WARNING TO PRE-OPS: Think twice, cut once -- or else!

Wait, really? You wrote off the DS because you don't like what some people who had a DS said on a message board? You seriously mean that? You permanently altered your body in a way that will affect you for the rest of your life, and your decision on which procedure to have was guided by the fact that you thought some people on the Internet were mean?

How did you manage to pass the psych evaluation? Did you slip the shrink a c-note or something?

Honestly, can you imagine a cancer patient saying, "I ruled out chemotherapy for a number of reasons, one of which was the awful attitude by so many chemo patients".

You are pure crazy.

No, I ruled out DS because it was not the right surgery for me for many reasons (as I said in my original post).  The hostility and anger issues that so many DSers have was on my long list of reasons why DS was not the surgery for me.  You guys are like rabid dogs..and I have to wonder why that is if you are all so pleased with your surgery in the first place.  Stats say I will lose ALMOST as much as you have.  Stats say you don't have to be of a normal BMI to be healthy.  And I get to do all this without the risks associated with your complex surgery and the life time of malabsorbtive issues and potential "side effects".  As you can see by my ticker, I am doing quite well.  Will I have long term success?  I think I will.  I guess I will report back in 10 years and let you know.

Really, go ahead, let loose on me.  You are of no consequence to me.  You haven't even had your surgery yet.  That's like a cancer pt telling me chemo is a walk in the park when they haven't even had their first dose...since you want to use cancer metaphors :)

Its also, by the way, like a cancer patient telling me that my choice of chemo protocols was wrong, they are going to out live me and I am going to die an awful painful death because I opted for a treatment option that is different (not worse or better, there are trade offs) then the chemo regimen they chose. 

DSers who spout this stuff...I hope you believe in karma!  I do!

You just denied that you said it, and then you said it again! You didn't have the DS because some people were mean to you on a message board. Sad, and crazy.

Stats do not say that you will lose ALMOST as much with a VSG as a DS, and they certainly don't say you'll keep it off.

And you keep claiming that this thread is directed at post-ops to make fun of them. Do you have reading difficulties in addition to your mental illness? It's directed at pre-ops. So when you smugly tell me that I haven't had surgery so my opinion doesn't count--you realize I'm the kind of person this thread was directed at, right?

Old Medic = Ancient Anus.  If you cite HIM as a resource, you really need to go back to square one.  His "facts" are so wrong, you'd do best to do the OPPOSITE of anything he says.  AND, if you read just the first paragraph of his profile, you'd know he's certifiable.

Oh no! She said "Old Medic." That crank's name should not be used in polite discussion!

He is the one who constantly throws out BS and NEVER backs it up with any facts. Even smart VSGers like MacMadame have asked him to prove his crazy assertions about the DS and he won't, even with al of his laughable, alleged research in university libraries. Do not align yourself with that faker--it makes you look very, very bad.

BTW, the people who crow the most about their VSGs being "ALL they need to succeed" are mysteriously, like yourself and Old Medic, very recently out of surgery.

No one denies you can lose your weight with any of the procedures, really. It's the keeping it off long-term that is the problem, which to me is the only proof needed. What does it take to keep it off and can you sustain that for a lifetime, through injury (like Old Medic could not), through aging, through childbirth, through anything? Dieting is tough. It's going to be very hard. I hope you make it.

However, I would tread carefully if I were you because when you come looking for a revision to the DS or the next generation of surgical intervention, you're going to feel like a fool when you remember your naive swaggering.

And BTW, no one is saying that everyone should get the DS. The people you mention you "know" who had the DS should never have made it through their psych evals in the first place, with their non-compliance. The OP and everyone else here are just saying, "know your options, people--you may not get a second chance, if insurance companies have their way."  I think that is a valid point.

Nicolle

"I am an individual who knew that I simply needed volume control and and some ghrelin reduction to be a success."

You are barely over a year out.  You aren't going to KNOW if volume control (especially once your sleeve stretches out some more) and some ghrelin reduction (if the other ghrelin-producing cells in your body don't increase production) are going to be enough to make you a LONG-TERM success for another 3-4 years.

And if it isn't, and your insurance has changed to one with a one-bariatric-surgery-per-lifetime exclusion, what then?

I hope you never need to find out.

Yes I realize that until I'm 3, 4 or 5 years out, there are folks that will not accept my attitude about my weightloss. But honstly, without a "can do" attitude, I would not have lost what I did with the VSG alone. I have for 18 months charted every morsel of food I put in my mouth online, and don't plan to stop doing so. Personal accountability for what I eat, how much at once time, my activity level, etc WILL be the reason I will succeed instead of fail in the long term.

I paid out of pocket for my procedure (another personal reason to respect my sleeve) and am thrilled with the restriction. I have to work to eat close to 2000 calories a day for maintenance because my sleeve was performed using a 32F bougie. I actually dislike fatty meats and butter, so the VSG post op diet that's similar to Southbeach is the way I prefer to eat anyway.

You still don't "have" to be so nasty to folks as you were the woman that's pre-op RNY. I just don't understand the need to attack.Begging someone to post your reply to the lady because of your need to throw more in her face because she blocked you is not nice. I have a total of 2 (soon to be 3) people blocked out of the whole OH community. It's not out of fear that they say something to me (I don't fear anyone), it's because I consider negativity toxic and not in keeping with my spiritual beliefs.

I know you have the "right" to say whatever.... but I can't imagine that justifying it.

I sincerely wish you the best, I really do.

As another with a 32F bougie, and 2 years post-op, I do know the volume I can consume (and that changes daily), and I am personally VERY thankful for my malabsorption.  I do think it is a very personal choice, and difficult to make without a crystal ball, but since I had done everything you are describing (tracking every morsel, exercising, etc...) countless times only to lose 100+ pounds multiple times and gain it all back along with much more... I knew a VSG alone would not be enough.  The only thing that would fix what all of the yo-yo dieting had done -- a metabolic disorder -- was the switch portion of the DS.  For those younger, with lower BMIs, and those that haven't really broken their metabolism, the VSG is certainly worth considering.

You seem to like the idea of dieting, tracking, etc... there are a LOT of us that are sick to death of it, and revel in the freedom that the DS has given us from that!  We eat like a normal lean person, and no longer need to have calorie intake / output rule our lives.  I kind of get what you mean though, because I liked playing the WW points game, and thought I might miss that --- turns out I don't.

You seem like a reasonable person, so I just wanted to second / third / fourth... what others have said --- it would not be in your best interest (if you want to remain credible) to align yourself with Old Medic.  He is a lunatic who is called out constantly for lying --- even by a VERY respected bariatric surgeon just last week.  Nobody who knows anything about WLS FACTS finds anything he says to be credible, and often have to refute his misinformation for pre-ops and newbies seeking information on the VSG forum.  The funny thing about him??  He would have had the DS if he could have gotten the VA to pay for it.

I fail to see why your post is so rude... First of all you have not even HAD surgery, therefore how can you discount the other poster's account of her friend's experience with the DS.

The only reason these type of threads get so much attention is because people are so rude and very much unnecessarily so.