ardita

hey katemt-where have you gone? how are you doing? i am where you were when you started this thread-4 mos. out of vsg surgery, down only 40 lbs., and snacking/grazing throughout the day. i try to keep it good eating but the carbs get in there and keep getting in. discouraged.

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Josephine

Wow she hasn't been back in a long time. Since her post in this thread. I sent her a friend request so she'll get an email from us and come back. I'm curious how she's doing now. I wanna lose 200 lbs, so maybe I need to get the sleeve idea out of my head.

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ardita

Josephine-
NorcalRn, SherryLynn and aviator have all had VSG and been successful. I dont really think it is the procedure;I really think it is because I started lower (217 lbs). I'm down 39/40 and my surgeon only expected me to lose 59 lbs. I also still do not get time to focus on me or to exercise regularly-4 kids including one with issues. Especially reading about all of the complications others are having after RNY GB years out, I'd be more afraid than ever of going that route. Don't give up on VSG; I still think it is the way to go. Had I known life w my teen daughter was going to take such a difficult, time and energy consuming turn just as I was going in for surgery, I would have waited for a time in life where I could focus more on my own needs. Keep doing your research. It is possible to be successful or to fail with any of the procedures.

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Josephine

What scares me the most is that I don't think I eat much. The people around me say I don't eat much. I do make poor choices tho sometimes. Everyone does sometimes. I think every girl has 3 or 4 days a month that it's just MUCH harder to stay focused cause you feel ravenous. I'm afraid of the malnutrition possibilities with RNY, but also afraid that I need that malabsorption. Last night I had one bottle of beer and felt drunk. Do you think that it's possible that someone who gets drunk easily is an indication that their body overabsorbs anything put into it? Or am I in denial? I don't binge, I make good choices most of the time, it takes 40-48 hrs for food to show itself again (obviously you can test how fast your metabolism is with nuts, corn, spinach, kale).

These things make me feel like I need malabsorption, but I can't be sure, because I feel that VSG is the superior procedure.

Another issue I have is that if RNY doesn't work for me, 20 years from now I can still revise to VSG. It doesn't work the other way around.

My final problem is that while my surgeon knows how to do the sleeve, he feels his technique of RNY is the best bariatric surgery option. He makes the pouch bigger than American doctors allowing a patient to eat more like whole grain bread and vegetables for a balanced diet. He's the best in this country and one of the leaders in the field in Europe. He has a VERY high success rate with patients 5 years or more out. Way above industry statistics. Thoughts?

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poet_kelly

Josephine, can you consult with a surgeon who is not biased towards RNY to get an opinion about which might be best for you?

Kelly

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RNY 11/4/08

surgery/current/goal
270/147/130

poet_kelly

Your surgeon did WLS on you only expecting you to lose 59 pounds? Am I understand that right? Why do WLS to lose so little?

Kelly

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RNY 11/4/08

surgery/current/goal
270/147/130

KateMT

I am holding steady at a plateau. I had surgery at 305 lbs. and am now 242 and have been for some time. I feel much better physically than prior to surgery but would like to get down to at least 200. Next month I am going on a trip to Mexico so I just started buckling down today for the next month. I am disappointed with my results so far but I know I have only myself to blame. My advice to any of you who haven't had surgery yet is, whatever surgery you have, MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO WORK THE PROGRAM. If you aren't, you'll be in the same boat. Hopefully in the next months I will get going, eat better and be more active and see some more results. I will keep checking in. Thanks for the friend request : )

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Kate

305/302/233/200
highest/day of surgery/current/next goal

ardita

Your progress may not have been as fast as you like but it is still very significant. Keep at it and good luck-

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gooberific

This was one of the things I asked my surgeon about. He said that if I do not lose "much" or "enough" weight to be healthier in two years, then we can discuss a duodenal switch. The VSG is often the first step prior to billiopancreatic diversion and/or duodenal switch, but we are hopeful that I can keep my butt in the right gear. I have at least 100 pounds to lose.

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ardita

My BMI was slightly over 35 so technically I qualified. My personal goal to lose is 97 lbs. 59 lbs is, in my surgeons calculation, what would be the typical average percentage of excess weight loss would amount to. 100 lbs may not seem like much to those with several hundred to lose, but I did not know how to lose 10 pounds. 100 or 97 or even 59 was an insurmountable goal. I could not have done it without the surgery, even though I have since learned it is the lifestyle and dietary changes that ultimately get us to our goal. I still remember hunger-it has only been a few mos. since WLS has helped me to feel less of it- and before surgery, could eat large quantities. My goal is to lose half of what I was. It may not sound like much to others here, but it is huge for me. Is 100 or 97 or even 59 so little to lose? Were you able to before your surgery?

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