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

[Dee Leshuz]

Thanks, ordered it yesterday. Glad titanium staples are okay...was a bit worried there.

I call my PCP my Primary Care Physician cuz that's what she does in my HMO. She oversees everything, makes decisions about my care, sends me to specialists when she/I (almost everything we do is a collaboration) deems it neccessary, and, IMO, does a pretty good job. Love her.

[Angela Schmangela]

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outdated? I personally didn't like this (I prefer staple, sew, and glue) but didn't realize it was out of date?

I'm pretty sure my surgeon only utilized staples. But it's not just like a row of staples. I saw a video simulation of the procedure, and what my doctor used actually looked like a row of triple staples instead of single.

[jane_vsg_ayla]

My aunt had "stomach stapling" about 30 years ago when it was common. They basically used staples in the same way they use the gastric band -- they just stapled off part of the stomach so nothing could get in there.. effectively making your stomach seem smaller since food couldnt get to the "side" of your stomach. Thats basically how the gastric band works today... Its just an adjustable type of thing instead of one time one size.

Unfortunately, my aunt is an idiot. After losing about 100 pounds in a few months, she decided she liked eating too much and was hungry. Stomach stapling was not like the band in that you could not just have them take the water out of the band so you could eat more - you would have to have surgery again to remove the staples (and they didnt do laproscopic then...). So...... she swallowed hard boiled eggs (without the shell of course) until the staples basically "popped" out... THen gained all the weight back and more. About 10 years later she had WLS again.. not sure what kind, and she lost about 100 pounds again, but she sabotaged that one too and gained it all back. She is now 60 years old, about 350 pounds with a ton of hanging skin/fat everywhere.. Of course, no doctor will touch her anymore. Oh, did I mention she had it done through a welfare type hospital we used to have here that went on a sliding income scale since she didnt have a job or insurance?

Sorry... venting now I hope the gene pool I come from had a separate wading pond for her...

[headsntails]

wow Judie! that's a pretty crazy story! i can't believe she was that brave enough to pop her staples out.. i would have been scared of dying.. i think it's safe to say that you didn't share much gene with her.. she is wading by herself.. oh noes... lol

[ElleMarie]

My mom's old neighbor had weight loss surger FOUR times!!!!!!! It was over the course of about 25 years but she really worked HARD to fail at it. She was a nurse and we were all surprised that she didn't take better care of herself. I am sure she was gay and not able to come out so am sure that was were it all stemmed from for her.

[UK Tim]

Ha! Lovely post.

I am not sure it is only the doctors that won't touch her...

But it does raise an important point. Do you still get hungry with the sleeve? I thought it reduced hunger through gherin reduction (a hormone - I hope I spelt that right).

[jane_vsg_ayla]

Yes, I do feel "hungry". But definitely a different sensation than you are used to. I assume most people are like me (or they wouldnt be here!) and rarely if ever let their stomachs get completely empty. Empty enough to actually physically growl and ache. Most people who say they are hungry or starving are really just wanting to eat or craving something or just plain made a habit of eating often. But most of us have never felt that true physical hunger that says eat now or die It is a hollow feeling - you know you are completely empty.

That being said... a LOT of times what we think is hunger after the sleeve is just acid. You eat to calm the acid and it backfires because your stomach produces more acid to digest the food - a vicious cycle. Taking the acid reducer twice a day for a few weeks when needed really does take care of that a lot of the time. I know I will go a few days "starving" though before I think of this

The other thing I have noticed is that when I "cheat" and eat something pretty high in carbs (or at least significantly higher in one sitting than I normally take in), I end up with MONSTER hunger pains for at least the rest of the day. And nothing satisfies them . I will actually continue eating until I am ready to puke and still try to eat more. It is not a hunger meaning I am empty and need to eat, it is a true craving for the comfort of putting something down my throat I guess. It is a miserable day when I do that! And I end up gaining a pound that day most of that time. Luckily it doesnt happen too often, and its something I can control by not eating that high carb thing! Usually it is something I know I should not have anyway and just thought a bite wouldnt hurt. But when it sets me back a few days on weight loss (gained a pound or two, then have to spend another few days losing that before losing more) it is getting easier for me to just say no in the first place.

If I eat right, and eat every few hours, I am not missing food at all and it is easy not to even think about it. I think where the hormone comes in is that you have a significantly reduced hunger and you can feel satisfied with less. Even when I get that intense growl/hollow feeling and think I could eat a horse, I calmly portion out what I think I can eat (for some reason, I am never in a hurry and sometimes even can just ignore the feeling), eat that and stop. It does not have to stuff me or be a full size meal (or what passes for one now!). I have no issues with stopping eating when the food I put out is gone... I do however have a mental issue with cleaning my plate - if it is on the plate, I have NO CHOICE but to eat it (yikes... sounds bad but actually true!). So if I put too much on there, I will certainly regret it but I will still eat it. It is just something that was drilled into me I guess. So I am always very careful to only put as much on my plate as I think I *should* eat, not based on how "hungry" or "starving" i think I am. You know the thing where your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Its actually true for us! So I purposely and calmly put only as much as I should have on the plate regardless of what I think I want. I never use "being full" as my guideline for when to stop eating. I eat what I put on my plate and no more. And either it is just enough or not enough and I stop anyway, or it is too much and I eat it anyway and regret it.

Anyway, hope that explains a little. I know people think there is no hunger with the sleeve, but if you go back and read all the docs again, it more than likely actually said "reduced" not "eliminated" hunger.

[Angela Schmangela]

Judie described it pretty perfectly. Hunger post-sleeve is not like it used to be. It's a different kind of feeling--I rarely feel hungry at all, and if I do it's more of a sensation of not being full than it is true hunger.

And Judie, when I put too much food on my plate (which still happens regularly!) I've learned to play with it for a while, and then I can push it away. I'll go ahead and cut meat up or mash veggies with my fork--that kind of thing. Someone else told me she'd learned to be really good at pushing her food around her plate. Find something else to do with your food instead of eating it and then you can throw it away with no regrets!!

[jane_vsg_ayla]

I have done that to make a small amount of food look larger, but I honestly cannot throw away food on my plate if it is at all edible. Last night I took one bite of a pork chop thing and the smell made me gag and I threw it out. But if I give myself a full cup of ricotta cheese, and halfway through I am stuffed - I cant seem to stop eating to save my soul until the bowl in empty. If there is one bite left and I know it will make me sick, I still eat it.

I think its how I grew up - you *cleaned* your plate or you did nothing the rest of the night. You get punished for not eating everything. I was very conscious of NOT doing that with my son and the little freak can actually eat HALF of a single girl scout cookie and then be done. Sigh... LOL!!

About 10 years ago I was able to take a little control over it ( at least in terms of cleaning my sons plate for him) by declaring that I didnt eat meat (not vegetarian by philosophy or anything, just someone who does not eat meat). So if he left half a hot dog on his plate, I had no trouble throwing it away because there was no decision to be made - it was made long before then.

So now that is why I make the decision when I *make* my plate as to how much I will eat, and I have gotten pretty good at judging what size will fit in there without killing me. Every now and then though the consistency of something will make it sit heavier or swell a little and that is why I run into trouble. So my other tactic is to never eat alone - when I am full, I let them eat it so I dont have to... but that plate HAS to be clean one way or another! I wont let my dog have table food or I could just let her lick it clean...

Thanks for the ideas - I will see if playing with the food after I am full instead of eating it (cutting up tiny and spreading it out so it doesnt look like a real bite? ) - maybe I can unbrainwash myself

[ElleMarie]

My sister will pour part of her drink on her plate, I once asked her why and she said that because of the way we were raised she just can't leave food on her plate...until she ruins it so that she won't eat it. I have started to do the same thing. I usually just put my napkin on my plate now or stack it under my husbands if we are out. It does help, we are so conditioned to "finish" that it got me where I am today! It is hard to break these habits and start new ones.

[MsTna71]

there are definite horror stories but like all the other posts have said, they are rumors or people haven't taken care of themselves. If you do everything your surgeon says to do and also that you have a good surgeon then you'll be fine. My husband and I totally trusted our surgeon and we were fine. He hadn't lost a patient but 1 but this guy was a psych guy. The surgeon didn't pick it at the consults. He literally ate himself to death after the surgery. He split his stomach and bled but he never felt full. The Gastric Sleeve is the safest weight loss surgery out there so far. I am so happy that I've done it and so is my husband and our 2 small kids. I've lost 35kg's in 22 weeks and my husband has lost the same in 19 weeks. I think that's over 70 pounds. Any surgery is scary and I had never had surgery before so actually wrote letters to my kids and husband LOL. Turns out there was nothing to worry about at all :-)

[Chris Lorenz]

With me I knew that there is a risk in this surgery as with all surgeries, but I came to a point to where I know right now that if I don't under take this surgery I am still not really living so if I happen to be the 1 in a billion that has a fatal complication then it was my time and God was calling me home but still with out the surgery I am not living my life as it should be.

[nycbiscuit]

Sometimes I feel like I need to finish whatever I'm eating not because I'm necessarily hungry or not full, but because I need to get the protein in.

My nutritionist called about a week or so after surgery just to check in, and I was telling her that sometimes it might take me an hour or more to finish a meal, and she said that I should not do that -- that's more like grazing, and you don't want to do that. We didn't get into the protein issue. I have an appointment with her next week and will discuss then.

[yankegal]

Chris, I want you to know that I had my surgery, and i like you were very nervous. but in the end, it was the best decission that I have ever made in my life. I would not change a thing!!! I had no problems at all!! Not one!! and I am 39 days and doing great!!! If I didn't do this, I would not be here in 3 yrs. is what my dr. said to me. I am off most of my 27 meds. just taking bloodpressure and thyroid meds. but I feel so much more energy, and just looking in the mirror and thinking why did I wait so long to do this. I could have been skinny a very long time ago. My body, my face and my attitude is changing. I fell so much more healthier. and I make good decissions when I eat now, with no problem. You are younger, stronger, and I am sure healthier, you will do just fine!! don't worry so much, but just get yourself ready for your new journey!!! you are so lucky to have everyone on your side!!! I wish you the very best and I like everyone else want to hear your story when you have your surgery. Keep you chin up high. good luck to you

[connie]

Noah---For me the surgery was a win/win---- If I died I get to be with Jesus, if I live- I get to gain my health back!!!! Everyone has a horror story---we would not have children if we listened to all of them---YOU GO GIRL!!!!