VSG, Stretched Pouch
How long dose it take for your pouch to stretch out again?
I am 6 months out, started at 210, got to 164 a month ago, and am now at 169.
I can eat anything without it making me sick, I feel like I can eat alot as well.
I want to continue my weight loss and get down to 140-135ish, I feel like a failure though that I am loosing so slow. I work out often and try to eat right, I am in college so eating out is often and hard to deal with around friends.
I just need some advice....
Thanks, Victoria
I am 6 months out, started at 210, got to 164 a month ago, and am now at 169.
I can eat anything without it making me sick, I feel like I can eat alot as well.
I want to continue my weight loss and get down to 140-135ish, I feel like a failure though that I am loosing so slow. I work out often and try to eat right, I am in college so eating out is often and hard to deal with around friends.
I just need some advice....
Thanks, Victoria
I went to college for 9 years. I rarely ate out, I cooked my own meals.
You can create as many excuses as you want to. The bottom line is, YOU are responsible for what you put into your mouth, and how much you put in it.
I measure each and every portion BEFORE I eat it. I refuse to snack. I do eat some of the "wrong" foods, but I do it rarely and I eat very little of them.
You would have to overeat consistently, to stretch out your stomach. You do NOT have a pouch, you have a stomach. It is a lot smaller than it used to be, but it is still a fully functional stomach.
You have to take responsibility for your own behaviors. You choose to eat the wrong stuff. You choose to eat more than you should. You know what to do, you just have to do it.
Accept responsibility for making poor decisions, and get yourself back on track. You CAN do this. It isn't all that hard.
Weight loss surgery is NOT magic. There are no SECRETS involved with it. It still requires that you make lifestyle changes, and stick with thos echanges.
You can get yourself back on track, if you choose to do so. It is in YOUR power.
You can create as many excuses as you want to. The bottom line is, YOU are responsible for what you put into your mouth, and how much you put in it.
I measure each and every portion BEFORE I eat it. I refuse to snack. I do eat some of the "wrong" foods, but I do it rarely and I eat very little of them.
You would have to overeat consistently, to stretch out your stomach. You do NOT have a pouch, you have a stomach. It is a lot smaller than it used to be, but it is still a fully functional stomach.
You have to take responsibility for your own behaviors. You choose to eat the wrong stuff. You choose to eat more than you should. You know what to do, you just have to do it.
Accept responsibility for making poor decisions, and get yourself back on track. You CAN do this. It isn't all that hard.
Weight loss surgery is NOT magic. There are no SECRETS involved with it. It still requires that you make lifestyle changes, and stick with thos echanges.
You can get yourself back on track, if you choose to do so. It is in YOUR power.
A former Army Medic (1959-1969), Registered Nurse (1969-2000), College Instructor (1984-1989) and a retired Rehabilitation Counselor. I am also a dual citizen of the USA and Canada.
High Weight 412 lbs. Date of Surgery 360.5 Present 170 lbs
High Weight 412 lbs. Date of Surgery 360.5 Present 170 lbs
On November 12, 2009 at 11:17 AM Pacific Time, OldMedic wrote:
I went to college for 9 years. I rarely ate out, I cooked my own meals.You can create as many excuses as you want to. The bottom line is, YOU are responsible for what you put into your mouth, and how much you put in it.
I measure each and every portion BEFORE I eat it. I refuse to snack. I do eat some of the "wrong" foods, but I do it rarely and I eat very little of them.
You would have to overeat consistently, to stretch out your stomach. You do NOT have a pouch, you have a stomach. It is a lot smaller than it used to be, but it is still a fully functional stomach.
You have to take responsibility for your own behaviors. You choose to eat the wrong stuff. You choose to eat more than you should. You know what to do, you just have to do it.
Accept responsibility for making poor decisions, and get yourself back on track. You CAN do this. It isn't all that hard.
Weight loss surgery is NOT magic. There are no SECRETS involved with it. It still requires that you make lifestyle changes, and stick with thos echanges.
You can get yourself back on track, if you choose to do so. It is in YOUR power.
RNY 2002 (regained everything) Revised to DS 2007
5'8" SW 246 - GW 150 - LW 143 - CW-148
Follow Your Dreams.... & Hold On To Them !!
Angel to Karen W
Angel to MIssy
5'8" SW 246 - GW 150 - LW 143 - CW-148
Follow Your Dreams.... & Hold On To Them !!
Angel to Karen W
Angel to MIssy
Hi - Remember me from the VSG board? Probably not.
I had the VSG in late January, 2008. I followed the eating plan to a tee. I was very restrictive with everything I ate. I measured out a portion of food and when that was gone, I was done. I was terribly afraid of stretching out my stomach, so I never (no - not once) ate more than one portion of any given thing at one time. I concentrated on protein, mostly to the exclusion of all else. I stuck to 400-600 calories per day.
I was used to severely restricting my calories for years. The VSG made it much easier for me to live with the restriction, and I think it was a wonderful surgery. I wished to high Heaven for it to work for me so I could avoid the second surgery. But, try as I might, and work as hard as I could, I lost very little weight, and what I did lose, I lost very slowly. In the 13 months between getting the sleeve and getting the switch, I lost 49.5 pounds.
Since the switch, I've lost over 100 pounds.
So, unless you paint me as a liar and a self-deluded freak, you have to admit that "making poor decisions" is the not the only reason for not having spectacular success with the VSG. I think that, if you got obese because you were a volume eater and if you snacked excessively, then obviously cutting out snacking and reducing your physical intake is going to work. I don't think you'd find a better WLS that's purely restrictive than the VSG. That's my opinion.
But a person who has restricted calories for any length of time WILL hit the law of diminishing returns. Intake has to be continually adjusted downward, or exercise has to be adjusted upwards. Or both. If those options are impossible, then the person is not going to have the great success that so many people have with the VSG.
I'd also like to add, this being the week that it is, thank you for your service to our country.
Dennie
I had the VSG in late January, 2008. I followed the eating plan to a tee. I was very restrictive with everything I ate. I measured out a portion of food and when that was gone, I was done. I was terribly afraid of stretching out my stomach, so I never (no - not once) ate more than one portion of any given thing at one time. I concentrated on protein, mostly to the exclusion of all else. I stuck to 400-600 calories per day.
I was used to severely restricting my calories for years. The VSG made it much easier for me to live with the restriction, and I think it was a wonderful surgery. I wished to high Heaven for it to work for me so I could avoid the second surgery. But, try as I might, and work as hard as I could, I lost very little weight, and what I did lose, I lost very slowly. In the 13 months between getting the sleeve and getting the switch, I lost 49.5 pounds.
Since the switch, I've lost over 100 pounds.
So, unless you paint me as a liar and a self-deluded freak, you have to admit that "making poor decisions" is the not the only reason for not having spectacular success with the VSG. I think that, if you got obese because you were a volume eater and if you snacked excessively, then obviously cutting out snacking and reducing your physical intake is going to work. I don't think you'd find a better WLS that's purely restrictive than the VSG. That's my opinion.
But a person who has restricted calories for any length of time WILL hit the law of diminishing returns. Intake has to be continually adjusted downward, or exercise has to be adjusted upwards. Or both. If those options are impossible, then the person is not going to have the great success that so many people have with the VSG.
I'd also like to add, this being the week that it is, thank you for your service to our country.
Dennie
"It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it. ~Julia Child"
Oh, it's YOU again, OldMedic.
The bigmouth who can never seem to find citations for the blather that is falling out his mouth at an alarming rate. The guy who does NOT think obesity has a metabolic component, just a fork-in-hand component. The dummy *****fuses to listen to reason and read CURRENT scientific journals. The guy who is going to gain most of his weight back in the next 4 years. According to your story, all you need is willpower, right? Worked like a charm your first 80 years, huh?
I have seen the future and you will have another health setback (fall off a roof, anyone?) and will gain weight because restriction alone is not the key to long-term success with a shot metabolism. The VSG is smoke and mirrors for most people in the long-term, but especially for those who were super-morbidly obese like you (and me).
If you were actually as smart as you think you are, you would be open to new ideas (even though the DS has been done waaaay longer for metabolic and weight loss reasons than your precious VSG), even if they contradict what you think is true/or "need" to be true because of the choices you made. Being stubborn for stubborn's sake is not admirable: it is ridiculous. Your cognitive dissonance is making you lash out in an embarrassing crash-and-burn fashion.
If you kept your ill-informed blather to yourself, it would be fine, but you spread it like gospel, even though you are wrong and are hurting people.
And asking Dr. K such stupid questions in an attacking way? I mean, really. You are without class. My seven-year old can find that data on the Internet by himself if I let him surf. He would just have to go to www.dsfacts.com and it would all be there. We have told you repeatedly to go there and read, yet you refuse, and continue to blather on with your nonsense. DO YOUR RESEARCH, OLD MEDIC. Read something useful, for God's sake. You are embarrassing yourself. Show some class.
To the OP: Victoria, honey, you were a lightweight in the bariatric world. It may not feel it to you, but you are fairly close to goal, at this point. I know you're frustrated, but stay the course and you will get there. It defies logic that people with less weight to lose sometimes take longer to get to their goal weight, but it just seems to work that way, sometimes.
I'm not a fan of the VSG for biggies like me who had 189 pounds to lose, but you have a decent shot. Go back to basics, up your exercise, protein, etc. And whatever you do, do NOT listen to anything Old Medic has to say. He is a grump who doesn't "get" bariatric surgery, even though he got it. He refuses to drag himself into the modern world, but wants to drag us all down to Stupidville with him.
Nicolle
The bigmouth who can never seem to find citations for the blather that is falling out his mouth at an alarming rate. The guy who does NOT think obesity has a metabolic component, just a fork-in-hand component. The dummy *****fuses to listen to reason and read CURRENT scientific journals. The guy who is going to gain most of his weight back in the next 4 years. According to your story, all you need is willpower, right? Worked like a charm your first 80 years, huh?
I have seen the future and you will have another health setback (fall off a roof, anyone?) and will gain weight because restriction alone is not the key to long-term success with a shot metabolism. The VSG is smoke and mirrors for most people in the long-term, but especially for those who were super-morbidly obese like you (and me).
If you were actually as smart as you think you are, you would be open to new ideas (even though the DS has been done waaaay longer for metabolic and weight loss reasons than your precious VSG), even if they contradict what you think is true/or "need" to be true because of the choices you made. Being stubborn for stubborn's sake is not admirable: it is ridiculous. Your cognitive dissonance is making you lash out in an embarrassing crash-and-burn fashion.
If you kept your ill-informed blather to yourself, it would be fine, but you spread it like gospel, even though you are wrong and are hurting people.
And asking Dr. K such stupid questions in an attacking way? I mean, really. You are without class. My seven-year old can find that data on the Internet by himself if I let him surf. He would just have to go to www.dsfacts.com and it would all be there. We have told you repeatedly to go there and read, yet you refuse, and continue to blather on with your nonsense. DO YOUR RESEARCH, OLD MEDIC. Read something useful, for God's sake. You are embarrassing yourself. Show some class.
To the OP: Victoria, honey, you were a lightweight in the bariatric world. It may not feel it to you, but you are fairly close to goal, at this point. I know you're frustrated, but stay the course and you will get there. It defies logic that people with less weight to lose sometimes take longer to get to their goal weight, but it just seems to work that way, sometimes.
I'm not a fan of the VSG for biggies like me who had 189 pounds to lose, but you have a decent shot. Go back to basics, up your exercise, protein, etc. And whatever you do, do NOT listen to anything Old Medic has to say. He is a grump who doesn't "get" bariatric surgery, even though he got it. He refuses to drag himself into the modern world, but wants to drag us all down to Stupidville with him.
Nicolle
I had the kick-butt duodenal switch (DS)!
HW: 344 lbs CW: 150 lbs
Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea GONE!
Hello Victoria,
A few points:
1-The VSG should be done in a certain way that if the top part of the stomach is left a little larger than it should, then it will stretch. There is a physics law, LaPlace Law, that explains this phenomena (enough of physics lecture).
2-Patients rarely fail the weight loss surgery. In majority of the cases weight loss surgical procedures perform in a predictable way, and their outcomes do not match the patient expectations. An example of this is the outcome of the VSG. There is almost no data with long term data for outcome of VSG with regards to the weight loss over time. If you read the published data, even the ones that report data over years have a very small sample of patients.
3-Obesity is not a disease of over eating and lack of exercise. If it was all that then there would be no obesity, given the amount of diet plans and exercise gyms out there. Does diet and activity level contribute? yes it does; but the within a small amount.
I would give the following example: Each one of us are born with a certain hair color and a genetic make up for our height and weight. If you do not like your hair color, you dye it. Your hair color will however show its genetic make, at its root grow. The only way that you can over ride your genetically dictated hair color is to continuously dye your hair. This same logic applies to weight. Your weight will stay down as long as you diet and over ride your genetically dictated metabolism. If you stop dieting the weight will go up. This is the reason why the only way to keep the weight down is to diet life long!.
With regards to your case, if you have no satiety, then the chances are that you have a large fundus, of stomach that is stretched. See your surgeon and discuss this with him/her. An upper GI series may be in order for a possible revision.
Obesity is a chronic disease, and needs a long term disease management.
Good luck.
Ara
A few points:
1-The VSG should be done in a certain way that if the top part of the stomach is left a little larger than it should, then it will stretch. There is a physics law, LaPlace Law, that explains this phenomena (enough of physics lecture).
2-Patients rarely fail the weight loss surgery. In majority of the cases weight loss surgical procedures perform in a predictable way, and their outcomes do not match the patient expectations. An example of this is the outcome of the VSG. There is almost no data with long term data for outcome of VSG with regards to the weight loss over time. If you read the published data, even the ones that report data over years have a very small sample of patients.
3-Obesity is not a disease of over eating and lack of exercise. If it was all that then there would be no obesity, given the amount of diet plans and exercise gyms out there. Does diet and activity level contribute? yes it does; but the within a small amount.
I would give the following example: Each one of us are born with a certain hair color and a genetic make up for our height and weight. If you do not like your hair color, you dye it. Your hair color will however show its genetic make, at its root grow. The only way that you can over ride your genetically dictated hair color is to continuously dye your hair. This same logic applies to weight. Your weight will stay down as long as you diet and over ride your genetically dictated metabolism. If you stop dieting the weight will go up. This is the reason why the only way to keep the weight down is to diet life long!.
With regards to your case, if you have no satiety, then the chances are that you have a large fundus, of stomach that is stretched. See your surgeon and discuss this with him/her. An upper GI series may be in order for a possible revision.
Obesity is a chronic disease, and needs a long term disease management.
Good luck.
Ara
I will beg to differ with your assessment, Doctor.
Far too many patients are approved for weight loss surgery without adequate psychological screening, and without adequate preparation by their surgeons (and/or staff). Some surgeons perform weight loss surgery without any psychological screening at all, which is irresponsible at best, and in many areas would be considered to be malpractice. Sadly, many people go to out of country surgeons, where there is little screening of any type, and absolutely zero followup.
Patients fail at weight loss surgery, for a variety of reasons. But essentially the majority fail because they were not adequately screened prior to surgery. Surgeons operate on patients that do not have the motivation to follow the dietary plans required by their surgery; that are mentally incapable of following through for an extended period of time; and that have ulterior motives for having surgery in the first place.
I have seen a number of postings on these forums, coaching people in how to "get past" their psychological evaluations.
I have also seen a large number of patients that have had various forms of WLS, without any form of psychological screening whatsoever. Frankly, any surgeon that would operate on a patient without requiring such screening is flirting with having malpractice claims filed against them (and they should be filed). It seems that for all too many physicians, if you have the money, they will cut.
The vast majority of patients that fail at weight loss surgery do so for psychological reasons, not because of a failure in their surgery. Yes, some surgeons do "blow it" with the surgical procedure, but that is actually rather rare. Hopefully, such surgeons are found out, and quickly drummed out of the field.
Far too few surgeons actually prepare their patients for what to expect, what is realistic, and what those patients will have to do in order to be successful. The ones that do, are generally part of a large staff of people, including physicians, NP's, RN's, dietitians, and other medical support staff.
Far too few require that each of their patients commit to being followed for a minimum of one year, and make that follow-up a part of the cost of surgery. Sadly, all too many surgeons are much more interested in the income, and not in their responsibility to their patients.
Responsible surgeons require both adequate pre-operative workups, and adequate pot operative followup. If they do not, I would have to say that they are essentially "in it for the money, and not for the good of the patient".
And responsible surgeons do not go on these forums, and "bad-mouth" other forms of surgery, as you have done. You are a "duodenal switch surgeon", as is clearly shown in your avatar. It is highly irresponsible of you to come on to a forum like this, and essentially tell lies about another form of surgery.
You know absolutely NOTHING about the surgery that this person had, whether it was done"correctly" or not. Yet you go on to describe, with only a modicum of truth, the "problems" with the vertical sleeve gastrectomy.
I would invite any of the patients on this forum to go to Google, and type in "Problems with the Duodenal Switch". There they will find hundreds of articles, mostly written by DS surgeons, describing the chronic gas, chronic diarrhea, the commonality of DS patients being able to eat as much at one year post-op as they could before surgery, the host of post-op complications that can and do occur with the DS, etc., etc., etc.
Since you choose to "bad mouth" a different form of surgery than the one that you choose to perform, it is only fair that you should also point out the failings in the DS. How common is it for a DS patient to be able to eat virtually as much post-op as they could pre-op? How many DS patients have problems with chronic gas? How many DS patients have problems with chronic diarrhea? Do DS patients have any restrictions on the types of medications that they can utilize in the future? And how many DS patients keep off at least 50% of their excess weight 3 years post-op?
The Old Medic
A.A., B.A., M.A., M.S, Ed.D, Ph.D
Far too many patients are approved for weight loss surgery without adequate psychological screening, and without adequate preparation by their surgeons (and/or staff). Some surgeons perform weight loss surgery without any psychological screening at all, which is irresponsible at best, and in many areas would be considered to be malpractice. Sadly, many people go to out of country surgeons, where there is little screening of any type, and absolutely zero followup.
Patients fail at weight loss surgery, for a variety of reasons. But essentially the majority fail because they were not adequately screened prior to surgery. Surgeons operate on patients that do not have the motivation to follow the dietary plans required by their surgery; that are mentally incapable of following through for an extended period of time; and that have ulterior motives for having surgery in the first place.
I have seen a number of postings on these forums, coaching people in how to "get past" their psychological evaluations.
I have also seen a large number of patients that have had various forms of WLS, without any form of psychological screening whatsoever. Frankly, any surgeon that would operate on a patient without requiring such screening is flirting with having malpractice claims filed against them (and they should be filed). It seems that for all too many physicians, if you have the money, they will cut.
The vast majority of patients that fail at weight loss surgery do so for psychological reasons, not because of a failure in their surgery. Yes, some surgeons do "blow it" with the surgical procedure, but that is actually rather rare. Hopefully, such surgeons are found out, and quickly drummed out of the field.
Far too few surgeons actually prepare their patients for what to expect, what is realistic, and what those patients will have to do in order to be successful. The ones that do, are generally part of a large staff of people, including physicians, NP's, RN's, dietitians, and other medical support staff.
Far too few require that each of their patients commit to being followed for a minimum of one year, and make that follow-up a part of the cost of surgery. Sadly, all too many surgeons are much more interested in the income, and not in their responsibility to their patients.
Responsible surgeons require both adequate pre-operative workups, and adequate pot operative followup. If they do not, I would have to say that they are essentially "in it for the money, and not for the good of the patient".
And responsible surgeons do not go on these forums, and "bad-mouth" other forms of surgery, as you have done. You are a "duodenal switch surgeon", as is clearly shown in your avatar. It is highly irresponsible of you to come on to a forum like this, and essentially tell lies about another form of surgery.
You know absolutely NOTHING about the surgery that this person had, whether it was done"correctly" or not. Yet you go on to describe, with only a modicum of truth, the "problems" with the vertical sleeve gastrectomy.
I would invite any of the patients on this forum to go to Google, and type in "Problems with the Duodenal Switch". There they will find hundreds of articles, mostly written by DS surgeons, describing the chronic gas, chronic diarrhea, the commonality of DS patients being able to eat as much at one year post-op as they could before surgery, the host of post-op complications that can and do occur with the DS, etc., etc., etc.
Since you choose to "bad mouth" a different form of surgery than the one that you choose to perform, it is only fair that you should also point out the failings in the DS. How common is it for a DS patient to be able to eat virtually as much post-op as they could pre-op? How many DS patients have problems with chronic gas? How many DS patients have problems with chronic diarrhea? Do DS patients have any restrictions on the types of medications that they can utilize in the future? And how many DS patients keep off at least 50% of their excess weight 3 years post-op?
The Old Medic
A.A., B.A., M.A., M.S, Ed.D, Ph.D
A former Army Medic (1959-1969), Registered Nurse (1969-2000), College Instructor (1984-1989) and a retired Rehabilitation Counselor. I am also a dual citizen of the USA and Canada.
High Weight 412 lbs. Date of Surgery 360.5 Present 170 lbs
High Weight 412 lbs. Date of Surgery 360.5 Present 170 lbs
"I would invite any of the patients on this forum to go to Google, and type in "Problems with the Duodenal Switch". There they will find hundreds of articles, mostly written by DS surgeons, describing the chronic gas, chronic diarrhea, the commonality of DS patients being able to eat as much at one year post-op as they could before surgery, the host of post-op complications that can and do occur with the DS, etc., etc., etc."
I invite you (and any of the people who have the misfortune of reading your uninformed post) to come to the DS board and talk to REAL people who have the procedure before disseminating this hogwash.
5'10", HW: 326/SW: 280/CW: 181/Goal: 165
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