Give me your input on sleeve gastrectomy!

I want to have a sleeve gastrectomy. I have thought about it for over 2 years and even went to an info. session with the surgeon I would use. I am 43, 5'7", 245#. I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and am pre diabetic. I feel horrible and long for the times when I was thin and had energy. It is such a double-edged sword... you are tired and need energy, but can't muster it up in order to do what I need to do. I feel like I need support as I waiver on whether I should have this surgery or not. I am a nurse and the older I get, the more I am concerned about the health effects of my obesity. My mom was just diagnosed with diabetes (age 70), has high blood pressure and high cholesterol. With a Hgb A1C of 5.8%, I will be diabetic by the time I am 45, not 70 like my mom.

I know I have my mom's support, but need to quit worrying about what other people will think. Also, being a nurse (ER and PACU), I know the possible complications that I could have and that scares me too.

Anyone feel like this, actually do the surgery and have any regrets? I want to hear the good, bad and the ugly!

I lost 150 lb , almost never hungry , off all my diabetes meds my blood pressure meds are at the minimum dose to protect my kidneys

more energy than ive had in decades , my a1c stated at 7.5 and now is 5.6 with no meds

Hi. I am new to this forum and Web site. I saw your story and questions and I really wanted to shed some light on the sleeve and give it to straight...the good the bad and the ugly.

I am 44...I lost a whole person! I started at 250 lbs on Dec 18 2014...and within a year I was down to 120 lbs...no exercise either! I would have but I got rear ended pretty bad and now I need neck and back surgery....anyway that's another story ...moving on.

Our health sounds pretty similar...But I was diagnosed a type 2 diabetic over 20 years ago...I used insulin because the pills didn't work for me. My BMI was very high...39 I think? I had moderate/severe sleep apnea...high cholesterol...high cholesterol...high blood pressure...Gerd....plantar faciitis...and heal spurs in both feet...carpal tunnel surgery in both hands but it came back and the tendons were completely cut so having a 2nd surgery would be pointless.

After having 80% of my stomach removed saved my life! I was like a walking stroke or heart attack you know? After the first 90 days my sleep apnea was gone....everything went away like HBP..high try glycerides....no more insulin...a clean bill of health...I felt so much lighter and I had more energy and I could breathe easier. The weight came off so fast I couldn't believe my own eyes.

And please please please....don't ever from this day forward worry about what people will think! This is your health and well-being...and your joy! Who cares how you lost the weight! Heck...I brag about my surgery and what a life changing experience it has been and how thankful I am for the surgeon Dr. Darin MINKIN in St.Louis MO. If you live your life worried about what others think about you...you are not really living YOUR life are you? Because...life is too short as it is and before you know it...you will be full of anger and resentment all because you were worried about what people might think or say...I always look at it like this...when people stop talking about me...that is the day I will begin to say..okay I'm not doing something right here...lol.

You fill up really quick...never if seldom hungry...that's great for weight loss but bad for vitamin deficiency! Make sure to take a bariatric vitamin...they will give you all those instructions . As long as you follow the ptogram/doctor's orders both pre and post surgery...you will be great! The only problems I had was a very painful recovery because I also have severe GERD and I had a hiatus hernia that the surgeon removed while ge removed my stomach so all the air they fill you up with was causing me severe pain post op. My vision went from 20/20 to 20/40 pretty quick.... some nausea from time to time...but it didn't last but a couple days ....you will lose a little bit of hair...but it's not noticeable to others...but you may notice you ate shedding a bit more hair than usual.

The mental health piece was awkward for me. usually being overweight and having depression goes hand n hand with us women and our hormones and special needs...I mean we are beautiful creatures from VENUS after all and those men are from UGLY MARS and they just can't seem to understand us....lol...so I was an emotional eater I guess...when I was feeling down I would always reach for those fattening comfort foods they made me feel better during the "stuffing my face" part...but then I was even more depressed after I realized what and how much food I stuffed down! So it was weird not being obese anymore...and it was uncomfortable at first that I wanted that juicy burger or mouth watering pizza but then I would take several bites and be stuffed...it was kind of frustrating and therapeutic at the same time because I had lost one of my coping mechanisms which was over eating to make my emotional pains go away. So if you are that way too...prepare yourself for that...I was already taking depression medication and seeing a therapist which I highly recommend to do.

My advice....JUST DO IT! YOU WILL BE OVERJOYED AT THE RESULTS! THE PROS DEFINITELY OUTWEIGH THE CONS! In life it is the ying and the yang...you can't have one without the other. I hope I have helped you along your journey....If you have any more questions I will do my best to try and answer them.

This is great input. Loved it! I am four weeks out and I have not regrets. Four weeks out of surgery and down 30 lbs. The lifestyle change is an adjustment but well worth it. I feel great. We must be neighbors...my surgeon is Dr. Scott. Thank you for sharing your journey.

Being sleeved was the best thing I ever could have done for myself. I did have some complications, but they are now blips on the radar. I had to have a PIC because of swallowing issues due to the swelling in my esophagus (also had major hernia repair), and developed a DVT along the line. My team was fabulous and responsive. My time at each phase was extended, but five months out I'm exactly where I need to be, twenty-one pounds from my "low goal". I am eleven pounds from my surgeon's goal. I haven't been at this weight since junior high and I couldn't be happier.

You should try and make your mind up and move forward, you will not regret it. Personally I knew what I had been doing wasn't working (Male, 52, high weight 336) and something needed to change. This site I found about three days before my surgery. With that said, i didn't read about complications or anything prior to the surgery except success stories. This sounds stupid but don't let your medical knowledge hold you back. You see the exceptions in the hospital not the rule. The people that come one here and talk about an issue are the exception not the rule.

Today, 13 months out, I weigh 186. I had all of the medical issues you described above and they are all gone. I couldn't be happier with my decision or my life. Go for it!!

I don't regret my decision for a minute, but I haven't had any complications either (knock on wood). It sounds like you need to make some sort of change, and whether it be surgery or not, I would try and avoid diabetes no matter what the cost. Good luck to you!

I was basically in the same situation as you.... except a bit older (59). Sleep apnea, pre-diabetic, slightly high blood pressure. Everybody I know is very supportive of me since the surgery. If they aren't, they don't say anything. I enjoy answering questions from people about the process, the eating ha*****anges, the weight loss the whole bit. Wife is supportive. She wasn't a few years back but now sees the long-term benefits and how much better I feel.

People compliment me on how good I look now... I know I am much prettier.. .lol.

I understand the worry, but you will not regret it......

Hi Jenny,

I had my surgery about 2.5 years ago when I was 64 years old. I lost 225 pounds in about 15 months, and I've been maintaining at 160 pounds for over a year.

The surgery itself was easy - little pain, no nausea (thanks to good anti-nausea drugs) and a quick recovery. Getting used to the new tummy was more challenging, but always manageable. It was not fun, but not terrible.

I would never say it was easy - it takes a lot of determination and commitment. But the surgery makes it possible. It is so worth doing.

I think it is important to remember that obesity is a disease. WLS is a treatment, but not a cure. It is a life-long commitment to careful eating. Maintenance is just another form of the plan with a little more flexibility and a few more calories. But the surgery makes it possible. I tried so hard before the surgery and could never keep the weight off. The surgery makes it possible - not easy but possible.

best wishes,

Carol

Thank you cappy11448 for saying "I would never say it was easy", you are the first one I've read to say it. Jenny needs to know it is hard, I would say the first month. It is such a huge change compared to what you have done all or most of your life, (eating til full) that takes some getting use to. You said it best " it is a life long commitment". I hope she does go for it, life is to short for regrets!! Dee