Is Vsg Right For Me?

[WhereDidIGo 2]

I am just beginning the weight loss surgery journey and I have so many questions. I didn't think surgery was an option because I thought my insurance didn't cover any type of weight loss surgery but I found out a couple weeks ago that the plan I have does cover bypass or the sleeve. I definitely do NOT want bypass and I wasn't even sure what the sleeve was until I found out it was covered and I started researching it. Two of my family members have had the band and have great success with it so I was disappointed at first that it wasn't covered on my plan. Since I've been reading more and more about the sleeve I've gotten very excited about it. I have my first appointment at the surgeons office on 3/29/12 but I wanted to ask some questions to people who have acutally had the surgery. I have had one person to tell me that I'm just setting myself up for failure because the stomach portion that's left will just stretch back out and in a few years I'll be back in the same boat I'm in now. This same person also says that I'm entirely too young (28) to consider any type of surgical intervention because it's too drastic. He told me I needed to just commit to a diet and exercise plan! Hello!!! Obviously if that worked for me I wouldn't be considering surgery! So basically I would like to know what the long term sucess of the procedure is. Did any of you have it several years ago and been able to keep the weight off or does it creep back up over time? I know it's not a cure for obesity, it's a tool to help me get healthier. I also realize there's lifestyle and diet modifications that must be made. I was just so excited about this and to have someone say such negative things has really got me down. He says it's too dangerous and that I'm putting my life at risk to have a procedure that isn't necessary. I have two kids and I want to be here for them for a very long time and if I don't do something my weight will kill me. I am 5'8" and wear a size 26/3x. Enough is enough, I'm tired of feeling one way on the inside and seeing something else when I look in the mirror. Please give me your advice!

[Enerfina 50]

Hey there, I hope i can give you some positive motivation, i am brand new to this sleeve world but i can say that i am happy i made the best choice in the world. I was sleeved on March 5, 2012.. i feel fantastic, and am already seeing weight loss! Besides the losing weight, i really wanted to do this procedure because diet and exercise and my old methods of losing weight were not working for me. I just turned 22, so young, to be sleeved i know.. heard it all, been there, so many negatives.. but at the point i was in my life i knew it was time for a "drastic" change! i have always been obese since the age of 5, and thank God that i didn't acquire medical problems, though i did have asma around the 3rd grade. Besides that, i was really thinking about my future, 22, single, "Freaking Fat", didn't have self esteem issues but still, looking at the mirror n just looking at my self i felt horrible.. The big factor for me was that i the rate that i was going, gaining weight every month, not just eating away, baking away.. i was going to have medical issues. One of my biggest motivation is my best friend, everything happens for a reason. she was also obese, got pregnant, had pre diabetes, had the baby, never lost the baby weight, kept eating, gained 30 more pounds, had to be taken to the er, tested her sugar levels above 700, had to keep her for nearly 3 weeks in the hospital. she was 20 at the time, so how is a 20 year old going to live with diabetes and the later on complications?.. tick tock for me, she lost half of her weight, because of diabetes, i lost some, but gained it right back. I am 22 i want to get married n have kids, i don't want to be obese and pregnant to be in the same situation my friend was in.. make story short, the decision for my sleeve, was the best, its only been a week (tomorrow) and i feel success already! so i hope this helps u can email me any time u want!. oh and don't listen to that friend of yours, they are just jealous, they wont have a fat friend standing next to them any more!.

[exfatsowannabe 5]

Here’s my two cents as a self pay 50-something overweight (not obese, but too close) male considering going to MX for sleeve:

First, don’t listen to naysayers spouting unsubstantiated nonsense about things they know nothing about. It’s your life. WLS with an experienced and competent WLS surgeon is far less risky than doing nothing, especially at your age with your whole life in front of you. Many of the answers you seek can be found on these boards, including some patients who needed follow-up WLS because their sleeves weren’t restrictive enough.

I see no shame in considering WLS. Civilization is a human invention. We humans were never meant to be surrounded by the low cost high energy foods we are. It should be no surprise that a portion of the population can’t handle it and would be healthier as hunter-gatherers, never knowing when or where their next meal would be. Isn’t gotten worse here in the USA as manufacturing labor jobs have gone overseas, leaving more and more sedentary jobs as the only viable way to earn a living.

For me, Lab band is just too high maintenance to consider, and for many people it can’t be left in for many years w/o complications. I’m not surprised some Insurance plans have dropped this option vs. other WLS.

With the sleeve, the digestive track is maintained w/o bypass, so there’s no malabsorption if you don’t need it to lose/maintain weight. But a bypass component (duodenal switch) can be considered later if the sleeve alone proves insufficient.

[Willow216 91]

I was worried on the same issues you were, but my doctor stated that by having the VSG your eating habits are forcibly changed, it takes about 3 months to break habits and learn new ones so you have to think that in a few years (worrying about stomach stretch) that you have all new habits now and you mentally and physically won't be eating the same way, your energy level will be risen and you will become more active and your old habits will be basicly a memory so stretching the stomach won't be an issue because you are not going to be the same person anymore you will feel lighter, stronger, more energetic and Loving Life. I had my doubts too but I have been on youtube and probably have heard over 100 peoples testimonies and 99% stated it was the best thing they have ever done and they don't have the same habits as before and wish they did it sooner. The other 1% seemed to have other issues and food was way more then a crutch for them. After the surgery there are hormone changes going on so you might feel depressed etc but that is just for a few days as you heal after that (from what I have learned) that everyday gets better and better until its fabulous!!

My surgery is on Tuesday 3/13 and I am counting the minutes. I can't wait to meet the new me!!

Many Blessings to you and your Journey, God Bless!

[MsDebi 6]

I was just sleeved on March 5, 2012. Tho I am sore, I am so happy about this decision. Poo on naysayers! Worry about you....how u feel, what makes u happy. You are the only one that really worries about how you feel...and what makes you happy. My insurance did not cover, so I am a self pay. I don't even care. Just so happy to be on my way to a happier, healthier me!

[WhereDidIGo 2]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I've been thinking about this for days now and it all boils down to ME and what's best for my health and well being. Yes surgery is a drastic and last resort measure to take but I've been a bigger girl my whole life and once I turned 20 it just kept getting more and more out of control. Really since 2003 is when it's been really bad because I went from that overweight category to obese and now to morbid obesity. It makes me disgusted with myself really! I understand the risks, it's a surgical procedure so there is always risks with any type of surgery but I think the benefits far out weigh the risks. I am very excited about starting the process and I just hope I can get approved. I was so stoked to learn that the insurance I have even covers WLS so now I'm hoping I can get approved. I also have PCOS which wreaks havoc on my entire body so I hope I don't hit any road blocks due to that. I don't have any other health issues and I'm not on any daily medications.

Congrats to everyone who has been approved and have had the surgery. This forum is one of my new favorite places to visit!!

[MsDebi 6]

You Go Girl!

[Willow216 91]

I'm so Glad you are thinking for YOU!!

Let us know how its going

[WhereDidIGo 2]

I went today to get copies of my records from the weight loss clinics and things I've tried. I'm hoping to be prepared and show the doctor how much research I've put into it so he knows I'm serious and dedicated! I'm so ready for this! Any tips/advice on what to do to prepare for my first visit with the doctor will be greatly appreciated!

[GivingItMyAll 168]

I could have written your post word for word (except that I am nearly 40). I go back and forth in my mind daily as to whether or not this is the right decision for me. And I still don't know. :sigh:

[StartingOver2012 2]

I also could have written your initial post, and I'm 42. I'm tired of not liking what I see in the mirror and in pictures and realize how I hold myself back. I'm scared... flat out scared... that this won't work for me. I have PCOS, hypothyroid, high stress, and insomnia. PCOS and hypothyroid are treated... the stress and insomnia are a constant struggle. I'm one of those people who stop eating when I'm stressed and I haven't lost weight... in fact, I tend to lose when I eat more, so that makes me worry that VSG won't help, but my weight loss efforts have caused me to be anemic and nutritionally deficient. I've worked with a dietician to get my guilt over eating helped, I'm 5 visits out of 6 to make insurance happy and the eating adjustments that the surgeon has had me do have been no brainers because I'm already there on quantity and choices. I pray that this works for me!