pics of bougie sizes

 Hi y'all.. I've seen so many people on here concerned about what size bougie their doctor will be using.. anyway I am an operating room RN and today at work I picked these up for a case and decided to take a quick photo so that you all could see the sizes.. I'm a very visual person so I'm hoping this will maybe help anyone who is worried about bougie size 
 
in the pic showing me holding the 2 bougies side by side, the one on the left is a 38Fr and the one on the right is a 32Fr.. truly there is extremely little difference. I'm also including a pic on me holding a 36Fr which is about the size of my ring finger.. smaller around than my thumb. 

Hope this helps anyone who is worried about bougie size... there really is not hardly any difference that I can see and *I* feel very comfortable with whatever size my doctor chooses (I am told he uses anywhere from 32Fr to 36Fr)

 

Awsome! Thanks so much for the post. It's amazing how there is practically no difference. I expected to see a more drastic change between the two.

Also, they kind of just look like plastic pipe from the hardware store.

 
Eventual capacity may be significantly different than first glance at bougie sizes.......

Typical mature capacity of a 32f is around 4oz. and many here claim around 8oz. capacity with a 36-38f. A 42f bougie can have an eventual capacity 4x more than a 32f.......think 8-16oz.

Bougie size and eventual capacity has more to do with long term restriction and regain than initial WL.

Also..... the bougie is a sizing tool..... how your surgeon uses it can be a variable also..... Some go tight....some go loose.....some over sew......some shape differently..... all of which can determine eventual capacity.

The staple gun lays a straight row of staples and the surgeon needs to make a curve shape that lays flat..... lots more to it than bougies and staples.

Now that said..... Many here have done PERFECT with larger sleeve sizes.

This process seems to have several components.....the physical part where sleeve size can play a part and a mental side that tests your commitment and compliance.

Educate yourself with the knowledge and power to make this happen......Learn as much as you can about the process and how some of the Vets did it......Also read about some of the traps and pitfalls.....

Every WLS has success and failure.......Education and Execution can/will make the difference.....after WLS it's all you from that point forward !!

frisco

As usual, all I need to write is "What Frisco said".   I have seen these pictures before, or very similar ones, the difference is not really seen during the weight loss phase, but shows up during maintenance.  This is due to the fact that the sleeve is swollen in the beginning, and we really can't eat much.  Once the swelling goes down and the sleeve matures, every part of the fundus that is left stretches about four times its size, so that means every little piece becomes four times bigger.  If you think about volume rather than circumference, you can see the issues.  The bottom line is that I have eaten lunch and dinner with many people who had the larger sizes and they can eat substantially more than I can in many cases.  However, I should also say that what they choose to eat is very important to maintenance and is probably even more important than the size of the stomach.  Also, the way the boughie is used is also very different from one surgeon to another.  These are just guides, some surgeons make tighter sleeves using a bigger boughie based on how tight they pull around it or if they oversaw as well as just their technique in general.  There is also the the actual size of the stomach that can differ dramatically from one person to another.  My friend had a large stomach when she went for surgery, and her doctor chose to go smaller and tighter to compensate.  There are so many factors that influence the eventual mature size of the stomach.  Knowing what I know, I would choose a smaller stomach capacity for myself every time. 

Very cool pictures, thanks for sharing! 

I think the minor appearing difference between the bougie can be a bit deceiving, though.  You have to think 3-D - as in volume rather than just purely comparing circumference. 

However, I think people can (and do) have great success with the sleeve at any bougie size.  If I had to pick a size, though, I'd want the smallest one my surgeon could safely make.

BTW, maybe you can help me with this...  my surgeon didn't use a bougie, he used a "scope" to make my sleeve.  I seem to have really great restriction, though, and was told he removed 90% of my stomach.  Do you know a bougie equivalent for a scope?

Thanks for sharing your expertise!  How cool that you have access to this and you are willing to share - thank you!

 Awesome Nurs...thanks for posting these...Can I  use em...add to my Bougie in VSG blog?  Im not sure how I can resize em...but I'd like to try with your permission of course.

and I of course will cite you as source. 

TIA! 

Newbie here! What is a Bougie? This sight has helped me so much but sometimes I have a problem understanding all the acronyms.

Thanks everyone!

Mine is a 40 and at 8 months I have a cup (8 oz) capactiy plus some. It's less in the morning, more in the afternoon. I have to eat just enough to satisfy my hunger because if i eat to be full, I can eat.

The Nut, however, told me that only 15% of the 40's heal like I did and have the same capacity. I was a binger before and think maybe my stomach is just longer.

 I have a loose 40f.  At 2.5 years out I can eat way more than Elina with her 32f. I knw this because we have dinner together.  My sleeve wasn't pulled tight and is actually quite large now.  It will be interesting to see where we are at 5 years out.  I do believe we can have success with any size sleeve. It might just take a little more work.  That's ok as I was working pretty hard at low carb before my sleeve.  Now I get to work hard in size six jeans.

If I had a do-over, would I get a 32 sleeve?  You betcha, for all the reasons that Frisco noted.