VSG...Should I do it???

I'm 5'3" and was 185 when I had my surgery (at 61), down from 219 when I started the process. I am SO GLAD I had the surgery. I had lost and gained so many times in the past, I had to have something more to not repeat the pattern again and this was it. I have to eat a particular way, but my tool makes it so much easier to feel full and not keep going like I used to. That is my experience.

Good luck making your decision.

Yes!

Lose 20, gain 30. Lose 25, gain 40. I lost eight billion pounds over the years, but it always came back, with compound interest. Until I had surgery, which broke the cycle.

We all can sympathize with those who suffer regain some years after surgery. I'm sure that regain is our greatest common fear. But I think that loising 100 and regaining 60 is still a win. They are still down 40. But without surgery, they would almost certainly would have been up by 60 or more.

The trend was always up, over time. Surgery give us a chance to go in the other direction.

My story is a little different to most people because I wasnt morbidly obese or obese all my life. I got pregnant at 40, suffered gestational diabetes, gained an horrendous amount of weight that I just could not lose afterwards, however hard I tried. At surgery, 11 months after I had my son, I had only managed to lose 44lb from my highest pregnancy weight and I was a 40 BMI.

I lost 120lbs in 5 months to a 21 BMI.

In the last 14 years I have regained and lost 10lbs, 20lbs etc at a time on several occasions. What I haven't done is regain 120lbs.

Yes, I have to watch what I eat and if I dont, I gain weight, just as a gazillion other even non WLS post menopausal women do. Surgery is not a cure for everything that made us fat. It does, however, give us an opportunity to lose our excess weight and gives us a tool to help us to maintain or to lose if we regain.

At 63, I'd go for it. It's an opportunity for you to get healthy and hopefully live a few years longer. Just don't expect the surgery to do it all for you forever!

Do you have any ongoing health issues?

High blood pressure, arthritis and back pain and now the funky EKG

A VSG could help with the high blood pressure.

You can't take NSAIDS for pain after a VSG or RnY. Things like Aleve and Advil. Some people's pain is lessened with weight loss.

If you had a history of GERD or you had diabetes you would probably need to look at different kinds of WLS.

I hate getting a throw away piece of information from a nurse who then does not provide me information about what that means. Many times I've found it's not something I needed to worry about after I worried about it.

Ask questions. READ all you can on this site. Particularly the VSG board.

NSAIDs are a hard no for RNYers, not VSGers wheee it's more of a case by case situation. I'm allowed them, but this may because I use them on an occasional basis.

Grammy, since you'd be taking anti-inflammatory medications regularly for arthritis, definitely grill your doc about it.

I'll be curious what your cardiologist says. For pre op, I had to do an EKG and stress test (my surgeon makes everyone do it--even at my top weight, I didn't have heart issues) Had a nice conversation with the doc and he mentioned he'd seen some great results in patients who had WLS (BP improvement, cessation of diabetes meds, etc). You mentioned that your fat accumulated as belly fat. This is supposedly more concerning from an overall healthy perspective--including your heart. I was more overweight by my husband, but he has the big belly and the BP issues. Maybe you can ask about this.

Like I said before, the VSG levels the playing field. It's not guaranteed permanent weight loss, but it is more effective than diet and exercise alone (which are proven to not work). As far as hormones, I do feel hunger at 3 months out. It's less intense and I can make it go away pretty easily and with little food. But if I ate ice cream, bread, cookies or other easy to digest simple carbs every day, I'd gain weight.

Hmmm. I don?t live in your body or have your life, so it?s tough to say. If I was 35lbs overweight, I?d probably not. However, I have a medium-large build, some muscle, and my fat distribution is pretty even over my body. This is all to say that when I?m 35lbs overweight, I?m very mobile and look okay. Sounds like you might not feel the same and that?s okay. Like TessieLoo mentioned, there is no "finish line" here. The sleeve levels the playing field.

By the way, I?m 5?5? (I used to be 5?6??did years of obesity squish my spine?). And my goal weight from my surgeon is...you guessed it: 170! Keep in mind, she did this from a straight calculation: Starting weight minus ?ideal weight? for my height is 135 (I scoff at this) x 70% (expected loss with full compliance). My personal goal is 150.

While 35 pounds does not sound like much, put that amount in a backpack and carry it around for a few days.

Look in the mirror and imagine your body slim again. It might take a plastic surgeon to get a nice flat stomach but that is OK. The fat will go away and the leftover skin might need to come off.

Your changes of achieving and maintaining an ideal weight with dieting are about 3% to 5%.

There is a 95% to 98% chance that you will lose the weight and gain it back again.

The smart thing to do is get the surgery and be grateful you have the opportunity. Most people who need weight loss surgery do not have the insurance, money, or opportunity to have it done.