HELP! VBG VERSUS RNY???????????????

I am having trouble finding people who have had the VBG. I have been planning to have it and want to find people who have been successful. Cannot find any VBG message boards. Since my decision to have surgery, I have been kind of running around town and eating everything I feel I won't be able to have again. So I have gained a few pounds - BEFORE the liquid diet. Now since I am eating all of this stuff, the surgeon is calling me a SWEET EATER. I do like sweets, but it was my firm intention to have the VBG and FOCUS ON drinking the water and eating protein, exercising and making this work. Doc says there is a chance I could out-eat the surgery, and the I may only lose 20 to 30 pounds with the VBG. WELL, I want to lose OVER 100. I am 5-1 and at 255 pounds right now. I want to lose LOTS of weight. I hate the idea of everything extra that goes with the RNY, and really was believing the VBG could work for me if I worked with it. I have already purchased protein drinks, etc. and my husband and I have a plan. I don't want to go through all of this for 30 pounds. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IF I WORKED WITH THE VBG AND DO NOT EAT SWEETS THAT I COULD ACTUALLY LOSE OVER 100 POUNDS? I mean, if I remain focused, follow the rules and exercise, etc. I am really so troubled. I am going through insurance appeal now and I want to get this right. What do people know of the success of WLS with the VBG? HELP, PLEASE. Rosanne in St. Paul

IF you work with it, you will be successful with the VBG. I was like you - I didn't want anyone messing around with my intestines, nor did I want to go through life never eating anything with sugar in it (dumping syndrome w/ RNY). I opted for the VBG because it's less invasive. I'm very happy with my decision. I had the surgery 3/15/04 and have lost 32 pounds. I'm averaging about 3 lbs. a week. While that's slow (in my opinion), it's safe and steady. I have not been as dilligent as I should be on my food intake. I still don't eat enough and I don't eat often enough throughout the day to keep my metabolism up. I still make some questionable food choices, but I'm learning and I'm learning NOT to be so hard on myself. I'm excersing and feeling really good. I need to plan my food better - make things to have around the house that are "grab and go" foods. I have a toddler and it's impossible for me to prepare something for myself during the day. Good luck to you on your journey! Pick a good doctor, do your research and when you get the surgery, follow your doctor's orders and you'll do fine!! -Wendy

HI ROSANNE!! I HAD THE VBG ON 4/19/2004, I AM 5 WEEKS POST-OP AND I HAVE LOST ABOUT 50 - 55 LBS. A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE HAD VBG A YEAR AND A HALF AGO AND WENT FROM SIZE 26/28 TO 7/8!! MY DOCTOR ONLY PERFORMS VBG BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN MOVING YOUR INTESTINES AROUND (HE USED TO PERFORM THE RNY BUT NO LONGER DOES). HE TOLD ME HE CAN PERFORM THE SURGERY , BUT I NEEDED TO WORK AT THIS TOO. MY NEIGHBOR THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A QUICK FIX, IT IS NOT. MY SURGEON SAID YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT CONSTANTLY DRINK HIGH CALORIE DRINKS AND ICE CREAM. I STILL AM ABLE TO HAVE MY FAVORITE FOODS. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, GO TO MY PROFILE AND EMAIL ME. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION!!!! KELLY LONEY 317/269/150

I had VBG 4/20/04 and have lost over 30lbs. I am happy with my choice. I work with 2 gals that had it, one a year ago and one 5 yrs ago and both went from wearing 22+ and are now in size 12s. I ate everything in sight for the few months before my surgery and gained 20 lbs! What an idiot I was because then I had that extra to drop on top of what I had to begin with. My big thing to is I just dont want to eat. I dont get hungry much and when I do nothing is good. I was having problems with throwing up a lot and so went back to liquids to try to calm down things a bit, this is what my doc recommends. A lot of it was my own fault for rushing when I ate, or eating too much.. one bite too much can do it for me. The pure liquid is only for a couple of weeks and believe me you wont really want anything else at least I didnt. Even with the RNY you can not have success. I have seen people drop so much weight and then start eating wrong again and put a lot back on. It is about choices. These are just tools to help you get control and hopefully learn to keep the control.

Rosanne, I picked vbg because it was less invasive and my husband was definitely against me having rny. I am very happy with my decision. My surgery was 11-17-2003, weighing originally 257, now weighing between 161 and 162 right now. I heard so much about gaining your weight back on the national board from vbg and it scared me a little. I soon learned that both surgeries are a tool. You can gain weight back on either surgery. You have to change your behavior. That is very important. I don't know if this will happen to you but I really have not wanted as many sweets as I used to and I keep high protein bars for when I need something sweet. Also fruit is good. Beleive me if you are determined to work at it you will be fine. My daughter who had rny had kept trying to get me to have it but I am glad I had the vbg. She is eating so badly now that she seldoms dumps anymore. There are a lot of successful vbg's on this website. Our message board is not as active as the main forum but believe me we are out there. I am just short right now of losing 100 lbs and I am about 10 lbs. to goal. I have read on the message board somewhere on the main forum that rny'ers will lose more than vbgs but you have to keep eating correctly and you will lose unless you start eating high caloried foods and stretching your pouch out. My daughter has stopped losing weight and although she lost 150 lbs she still has about 75 lbs to go. It ain't happening for her right now because of her choices. So beleive me it is possible. It is great you have your husband for support. I was lucky to have mine to make sure I didn't eat too fast, chewed, chewed, chewed and watching what I eat. My doctor said I can eat about anything, just try to stay away from high caloried food and very important and hard, try to stop before you are full. I have a little beeper called a powerseed I purchased online which lets me chew my food for 30 seconds then beeps to let me take the next bite. It also has a double beep to make me aware to wait a few seconds to see if I might be full. It works, 9 out of 10 times when I wait those few minutes I realize I am full. I love this tool. But back to you. Maybe you should check with another surgeon. Mine was Dr. Beryl Harberg who only does vbgs. Dianne Carroll

Does your doctor have a website? I would be interested in learning and reading more about VBGs and any success stories. Can you lead me in the right direction? I am happy you replied. Thank you. Rosanne

This is an excellent forum for you... there are tons of success stories and info here. I too struggled with the options available. Most of my friends had the RNY. However after I selected my doctor and spoke to him about the options, it was clear that the VBG was the right choice for me. The surgery will help with successfuk weight loss but, we also have to help it along with the right food choices and exercise. My doctor is Dr Shariat. He is a wonderful man and an excellent surgeron. During our talks before the surgery he even has "props" to show you how you look inside before and after. Believe me the RNY was to scarey. It moved too much stuff around, the surgery takes longer for the most part and it only had a 5% possiblity of higher weight loss. My suggestion is to read everything you can on both types of surgery this sight has a great amount of info available. And stop that eating, don' t look at it as you'll never be able to have some things again. You will be able to eat for the most part anything you did before the surgery in time only less of it. There are many people who are listed on this forum who are on their way to loosing that 100 ponds and some who have already made it. I beleive both surgeries are equal in ability for us all to loose the weight! Best of luck on your coming surgery and I know you will be a success story !