Just can't make up my mind.. Sleeve or no sleeve?

[jthomp7889 0]

Hello all, well I think I have turned the corner since finding out I am a self payer which crappy insurance thanks to my employer. I did a lot of looking into the Lapband but don't have the time or $ to work in all the fills etc. So, I came across the sleeve. I have read many of your stories and so many were great. Although I do sometime wonder about the horror stories not told.

I have contacted a long distance Dr in Michigan (I'm in Mass) named Dr. Mark Pleatman. Seems nice and pretty confident. I can do his price of $11,700 and all I need to do is buy my plane ticket and give him the day i will come out! But I just find myself really nervous about cutting my stomach in half and how the heck it doesn't leak SOMEHOW is beyond me! I even worry about the staples working loose an piercing my liver or another organ. Guess that's just me, a worry wart.

Any good reinforcement (long term sleevers reply!) would really be appreciated. I'm 45 with a BMI of only 36 5"10" male. Just want to reduce back issues, feel better, breathe better and of course, look better!

[Eureka-C 20]

I don't know if I am the person you are looking to hear from, as I am a female, who started at a BMI of almost 47, and I am only 9 weeks out.

For me, so far, the sleeve has been all I wanted. I eat too much. I like to eat. I love food. I wanted to eat less. I can easily lose 30 pounds, but always gain back 50. I, too, was planning on getting the lapband, and could not imagine cutting out half my stomach, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I want something permanant - for life. I don't want to deal with equipment failure, body rejection, or fills. I don't want malabsorption. Loss rates for the sleeve are similar to the RNY. And most of all, I want to be healthy so I can live to see my grandkids one day.

I started this in June - the months of June/July I lost 22 pounds to get ready for surgery, then I was denied by insurance. I decided to appeal, and proceeded to gain back 10 pounds over the next 3 months. Sooooo typical. I finally got approved for the surgery, and lost 12 pounds before surgery. (24 lost before surgery). I have lost 55 pounds total so that is 21 in the 9 weeks since surgery. This is slow to some people, but for me it seems like a miracle. It is not torture to stick to a diet. I keep losing steadily at least one pound a week (except for one 10 day stall at 3 weeks), and I am the lowest I have been since the birth of my first child.

[M2G 1,836]

Friend Tiffykins and read through her stuff. She is a long-term vet around here and did have a band to sleeve revision. She did have a leak and definitely had a rough start. But she still would do it all over again because of her results. Go check out success stories and you will see quite a few members are at one year or more out.

I've searched for lots of "complications" stories with the sleeve and they are hard to find. MUCH harder to find than any other WLS out there today. What you WILL find is people who say they LOVE THEIR SLEEVE. (You can put me in that category, I'm only 3 months out but haven't had one single bad issue related to having the sleeve!)

Welcome to the boards, you will find a ton of information and helpful people here.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Try searching "one year out" or something like that here, you will find the stories...

[jthomp7889 0]

Thanks for the idea. I will friend her. I am just nervous about a difficult recovery and of course a leak. Being self pay I cannot afford anything other than right the first time. Where you insurance? Who was your doctor?

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Hello all, well I think I have turned the corner since finding out I am a self payer which crappy insurance thanks to my employer. I did a lot of looking into the Lapband but don't have the time or $ to work in all the fills etc. So, I came across the sleeve. I have read many of your stories and so many were great. Although I do sometime wonder about the horror stories not told.

I have contacted a long distance Dr in Michigan (I'm in Mass) named Dr. Mark Pleatman. Seems nice and pretty confident. I can do his price of $11,700 and all I need to do is buy my plane ticket and give him the day i will come out! But I just find myself really nervous about cutting my stomach in half and how the heck it doesn't leak SOMEHOW is beyond me! I even worry about the staples working loose an piercing my liver or another organ. Guess that's just me, a worry wart.

Any good reinforcement (long term sleevers reply!) would really be appreciated. I'm 45 with a BMI of only 36 5"10" male. Just want to reduce back issues, feel better, breathe better and of course, look better!

Hello jthom, welcome to VST! Glad to have you.

I think feeling nervous about such a big decision is very normal. I would definitely do some search topics and see what comes up. As always if you have some specific need, create a new topic like you did here and I'm sure you will get your topic answered quickly.

Everyone here is very helpful and we are like a family. Good luck to you! Start swimming, keep swimming.

[jthomp7889 0]

Thanks for the info... I have read through so many of peoples stories I fall asleep at night with my laptop on my chest watching You Tubers and reading here. The wife is saying it looks to risky but she only spent 2 mins watching a video and made her mind it was a bad idea. I have weeks and weeks of reading blogs and they alone brought me to the sleeve. I appreciate everyones input! Thanks

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Thanks for the info... I have read through so many of peoples stories I fall asleep at night with my laptop on my chest watching You Tubers and reading here. The wife is saying it looks to risky but she only spent 2 mins watching a video and made her mind it was a bad idea. I have weeks and weeks of reading blogs and they alone brought me to the sleeve. I appreciate everyones input! Thanks

That is normal too for our loved ones to feel a little bit intimidated by this. It's a major surgery, and considered elective. I never considered it elective for me, as I knew it was a matter of my life or death.

Maybe you can invite her to go with you to your surgeon's Orientation. That really seems to help a lot in situations like this. It has even helped me before.

You should also encourage her to read individual stories or follow along most others journeys with you. Having the support of your significant other I think is the most important, you'll find.

Good luck.

[jthomp7889 0]

Thanks... Yes I would love for her to come to a class but I am going to do a long distance sleeve by myself. Someone needs to stay home and tend to the fort! I just need to wake up soon and make the call to set the day and stop worrying about complications. I just wish I could buy surgery insurance to cover self pay surgery is there are complications. My insurance will not. Nor does the Doctor belong to a group I can buy from. I think if I had that piece of mind I'd have a date set!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Thanks... Yes I would love for her to come to a class but I am going to do a long distance sleeve by myself. Someone needs to stay home and tend to the fort! I just need to wake up soon and make the call to set the day and stop worrying about complications. I just wish I could buy surgery insurance to cover self pay surgery is there are complications. My insurance will not. Nor does the Doctor belong to a group I can buy from. I think if I had that piece of mind I'd have a date set!

I've heard that some surgeons do offer some kind of surgical insurance for self pay patients. So, in case there is some type of complication, they will be able to correct it without extra money out of pocket to you. Basically it's like them assuring nothing goes wrong. It might be worth checking out!

[MINI-Me 196]

I believe the insurance is called BLISS. You can google it to find more information.

I was self-pay too & definitely worried about the complications. But, we decided to risk it & it's changed my life. You might have seen my post - I am one year out today & am so grateful that I took the leap and had this surgery.

Best of luck - I know it's a hard decision. You will do what is right for you.

(Also - just because you aren't going to a surgeon in your area, does not mean that you can't go to one of their free seminars. )

[feedyoureye 3,087]

(Also - just because you aren't going to a surgeon in your area, does not mean that you can't go to one of their free seminars. )

Thats what i was thinking...

[AutumnLily 77]

Have you fully checked out your surgeon? How many sleeve surgeries has he performed? How many other WLS's has he done? What are his statistics on leaks and such? You can ask him these questions and he should let you know. Best way to make you feel better is to be fully confident that this doctor is the right surgeon for you.

Hope this helps you in your search for more information.