Almost 10 years later

[AdecadeLater 42]

I was just thinking the other day about how long it's been since I was sleeved. It has been so long I rarely think about it any more. I remember in the early days almost all of the posting was from people who were either pre- or within a year or so post surgery. I decided to register here and see if anyone has any questions they'd like from an oldie Up front:

360+ was my high. I lost down to 200 "on my own" but when the weight started coming back I decided I HAD to have surgery if I was going to have a fighting chance at staying down. I am older so I do have a lot of loose skin. Due to having been so heavy, I will never be under 200 w/out skin removal which I cannot, for medical reasons, have. And I don't mind much. It would be great to not have to deal with the flapping arms and gut, but it's not the end of the world.

10 years a sleeve: The only real negative I can think of it that is is very unpredictable. One day I can eat almost a "normal" small plate of food. The next day, if I ate that much it would come back up. I am sick about once a quarter due to overeating. I really try not to have that happen but it really is hard to predict. So when I am eating in public, I go very light. At Christmas parties, I grazed. I would pick up a carrot or celery stick off a tray, dip it and nibble away. No one pays that much attention to detail, only that I was eating. I picked up one sugar cookie and at it. I nibbled at it, it took a good 20 minutes to eat. Really, I don't think anyone gives it a thought. Here at home I just stop eating and wait to see how I feel. "Full" for me is now a pressure. If I feel that pressure, I am done. If not, I take another bite or two.

When I read back here in the old days, I read some pretty crazy stuff. My favorite was a woman who swore up and down she knew someone who had to be sleeved three times because she drank diet soda. No. That is not what happened. But if you want to believe it, that's fine with me. But that will not happen. For the first few years I drank diet coke. I absolutely follow the rule of no Fluid w/ my meal (unless it's part of a soup). I wait the full 30 minutes, often a bit longer. I thought it would drive me nuts, but it does not bother me at all. I have switched to unsweet ice tea for my "passion" drink and I have come to love it more than the diet soda and absolutely know it's better for me. But had nothing to do with the sleeve.

My surgeon was an absolute tyrant. (He retired the next year.) He felt you had to "earn" being sleeved. I thought that by losing over 160 pounds on my own, I had already earned it. His point was that I was gaining back (I think I was back up to about 260 at surgery but it's been so long ago I don't remember the details) so he made me do a 3 week liquid fast prior to surgery. I was stupid to do it. He had no real way to know. I wish I had done low, low carb for 10, then shifted to the liquid for the last half. The reason I say this is because the one mistake I made was eating solid food too soon. I was about 7 weeks out from surgery and with the 3 week liquid fast, I felt like a prisoner. So I ate. I look back on that moment and wish I had handled it differently. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt like a fail. It felt like I had let food win again. And I felt like it all happened due to emotions and feeling bullied....a lot of which got me to where I was to begin with!

So anyway, your experience may be very different. But I'll check here every other day or so and see what's up. If anyone has any questions, ask. I will try to answer. Of course, it will only be my perception. I wish us all luck on this journey. And I wish this surgery had been there for me in my youth but we get what we get in life.

Take care all -- Decade

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Thank you so much for posting. I didn't even realize they were doing sleeves 10 years ago. I thought it had really taken off as a stand-alone procedure (no longer just part of DS) about 7-8 years ago. So hearing from someone that is 10 years out is a rare treat! I'm curious to know what, if anything, has changed about the basic guidelines for sleeve since you had yours. You mentioned the no soda/carbonation rule, which is still in effect for most of us, but what other guidelines were you given. In looking around the forums have you come across any new guidelines that you WEREN'T given back when you were sleeved?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Thank you so much for posting this.

We are the same height. If I could hit 200 and stay there for years, I would be happy with it.

Thanks for giving me hope it can happen, and also posting your honest experience of how eating is going for you. It is good to know 10 years later, you still have restriction, even not being "perfect".

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Congratulations on your success and thank you so much for posting.

I am following so I can learn.

[thegentleoso 65]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences! 422 was my highest, and I am currently at 387. My sleeve is scheduled for 2/16! I am so ready!

[AdecadeLater 42]

Jamie - back in the day. (lol), you had to look for the sleeve. In my city (Columbus, Ohio) there were only 2 hospitals that I could find who were doing the sleeve. It was sort of a transition window between surgeons moving away from the band and toward the sleeve. I know my surgeon was refusing to do any more bands. The key back then was getting insurance to approve and the company I worked for had just that year added the sleeve to it's approval list. The previous year I had considered gastric bypass, but when I called my insurance the nice woman happened to mention that the sleeve would be available the next year (she was pretty certain) so I decided to delay and see. I had to real problem with getting gastric bypass and might have leaned that way if I was younger, but with being already 50, I just wanted something to help me without the negatives.

The rules were pretty basic, but they do (as you know) vary widely by surgeon. The guy who replaced my surgeon when he retired had a different set. For instance, he allowed carbonation --assuming it was NOT around food consumption. My issue with soda was the artificial sweeter. So they were 1) eat very slowly. Take your 1 cup portion (which is now 1 cup for me PLUS any healthy veggies) and eat until you feel resistance. 2) Take nothing more after 20 minutes. If you can't hold it then, stop. 3) No Fluid for 30 minutes. I usually go 45. This is really a habit you want to love on. My desire to drink my ice tea (usually 2 a day) keeps me from eating food because I require my stomach be empty to drink. 4) No white processed sugar. This was supposedly a health thing but let me tell you, I experience dumping. They say sleeves do not, but I do. If I am going to eat anything it has to be low sugar (like the cookie at Christmas had to NOT be iced) and I have to mix other no sugar foods or I get sweaty and shaky and sometimes fully sick. So if you experience dumping, you are not crazy or alone. (The surgeon told me it was in my mind.) 5) No NSID's. I still do not take them. I love advil as a pain med but if I take it, my stomach starts to hurt after about a week. I sprained my back so I decided to go ahead and use them and they did not like me. 5) No potatoes. I did not honor this one and I believe it was surgeon based, not a "real" rule. Are others told this? For some reason he hated potatoes. I think that taken in moderation, a baked potato is fine and healthy for you. But that's def not what he thought. 6) They wanted us on a life time for Calcium supplements but all doctors since have told me to NOT do that unless I am tested and show a need for Calcium. Since the sleeve allows full processing of food, it makes sense to me. I probably get much better nutrition now than I ever did before being sleeved. 7) Multi Vitamin. After the first 6 months, we could switch to just a basic OTC type. Only needed the high test during the healing window. That's all I can remember right now. All was pretty basic.

[AdecadeLater 42]

Thank you so much for posting this.

We are the same height. If I could hit 200 and stay there for years, I would be happy with it.

Thanks for giving me hope it can happen, and also posting your honest experience of how eating is going for you. It is good to know 10 years later, you still have restriction, even not being "perfect".

I can't imagine not having restriction. Honestly, I think that if you lose restriction, your doctor made a surgical error. I am going to be very honest here. No reason for me to lie. I have totally "tested" this sleeve. In those bad times, I have tried to eat more than I should so it's not like I've been perfect with it and it still stays tight as a drum. It is about learning to eat quality food, and pass on the junk. Because your sleeve will always control your quantity. Do NOT allow yourself to fall into the habit of grazing. That is the only thing that will defeat the sleeve. But the good news is that you can fix that and the sleeve will still be there to help you control your weight.

[AdecadeLater 42]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences! 422 was my highest, and I am currently at 387. My sleeve is scheduled for 2/16! I am so ready!

Good luck! It is a good way to live. The first couple of months are hard, but nothing compared to what we were facing if we stayed on the 400 pound track. I am far from perfect but so happy this is my normal. With your attitude, you will do great.

Congratulations on your success and thank you so much for posting.

I am following so I can learn.

You are doing an incredible job!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@AdecadeLater

Oh I totally believe that people don't lose restriction. The problem is there is a common theme around here that people lose restriction, but if enough questions are asked, they are grazing and/or eating slider foods.

Now that I am healed, I have "less" restriction but it isn't really less restriction, I am just healed at this point. I still have the same or the necessary amount of restriction, except if I don't watch it I can eat more just because the discomfort from eating more is not as "intense", not because the restriction isn't there, it is just easier to ignore.

So I really appreciate you posting your experience and saying that 10 years out still have restriction and that you are still careful eating. I think that is the key to success right there, still paying attention.

So again, thanks.

[The Candidate 3,215]

I'm an RNY, so I have no sleeve related questions. I just wanted to say what a pleasure it is to hear from someone 10 years out. You are truly an inspiration and we all thank you for sharing your insight!

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Jamie - back in the day. (lol), you had to look for the sleeve. In my city (Columbus, Ohio) there were only 2 hospitals that I could find who were doing the sleeve. It was sort of a transition window between surgeons moving away from the band and toward the sleeve. I know my surgeon was refusing to do any more bands. The key back then was getting insurance to approve and the company I worked for had just that year added the sleeve to it's approval list. The previous year I had considered gastric bypass, but when I called my insurance the nice woman happened to mention that the sleeve would be available the next year (she was pretty certain) so I decided to delay and see. I had to real problem with getting gastric bypass and might have leaned that way if I was younger, but with being already 50, I just wanted something to help me without the negatives.

The rules were pretty basic, but they do (as you know) vary widely by surgeon. The guy who replaced my surgeon when he retired had a different set. For instance, he allowed carbonation --assuming it was NOT around food consumption. My issue with soda was the artificial sweeter. So they were 1) eat very slowly. Take your 1 cup portion (which is now 1 cup for me PLUS any healthy veggies) and eat until you feel resistance. 2) Take nothing more after 20 minutes. If you can't hold it then, stop. 3) No Fluid for 30 minutes. I usually go 45. This is really a habit you want to love on. My desire to drink my ice tea (usually 2 a day) keeps me from eating food because I require my stomach be empty to drink. 4) No white processed sugar. This was supposedly a health thing but let me tell you, I experience dumping. They say sleeves do not, but I do. If I am going to eat anything it has to be low sugar (like the cookie at Christmas had to NOT be iced) and I have to mix other no sugar foods or I get sweaty and shaky and sometimes fully sick. So if you experience dumping, you are not crazy or alone. (The surgeon told me it was in my mind.) 5) No NSID's. I still do not take them. I love advil as a pain med but if I take it, my stomach starts to hurt after about a week. I sprained my back so I decided to go ahead and use them and they did not like me. 5) No potatoes. I did not honor this one and I believe it was surgeon based, not a "real" rule. Are others told this? For some reason he hated potatoes. I think that taken in moderation, a baked potato is fine and healthy for you. But that's def not what he thought. 6) They wanted us on a life time for Calcium supplements but all doctors since have told me to NOT do that unless I am tested and show a need for Calcium. Since the sleeve allows full processing of food, it makes sense to me. I probably get much better nutrition now than I ever did before being sleeved. 7) Multi Vitamin. After the first 6 months, we could switch to just a basic OTC type. Only needed the high test during the healing window. That's all I can remember right now. All was pretty basic.

If there is anything this site has taught me, it's that literally every single surgeon and nutritionist has a different plan The no carbonation thing I can see making some sense. I don't think it would stretch your sleeve, but I can see how it could cause gas and be uncomfortable, so more of an "as tolerated" sort of thing. I also think a lot of nutritionists tell people to avoid carbonation just to keep them from drinking soda, which is a bad habit to have whether you're sleeved or not. The sleeve just gives them a way of putting the fear of God in us about drinking it. Luckily I gave up soda many years before I was sleeved, so that's been a really easy rule for me to stick to.

I think you are right that not eating and drinking at the same time is one of the real keys to success. I noticed early on that as soon as I felt "full" my very first instinct was to reach for a drink. That's when it REALLY sank in that all those years that I had been eating an entire pizza in one sitting or whatever, what I was doing was washing food out of my stomach to empty it faster so I could eat even more. I used to go through 4 glasses of Water during a meal at a restaurant. Sure it was great for getting all my Water in, but it was also great for getting POUNDS of extra food in. Not drinking while eating lets me get the full benefit of my restriction and it is something I definitely plan to stick to forever.

I have found that I can take NSAIDS occasionally with food, but I wouldn't want to take them daily for any period of time. I usually only ever take anything if I have a Migraine. A couple of times I've had some sore muscles or strains and it's been tough to resist taking naproxin, but I've managed so far.

That potato thing is weird. I don't eat potatoes or an anything starchy post-op just because it takes up so much space and makes it harder to get my Protein in. But I can't imagine a valid medical reason for not have potatoes occasionally.

[magtart 603]

Thanks for posting this. It is very interesting to hear your perspective.

[Bluesky1 191]

@@AdecadeLater Thank you for posting! It's good to hear of your experinece long term. I'm a Newbie and having surgery on Feb. 23rd. I have often wondered about those who've had the sleeve for many years. So, again...thank you! ????

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Awesome thread, @@AdecadeLater ... just now found it.

Thank you so much for posting here. I hope you stick around and offer your observations. As far as I know, you're the longest tenured sleever here.

Thanks again.

[dietbelle 36]

Thank you very much for your story.. I was sleeved on Tuesday apart from pain a chest infection and flatulence everything else is going well.

I am not hungry but struggle drinking Water.< /p>

When you eat out how do you order? To be Protein first is hard with starters I would think..Also do you drink wine with a meal? Just curious..

Have you kept your weight off?