male only Guys Group: Seeking Buddy/Mentor

[jacobjohnson76 3]

Hey fellas; I'm in the southern suburbs of Mpls/StPaul Minnesota, and just starting to research options. 6'0", about 450#, BMI 60+, hitting 40 years old next year. High stress job, 3 young kids, and an incredibly supportive wife. I need to be around for my family, and feeling like WLS could be a game-changer. Likely RNY path, though VSG intrigues me. Either way, just getting started; if all lines up, then possible surgery date late 2015/early 2016.

I'm lookin for a (or a few) buddy/mentor that I could interface with on q's, experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly of your individual process. I'd welcome speaking with those that had recent surgeries as well as the veterans of the group.

Thanks to all for your postings, etc. Combing thru the forums is really helpful.

Jake

jacobjohnson76@gmail.com

[VDB 800]

Jacob, good on you for getting going on this when you are still young. I waited until I was 64, post heart attack etc. But, 100# down since the April RNY, and feeling very thrilled with the results. No real problems. The rapid weight loss leaves me a bit tired all the time, but this is temporary, says my Doc. I have had some hair loss but not too bad, just got it cut short and now don't notice. The main thing is that the diabetes, which was out of control even with good compliance, is 85% better, and many other co-morbidities gone or almost gone... I am much more in shape, enjoying walking, swimming, and soon biking again.

Good luck on your journey to health, I don't regret the RNY for a minute.

[Gossamer 91]

Hey Jake, glad you found this site it is an excellent resource for a wealth of information. I am going the vsg route and am scheduled for it in just a couple of weeks,so I can't speak of the things to come just yet. however, I personally feel this procedure is the right one for me. It might be a good thing to research some surgeons in your area and set up a consult to get the ball rolling. I hope you're able to find the right fit for you and can accomplish your goals. Best of luck to you......Andy

[defibvt 348]

@@jacobjohnson76 I had the VSG in March of this year. I don't regret my decision, I do just wish I would have done it earlier. I turn 50 in January and hope to reach my goal by my birthday.... Good luck on your journey!

[Mel77 67]

I had a sleeve done in June. Down 85# I'm 38 and I'm glad I did it. It's work but worth it! Good luck buddy

[IncredibleShrinkingMan 437]

I had the sleeve in August, and I am two months out tomorrow. I started my pre-op at 286 (my highest two years earlier was 314) and I am down to 214 as of this morning. It's a great procedure that doesn't leave me feeling deprived of anything. I can eat basically anything now (though still use shakes for extra protein), just in dramatically smaller portions. Even refined carbs cause me no problems, and after a few bites I am full. I still try to avoid them lest my restriction should atrophy over time.

My surgery went off without a hitch and I had no complications or pain. Hunger made its last stand when I was about two weeks out, but hasn't been an issue since then, unless I go a long time without eating anything (12+ hrs), which is not a good idea. Your surgeon may go one of two routes. He may conclude that the RNY is unsafe unless you reach a lower BMI alone, in which case he may offer the lap-band to help you get down to a place where the RNY is possible. Or, if he thinks the RNY is safe, he may recommend that as it does have slightly better weight loss statistics than the sleeve (with more digestive complications). If he thinks it is safe then he will leave the decision almost entirely in your hands.

The sleeve has also been used as the first step in a duodenal switch procedure, mainly for people in your BMI range. What you would get is the VSG, and then you would lose substantial weight. Then, it would be up to you whether you wanted to complete the switch portion of the procedure. If you like your weight loss then there would be no reason to continue any further.

Best of luck with your decision, and congratulations.

[BigTink2LilTink 723]

I was VSG sleeved back in late Dec, and so far I can say it was the best health decision I could have made for myself. I have been morbidly obese my entire adult life. Today at 10 months post surgery I am down almost 90lbs. Overall I am roughly 302lbs from my heaviest weight just 19/20 months ago. I went from being a type 2 diabetic taking anywhere from 50 to 60 units of insulin a day, to not taking any insulin at all. I still have to monitor my blood sugars but they rarely reach at or above 120.

Before the surgery and change in eating habits I was constantly in the 350 -400 blood sugar ranges. I felt like crap, and always had issues with my hands and feet sometimes going numb. The weight also was starting to cause me bad back issues too. Now, I haven't had any issues with my back in a year. I am on here and MyFitnessPal under the same user name as here if you want to add me. There you can kinda see what I am consuming 10 months out and how I am tracking exercising and calorie burning.