BOUGIE SIZE HELP! 46F anyone??!

[rose.]

I am being sleeved on October 9. I researched for a long time and have taken my time and found a great surgeon with low complication rates that I feel comfortable with. However each time I seen him I kept forgetting to ask what size bougie he uses, I almost forgot again at my pre-op Wednesday but remembered as I was walking out and asked his nurse and she said he uses a 46F. I asked her if he would be willing to use a smaller one at my request and she said no because that increases the risk of stricture and other complications.

I told her that I read somewhere (not by a medical professional, just a posting in a forum) that said the food capacity on someone with a 34F during maintenance is 6-8 oz, but capacity for someone with a 46F can be up to 16 oz during maintenance! She said you will never eat more than 8 oz during maintenance after being sleeved, and success is going to be determined by lifestyle changes not bougie size. I don't want to quit when I am this close.

Basically, I am saying all of this to ask- is there any of you that were sleeved with a 46F that are in maintenance and doing good? PLEASE WEIGH IN!

[Homefuzz]

well -- I am not a doctor by any means. My sleeve had a 40F, and honestly I didn't know what that meant until just recently. I can eat upwards of 10oz of food at a sitting (depending on the density of the food, i.e. meat vs. soup), and my doctor also told me that it IS about food choices and lifestyle modifications that help the sleeve along, not bougie size. She explained the the difference in millimeters. She also said that her research and experience has lead her to the conclusion that this is the right size for long term success and minimizes short term complications. I can tell you I thought I was over-eating and got a little panicky when I went to talk to her because I hear everyone saying they can only eat 4oz or so at this duration post-sleeve (4 months), but she told me I am eating great, and my weight loss numbers are extremely successful, she expects me to be at goal weight around the new year. So, with that being said, I would talk to your doctor and ask what makes them think the 46F is a good size, and how do they forsee your future phases of weight loss. Every doctor has a different conclusion and I am sure that yours will be more than happy to share that with you.

[leesooim]

I would definitely sit down with the doctor himself and do not rely on the nurse's hearsay. No doubt she has experience and background with how he operates on his patients, but I think you will feel MUCH better if you speak with him directly.

My bougie is also size 40 and depending on what the food is, I can eat anywhere from as little as 5 ounces in a meal to as much as 9 or 10. If the meal is a lot of soft foods like yogurt or cottage cheese, I can eat WAY more of those volume-wise than I can a piece of steak, chicken or pork. While it's true that they highly advocate weighing your portions, I think it's important to remember that 4 oz of steak is much more dense and can fit into a smaller space than say, 4 ounces of popcorn, and that at least in my experience, that steak makes me fuller WAY faster than an entire bag of popcorn can.

[orsola]

Hello all just found out my doctor will be using 32 French bougie....so it could be tight!!

[curlyme]

Im a size 36 bougie I can eat half a chicken breast..when i eat yogurt or cottage cheese...i can eat wayy more...Im over 3 months out and I still start with my protein first...then veggie...and mix in some carbs...just eat balanced meals take your vitamins, keep your water intake up and just try to live a normal life...dont worry so much about your tummy size....you will be fine....

[sonya139]

I am being sleeved on October 9. I researched for a long time and have taken my time and found a great surgeon with low complication rates that I feel comfortable with. However each time I seen him I kept forgetting to ask what size bougie he uses, I almost forgot again at my pre-op Wednesday but remembered as I was walking out and asked his nurse and she said he uses a 46F. I asked her if he would be willing to use a smaller one at my request and she said no because that increases the risk of stricture and other complications.

I told her that I read somewhere (not by a medical professional, just a posting in a forum) that said the food capacity on someone with a 34F during maintenance is 6-8 oz, but capacity for someone with a 46F can be up to 16 oz during maintenance! She said you will never eat more than 8 oz during maintenance after being sleeved, and success is going to be determined by lifestyle changes not bougie size. I don't want to quit when I am this close.

Basically, I am saying all of this to ask- is there any of you that were sleeved with a 46F that are in maintenance and doing good? PLEASE WEIGH IN!

I didn't know they make them that large for a sleeve. I thought 40 was the max.

[Rose69]

All this talk about bougie is making me wonder what is the size of mine. Going to call my doctor. I'll come back with the number.

PS whatever the number was its a lot looser now because I can eat a lot but I choose not to. I don't want to regain the weight.

[azladyrider]

All this talk about bougie is making me wonder what is the size of mine. Going to call my doctor. I'll come back with the number.

PS whatever the number was its a lot looser now because I can eat a lot but I choose not to. I don't want to regain the weight.

You're doing better than me - I don't even know WTH a bougie is lol But I agree I COULD eat more but I stop when I am starting to feel uncomfortable. I eat far less when I am out socializing since I talk and eat and talk and eat (mostly talk lol) so it slows me down to feel the fullness coming on

[leesooim]

It's natural to be able to eat more as you progress. The pouch heals, and with healing it also relaxes, hence why people can eat more the further out they are from surgery.

[Little Verbena]

My doctor made of point a telling me that he using a 40F because anything smaller raises the post op risks. He said the 40F was small enough to keep the pouch small but large enough to avoid constrictions caused by swelling after surgery.

I don't know exactly about these devices but I used to (many many years ago) do QA inspections and the used wire gauges. the differences between each size was so small. It makes me wonder if the differences between these bougies are not very big as well. Also I has no idea what different sizes these come in... 40,41.42,43... or do they skip numbers, 40,42,44.

If you are concerned, you should definitely talk to the doctor, not the nurse. You should go into this feeling as comfortable as possible.

[niamh]

My doc used a 32. Just FYI.

[florabug]

36F here

[rose.]

They go up to 60F! But I don't think anyone uses that size anymore

[Rose69]

Spoke to my doctor this afternoon, he used a 40 French!

[~Fawn]

i am a 32, I can still only eat about 4-5 ounces at any sitting, i feel like I am eating all day just to get to 800 calories a day. I am 10 months out, lost all the weight I wanted to and then some. I have been trying to STOP for about 3 months--to no avail. I am hovering around 120 but the inches are still falling off.

As for our little tummys go, we have to remember that after it is healed, we can stretch them about 70 percent its current size if we dont make the right choices.

Good luck...and congrats