Sleeve Gastrectomy

At my information seminar at Cleveland Clinic I heard about the Sleeve procedure but it was not talked about much. Has anyone had the procedure? I would like to consider this option. Thank you Maria

Hey Maria! There is a Vertical Sleeve forum here on ObesityHelp.com that has lot of information! I am also looking into the Sleeve because the of the many benefits it has.

Maria- The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is the restrictive (stomach) part of the DS and was one of the things that sold me on the DS. I really like the idea of having a fully functional stomach. There is a VSG forum on OH -- perhaps you could post your question there. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/ Red

My friend just had it done in October at Mercy Hospital. She's doing well and is happy with her choice.

Hi Maria, I had VSG on 8/28 -- returning to work on 9/20. I started at 242 and am now down 48 lbs. Please use the surgery type dropdown and join us on the Sleeve menu. I had my procedure at Physicians Regional in Naples (It was just sold by Cleveland Clinic and my doctor, Liberman, was trained by Rosenthal at Cleveland Clinic.) There is also a FAQ website you can link to from the Sleeve forum that addresses most questions -- if you can't find an answer you need, the folks of the VSG board are great. One even came to the hospital to visit me and bring me a "protein" gift.

Hi Maria, I was fortunate enough to watch Dr. Robert Marema (US Bariatric) perform a sleeve gastrectomy about three weeks ago. The sleeve gastrectomy is an operation in which the stomach is divided lengthwise. A narrow, banana-shaped stomach tube (sleeve) is created by removing 80% or more of the stomach. The gastric tube is much smaller, restricting the amount of food that can be eaten at any given time. Since there is no intestinal bypass created, absorption remains normal. This surgical procedure takes about 30 to 40 minutes and has been reported to produce a 50% or higher excess weight loss. We're seeing more patients choose the sleeve over the Lap-Band because is is restrictive only yet doesn't require office adjustments like the band. HTH, Kristen

Maria, The VSG is the stomach reduction part of the DS. I love my DS and I like the idea of having a fully functional stomach without a 'blind stomach'. I had the switch done because I knew that I would not be satisfied with a loss of only 50% of my excess body weight. I wanted the mal-absorbtion portion and will take vitamins for the rest of my life. Check out the Duodenal Switch message board or the VSG board. Dianne