I was sooo determined to have this surgery..... then HORROR struck me!!!

[jane_vsg_ayla]

My bf had the DS, and that is some serious business!!! Yes, he has lost 100 pounds in 4 months (and had his gallbladder out in the middle of that time) but he is NOT able to eat many different foods... He gets dumping a LOT, and he has to eat very, very slowly (he sets a timer for 4 minutes between bites at every meal). That is a serious commitment... And he can never again take anything time-released since everything goes through him so fast. Which means even vitamins - none of the "one-a-day" stuff. He has to take vitamins *4* times a day, every day, for the rest of his life.

The sleeve is certainly a commitment, but its nowhere near as drastic as the bypass or DS!!

[Angela Schmangela]

Why is it that whenever you make a decision or something like this comes along, people can't seem to wait to share the worst possible stories? It's like having a bunch of women sitting around telling their horrible pregnancy stories (37 hours in labor!! Emergency C-section! I almost died!!) to the poor girl who just announced she's expecting.

Noha, for every horror story floating around out there, there are a hundred and fifty glowing successes, especially if you keep up with this site. You know, 8 months ago I had never heard of the sleeve. I went to a WLS surgery seminar intending to get a lap band and was won over by what I saw about VS. And now I genuinely believe that the sleeve will end up being a medical miracle for many of us, and my doctor has said that he believes it will ultimately end up being the cure for type II diabetes. Are there risks? Of course there are, but the risks are minimal IMO given the damage we were doing to our bodies with obesity. Yes, surgery is absolutely your decision, but as far as I'm concerned my only regret is that I wasn't aware of VS a year or two ago!

[yankegal]

ask your dr. questions, also remember that with our health, some of us suffer from a lot of comobidities, so if we do nothing and continue on the path we are on. we may die from one or more of our health problems, and I agree with many on this forum. we are/were all scared to have the surgery, we had tons of questions, but you are in the right place to have them answered. and all you can do is ask questions. heck I almost backed out the day before surgery, but the dr. came to see me and sat and talked to me. I had heard so many horrible things, and I was so scared. but there was a less than .5 percent death rate with the sleeve. he had one incident in the past and it was someone that had a lot of problems before surgery, and also weight over 400 lbs. if you have good dr. and you feel comfortable with him or you know of people that have had the surgery w your dr. or you belong to a support group ask them questions and ask about your drs. reputation. the sleeve is the safer procedure. and I am very happy that i had it.

[ElleMarie]

I know that I let fear keep me from having something done years ago, and as a result I gained about 70 more pounds before realizing that no matter the outcome I had to do something. There is no doubt in my mind that the ONLY reason I am losing now is because of the surgery, I could never have done this without surgical intervention. For the past three years I stopped living and was only existing, that is no way to live, I can't believe how exciting it is to have my life back. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

[wannabefree]

salamu aleykom wa rahmatuallah wa barakatu sister don't listen to any negative dreams inshaAllah you will have a great great safe surgery and recover just fine. inshaAllah.

so glad to see that there are other muslims dealing with this issue. cuz i feel so alone

[Alaska66]

Hi Noha,
Hope you are feeling better about everything. I know it is scary, but we are all in this together and we will help each other get through it.Are you haveing gastric sleeve or gastric bypass??''
Thanks for your reply that we can be friends. I am really glad, since you and I have some of the same fears. I am praying for you, and you will get through this. Just remember we are all here for you.
Katie

[Alaska66]

HI,
Didn't make sense to me either when the Dr. told me. I am a nurse and have had many many more people I have cared for that had complications with the bypass. I told the Dr. that and he told me HE was the DR. and I was the NURSE!! The attitude kinda miffed me but, i have really liked this Dr. so I let it pass.
I'm with you tho, still makes no sense to me.
Katie

[Alaska66]

Makes no sense to me either when the Dr. told me!!!

[RussianBlue_x2]

HI,
Didn't make sense to me either when the Dr. told me. I am a nurse and have had many many more people I have cared for that had complications with the bypass. I told the Dr. that and he told me HE was the DR. and I was the NURSE!! The attitude kinda miffed me but, i have really liked this Dr. so I let it pass.
Katie

Katie,
Don't you know that doctors are godlike and we should never question them? ;-) The fact is, they are human. Even some of the most intelligent doctors out there do not know everything and cannot keep up to date on everything there is to know. This doctor may be thinking of the older stomach stapling procedure, which was abandoned due to risks and not very good weight loss results. Even amongst themselves, doctors don't always agree on things and may approach the same medical problem quite differently.

This is just me, but if my doctor said something like that, I'd be looking for a new PCP - one who is more knowledgeable about obesity surgery. Going though a procedure as significant as gastric surgery requires follow up care from a PCP who understands it. After the surgery, you may have issues that need follow up and you will need routine lab testing for specific issues.

I currently have a PCP I really like, but if he showed a lack of current knowledge of obesity surgery, I'd be looking for another one... without a doubt.

[Dee Leshuz]

Wait a minute...my surgeon will utilize the stapling procedure for the sleeve...outdated? I personally didn't like this (I prefer staple, sew, and glue) but didn't realize it was out of date?

[yippyskippy]

If the person you mentioned had a gastric bypass there is a risk of nicking the bowl during that procedure and that's when people can have leaks and become septic. They don't go anywhere near the bowl when doing your sleeve. I don't blame you for having fears...we all had them too! I'll be thinking about ya!

[headsntails]

i think it's important to realize that the sleeve procedure used to be done as the first part of the gastric bypass.. if one had really high BMI and the doctor felt that he or she should lose a bit of weight before the bypass- the sleeve was done first, after losing weight, the bypass was done... until they realized that the sleeve was very effective in dropping the weight, then the sleeve was done as a single procedure especially for those with lower BMI...

everybody is different and can react differently to the same treatment... if your BMI qualifies for the bypass and if you feel that even with the sleeve, you lack the discipline to stay off the sweets, then maybe the bypass maybe the better choice for you.. such was the case for Hippy Heart.. (hope you don't mind that i wrote about ya! ) one knows themselves the best and we must do what's best for us with sound reasoning and judgement..

[UK Tim]

a new PCP - one who is more knowledgeable about obesity surgery.

Er... Laura, what is a PCP?

[RussianBlue_x2]

Wait a minute...my surgeon will utilize the stapling procedure for the sleeve...outdated? I personally didn't like this (I prefer staple, sew, and glue) but didn't realize it was out of date?

There was an early procedure called vertical banded gastroplasty, often commonly referred to as "stomach stapling" that did not involve removing part of the stomach. The stomach was stapled but left in place. This procedure has fallen out of favor due to poor results. I highly recommend reading Dr. Alvarez' book The Gastric Sleeve, it is very informative.

[RussianBlue_x2]

a new PCP - one who is more knowledgeable about obesity surgery.

Er... Laura, what is a PCP?

Primary care provider, also known as a general practice or family practice doctor. They are not always physicians, I have had some PAs and Nurse Practitioners, who I liked the best, as my PCPs :-) God bless all nurses; nurses rock!