How to choose surgery

[brookiemo82 13]

Hi guys. I am new here but I would like to ask how you chose the sleeve and what your experience has been? I had my first appointment with my surgeon today and the surgery is scheduled for sept 10. However, I went there thinking I was going to get the lap band and my Surgeon said he would do it but he would prefer the sleeve. Any information/advice you could give would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you.

[bigbeauty78 27]

You're very lucky! My doctor wants to do the very opposite and perform lap band surgery. I'm currently looking for another surgeon, but not having any luck. See I live in a smaller community and already travel far. I may have to get banded, if it's the only way to get me healthier. Best of luck!

[Bufflehead 6,358]

I was originally considering the gastric bypass, although I was very hesitant. My niece had gastric bypass and she's done very well with her weight loss - but she has so many digestive problems and her diet is so limited, it just didn't seem healthy to me.

I started hanging out on various WLS boards and going through all the different procedures. I had never heard of the gastric sleeve but found some message boards and read more about it and it really appealed to me. I never liked the idea of having a foreign object implanted in me and a port leading to the outside just seemed weird. Plus the lapband boards had so many people who seemed to be struggling to get the right amount of fill, and they couldn't eat a lot of different kinds of food.< /p>

Anyway, I had pretty much decided on VSG when I had my initial intake visit with my surgeon. He went over all the options for me and told me he thought I could consider DS, bypass, VSG, but he would not recommend the lapband. He told me he hardly ever does lapband anymore, there are too many complications and not enough success with it. He only does it if the patient absolutely refuses to consider anything else.

He told me that on average people lose a little more with the bypass but he thinks his patients tend to have a better quality of life with the sleeve. Also, because of my personal and family history with autoimmune diseases, the sleeve would be a better choice.

I was sleeved 6/19 and so far so good! No complications. Some adjustments to make but it's been mostly easier than I thought. Good luck to you, and sorry for the super long post!

[brookiemo82 13]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! I am leaning more towards the sleeve at this point but just started my research on it today. Does the fact that it is permanent and they take 3/4 of your stomach out bother anyone? Also I am obviously in this position because I love my sweets and carbs. Has anyone had any issues sticking to the new plan?

[pantala 125]

Well no surgery will help you with the carb monster! What I will say is that the first few months after surgery my sleeve has acted as a sort of Antabuse for food: I can really only eat enough to not be hungry and one bite more brings unpleasant side effects. So food in general is not that interesting to me anymore.

Now that I am post-op, I love it that my tummy is permanently smaller although before surgery there was a definite "ick" factor when I thought about having most of an organ removed. What helped me was knowing that people have been having part of their stomachs removed for decades (for tumors, cancer and ulcers) which is one reason it's so safe.

I know myself and once I learned that the lap band was going to require continued dr visits for fills, unfills, etc., that I would hate it on that basis alone. That was before I started hearing about troubles people were having. I also wanted something permanent.

Like Bufflehead said above, the absorption issues with bypass and DS had me cross those procedures off my list as long as the sleeve was an option.

I love my sleeve and the new life it has given me: I feel like those women I have always envied who could eat tiny amounts of food and be full and satisfied. Except for my scars (which are fading fast), I don't feel like I've had surgery at all.

[brookiemo82 13]

Well no surgery will help you with the carb monster! What I will say is that the first few months after surgery my sleeve has acted as a sort of Antabuse for food: I can really only eat enough to not be hungry and one bite more brings unpleasant side effects. So food in general is not that interesting to me anymore.

Now that I am post-op' date=' I love it that my tummy is permanently smaller although before surgery there was a definite "ick" factor when I thought about having most of an organ removed. What helped me was knowing that people have been having part of their stomachs removed for decades (for tumors, cancer and ulcers) which is one reason it's so safe.

I know myself and once I learned that the lap band was going to require continued dr visits for fills, unfills, etc., that I would hate it on that basis alone. That was before I started hearing about troubles people were having. I also wanted something permanent.

Like Bufflehead said above, the absorption issues with bypass and DS had me cross those procedures off my list as long as the sleeve was an option.

I love my sleeve and the new life it has given me: I feel like those women I have always envied who could eat tiny amounts of food and be full and satisfied. Except for my scars (which are fading fast), I don't feel like I've had surgery at all.[/quote']

Thank you so much. If you don't mind my asking, when were you sleeved? How is it going?

[SleevedJune62013 167]

My primary care doc told me "the lapband is a joke" & the bypass just seemed too invasive. Rerouting your intestines, etc. I also had concerns about the bypass & the malnutrition possibilities being higher. Luckily, my insurance out of pocket portion for the sleeve was cheapest so it was like a sign.

[brookiemo82 13]

My primary care doc told me "the lapband is a joke" & the bypass just seemed too invasive. Rerouting your intestines' date=' etc. I also had concerns about the bypass & the malnutrition possibilities being higher. Luckily, my insurance out of pocket portion for the sleeve was cheapest so it was like a sign.[/quote']

How do you like it so far? Any complications? I think I have hit the point where I am freaking myself out reading to much and the horror stories But when looking on this site it does not seem there are too many people that are having 'serious' issues or regrets.

[SleevedJune62013 167]

How do you like it so far? Any complications? I think I have hit the point where I am freaking myself out reading to much and the horror stories But when looking on this site it does not seem there are too many people that are having 'serious' issues or regrets.

I smoked 2-3 cigs a day up until 2 days prior to my surgery. I ended up trying to get pneumonia right after the surgery. That was the worst part of recovery. Thank goodness for antibiotics. I was running fever & coughing so hard I was peeing a little. Coughing on a sore tummy is no fun so I took my Codeine regularly to help suppress the cough. I originally only planned on taking a few days off of work because I have a desk job but I'm glad I ended up taking two weeks. Not just for the pneumonia but because of the sharts (thanks to the liquid diet & your body trying to absorb & expel all the extra air they pump into your stomach for this surgery). I also had very little energy due to inadequate calorie consumption. I was like a newborn baby for awhile. Lots of naps. All that being said. I HAVE NO REGRETS! I did have a moment during recovery where I second guessed myself and it seems most everyone does so don't let me scare you. I'm certain this was the best decision for me. I recommend stocking up on Premier Protein shakes from SAM's club. They're resealable drink boxes so you can put it back in fridge & not worry about knocking it over. They're only 160 calories, 5 carbs & 30 grams of Protein for 11oz. Thats half your daily requirement. Ensure & Boost have a lot less protein & seem a lot thicker so they're harder to get down. Go ahead & get some now to see if you like them. I see a lot of people posting they HATE or can't tolerate Protein Shakes & I don't see how they're getting enough protein in without them. I believe they are a staple item in most of our lives forever now. I also really enjoyed Crystal Light Mojito flavor. I also craved salty items. The only thing salty you can have is broth. I would recommend buying consommé over broth if you can find it. It has a little more protein in it. Your life will revolve around protein, protein protein! Lol. This forum has also been a life saver & I enjoy using an app called MyFitnessPal. It will yell at you for not reaching 1,200 calories a day but my nutritionist says I only need to aim for 800 during the weight loss phase. If you want to join you can follow me. My user name is : slinens

SW: 230 (6/6/13)

CW: 195 (8/6/13

5' 3.5"

You will also crave chewing something. sugar free Popsicles & fudgsicles & pudding helped with that. See why you'll crave salty? Lol. Good luck! I hope I helped in some way. My friend suggested I get some sugar free gum but I was too scared I'd accidentally swallow it. If there was such a thing as butter flavored popcorn gum though it would have been on like Donkey Kong! Still craving salty crunchy things daily. My new staple is Pork rinds.< /p>