Investigating if a Sleeve is right for me

[NeonRebel 0]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of deciding if getting a sleeve is right for me. I've been to a doctor already and they have explained everything about the surgery and what kind of commitment is needed for the change in life style I'm about to go through. He did say I was a great candidate for the surgery.

I've been reading posts on here for a few days now and there seems to be a lot of success stories with a few not so good stories sprinkled in. I'm just looking for some advice about whether or not getting this surgery is worth. I'm just looking for any advice you guys can give me.

So here are a few questions

If you had to do it all over again would you get the surgery again?

Would you get a different surgery or do a non-surgical method of losing weight?

Do you have any regrets? Is there anything you can't eat or do now that you could before your surgery that you really miss?

Does not being able to eat much at all hamper your social life at all? I ask this because it just seems that going out to eat or to a party that you can't really eat or drink much at all. Is that a positive or negative?

Sorry for all the questions. I guess that I'm very uneasy about making this kind of a drastic change to my life even though I know it's what I need to do.

Any advice, suggestions, or comments are appreciated.

Thanks

rebel

[teacupnosaucer 445]

16 hours ago, NeonRebel said:

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of deciding if getting a sleeve is right for me. I've been to a doctor already and they have explained everything about the surgery and what kind of commitment is needed for the change in life style I'm about to go through. He did say I was a great candidate for the surgery.

I've been reading posts on here for a few days now and there seems to be a lot of success stories with a few not so good stories sprinkled in. I'm just looking for some advice about whether or not getting this surgery is worth. I'm just looking for any advice you guys can give me.

So here are a few questions

If you had to do it all over again would you get the surgery again?

Would you get a different surgery or do a non-surgical method of losing weight?

Do you have any regrets? Is there anything you can't eat or do now that you could before your surgery that you really miss?

Does not being able to eat much at all hamper your social life at all? I ask this because it just seems that going out to eat or to a party that you can't really eat or drink much at all. Is that a positive or negative?

Sorry for all the questions. I guess that I'm very uneasy about making this kind of a drastic change to my life even though I know it's what I need to do.

Any advice, suggestions, or comments are appreciated.

Thanks

rebel

1. Yes I would. I'm only two weeks out and that first week SUCKED BIG TIME but with every day I get healthier and stronger and happier. Don't let anyone tell you it is easy or not a big deal.. it is surgery.

2. I had the sleeve. I am happy with it so far. The sleeve was my first choice because I thought the RNY was too invasive and had too many ill-effects and I am not convinced the difference in weight loss would be enough for me. I absolutely would not trade my sleeve for non-surgical weight loss. I lost 30 lbs pre-surgery and it took me two years of swimming a kilometer three to five times a week, as well as calorie counting, meal planning, avoiding eating out, weight management classes, etc. to get there. Two years!!!!! And who knows how long it would have stayed off? The reality is the 5+ year "success rates" of non-surgical weight loss is 5% or less. For the 5% that it works for, awesome, but I've lost 20 and regained 30 lbs enough times in my life I know that's not me. Surgery increases my odds of all my good lifestyle changes actually sticking. If you have 10-20 lbs to lose, do weight watchers. If you have 80+, surgery is your best bet... as long as you are ready to commit to the lifestyle changes too. It's not surgery - healthy lifestyle, it's surgery + healthy lifestyle. I do just as much work now (actually more) as I did on weight watchers. Period.

3. I'm still immediately post-op on full fluids, but because I got the sleeve (and am otherwise very lucky LOL!) I have had no issues with food intolerances at all so far. The only thing that has changed is my appetite is smaller and sweet things don't taste as good (that will likely go away as time goes on, as far as I hear.) I do have to give up pop forever, as does anyone who has surgery, but considering everything I have to gain from surgery, trading a couple cans of diet pepsi a day has been a completely acceptable trade-off for me. I'm wearing Lululemon leggings right now frchrissakes! Buh-bye, pepsi! The one thing I DO miss is being able to chug an ice cold bottle of Water when I'm thirsty. Gotta go slow now.

4. My social life is BETTER post surgery. I made a bunch of fellow gastric surgery friends my own age and we go out together all the time. We go bowling or shopping or we go to dinner and all only eat a third of our meals LOL. And now that I'm a smaller weight, I'm doing stuff like going swing dancing on the weekends and joining dance classes and planning on joining a team sport. I went from sitting on my fat lonely ass on the couch watching TV I don't even enjoy to being a person who does activities and has friends. I'm sure there will be moments I'm jealous, going to Vegas with my husband and not getting my money's worth at the buffet, or going drinking with my non-surgical friends and not being able to let loose like them, but eh, once again, worthwhile trade. It's about rearranging your priorities.

Here in Canada the wait for surgery is around 2 years, and that wait period really helped me to wrap my mind around the thought of all the lifelong changes I would have to make. The thing to really ponder on is remembering what do you stand to GAIN? because once you start seeing those things, the losses don't seem like such big sacrifices anymore.

[DaleCruse 756]

Would I do it again? Hell yes.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

On 4/2/2017 at 8:05 PM, NeonRebel said:

i would definitely do the sleeve again

any day of the week, 2x on Sunday LOL

no regrets about WLS or desire to have had a different surgery

do a non-surgical method?ie dieting myself

sure, i could continue to yo yo for the rest of my life!

not being able to keep the lost weight off, and

gain more lbs back - i don't think so!!!

i can eat all foods - except frog legs

but i never could/wanted to eat before surgery either

"sounds" like you are a youngun? surgery

hampering social life?? not for me!!

unable to eat lots of food, drink - strength!!

won't power -I WON'T eat this or that

5+ years PO - GOAL these past 4 years

smiling, healthier, happier

good luck with your choice

kathy

[starfishwish 129]

2x on Sunday LOL [emoji23]

I'm cracking up [emoji23][emoji23]

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Well the amount of time you can only eat very little is pretty short.

I find that I enjoy being social more because I am less focused on food and I can talk and socialise more.

Forums don't really offer an idea of what post op life is like because 98% of the post are from newbies.