Are We All Doing This Too Soon?

[girliegirl 49]

I'm just wondering if any of you might have thought or wondered if we are jumping into this sleeve surgery too soon? i mean, it hasn't been around that long so the long term stats are still unknown. i mean isn't this what we did when the band came out and now we say to ourselves if we only knew then what we know now we would have made different choices. i don't want to be in the same situation a few years down the road with the sleeve as i was with the band. does this make any sense to anyone?

[Mr_Worm 129]

The sleeve has actually been around a LONG TIME...in the 80s it was commonly known as stomach stapling. Today the procedure is far less invasive since its laproscopic...plus its logically less intrusive than having your guys re-routed But with any weightloss surgery, its not for everyone if they have doubts.

[Mr_Worm 129]

*guts...not guys

[Lauranbob Mc 94]

I have been researching the sleeve for at least a year before I went to my first consul in aug of 2010. In May of 2011 I was denied and had to wait until January 2012 to re-apply. As a medical professional, I have spoken to many surgeons (sleeve pt's), nurses who specialize in bariatrics and this is by far the most effective surgery with the LEAST side effects. You could not pay me to have a bypass and the sleeve wuld not give me the results that I was personally looking for

[TheNewSusie 471]

I know someone who did it six years ago and they r doing great and maintaining well. If u do research u will find out its been around for a long time.

[butterbean 30]

I've had that thought, then I've also looked in the newspaper and seen photos of people my age that died of "natural causes" and they are almost always morbidly obese. You have to feel good about the decision YOU make.

[smileen 17]

30 years ago my sister in law had a gastrectomy because she had a large bleeding ulcer they took over 1/2 her stomach she did very well but the ulcers persisted and she eventually had another gastrectomy and had the rest of her stomach removed she did well even without her stomach! Partial removal of stomachs has been around for many years just was done for other reasons ie; ulcers, cancers. Before they realized how well it works for weight loss and someone did a study!

[Lissa 2,631]

My late mother-in-law lived for over 15 years with a gastrectomy after stomach cancer. Her "sleeve" was smaller than anyone's here, holding less than two tablespoons of food at a time, even after all those years. She survived three more rounds of cancer, including chemo and radiation for two of those, after the gastrectomy. She didn't die of cancer or starvation, but of "natural causes" unrelated to her sleeve.

[PdxMan 4,292]

*guts...not guys

Whew! I was worried there about my guys ...

"Uhhh ... Doctor ... there's something you didn't tell me you were going to do ..."

[Houston17 115]

I didn't start this thread but gosh, it's helped me to read everyone's insights! Thanks for the great discussion!

[missmeow 156]

The sleeve has actually been around a LONG TIME...in the 80s it was commonly known as stomach stapling. Today the procedure is far less invasive since its laproscopic...plus its logically less intrusive than having your guys re-routed But with any weightloss surgery, its not for everyone if they have doubts.

That is not the case. The vertical banded gastroplasty is stomach stapling where they created a pouch more similar to a RNY by stapling horizontal. The stomach was not resected. This surgery has been completely abandoned because a) people regained the weight and it was dangerous and a lot of people died or had kidney/liver failure.

Even gastrectomies done for cancer/ulcer are different than the sleeve. Those are Billroth I/II or RNY and the top part of the stomach is typically left behind and the bottom part and pylorus goes. So even that is not really comparable except for the fact that a portion of the stomach is removed.

[ShouldBlittler 89]

That is not the case. The vertical banded gastroplasty is stomach stapling where they created a pouch more similar to a RNY by stapling horizontal. The stomach was not resected. This surgery has been completely abandoned because a) people regained the weight and it was dangerous and a lot of people died or had kidney/liver failure.

Even gastrectomies done for cancer/ulcer are different than the sleeve. Those are Billroth I/II or RNY and the top part of the stomach is typically left behind and the bottom part and pylorus goes. So even that is not really comparable except for the fact that a portion of the stomach is removed.

So, then, what do you think in response to the OP's question?

[Back~To~Amy 307]

Whew! I was worried there about my guys ...

"Uhhh ... Doctor ... there's something you didn't tell me you were going to do ..."

Oh my PdxMan. You gave me a good chuckle. Thanks!

~Amy

[missmeow 156]

So, then, what do you think in response to the OP's question?

I'm still on the fence. I haven't made up my mind for myself. Everyone has to make their own decision but I am right where the OP is.

The fact is, no one knows for sure what the long term results will be. We can guess they will be good, as the 6 year results are showing a 50% weight loss compared to 70% at 3 years, which is as good if not better than RNY without all the rerouting. 50% is still much more than anyone would lose and keep off for 5 years with diet and exercise. If the average sleever has 100lbs to lose, 50lbs is enough to get someone from morbidly obese to simply obese or even overweight. So the weight related health issues should be negated. (I have to confess that I do not believe the BMI is a good measure of health and some people can carry more weight than others without health consequences. So even if they are overweight or even obese, currently about 30lbs over ideal weight, they can still be perfectly healthy long term.) There have been cases of people with nutritional deficiencies and reading this board, short term memory might be an issue too.

The thing I get stuck on is that bariatric surgery has a horrible history when it comes to end results, quality of life and longevity. Part of that is due to the relative health of many of the patients. Another part is the surgeries themselves (JIB, VBG). The lapband was heralded as the most awesome thing ever but now, 10 years out, people now know it isn't so great and it is not a life-time solution. Many of the people here are here because their band failed in as little as 6 months. That is terrible when you think about it. Why wouldn't a bandster question the sleeve? The band failed, the sleeve might too and once it's gone, it's gone.

For those who have made the choice to do it, more power to them. I applaud anyone who is definitive in their choices and sticks with it. Reading your posts certainly encourages me to go through with it because so many of you are doing great. But I'm otherwise healthy and looking at a solid 35, 40, 50 years ahead, life with only 15% of my stomach intact and the potential for long term nutrient deficiencies, memory loss, etc is something not to be jumped into lightly, kwim? I think this is the headspace the OP is sitting in. It is where I am right now. One day, I am like, I am going for it, I am IN! The next day, I am like, no way am I going there.

The plusses to the surgery are that the pylorus is still intact, so at least the stomach does do its normal job which is totally different than a regular gastrectomy. It does annoy me a bit that people compare the two when the comparison is not exactly the same. The other thing is that a gastrectomy for cancer, where sucess is measured by surviving 5 years, is such a completely different set of factors than an elective surgery for weight loss. I know there are many people who have no stomach at all and are living, but then the quality of life issue pops up. It's one thing when it is done for survival and another when it is done for essentially for vanity (in my case it would be). Of course, is quality of life that great as a fat person? Some would say no, not at all.

I wish there was an inbetween the band and sleeve. They have the endolumial barrier that is showing good results but only in the experimental phase, which means another 5 years. I don't want to wait that long. I wish there was a choice in size. Not because my "fat head" wants to eat but because I feel it would mitigate some of the potential nutritional issues long term. I would rather revise later than be stuck.

Sorry for the livejournal post but it's helping me work my head around somethings.

[Lissa 2,631]

missmeow, I totally get that sometimes it takes trying to articulate one's reasons in order to understand what one's thinking is on a subject. I had a lot of the same questions that you're asking. My final decision came when my doctors told me that I had a year left to live if I didn't get a bunch of weight off in a hurry. I had been researching for months, but that conversation made my path clear.

I certainly didn't sign up for long term health problems caused by the sleeve, but I see many more complications from long term obesity. One of my aunts has had 20+ surgeries for various health issues stemming from obesity, including 11 eye operations to try to save her sight, at least 3 operations on one arm so she won't lose the use of the limb, and numerous foot and toe surgeries to handle infections and gangrene. My ONE sleeve will hopefully save me from those complications. Truthfully, I felt like the possible long term risks of the sleeve were still a better bet than the definite long term risks of obesity. Dead is dead, after all.

I think that's the gamble many of us are deciding to take with any WLS. We're hoping for enough improvement in our health from losing the weight that it will minimize the risks of WLS surgery in the long term. Each of us has to make up our own mind as to whether the gamble is worth it. For me, it was.