interested in VSG

Hello,

I have some questions in regards to VSG surgery.

1. Have you had loose skin after surgery? If so, how has ti affected you?
2. Should I expect hair loss?
3. How much weight can I expect to loose the first year?
4. Will my feeling of hunger ever come back?
5. Pregnancy. What was your pregnancy like after VSG? Did you have to have a c-section?

Your best bet is to type your search terms in the search field here and read those posts. These topics are covered quite frequently and if you cover what's already been asked and answered, that might help you to come up with some more specific questions.

When I first started considering WLS, I went back as far as I could on each of the major surgery forums and read every single post I could. Super informative and it was great to follow some users through their journeys. Also, the book WLS For Dummies is great. Very informative and easy to get through.

Good luck on your journey!

Jen

I totally did the same thing reading through all the old surgery posts - I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'm doing it with the plastics forum now too, as I have time. It's interesting since that forum is less active so in terms of date the archives go much farther back.

Dude, I was addicted! It was like my own personal soap opera--I had to make time for "my stories"! There are a lot of people that I was inspired by that I'm really sad don't post here anymore and I often wonder how they're doing. I hope they're off living their fabulous, healthy lives. :D

Jen

I'm totally the same way, especially now with the plastics forum. I've actually been tempted to reply to really old posts, or message people, and ask them how they're doing since they just vanished. I NEED TO KNOW!!

I recommend reading through old posts here - it's a wealth of information!

1. I do have excess skin. I'm lucky in that I don't have any health problems due to the skin - I don't have rashes, it doesn't cause me mental distress, it doesn't screw up my posture or cause me pain. However, it is super annoying when I exercise and I love to exercise now, so I'm in the process of having three reconstructive surgeries. They're listed below in my signature. One down, two to go!
2. Yes, you should expect hair loss. That way, if it does happen, you'll be prepared and, if it doesn't happen, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Expecting to lose hair, I shaved my head 6 weeks post-op to raise money for St. Baldricks. As a result I have no idea if I experienced hair loss or not. Woo! (Google "telogen effluvium" to find out why we lose hair post-op.)
3. Depends on how much you have to loose? No one can really say. We all lose at different rates and it depends on what diet you adhere to and how adherent you are and lots of other things.
4. It's possible. Some people don't experience hunger ever post-op, but lots of people do. Immediately post-op it's usually due to stomach acid or dehydration. Long term? Who knows. You'll also still have cravings and all those other fun things. It's important to recognize that surgery only operates on your stomach - all that mental stuff will still be there.
5. No idea here!

Hi there - I am 4 years post-op VSG and though I'm not a "veteran", I've learned a lot over these 4 years.

1. Yes, I do have loose skin after going from 311 lbs to 165 lbs. My upper arms, my belly, and my upper thighs don't look great. I could have surgery, but I can't necessarily afford it and although I think my extra skin is unsightly, it doesn't cause me any medical concerns (rashes, etc...) although some people do get lots of rashes. It all depends on your skin and how much excess you have.
   
   
2. Yes, you can expect hair loss. And after doing lots of research, nothing you do will stop the loss. You can take all the biotin in the world, and it still won't slow the loss. BUT, the biotin WILL help with a healthy hair re-growth! So I do encourage people to take it. Also, everyone's hair loss varies. Some lose a lot. Some lose a little. One thing is for certain... it'll grow back! It's a pain in the butt and no one wants to lose large amounts of hair, but it was worth it to me. And although I lost A LOT, I never looked bald or even remotely close to it.
   
   
3. Your weight loss will depend on your starting weight and how closely you follow your surgeon's program/recommendations. I personally lost close to 140 lbs the first year, but the average from what I've researched is about 100 lbs.
   
   
4. Yes - your hunger feeling will come back. Mine came back after about 1 1/2 - 2 years post-op. I can honestly say that at 4 years post-op, I now feel hungry quite often, which makes it easier to fall back into bad habits. That's why it's so important to fill up on lean proteins and fibrous foods and steer clear of carb-loaded foods.
   
   
5. I became pregnant 2 1/2 years post-op and I had a totally normal pregnancy. My son developed healthy and with no complications whatsoever. I had no hypertension and no diabetes. I actually felt my healthiest when I was pregnant believe it or not. I had him natural at 41 weeks gestation and 11 hours of labor. I did gain 40 lbs in my pregnancy and lost it all within 2-3 weeks of having my son.

Honestly thank you so much your answer (although iI'm aware it varies based on the person) calmed my nerves a ton

1. A little, but only I notice it. I've "only" lost 70 or so lbs though.
2. My hair is starting to fall out quite a bit, similar to the first few months after having a baby. Again, only I notice it so far.
3. This is very individual as others have said, but people tend to lose around 15-25 the first month, around 10lbs per month for the next 5 months, and something like 5lbs per month for the next 6 months to equal about 100lbs in the first year.
4. Feeling of hunger is largely a mental state so varies widely! I'm often mentally hungry.
5. You definitely don't need a c-section just because you had VSG. You may have a few extra labs and ultrasounds, but that should be the only difference between pregnancy before and after VSG. Pregnancy after VSG is much safer for everyone than pregnancy while morbidly obese!

I do have loose skin, but I'd rather deal with that than to have those 113 lbs back. When I reach goal I may pursue some plastic surgery if I can come up with the funds but if not I will deal with it as best I can in my much smaller clothes. Hair loss is a possibility and I have experienced some, but it has slowed down and I have lots of new hairs growing in. Everyone doesn't lose weight the same..I wouldn't compare to others as there are so many factors that play into weight loss. Some people have hunger, some don't. I have more head hunger than physical hunger. Sorry cant help with pregnancy/c-section.