Any regrets?

Does anyone regret getting the sleeve? I'm trying to take everything into consideration before I go for my consult.

Thank you all so much!

No regrets !! I hear talk on the boards of people regretting it right after , but I never did. You physically will not be able to eat that much for awhile. When I say that I mean a few bites and that is it. At my 2 year mark I started to be able to eat a serving of beef, chicken, pork, or fish.( about 4 oz )and a few bites of veggie and rice. Some are able to do this sooner but I was not able to. I could eat half of that around the first year. The people having regrets are the ones who are not prepared for this kind of change. I am saying this based on what I have read in different forums.

Absolutely not! I am five months out, have lost 70 pounds and feel sooooo much better. There is no longer an elephant sitting on my chest. I have struggled with pain because I can't take anti-inflammatories but physical therapy is helping with that. I can eat 3-4 oz of shrimp, a couple of bites of baked potato and maybe even a bit of salad. I move easier and what's even better, I want to move. Go into this knowing your life is about to change, ultimately in a much better way. If you haven't done any therapy, I highly recommend it! Our relationship with food has many layers and is complicated. If you can't do therapy, look for the book - Love Hunger. It has shown me a lot about myself and all my relationships. Good luck and God bless!

No regrets. Except for I wish I would have done everything I needed to do years prior to get the surgery. If I did I'd be about 7 years and 8 months out from surgery instead of 8 months.

No not a single regret. I was given my life back and have not had to sit on the side lines any more.

Knowing what I did at the time when I picked my surgery, I had no regrets about VSG. However, I developed severe GERD a few years after my VSG, and had to have a revision to bypass. Had I known that acid (which happens to 10 - 15% of patients as far as I know) could require a revision, I probably would have had RNY in the first place.

None whatsoever! My only regret is I waited so long to get the surgery. I've come to know more of my eating habits, good and bad, more from this than ever. Obviously don't have the surgery if you're not ready. Definitely not something to take lightly but again, I'm so happy I did it.

I have three regrets:

1. I waited so long.
2. I wish there'd been some magical way to know I'd be one of those people who developed GERD post-sleeve, so I could have had the bypass to avoid it.
3. Although I did well overall, I wish I'd maximized my "honeymoon period" and not gotten complacent at a about a year out. I think I could have lost more weight initially if I hadn't started to think I was bulletproof and could get away with adding more junk to my diet.

I only regretted it for about an hour right after I woke up from surgery. I wasn't in pain, just overwhelmed with the fact that I had a huge chunk taken out of a healthy organ. I swear I could feel the empty space inside me!

Really, the only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner. But in the interest of balance, here are a few downsides of VSG:

One downside that hits you after WLS is when you're stressed (or whatever your trigger for eating is), and you can't soothe yourself with food. I still remember the first time that happened! You have to find other ways to deal with whatever is bothering you. Fortunately, before surgery, I made a list of things I could do to comfort myself other than eating, such as drinking a fancy herbal tea, cuddling with my cats, or curling up under the duvet. It's important to develop those strategies because before long you will regain the physical ability to eat unhealthy food, or to eat more than you should. You want to have good habits in place before that happens.

I think life post WLS would be more difficult for someone whose social life revolves around dining out with friends. Yes, you can find suitable food in most restaurants, but for the first year or so you probably won't be able to finish a side dish. And when you tell the server that you only want a side dish, or an entree without the rice, or whatever, they are naturally surprised and start suggesting substitutions (If you don't want the rice, would you like extra veggies? No, I won't be able to finish a normal portion, never mind giving me extra of anything!) Even if you're perfectly comfortable talking about your surgery, you may not want to have to explain it to every server every time you dine out. And if someone else is paying the cheque, you feel guilty that you ate less than half your food. These are minor annoyances compared to health benefits of losing weight, but I mention them so you'll be prepared.

Some people end up with a noisy tummy, although that seems less common for people who have VSG, and anyway it usually seems to settle down after a while for most people.

I have only heard of a couple of people *****gretted their surgery, and they both were unlucky enough to get one of the rare serious complications. It really is a safe procedure, as long as you have a surgeon who is experienced in this type of surgery.

I can't tell you all how much I appreciate you sharing with me. I'm just wrapping my head around the fact that I do need this surgery. I still have to discuss/explain to my husband and figure out how to pay for it. Both are very daunting and scare me a bit.

I'm trying to do as much research as possible before my consult on November 13th.