40 bougie anyone?

[melinekesh 0]

I asked some time ago what size sleeve is everyone and I got a lot of 32 bougie's as a response. Is that the going size? Is anyone out there a 40 bougie or is that old school already? I asked my doctor for a 34 and he said he didn't believe in any other size except 40. Any thoughts? I can eat about 8 to 10 ounces of pureed Soup and I am 4 weeks out. That seems like a lot compared to others who can only eat about 3 ounces.

What do you think?

[Maddie 9]

You can eat a lot more Soup than you can solids, because it goes through your sleeve so fast. I would wait until you get to solid food to try to see how much your new tummy can really hold. I have no idea what size mine is and couldn't be bothered. I have heard great success stories from ppl who had all different sizes. I trusted my surgeon to make the right choice and decided not to obsess over the size of the bougie. From what I understand it has so much to do with the surgeon's technique anyway.

[Lori21769 14]

I have a 40, and that is all my surgeon uses. He said the difference between a 36 or 38 was so minimal, he didn't want to risk too much restriction.

I can eat more than 3 oz. too... I read the amounts some people are eating and am shocked. I can eat 5 oz of meat and a small amount of veg for dinner with no problem. I do feel full at that point, but not stuffed.

[mila1013 0]

the bougie size is the biggest controversy, there is no "standard" i am not sleeved yet but i know my surgeon said he would use a 40 fr.

[lmmore 0]

I just found out today, that my doctor used a 40 fr. that's a Kaiser standard evidently. He also said it's to not restrict intake too much.

[ADS 0]

I also have a 40 bougie. My surgeon only uses the 40. He said he doesn't believe in using anything smaller because there are greater chances of having too much restriction.

[Im-Losin-It 1]

Mine is a 32. It is the smallest they can use legally. I can manage 4 to 6 oz food per meal. If it something dense like steak, then i eat less because i get full so fast. If it"s "slider" food, like mashed potatoes, or Soup then i can have 6oz. I am happy with my loss of 31 lbs. just hitting the 2 month mark since my sleeve. I will be flying back to Dallas in August for my 3 month check up. I seem to be doing good. feel good. sometimes i forget my vitamens, which are very important.

[sleevegenie 0]

i have no idea what size my tummy is as my doctor doesn't use a bougie. He uses an intragastric balloon. He has published books and invented tools used in the bypass and he couldn't give me a number to compare, which i was not very happy about. That being said, i eat more than most people say they can eat, but i'm a lightweight (not by my personal standards) and so i do eat less than i used to and i am losing weight. Lots of doctors use a 40 that's all Kaiser will use and they are doing lots of sleeves these days. And you can eat a lot more of the soft foods than you can dense Protein so its too early to tell really how much you can eat. So we play the hand we are dealt and we will be successful. So good luck to all of us, Jeani

Edited July 12, 2010 by sleevegenie

[Jane_J 117]

Mine was a 40 too. My surgeon Dr Cierny wants to avoid problems with excess constriction. He aims for a residual stomach capacity of 125cc to 150cc. I love the man, he saved me :thumbup1:

Edited July 13, 2010 by Jane_J

[Tiffykins 673]

The difference between a 32 and 40 is a mere 2.3mm. So, it's more about our anatomy, how slow/fast we eat, and surgical technique. I can eat more than some that have 36-40 bougies. It doesn't mean anything is "wrong" or broke about my sleeve or theirs, it's just we are all individuals, and our stomachs are not all going to be the same at the end of the healing period.

Don't fret right now about liquids sliding through, once you hit solids, it'll change.

[JillianMarie 0]

I asked my Dr. for a 32 and he said he would use a 34 on me. I believe he used something more along the lines of a 40 because i am able to eat more that just about anyone on this forum and i am 7 weeks out. I can eat a full chicken breast and half cup of steamed veggies, or 2 carbmaster yougurts before i feel full, and liquid foods go straight through me, i have no limit on how much i can consume of them. I am amazed when i hear that some can only eat 1/4 cup of cottage cheese or dense Protein, when that leaves me starving if i eat only that much. At 3 weeks out, i would have been stuffed at that amount. But now that the swelling has gone down, i can fit just about anything in, so I am weary about what size bougie my Dr. truely used on me, and quite frankly am a bit aggravated and depressed about it because i feel like i should not be able to eat nearly as much as i can this early on. I feel almost as if i need to have the surgery performed all over again.

[melinekesh 0]

Your response really concerns me too. Now that I can eat soft foods, I can get down blended chicken with green Beans and broth about 5 ounces only. If really brothy and very blended about 8 or 9 ounces. If I were you I would ask for some kind of sonogram to see how big your stomach is or go to a different doctor to take a look. When you say whole chicken breast do you mean just chewing and swallowing? That is really fast for 7 weeks out. Let me know what you find out.

OTE=JillianMarie;63043]I asked my Dr. for a 32 and he said he would use a 34 on me. I believe he used something more along the lines of a 40 because i am able to eat more that just about anyone on this forum and i am 7 weeks out. I can eat a full chicken breast and half cup of steamed veggies, or 2 carbmaster yougurts before i feel full, and liquid foods go straight through me, i have no limit on how much i can consume of them. I am amazed when i hear that some can only eat 1/4 cup of cottage cheese or dense Protein, when that leaves me starving if i eat only that much. At 3 weeks out, i would have been stuffed at that amount. But now that the swelling has gone down, i can fit just about anything in, so I am weary about what size bougie my Dr. truely used on me, and quite frankly am a bit aggravated and depressed about it because i feel like i should not be able to eat nearly as much as i can this early on. I feel almost as if i need to have the surgery performed all over again.

[JillianMarie 0]

Your response really concerns me too. Now that I can eat soft foods, I can get down blended chicken with green Beans and broth about 5 ounces only. If really brothy and very blended about 8 or 9 ounces. If I were you I would ask for some kind of sonogram to see how big your stomach is or go to a different doctor to take a look. When you say whole chicken breast do you mean just chewing and swallowing? That is really fast for 7 weeks out. Let me know what you find out.

He is pretty sure that he used a 32 on me. I believe i may be drinking way too much and too close to meals. I am taking several medications and a few of them cause dry mouth, and i also live in Alabama where it has been about 100 degrees lately and high humidity. So i am always thirsty. It has been very hard not to constantly be drinking something. I believe that i have been washing food straight through my sleeve because of the large amounts of liquid i consume. I tried eating steamed broccoli last night without having a drink and ate about 3/4 cup, then was stuffed. Before surgery i could eat 6 POUNDS of broccoli at a time. If you are able to get down 8 or 9 ounces of very brothy foods easily don't be concerned, it is just liquified to the point where it can move through you that fast. How far out are you? Right after surgery I was able to drink Soup broth mug after mug, easily, although i couldn't even get a Jello down without stomach pain. It took about 3 weeks before i could get mushy foods down without discomfort. So liquids and broths are very, very easy on the system. But a great source of hydration!! I still find that I can eat sugar free ice cream and get full off it if I don't drink when eating it. Breyers makes Smooth and Dreamy No Sugar Added Triple chocolate Ice Cream, it is reduced fat and is sweetened with Splenda. Only 100 calories per half cup and it is the perfect end to a day on few calories and is very soothing on the stomach. Wonderful treat!!!