First weigh in 499 lbs - Today 443 lbs - Sleeve Gastrectomy at Keck Medical Center of USC...

Hi everyone.

I joined OH as a support system to share my experience at almost 500 lbs. I have also created a blog with bit more of my story. I appreciate any feedback or support. Any advice what to expect from my approaching surgery.

Here is my blog link in case you are interested: http://fivehundredproblems.blogspot.com/

That's a huge loss before surgery!  I just had my sleeve 2 weeks ago.  My highest weight was 352 & I was just totally miserable.  I'll check out your blog!  

Hi! Thank you for your reply. I'm still working on it. I want to be at my optimal health before my surgery. How is it going for you? I'm hopefully having my sleeve done by the beginning of September. I have my psych appt tomorrow.

Have you researched a procedure called the Duodenal Switch? Given your high weight, it might be a better choice for you than the stand-alone Sleeve. The DS has a Sleeve as its stomach portion, plus an intestinal bypass that makes a dramatic, permanent change in how your body metabolizes food. It has the best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats of all the forms of WLS, and especially so for those of us with a BMI greater than 50.

Hi! Yes my surgeon discussed all the options I have I researched it but I didn't really like the some of the higher risks associated with it rather than other WLS operations. So because my BMI is over 70 he safely wanted to give me the sleeve option. I have my psych appointment tomorrow.

Hello,

Welcome to OH.com. This is a great place for support, etc.. I joined this site in 2010 and it helped me a lot. My highest weight is 565 pounds/BMI 94 and my pre-op weight (two weeks before surgery) is 476.4 pounds/BMI 79.3. My current weight is 181.5 pounds/BMI 30.2. I had the VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy). I'm not sure if this surgery will be good for you to have, talk to your doctor in which weight loss surgery will be good for you to have. I wish you the best on your journey. Feel free to add me to your friend list.

Hi Watson! Thanks for the reply. I'm excited and so happy for you. I had two consults with my surgeon and we and his team agreed that the sleeve was the best option for me. How was your skin rebound? Did you have any complications? What would you recommend as far personal things such as clothes (when to buy new one), activities, exercise, etc?

Hello,

You're welcome. Thank you. Great to hear. The skin around my abdominal didn't rebound to much, about two years ago I had a Panniculectomy surgery to remove 20 pounds of fat and skin and I had a ventral hernia repaired at the same time. Some time after that I had another round of Panniculectomy surgery to remove a few more pounds of skin and fat. I'm doing okay as far as my skin goes, but at some point I would need to have my chest area done and I hope my insurance will pay for it. As far as my upper arms and my thighs would need to be down, but that will be out of pocket in which I'm trying to save up for that. As far as clothing goes I started to buy smaller sizes when the size that I was wearing started to become lose, the activities and exercise I did walking, dumbbells, swimming, leg and arm exercises, hydro-fit classes, etc.. Hope this helps you out in some way.

Wow, you must be really proud of yourself!  That's a phenomenal weight loss so far!!

I just want to say how much I admire your strength in posting your avatar. GO YOU.