.

Good - what the Nut recommends Bad - what you reach for after a few drinks

The reason I asked if you had an attorney is because this sounds like malpractice. But seeing that you're in England and get "free healthcare" from the government, I guess you can't. Best of luck and I would seek help elsewhere.

This experience is so statistically inconsistent with everyone else I've ever talked to or read about, it's hard to believe. 1. Where did you get your surgery? 2. Did you all have the same surgeon? 3. Have you got an attorney? Has anyone else ever heard of anything like this following VSG? My surgeon told us that about 2% had complications. After reading comments from hundreds of patients on a variety of forums, I'd say that number is HIGH. I can't recall anyone but you!

Why can't you eat a small slice of pizza? I don't plan on indulging daily or even weekly but especially 100 pounds down the line I will plan for small indulgences and adjust my calories accordingly. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App I could eat a small slice of pizza, but unfortunately they only sell the Brooklyn pies (fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, plum tomatoes) as a whole pie. I guess I could buy the whole thing, eat a slice, and then freeze the rest. Hmmm...Don't do it!! Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App Good advice. I have had one slice of pizza since my surgery and should probably limit my pizza consumption going forward. There are good foods and bad foods after wls, just like before. And just like before, your diet should consist of 90% good foods. The difference is, when you eat good or bad foods, you can't eat much. Yesterday I took my mother to lunch and we split a dinner salad. I ate half of my half and she ended up taking half home. The key is having a disciplined maintenance program. I weigh myself just about every day and if I go over my goal weight, I go back on my low carb 1000/calories day diet. 10 months post opt, I've only gone over goal 3 times. All by less than 1 pound, and never for more than one day. Yes, I can eat pizza, but seldom do.,,

Why can't you eat a small slice of pizza? I don't plan on indulging daily or even weekly but especially 100 pounds down the line I will plan for small indulgences and adjust my calories accordingly. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App I was able to eat a piece of pizza about 6 months post opt. Everyone's different. My solid food limit is about 8 ounces.

I never considered anything but the sleeve. It took me years to creep up to an "entry level" wls weight (BMI high 30's). I had researched wls online for years and always got scared off by all the plumbing rerouting required. The more I looked at the sleeve, the more it looked like minor surgery. And clearly, after 6 months of healing I'd be physiologically normal again except my stomach would be the size of s skinny little girl. Then at the orientation, it became clear that the sleeve would be better for people who expected to go back to drinking alcohol (me) and NSAID'S. I had fairly serious arthritis and knew I'd need Advil once I started moving again. Finally, I was shocked at how minimal the surgery was. I recall being wheeled into the OR at 10:15 and waking up at 11:00! This was faster than my knee scope. Good luck!

I agree on pants first. I was a 44" waist and didn't buy new pants until I was down 50 lbs. I bought 40's, 38's, and now 36's. I was a discount store shopper and never spent more than $25 on pants. I did TOTAL PURGES at goal. Gave away eight 55 gallon trash bags full of clothes. Looking back at my pre-wls weight gains, I never averaged more than 2-3 lbs a year, so I figure I'm 5+ years away from 38's worst case!

I'm 10 months out and I take it every day. Still, I have just one or two bm's a week. Keep in mind, were burning lots of calories and not eating much.

I was BMI of 38 and to me, this is miracle surgery. I too struggled with my weight from 7th grade on. I'd get down to 235 and tell myself I was normal. Now I'm under 190 and I know what normal is. I truly think this surgery (VSG) should be far more readily available down to a BMI of 30. My surgeon made me stay off of airplanes for 30 days, but I was fine after 3 days. And yes, I only sleep around 6 hours now unless I take benedryl, but I'm seldom tired. I guess my body is happy to be down 90 lbs.

Two that I never get tired of: 1. The way all 36" waist pants just fit (some a little loose). When I wore 44" pants, I'd have to try on a dozen different brands to find one that fit (no, 46's didn't fit well either). Now all just fit! 2. When I eat out I order anything I want knowing my sleeve won't let me eat more than 8 ounces. My favorite is fish and chips. I eat about 6 ounces of fish and 2 ounces of chips - then I'm done and I start passing food to everyone else. So sweet!

WLS Mythology!

I used spices post opt to liven up my limited menu. My first treat was refried beans with a little melted cheese. I'd add either Stubbs spicy BBQ sauce or Green Tabasco. I think spices are a great way to enhance protein.