Gastric Sleeve size??

**neptunesally** · 09-28-2015 03:49 AM

Does size matter?

How do surgeons determine the size of your sleeve?

**Aydensmomma** · 09-28-2015 08:51 AM

I don't know but I would love some answers here......I am about to put up a post that I feel makes a difference between no pre-op diet and pre-op diet. Curious to see replys

**Lovemykids3** · 09-28-2015 10:30 AM

I wonder that same thing ~ I want to be a nice wt not too thin and sick looking

**BabyDoll** · 09-28-2015 12:05 PM

Some say it doesn't but I believe that it does. When I was sleeved in 2010 I told my doctor that I wanted it tight as I didn't want to be able to sabotage myself. Three years later my husband was sleeved by a different doctor. Today he can eat circles around me...more than 3 times what I can eat. So yes, I believe size does matter.

**bikrchk** · 09-28-2015 03:19 PM

Mine does a 90% sleeve which is a little tighter that average from what I hear. I dunno, but 2 years later, I've been successfully maintaining a 90 pound loss for over a year, eating what I like in small quantities with few problems (unless I do something stupid like try and over eat). If I gain 5 I can take it off now fairly quickly with a little effort. Winning the battle now!

**Kindle** · 09-28-2015 09:37 PM

They don't measure and take a certain percentage off your stomach. They place a bougie (basically a long, rubber tube) down your esophagus into your stomach. This is the guide they use as they cut and staple your stomach. The diameter of the bougie determines the diameter of your sleeve. It doesn't matter what size your stomach was to begin with, only the size of the bougie and how snug up against the tube they make the staple line. Some surgeons then oversew the staple line with sutures. This folds the staples inward, making the diameter even smaller. The overseeing is actually to help decrease the risk of leaks, not necessarily to make a smaller sleeve. Do a search on YouTube...there are dozens of VSG videos to watch.

BTW, Dr. Ortiz uses a 32Fr bougie and oversees, making his sleeve one of the tightest. Many U.S. surgeons use 34,36, 44 even up to 52Fr bougies. The theory is, the larger the bougie, the less incidence of strictures and GERD. Fortunately I had neither and I love my teeny tiny OCC sleeve.