Has anyone had their sleeve 5 years or more?

andrea1124 · July 1, 2010

I'm very interested in having VSG surgery. I realize it is quite new and am trying to connect with people who are a few years out from their surgery to see how they are doing. Maybe this thread would be better posted elsewhere but I wasn't sure where to post it. Is anyone 5 years out from surgery or even 3 or 4? I'm sure there are people who have had this surgery that many years ago but maybe they aren't on the forum anymore. I've started through all the pro-op hoops and hope to have a surgery date within a couple of months (fingers crossed!). Any feedback I could get would be greatly appreciated. Congratulations to all of you who have made the journey through surgery and I cannot wait to join you! Thanks!

Andrea:biggrin0:

Tiffykins · July 1, 2010

There's not any members here that are that far out. I think we have some 2 maybe 3 year members, but they rarely post.

If you haven't already, check out obesityhelp.com for long term sleeve patients. It seems the trend is that after 2-3 years, people just start living life normally, and rarely check in.

andrea1124 · July 1, 2010

Thanks Tiff! I haven't checked that site but I will. I'm committed to the sleeve but just trying to be thorough! This site has been phenomenal for information. One thing I just discovered is that some people have an upper GI the day after surgery. Is that the norm and don't you have to drink a bunch of stuff before an upper GI? Just wondering how that would be done with such a tiny stomach and a day after surgery. Maybe there is another way to do it? Thanks for the input! Can't wait to "be sleeved!"

Andrea

Thinmint · July 2, 2010

The best decision you will ever make - I studied the choices for a year and this is the best. It was actually created to help those get down to a safe weight to have the bypass..... but lots of them never came back to get the bypass because they were doing great. This process has not been around that long. It is predicted to soon replace the band as a better choice.

educationrulz · July 3, 2010

Thanks Tiff! I haven't checked that site but I will. I'm committed to the sleeve but just trying to be thorough! This site has been phenomenal for information. One thing I just discovered is that some people have an upper GI the day after surgery. Is that the norm and don't you have to drink a bunch of stuff before an upper GI? Just wondering how that would be done with such a tiny stomach and a day after surgery. Maybe there is another way to do it? Thanks for the input! Can't wait to "be sleeved!"

Andrea

My doc ordered my upper gi the afternoon of my surgery. Needless to say, I was not happy. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck, could barely move, and wanted to puke at the thought of putting ANYTHING in my mouth. After unsuccessfully requesting to do it the next morning, I went on down in the wheelchair for the test. I surprisingly drank the concoction without vomiting and went back to my room and promptly fell back to sleep. The good thing was that I was able to get ice chips and liquids once I'd passed the leak test.

It seems odd to think about drinking stuff so soon after surgery, but when you think about, they've actually tested your stomach for leaks in the OR so you've already had something in there before you get to your room. That second leak test isn't going to hurt your stomach anymore than the one in the OR did.