WHERE IS THE NEGATIVE?

[kpbrighton 1]

What my questions/concern is...where are the negatives? My sister is the one that keeps questioning me on this. She doesn't want me to have the surgery. I get that. She keeps telling me "You don't see all the people who have had it at work like I do". She is an Occupational Therapist. She says their not really thin, they've gained it a back.

I know the risks and "sucky parts":

1. Death - huge I know.

2. A Leak - also very risky.

3. My head hunger issues will be brought out huge.

4. My "food to cope" tool will be gone!

5. possible acid reflux...

6. Gaining the weight back

7. not really losing anything

I love this site because of the unconditional support and GREAT stories. But where are the people it doesn't work for? Where is their story? I'm a big BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY person.

[kpbrighton 1]

OH! And I'm having my psych eval today - so I will ask her as well.

Love you fellow VSG'ers and wanna-be's like me!!!

[MRSKOUBiK 27]

My doctor gave me a list of everything that COULD happen from having the surgery.

I decided not to worry so much about it because the positives WOULD out weigh the negatives.

[thinoneday 445]

Wow, thats amazing (maybe there isn't as many problems with the sleeve as with other WLS). . . with the sleeve the death rate isn't that big, head hunger of course but then you would get that with ordinary dieting as well. . . that is the reason most folks are not very successful doing it the traditional way. . .the weight gain, sure if your not careful and eat everything your not supposed to. . . this is JUST a tool, not a miracle thing! As with a hammer, it won't bang the nail into the post without you doing the work. . . the sleeve is the same, it won't MAKE you lose the weight, it helps you lose the weight but you MUST work on it. . . you have to watch your intake all the time! it's just easier having restriction to HELP you not overeat. . . my DH is an occupational therapist and hasn't seen the problems with all your sister says. . . so this must be different areas. . .

I am out 15 months and the only problems i battle with at times is head hunger. . . but who isn't. . .you have to be able to combat it. . . obesity is a health problem as well as a psychological problem, you need to work very hard to help yourself with it. . . and the other is a problem that may have already been there but was never tested prior to the WLS is Vitamin D deficency. . . we're working on that now. . . but other than that, I've lost 150 lbs of fat that i will never gain back UNLESS I will it and don't work on it . . good luck to you on your future endeavors

[Infernored 5]

There are risks for everything in life, including staying the way we are(were). My hubby was worried about it safety-wise, so I had him grill the surgeon on complications/mortality etc. I was pleased to find out that he hasn't ever had a pt die from it, and almost no major complications from the sleeve. He said it is higher with bypass, and even the band since 15% of banders need additional surgery just from complications, not including those who don't lose enough weight and want to lose more. I had spoken with a few of the PAs there and they are astounded as to how well this surgery is working out for people and they called it amazing. As for the people who gained their weight back.... I think of it as if I knew all I knew now when I was growing up, I wouldn't need surgery in the first place because I could recognize all my bad behaviours regarding food and exercise.

[Estella 11]

What my questions/concern is...where are the negatives? My sister is the one that keeps questioning me on this. She doesn't want me to have the surgery. I get that. She keeps telling me "You don't see all the people who have had it at work like I do". She is an Occupational Therapist. She says their not really thin, they've gained it a back.

It's likely that your sister is talking about gastric banding rather than sleeve. Most people who aren't doctors cannot tell the difference between different types of weight-loss surgeries. I've heard quite a few stories of people who got a gastric band, lost some weight but regained it after draining the band from all its fluids (which means it no longer has any effect on stomach-size and restriction). Gastric bands do seem to require more self-discipline and regular maintenance (for instance, if you eat too much you need to go to the doctor and tighten it a little). Being a person with little self-discipline, I decided to get the sleeve. I haven't heard any stories so far of sleeved/bypassed people who regained all their weight back. All these stories come from banded people.

Is there anyone here on this forum who got sleeved and gained his/her original weight back?

[Liomari 0]

one negative ive found is its really hard to stay hydrated. I play roller derby, and in the wee breaks in between i used to down a bottle of Water to keep me going as i was so hot and thirsty. These days i cant drink more than 3 gulps of water at a time without it hurting or making me sick, so its really difficult to drink enough during exercise...

[Estella 11]

one negative ive found is its really hard to stay hydrated. I play roller derby, and in the wee breaks in between i used to down a bottle of Water to keep me going as i was so hot and thirsty. These days i cant drink more than 3 gulps of Water at a time without it hurting or making me sick, so its really difficult to drink enough during exercise...

Roller derby!!!!!

That's the coolest thing EVER.

I MEAN IT!

I'd totally do that if I were a bit skinnier and could wear the fishnets (j/k). Have you seen the movie "Whip It" with Ellen Page?

You rule in any case.

[ILKrista 36]

My doctor told me that this surgery was successful with about 80% of the people... that means that 20% either dont' lose the weight or don't maintain weightloss. I think most of the people who are on here are still really working on the weightloss and the 20% who it didn't work for are not. Just a thought.

[leeblewb 9]

There are also studies that show that people who utilize supports groups and forums (like this one) do almost twice as well after surgery and with maintenance.

[pumpkin07 32]

Ok. I am such a friggin hard head. YOU HAVE TO TAKE Vitamins A LOT. I misunderstood or so initially from my doctor that it COULD be a concern. Okay, it IS a concern. If I don't take my vitamins I get VERY run down eventually. I finally have pretty much found vitamins I can deal with, but I do worry long term that I won't keep it up. I am doing better with it now, but it was hard for me bc I did not want to believe I would need the vitamins. And it is more like chewable/tasteable forms of vitamins which are too sweet and so forth (for me). I think my bloodwork is not so great, but trying to do better now. But I worry - evidentally more absorbtion happens in the stomach than they thought. Bc I eat pretty decently now.

[AutumnLily 77]

one negative ive found is its really hard to stay hydrated. I play roller derby, and in the wee breaks in between i used to down a bottle of Water to keep me going as i was so hot and thirsty. These days i cant drink more than 3 gulps of water at a time without it hurting or making me sick, so its really difficult to drink enough during exercise...

Instead of water maybe an electrolyte drink might be better. Just a thought.

[Tiffykins 673]

Each person has their own "negatives". I personally had an extensive, exhausting and mentally/physically draining recovery because I was a revision patient with major complications.

The negatives for me were:

1) Trying to sip enough early out seemed impossible

2) Taste buds changing

3) Developing a whey Protein intolerance and mild lactose intolerance post-op

4) Lack of energy early out, but it was temporary

Of course, the positives far outweigh the negatives especially since everything I experienced was over within a few weeks to couple of months, and I have a very normal, active, fun social life. There are plenty of us out here that "get WLS" there's others that don't. Unfortunately, the sleeve only does so much. I still have to be mindful of what I put in my mouth. I can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake if I wanted to so the point is making a permanent, and lifelong commitment to better food choices, and to honestly change your relationship with food. The sleeve makes this process much easier.

Every WLS has failures even the heavily touted Platinum standard Duodenal Switch. I've read several stories of regain, or DS'ers not getting to goal, and their surgery is far more drastic than even RNY.

I take 4 Vitamins a day. That's it, nothing major, 2 multis, 2 calcium citrate. Make it a habit, it's really not that big of a deal.

To address some of your concerns:

1. Death - huge I know. Ask your surgeon their mortality stats. If it's more than 1% get a new surgeon, and find out the details.

2. A Leak - also very risky. Same as above

3. My head hunger issues will be brought out huge. Start working on it now, get a new coping mechanism in place before surgery, therapy is a great tool especially if you can find someone that works with bariatric patients, along with support group meetings and using online support groups, find a buddy that has surgery around the same time to share ups and downs, get a mentor that you trust, and can talk you off the ledge when you're wanting to take a dive in the pool of caramely goodness of Girl Scout Samoa Cookies.< /strong>

4. My "food to cope" tool will be gone! Same as above

5. possible acid reflux... what's worse being fat or popping a Prilosec or Nexium to prevent reflux?

6. Gaining the weight back Establishing better habits, measuring portions, staying within your caloric intake guidelines is the best options to avoid gain. It's easy to gain weight, I won't lie, but for me, it's still super easy to lose it by following the rules.

7. not really losing anything that's pretty rare, I've read plenty of slow losers, but you have control of how you lose weight. Some do it differently than I did and that's okay, some do not want to give up carbs, I did because I knew I'd lose fast and hard. That's the path I chose, and I couldn't be happier with how I did it. Some have metabolic issues that slow weight loss down, and that has to be taken into consideration as well as activity level, and each individuals needs. One thing you have to remember is that the VSG is not some miracle that is going to cure it all. They operate on our stomachs, not our brains. So, getting ahead of the curve by establishing some good habits NOW will go a long way post-op. Eating slower, chewing your food more, sit your utensil down in between bites, do not drink with your meal, eat protein first, stretch your meal out to at least 20 minutes. Don't sit in front of the TV to eat, focus on what you are putting in your mouth/body and see how your body responds.

Best wishes! ! !