Newbie with a few questions
One of the things that I'm concerned about is the ability to "cheat." Yes, I am determined to make whatever tool I choose work for me, but I know myself and I've not been successful at any weight loss attempt thus far so don't have a lot of confidence in myself. It seems like the Sleeve is more "cheat proof," if that makes sense.
The one major concern I have about the Sleeve is that most of my stomach will be removed; what happens if years from now something, like cancer, happens to the part I have left? that might be silly but I can't help but worry. I guess it is the fear of the unknown; I am not familiar with any long-term studies of teh Sleeve so haven't been able to calm the fear of not knowing how I might feel five years down the line.
I have an appointment on 7/20 with a surgeon and will discuss the band and the Sleeve and see what the doc thinks. My BMI is 35.2 and my co-morbidity (which is required by my insurer so I'm glad I have it, crazy as that sounds) is sleep apnea.
Any insight and comments would be appreciated by this newbie :)
I have 2 friends who have had bands. One has done very well, the other had a lot of problems. You just never know which one you will be!
In regards to developing cancer in the future, as it stands right now you have a better chance of developing other diseases that could kill you, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, joint problems (well they wont kill you but there are days of pain you would want to avoid), sleep apnea, or diabetes, if you don't already have them. Speaking of which, whatever procedure you choose, make sure you get a sleep test. It can be life threatening to have sleep apnea and not know it or not let the Anesthesiologist know - it seems when you're knocked out your body forgets to breath and they can have a hard time waking you up. Insist on one, no matter what surgery.
Now back to the cancer possibility. If you develop stomach cancer in a full size stomach they are going to try to remove the lesion. If they can't their going to remove the stomach. The size of your stomach wont matter. Besides check out the statistics for stomach cancer.
To sum it up, make sure you're seeing a surgeon who performs VSG and a lot of them. Mine has done over 400. Practice does make perfect!!
Good luck with your decision. Hope I didn't scare you.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity and fear but a spirit of power and love and self discipline." 2 Tim. 1:7 So with HIS power, love and self-discipline - I WILL DO THIS!
HW:250 SW: 232 CW: 164 GW: 150
In the event that you got stomach cancer,the surgeon would just take out the part of your sleeve that was cancerous and sew up the rest or if it was your whole sleeve,they would just connect right to your intestines.
Even people who have their whole stomachs never know where the cancer might be located in their full stomach and the surgeons just do what need to be done.
You can live without a stomach at all if u have to.
The sleeve procedure,also known,as a "partial gastrectomy has been performed for over 100 years. It is actually the procedure that is done when someone DOES have cancer of the stomach. Some one smart somewhere down the line noticed that patients who had a partial gastrectomy were losing tons of weight aand keeping it off long term.
The lightbulb went off that maybe this was a solution for morbidly obese persons to be able to lose weight and keep it off. This is how the sleeve gastrectomy was born.
I would have NO weight loss surgery if all that was available to me was the band. It is not less invasive in that there is still a major surgery to go thru to get it placed. Then there are the fills and unfills continuously where you either can't eat anything or you can eat everything. There is also the possibility of erosion of the tissue where the band is placed and the port right under your skin.
You can "cheat" with any procedure,but the amount of cheating you are able to fit in your sleeve is drastically different. You just aren't able to do as much damage. also,with the sleeve but not the band,the part of the stomach that is removed is the part that stretches,so when you are full you are FULL.
The part that is also removed makes ghrelin,the "hunger hormone". With less to no ghrelin you won't be as likely to cheat. With the band,you have this little stomach and raging ghrelin which makes you hungry all the time nd unable to ear. sounds like a recipe for misery to me.
good luck on your decision and keep us posted,
Holly
When I joined this forum two and a half years ago there were perhaps 20 posts a day and maybe one or two people being sleeved per week and it was possible to read every post and respond to many. Since that time the sucess and popularity of the vsg has exploded. This is a good thing as its an excellent procedure and is life saving for many of us.
So while I focus on the vsg maintenance group (which all are invited to join regardless of status or type of surgery) I do try to read as much as I can on the main board and respond to posts when I think I have something to offer.
So in a nutshell here is what I can tell newer people as my recipe for a successful vsg surgery and weight loss:
Research the heck out of your surgeon. Find out his/her credentials, read their publications, find patients of theirs here on OH and ask questions. Go to more than one of their seminars and write down your questions and get them all answered. Also research the heck out of your procedure to make an informed decision.
Get your head in the right place. Be prepared to eat differently for the rest of your life. Have a few food funerals if you must but say goodbye to that way of eating. Put it behind you so that after surgery you are less likely to revert to old bad habits. Use a counselor to do this if you need to but say your goodbyes to food before your surgery so you are not greiving for it afterwards. Consider it a new deal you are making - trading away twinkies and donuts for a slim body and a healthy longer life. A good trade in my opinion.
Once you have your surgery, follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. If they don't give good or complete insturctions, then follow one of the university developed guides that is available on line through OH.
Accept that you will have a few stalls and setbacks but know that you will lose your weight if you stick to the program, get your protein in and drink plenty of fluid. Don't worry that others seem to lose faster than you. Everyone one is different and it takes how long it takes. I was a slow loser and my doctor did not think I would get to goal. But I kept at it and I did and then some. And it feels great.
Don't think that if you are not losing fast enough that you need to increase calories. This is just not correct. You may need to increase protein but not calories. Keep your carbs low during weight loss phase. And food journal eveything with calories, carbs and protein. I used a little notebook (still do in maintenance) but an on line tracker is fine but just use it faithfully.
Exercise is good but following eating requirements is more critical in weight loss phase.
Use your weight loss phase to develop new eating habits that stay with you for life. Don't try to think of ways to get around your program by eating some candy or chips here or there. These are destructive habits that need to be broken right from the get go. After some weeks or months of healther eating habits, you don't miss that junk anymore but you will if you eat some here and there. A clean break is best.
This is not just another diet even though it sounds like one. After surgery your appetite,ability to consume food and ultimately your relationship with food is profoundly changed forever. Its hard to understand until you have experienced it but the sleeve makes it immeasurably easier to stay with a severly calorie restricted program.
Protein drinks can suck but find a way to get them down in the first few months. Read the tips posted by Sublimate for newbies on how to make them taste better,
Utilize whatever support group you can find as studies show those who have them are more successful. And take the time to pay it forward and help someone else when you can. Surround yourself with supportive friends and distance yourself from the jealous nay-sayers. Who needs them.
Hope this helps. VSG is the third best thing I have ever done, the first being marrying my husband and the second being my education. Its been life changing and I know life extending.Best of luck to all of you starting your journey. Diane
Yep - I crossed another threshold this week - I'm down a whopping 153 lbs. since having my VSG the day before Thanksgiving. It's been an intense, focused, sometimes difficult, but exceedingly rewarding 7 months. (New pix on profile page)
Truth is, I lost 24 pre-op and the rest since. I'm now a zealot about the benefits of WLS (VSG in particular) and the amazing outcomes that are possible - I've lost diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and all the other aches and pains that went with morbid obesity. Here's a brief re-cap of how I've done it:
SUPPORT: First, thanks to all the OH'ers who have been on this journey with me. Your candor, humor, wisdom and inspiration have helped propel me every step of the way - (hint to the newbies - the more support you can muster for this journey the better off you will be - yes, we're doing this for ourselves, but the reality is that support provides incentives and rewards along the way.)
DETERMINATION: When I/we (wifey and I) made the final decision to have WLS, I also made a "contract with myself." It goes something like this: "I agree to be on a surgically-assisted, medically-supervised program of rapid weight loss and intense exercise for an 18-24 month loss-window and then begin a lifetime program of mindful maintenance." I have followed that contract every day pre and post op.
I eat on an exact schedule - 4 mini-meals per day @ 4 hr. intervals and I rarely snack. (If I'm golfing or traveling, I may have a cheese stick or a few (like 6 or 8) almonds; that's it.) My daily calorie intake is between 1100-1400, sometimes a bit more, sometimes less. I followed the necessary pre and post op diets and now eat a reasonably normal menu. Wifey (not a patient) and I eat about 90% the same diet - I just eat a lot less than she does. I read food labels carefully - I avoid high-sugar or high-fat items, and don't eat a lot of processed foods like bread or crackers. But I'll have a min-bagel w/peanut butter once in a while; or 5 saltines w/chili or soup. I eat a lot of chicken, seafood and some red meats on occasion. I eat a well-balanced diet w/ lots of fruits and veggies.
ACCOUNTABILITY: I religiously record EVERY bite I eat - I know exactly how much I've consumed at the end of the day and I know if I've been "good" or not - mostly I'm good. I don't lie to my computer the way I used to lie to myself about how much I eat or drink. I gave up all alcohol for 7 months and now drink a ****tail when I feel like it - but like everything else, alcohol goes into my computer and I can see exactly how many "empty" calories I've enjoyed.
SECRET WEAPONS: My "secret weapons" in the nutrition area have been protein shakes (I prefer Unjury) and almonds. I drank a double-scoop protein shake w/ 8 oz. of 1% milk every single day for breakfast for six months post-op. It provided the major a.m. protein boost (48 g) that I needed and it meant I had no food decisions to make in the morning. I now do single shakes 4/5 days per week for breakfast. (Newbies, disregard anyone who says "the body can't use that much protein at one time" The double protein shake regimen worked for my friend (145 lbs. lost last year) and it's worked for me - my dietitian loves the idea).
Almonds are my go-to "crunch" food - I eat no more than 25 in a day, but I eat them about 5 days a week.
I EXERCISE EVERY DAY - EVERY SINGLE DAY - No fancy machines (I use my treadmill when it rains) or expensive clubs or classes - I just walk my ass off to walk my ass off. I started by walking a half-mile pre-op, then a mile, then another.... I now walk a brisk 4 miles daily in my hilly neighborhood on days when I'm not walking the golf course. If I'm traveling and can't exercise, I double-down the next day to make up for it. I burn a minimum of 500 aerobic calories daily; if I'm not sweating at the end of my walk, I haven't walked hard enough. If I hurt, I take a pill. I EXERCISE EVERY DAY - oh, I said that already - so I must think that's important, huh?
SUPPORT: I'm indebted to all those who love me who have been so supportive of my journey - my family, my neighbors, my golf buds, everyone has been so great; what a wonderful thing to share with all of them.
I believed 100% in the program that I signed up for - the surgery, the nutrition, the exercise. I also believed that 95% of the "program" was in my hands once I left the hospital - so I took charge of my life and made it happen - every single day. I'm thinking as I read this forum and others, look, I'm 65-years-old - if I can do this weight-loss thing, then I'm pretty sure most people who have WLS can also reach their goals. It takes discipline and consistency and support and hard work and sweat; a lot of sweat. It's not easy. It is worth it.
Got to go to bed now; tee-time is 6 a.m. tomorrow - that will be another 7+ mile walk in the woods - bought new driver today and I'm anxious to test it out. Life is good for this ol' geezer.
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