BMI of 33 considering sleeve surgery

[RejeanWool 2]

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, first time post. I am a 33 year old male with a BMI of 33 considering sleeve surgery. Other than having ulcerative colitis which is under control, I am a relatively healthy individual but have had weight issues my entire life. In addition, I have a bad family history of heart disease (both parents had heart attacks in their 40s andbypass surgeries in their 60s) and diabetes. With the arrival of my first child, I have naturally begun thinking more about the future and honestly freaked out about the future. I have been considering gastric sleeve surgery with my main motivation being to hopefully avoid some of these issues my parents have had. I met with a surgeon in my area who has said I am a 'perfect candidate' for the surgery but would love to hear the perspectives of anyone who has had the surgery not necessarily for immediate weight loss but more so to avoid future complications in life.

Thanks everyone in advance for your advice!

[Clementine Sky 708]

I was just a bit younger and with a BMI a bit lower when I had the VSG in August of 2015, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I also viewed it as a preventative measure to help reduce the risk of problems developing as I aged. I yo-yo'd throughout my 20s and let my weight control far more of my life than I should have, and I wanted to be able to thrive in my 30s and beyond and enjoy that time rather than receding as I did so often in my 20s.

As a lower BMI patient, there are a few things you're probably already aware of, but I'll point out nevertheless.

- You'll probably have to pay for it yourself. My insurance refused to pay for a cent of my surgery. I noticed that you're in Canada; it might be hard for you to get approved for the surgery there, too. Many Canadians and Americans go to Mexico for WLS, and so long as you chose a reputable surgeon and facility, it's safe. That's what I did, and I have absolutely no regrets. Even if my insurance had agreed to pay for the surgery, my out-of-pocket expenses would have come out to around $5000, and it would have been a far more time-costly route because they require years of documentation of weight loss effort, and months of seeing a nutritionist before they grant approval. My surgery was $4200, including a hotel stay at the Marriott, and I chose the exact week I wanted to have it done, to fit with my own schedule. I took on the responsibility of educating myself about the surgery, about common challenges following it such as stalls, and the post-op diet. You can find information on the websites for bariatric centers at Stanford, the mayo Clinic, and other respected hospitals.

- You will likely lose weight at a much slower pace than someone heavier. I've read so many posts from people on here who've lost more weight in two months than I did in two years, but that's fine since none of us are in a race. For me, losing weight slower has been beneficial in the long run even if it was frustrating along the way. I actually lost weight more rapidly on crash diets prior to having WLS, but always gained that weight back and then some even faster. By losing it slower, I've kept it off longer and more easily. It took a full year for me to reach my initial goal, and six months later I reached my "dream" goal. I've maintained that for over a year now. I have absolutely no loose skin. By losing weight more gradually, it also gave me more privacy. It wasn't as dramatic, so people never suspected that I'd had surgery. I'm not at all ashamed that I did, but I also don't feel the need to broadcast it. I'm very private by nature, and only told the people who actually needed to know about having the VSG.

Best wishes to you!

[RejeanWool 2]

22 minutes ago, Clementine Sky said:

I was just a bit younger and with a BMI a bit lower when I had the VSG in August of 2015, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I also viewed it as a preventative measure to help reduce the risk of problems developing as I aged. I yo-yo'd throughout my 20s and let my weight control far more of my life than I should have, and I wanted to be able to thrive in my 30s and beyond and enjoy that time rather than receding as I did so often in my 20s.

As a lower BMI patient, there are a few things you're probably already aware of, but I'll point out nevertheless.

- You'll probably have to pay for it yourself. My insurance refused to pay for a cent of my surgery. I noticed that you're in Canada; it might be hard for you to get approved for the surgery there, too. Many Canadians and Americans go to Mexico for WLS, and so long as you chose a reputable surgeon and facility, it's safe. That's what I did, and I have absolutely no regrets. Even if my insurance had agreed to pay for the surgery, my out-of-pocket expenses would have come out to around $5000, and it would have been a far more time-costly route because they require years of documentation of weight loss effort, and months of seeing a nutritionist before they grant approval. My surgery was $4200, including a hotel stay at the Marriott, and I chose the exact week I wanted to have it done, to fit with my own schedule. I took on the responsibility of educating myself about the surgery, about common challenges following it such as stalls, and the post-op diet. You can find information on the websites for bariatric centers at Stanford, the mayo Clinic, and other respected hospitals.

- You will likely lose weight at a much slower pace than someone heavier. I've read so many posts from people on here who've lost more weight in two months than I did in two years, but that's fine since none of us are in a race. For me, losing weight slower has been beneficial in the long run even if it was frustrating along the way. I actually lost weight more rapidly on crash diets prior to having WLS, but always gained that weight back and then some even faster. By losing it slower, I've kept it off longer and more easily. It took a full year for me to reach my initial goal, and six months later I reached my "dream" goal. I've maintained that for over a year now. I have absolutely no loose skin. By losing weight more gradually, it also gave me more privacy. It wasn't as dramatic, so people never suspected that I'd had surgery. I'm not at all ashamed that I did, but I also don't feel the need to broadcast it. I'm very private by nature, and only told the people who actually needed to know about having the VSG.

Best wishes to you!

Hi Clementine,

Thank you for the detailed reply! May I ask if you experienced any major on-going side effects? That is my biggest concern at the moment as I am nervous about experiencing some long lasting effect. Thanks again for the help

[Clementine Sky 708]

5 hours ago, RejeanWool said:

Hi Clementine,

Thank you for the detailed reply! May I ask if you experienced any major on-going side effects? That is my biggest concern at the moment as I am nervous about experiencing some long lasting effect. Thanks again for the help

You're very welcome.

No, I haven't experienced any major longterm side effects or any complications. The only thing I need to be careful with is having too much to eat (I won't be in excruciating pain or anything severe, but will feel unpleasantly full) or having hot liquids like coffee too soon after eating. I began drinking with meals a few months post-op, in moderation, without any issues except for Hot Drinks. And I also resumed drinking coffee, in moderation, a few months post-op. I normally have iced coffee, but when that hasn't been available, I've had it hot. When we were on vacation I had a larger brunch than typical, and my coffee had been forgotten about by the server and then finally brought right at the end of the meal, hot. I drank it all too fast and got sick for a couple of hours. That's it. I was ready to go zip lining by the afternoon.