MY PRE-OP IS AUG 7TH AT PNH...VSG?'S

DR CHASANET OF PNH..HIMSELF CALLED ME TO ASK ME IF I WANTED TO COME IN ON THE 7TH TO START MY PRE-OP..AND OF COURSE I SAID YES!!!!!!! 

HE TOLD ME THAT A NEW DOCTOR IS THERE AND THAT I WOULD BE TALKING TO HIM AT MY APPT..WELL I TOLD HIM I DIDNT WANT TO GET THE LAP BAND ANYMORE AND I  ASKED IF THIS DOC DID THE VSG..

HE SAID THAT THEY ALL DO IT BUT THAT THE INSURANCE CO REALLY ONLY LIKES TO PAY FOR THAT IF THE PATIENT IS ANEMIC ..SUPER OBESED...AND A FEW HOST OF OTHER THINGS..I CANT THINK OF RIGHT NOW...BECAUSE THE INS CO DONT KNOW THE LONG TERM  (10 YRS OUT) WEIGHTLOSS SUCCESS RATE ON THE VSG DONE AS A STAND ALONE PROCEDURE.. BECAUSE THIS IS MOSTLY DONE AS A FIRST STEP WLS FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE TOO HEAVY TO TAKE THE RISK OF RNY. SO THEY HAVE TO LOSE ALOT OF WEIGHT FIRST WITH THE VSG.THEN AFTER THEY GET TO A SAFE WEIGHT ..RNY IS THE NEXT STEP TO CONTINUE THIER WEIGHTLOSS. HE SAYS EVEN THOUGH HIS STUDIES AND FINDINGS REVEAL THAT THE VSG HAS PROVEN TO HAVE THE SAME 3-5 YEAR WLS SUCCESS AS THE RNY...WHICH MEANS THE OVERALL SUCCESS RATE WITH VSG IS AS PROMISING AS THE RNY....HE GOES ON TO TELL ME THAT THE VSG IS ACTUALLY AN EASIER PROCEDURE TO DO THAN THE RNY..WHICH I LIKE ALONG WITH NOT HAVING THE BYPASS PART OF WLS!

 MY QUESTION IS HAS  ANYONE GOTTEN THE VSG AT PNH? AND IF SO WHAT  QUALIFIED YOU FOR VSG?..

THE THOUGHT OF WALKIN AWAY FROM WLS IS A REAL REALITY FOR ME RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE RNY AND DECIDED I REALLY DIDNT WANT TO DEAL  WITH ALL THAT JAZZ THAT GOES WITH THE LAPBAND..

AFTER WAITING ALL THIS TIME FOR MY NUMBER 2 COME UP...I HOPE TO GOD THEY LET ME GET THE VSG..

EVERYONE PLEASE SEND PRAYERS UP FOR ME..THAT GOD BLESSES ME W/THE VSG PROCEDURE..SO THAT I CAN BE ON THE LOSING SIDE THE REST OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE...

THANKS IN ADVANCE...

BLESSINGS,
SONJA

Sonja,

As we have previously discussed, I do not have any advice or words of wisdom on the VSG.  For me personally, the RNY was extremely easy to have done.  I can only tell you my personal experiences on that.

On another note, your surgery is in His hands.  God has a plan for you and if it is in His will, then you will be approved.  I wish all the best!

Tammy

THANKS FOR RESPONDING TAM...I AM JUST SO AFRAID OF RNY..THE WHOLE MALABSORBTION THING AND I AM 5'9 AT 288 ...STARTED AT 250 WHEN I STARTED THIS JOURNEY(BE DEPRESSED AND HAVE GAINED WEIGHT).. AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AFRAID OF LOSING TOO MUCH MUCH WEIGHT...THE WHOLE BYPASS THING IS SO SCARY TO ME....HOWHAVE YOU BEEN AND HAVE YOU BEEN SICK OR HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS?
 
THERE IS A GREAT CHANCE THAT I COULD ONLY HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN RNY OR THE LAP BAND AND I KNOW I DONT WANNA WASTE MY TIME ON THE LAP BAND...SO I NEED TO EITHER GET COMFTY WITH THE THOUGHT OF THE RNY OR LET THE WHOLE THOUGHT OF WLS GO...

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT TAMMY....

SONJA

I hope you don't mind me interjecting.  First, I hope you get the surgery you want and the one you feel you will benifit from the most.  With that being said, my journey to decide on RNY has been a very long one.

I thought I could control my weight myself and I did not want to mess us what I was given.  I didn't want my inside rerouted. I didn't want to take vitamins for the rest of my life.  I didn't want to stop eating the foods I like the most. I wanted the satisfaction that I did this myself!!

So five years late and 100lbs more, in one of my moonlight thearpy session I was discussing my weight, and why I did not want it, how my grandmother has been pressuring me and how my health was detrioting. I had so much weight to lose at that point, I could not see myself doing it myself.  And trust me I am one that will do what I need to do to get what I want and how I want it.  At one point I was working three jobs, going to school and have three little ones at home.  (I just stoped my third job the day before surgery)

I came to the realizations, I wanted to live and I wanted my health.  and if that means I need a little help to get then I should be OK with that.  Because essentially it will be me who loses the wieght and me who keeps it off.  So I am still doing the work and making the life choice and changes to acheive a healthy living lifestyle.

I accepted the fact I will need take vitaimins possible for the rest of my life, but hell I should be taking these vitamins anyways.  I cam to terms with the alteration of my insides.  The body is a miraculous thing, it does adapt very well to changes and will adjust over time. Malabsorption gets better as time goes on.  Didn't I say the body was a wonderful mysterious thing? I came to turns that food is not suppose to be about joy and comfort. It is about fuel my body needs to live.  To be healthy and work out.  My joys and comforts are all around me. 

Did that not make me scared?  NOPE I was still terrified of this procedure.  And almost lost my marbles a few times before surgery.  There are real life complications with this surgery as there are with Lap Band and VSG.  But there is even more risk with me being overweight.  With me have comorbidities.

I am only 7 weeks out.  Sure I have had some complications.  But they are minor.  In the grand sceme of it all, they are minute compared to what I have acomplished since surgery.  On how my life has changed.  How I don't see the grave anymore and I envision my final product of who I will be in the end.  I can see it now, I can taste it now!!  Before, I couldn't.  I don't get out of breath anymore.  I went to my girls group last night (I facilitate a teen girl group) and I had to park far away.  I used to dread those walks.  Then I would go in and take the elevator up.  Well I walked right in there and charged up those steps and made it to my room with more breath then pre-op taking the elevator!! 

Even though I have had some minor complications, do i regret surgery?  NOpe, would do it again, and wish I would have done it sooner.

But the end result is you need to be comfrotable with whatever decison you make.  You have to live with it.  I have one question for you.  Would you want to have a surgery that could change your life for the better and make healthier?  or would you rather walk away and let go of WLS and be depressed and then possibly gain even more weight?

You are in charge of your life, whatever you do and however you do it, make the choice to better your life and make a healthier you.

I HAVE ALWAYS JUST BEEN AFRAID OF THE THOUGHT OF RNY..IM SOOOOO AFRAID OF RNY..I AM A SINGLE MOM AND I AM SO AFRAID OF ALL OF THE POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH RNY.. ALSO I STARTED MY JOURNEY AT 250ISH AND NOW I AM 280ISH I AM 5'9 AND CARRY IT WELL... MOST WOULDNT BELIEVE I WEIGH THAT MUCH..I AM ALSO AFRAID OF LOSING TOO MUCH WEIGHT I DONT WANT TO BE REAL SLIM ...AT 150 I LOOK LIKE I AM MORE LIKE 130 THATS JUST THE WAY MY BODY LOOKS WHEN I AM THAT SMALL...I DONT KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO IF THEY TELL ME I CANT GET VSG...

I HAVE BEEN WAITING ND NOW MY IME TO START WLS JOURNEY IS HERE I AM GETTING THE COLD FEET BECAUSE OF THE NEW NEWS....I WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY ABOUT IT...
WHAT ISSUES DID  HAVE MELISSA?

As I said earlier, and I always want to stress this before I talk about me. This is your decision, and you need to be comfortable with your choice. 

I may not be a single mother, but I am still a mother.  OF three beautiful babies.  They are world and they are what I live for.  My biggest fear was leaving them motherless.  And oh my, my husband raising them?  And I have two daughters.  They might as well shave their head to get it done and over with.  I rememebr after I got approved, I was scared out of mind.  And thought I would back out of it.  I am aslo tall. I am almost 6'2.  You would not guess in a million years I weigh 325 right now.  And you would not guess in a million years I started off 414.  I weighed 250 when I got married.  And I loked maybe 20 lbs over wieght. You would not have known I was 75 pounds over.  Shot, my husband was in the military and we were going out one night.  This is when we were dating.  One of his buddies asked him where he met me at.  He told me at the club and I was a WNBA player.  I know how to carry my weight, and I do very well.

At 3 weeks post op I was having nausea and vomiting issues. I was almost admitted into the hospital.  I still deal with nausea at time and sometime vomiting.  But you can get those with any of these surgeries.  I was also proned to nausea pre-op.

Sonja,

I have been fine since surgery.  I had two strictures (5 weeks and 5 moinths post op) and they are very common.  Other than that...no problems at all.  I take my vitamins daily, have my levels checked often and have been in the normal range every time but one.  My vit D was slightly low last check so we added a once a month booster and I am doing fine now.  Yes, we malabsorb but you are the one that is in control.  If you do what you are supposed to do then you will be fine!  My cousin had RNY over 25 years ago when the malabsorbtion rate was much worse than it is now and he is fine!  It is all in what you make of it.  If you follow the rules then you should do just fine with an RNY.  I wish I could help more regarding the VSG.  I do not know anyone that has had that alone.  All that I know have had that then the RNY revision.

Tammy

I had RNY in April...and have no regrets. I have had no complications, no vomitting, etc. As far as the malaobsorption...my blood work is checked for vitamin deficiencies. If something is low, they should be able to catch it in time.

I have always said I would not be pushy to others about the surgery. It is definitely your decision. However, please continue to research it. Don't give up on the idea so quickly. It is the best decision I have made in a long, long time.

Penny

Sonja,

Early on I knew the lapband wasn't for me either. I knew I needed something more restrictive or I would have found a way around it. And as silly as it may sound, I ddin't like the idea of a foreign body in me. RNY was the best choice for me. Although my insides were rearranged, my entire stomach was in place if I needed a revision.

i hope the hospital can do the surgery you want and feel is best for you.

all the best

I had the RNY on July 14. As you already know at PNH. I have had NO problems! I almost hate to say it, but it was so easy. I'm waiting for the OK to start the gym! I had all your fears. I'm happy I did this. PM me nad I'll give you my number and I"ll tell you anything you want to know about my experience at PHN and my surgery. I was treated very well. So far I have NO regrets!!