Having Sleeve Gastrectomy in March

I'm booked in for a sleeve gastrectomy in March and would like to hear about other people's experiences and what I can expect.

Hi Toni, I had a sleeve last March in sydney. No problems. I have lost 32kg and I am now under my goal weight. I am 55 years old and a midwife with a small grandson whom I adore so I needed to lose weight to enjoy keeping up with him. I have no regrets from the surgery and should have done it years ago. I found the operation to be quite straight forward, not much pain (due to excellent analgesia from anaesthetist) my main pain was in my shoulder, this was due to gas which was relieved by a hot pack. I was up and walking the same day and was home in 2 days. I was a bit tired when I got home but had no great pain, any I had was relieved by panadol/panadeine. One of the most important things to remember is that you must drink your water as you can get very dehydrated, particularly in the early days when you are not eating very much. The other important thing is to take a multi-vitamin every day. I went back to work after 3 weeks (remember very active job as a midwife) and I was exhausted. I probably could have taken an extra couple of weeks to recover. But if you have a less physically strenous job you should be OK. and you look a lot younger than me so you should be fine. The only problem I had from the surgery and still have if I am not careful is constipation. I take Benefiber daily which works for me. You will need to stock up on mushy food for when you first come home. I lived on salmon mixed with Deb instant potato (easier to mix than ordinary potato) and pureed apple with light custard (yum, yum) of course soup, yoghurt and jelly. I started eating normal foods after I saw my Doctor at 3 weeks and can eat anything now, but in small amounts only. My typical size would fit on a bread and butter plate. I only eat half a sandwich and can only eat half an apple. It is important to eat your protein first as you will fill up on carbs and be hungry sooner. If you have room, then eat your carbs. Protein is important to help burn off fat rather than muscle. Another thing to be aware of is as time goes by you can certainly eat more than in the early days. This surgery is only a tool (a good tool) but a tool nevertheless. You still need to limit sugary carbs and empty calories. It can be easy to graze all day as mushy foods go down well (i.e. chocolate, milk shakes etc). particularly if you are an emotional eater (like most of us) it is important to work through your emotions in a diferent way. I used to ask myself "Am I really hungry, or am I thirsty" so I would try a drink first if that didn't work I would try and distract myself with some activity and if worst case scenario I was still wanting something sweet, I would eat a couple of sugar free lollies. I also try to eat 200cal per meal and have 200cal for snacks as a general rule. Works well for me. You should not be hungry. I am still not hungry. Exercise is important, but don't pu**** too soon, and try to do something that you can maintain long term. E.G. don't go to the gym 7 days a week as that is impossible in the long run. There is an excellent book called Weight loss surgery for dummies that has lots of tips. You may need to purchase it on line as I don't think it is available in Australia but it is worth looking at. The other thing to let you know is there is a support group on line here in Australia and there are some members there from South Australia. The address is http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/awls good luck. regards kath from Sydney

Hi Kath Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I'm getting more scared as my op date gets nearer so it's good hearing some positive stories. I'm actually going in today (leaving very soon now) to have my endoscopy. Even that's scary - I hate anaesthetic. Anyway, the good news is that I have been doing Optifast for the past four weeks and have already lost just under 10kgs - pretty quick!! Most people I have told about the operation are all for it and positive and say "good on me" or they call me "brave." My boss calls me a miracle woman 'cos I also gave up smoking about 7 months ago. Some people don't like the sound of the operation at all thinking it's too extreme (these are skinny people I might add) and they ask me why I just can't keep doing what I'm doing (Optifast****il I lose the weight I want. The simple answer is, "IT WON'T WORK IN THE LONG TERM" - no diet ever has and I've been on every one known to man. I've been very successful with many diets but as soon as the diet stops, the weight comes back on. I can lose weight really easy, as evidence by my current Optifast diet, but I put it on just as easy, if not easier!! I love food, what can I say and I believe this surgery will allow me to still love my food and enjoy it and NOT SO MUCH OF IT. Well Kath, I really appreciate your comments and thank you for sharing you experience with me. You're living proof that I AM DOING THE RIGHT THING. I'll keep you updated as to progress if that's okay. Cheers, Toni

I had this procedure on Jan 18. Unfortunately I had a haematonia [blood loss] which seems to have slowed recovery. I have lost 14kg but have a lot of gastric reflux and am pretty much still on a liquid diet. I am told things will improve significantly.

Hi Rick, thanks for your reply and I'm sorry to hear things didn't go too well for you. I suppose we're all taking a risk with this surgery, but I have to look on the positive side of things and just hope that everything goes well for me. I'm actually going in today to have my endoscope. Hey, I hope you get better real soon...it can only get better from here right? Keep in touch, I'd love to hear your progress. Cheers, Toni

Dear Toni, I am booking in for the same operation you did this Thursday and I was hoping that you might be able to tell me you experience so far. Also are there any questions I should ask the doctor that you wish you did now that you have had the procedure? I thank you in advance for any insight you have into this. Cheers Rachelle

Hi Rachelle I'm sorry I didn't get this message before tonight because tomorrow is your surgery and you probably won't get this beforehand but good luck with your surgery and I hope all goes well for you. I won't lie and say there's no pain - there is with any surgery. The good thing about keyhole surgery is that it doesn't take long to recover. You will probably go home on Saturday. Just remember to keep sipping your water and fluids. You need to make sure you stay hydrated. I checked out your profile but you don't have much there so I can't see who your surgeon is. Is it Michael France? If so, you are in the very best of hands. I found Michael to be very thorough with the information and instructions he gave me and with the support of other people, I was totally convinced this op was for me...and I was right. I've lost 27kgs with only 13kgs to go until goal, but it's going real slow now. Michael said that the closer I got to goal, the slower it would go and he was right. There is so much more I could tell you about the operation and what wil happen after but I don't have the time at the moment, sorry. If you are under Michael's care, he would no doubt have told you about our support group. It would be a good idea for you to come to our next (second) one which will be at 11am Saturday 18th August in the training room at Western Community Hospital, Henley Beach. My email address is [email protected]. It would be better to correspond by email rather than this message board. Again, all the best for tomorrow and I hope to hear from you when you are feeling up to it. Cheers, Toni

Hi Toni and other VSG roomies I am due to have the surgery next month but do not have dates yet, will be in October sometime! I am on Optifast diet already getting ready for the operation and getting excited. I hope to hear from some more of you as this thread seems to have gone very quiet which is a shame, tell us of your experiences people!! Well until later, keep walking and exercising and keep on track with the diet off of you cheers nara