Anybody out there???????? No VBGers???

I love this website but it seems as if everyone has had a different type of surgery....Where are all the VBGers????   Goodness gracious it gets lonely sometimes....no posts since 8/9!!! xoxo

I know!  I've been trying to find out all I can about VBG, trying to decide between that and lapband, and can't get any updated info!  I've read that this is a really slow board.  I guess everyone with VBG must post on other boards.  I'm leaning towards VBG, also with Dr. Valin.  How has it gone for you?

I was! I am rarely on OH anymore because I find that most members are not at all supportive of VBGers. I do regret having VBG over RNY, but at the time, I took what I could get, and that's the only surgery the doc would do for me.

I hesitate to say this because there's always the individual factor, but like many if not most, I had the VBG (1990) and it didn't do what it was thought it should do.  It failed.  I spent alot of time thinking I failed but no, it failed.  It can be eaten around.  Seventeen years later, with my band intact and the pouch above the band stretched, and my grazing skills honed, I weigh 360 lbs., about 50 lbs. more than when I had the surgery.  For most, it just isn't effective.  Please understand that it does work for some, and knowing the information that's available now, I pray that VBG'ers today succeed where my procedure failed.  But the question was, why don't people post on the VBG board, and I can only conclude that it's not done much anymore and most who've had it, simply aren't drawn to talk about it.  Go get 'em, Maria.  Make it work, in part, by knowing its not infallible and needs your behavioral help.  Best of luck.

Hi zappre, I too had VBG back in 1987.  It was at St. Joseph's Hospital in Toronto and my surgeon was Dr. M. Dietel.  I went from 260 down to 113 and with work was able to maintain it for a few short years.  Did Dr. Dietel do yours as well?  Best wishes with your upcoming ds.

Hi Donna, It was Dr. Zeldin at Toronto East General.  I think he did it fine, but it just failed.  Oh, well.  Hope the DS works out better.  Thanks for the good wishes.

Hi. I got a question for you. U state in your above comment, that you were able to maintain it for a few years". I am interested in know what happened? My Veterans Benefit doctor dose this surgery and I want to learn as much as I can. I have not surgery date yet but am to go for my first class the end of July. Michelle a.k.a chell1957

I had my VBG back in 1987 when I was 27, and lost 147 lbs.  Unfortunately the way that stomach stapling was done (and may still be done I'm not sure) resulted in a lot of people having the staple line disrupt.  That resulted in our stomachs stretching out and our wanting to eat more.  By three years out I was having to basically diet again in order to keep from regaining the weight.  I stayed mostly down at goal of 113 lbs. until my pregnancy in 1995, but then I started to pack it all back on.   I live in Canada and they basically stopped doing the VBG, in the last few years because something like 80% of people regained most of the weight.   My surgeon who did my revision to the lapband said it was a weakness in the way the VBG was performed that caused the staples to separate instead of the patients overeating and causing the disruption.

I had the VBG 3 years ago and it was the only procedure available to me at the time because I had weird anatomy that would make the rny unsafe...I went from 360 down to 231 and then crept back up to 270.  It's been rough, but I feel 100% better than I did when i was 360.  It's rough because I thought this was it for me and I would make my goal of under 200 which I never did.  I cannot eat anything of substance to keep me full.  I just feel uncomfortable and sick and then I vomit.  I wish I would have known how this would go, but I didn't.  I didn't even know I had the VBG until after my surgery was already done.  It wasn't until my surgeon saw my anatomy that he determined the vbg was the only option.  I am grateful for my surgery.  I just wish I was able to get where I wanted to be...a healthy weight.  It's not easy to watch all my rny friends reach their goals and I struggle every day.  if you have advice for foods to eat that keep me full and don't make me vomit then I would greatly appreciate it.  Things I can't eat...any kind of meat including certain fish like salmon.  Things I can eat...anything that goes down easily...junk basically except for things like yogurt which doesn't keep me full at all. 

Sorry folks.  SUCCESSFUL VBG'er here Most of the time you find me over in the Photo Department working away on the before and  after photos. Maybe the VBG  has been refined in later years or I just had a fantastic surgeon. Either way I have lost nearly 135 pounds since 2001  and am still slowly losing. I had no complications and as of last month when I had an EGD my staple line and band are in perfect condition.  My gastroenterologist was amazed and said if he had not seen my surgery date he would have said mine was very recent Truth is, you can have a bad surgery and your band and staples will not last. If you feel this is happening then go back and have it checked.  If your surgeon will not do anything and you KNOW you are not eating around your tool then find another surgeon.  Don't wait.    Truth is, you can learn to eat around your surgery. Our surgeries are just a tool. You can take care of it and it will be there and work successfully for you. If you begin to have a problem with it just go for a checkup. Again, don't wait.  If you abuse your tool then it will not last.  There is another post on a different thread made by a new member ,Lisa that says it all so well.  She, like myself, is 6+ years post-op. Gwen E Photo Team Leader