Nervous about VSG. How did you deal with concept of cutting your stomach?
Let me say I did have a few worries about getting most of my stomach removed. But then I thought "Well, everything else will work the same--my stomach will still be there--it will just be a lot smaller."I knew that I was okay with that and made peace with it. While the band may be removable--it is not really reversible. There is almost always scar tissue on the stomach and other damage that can be done from the lapband. The idea of a lapband was good in THEORY, but the way that it really works is usually deeply flawed. Only a special few have had their bands work the way they advertised it for longer than I'd say 8 years.
I think the VSG is an excellent alternative for some people. I think folks with over 45 or 50 BMI's do really well with the duodenal switch but some do well with VSG too. That surgery is the BIG GUNS as they say. You get the same small stomach of the VSG along with malabsorption of calories that lasts a lifetime. The gastric bypass doesn't even offer that. Calories eventually start being absorbed again within a few years. I personally would have gotten the DS if I had more financial resources and better insurance. No way I could come up with 20K for DS surgery nor would my health insurance cover post op vitamins and doctor's visits for the surgery. I decided to get the next best thing which in my opinion is the vertical sleeve gastrectomy! Also, my BMI was only 38 when I went into surgery but I had type 2 diabetes so I was hoping the VSG would work well for me and thankfully it has! My BMI is under 25 now and I'm in a normal weight zone. Diabetes is in remission.
Please don't be afraid to get your stomach cut out. You'll never feel that it's gone. Sure, the first couple of months you will only be able to eat a few bites and be full. But by the time you are six months out--you will be able to eat enough to feel satisfied and it won't be NEAR as much as preop and trust me you will be thankful! I'm now 10 months post op and very glad 85%of my stomach is gone and I don't want it to ever come back :-). I am almost positive you will feel the same way.
Thank you so much for your note.
I'm not worried about "missing" my stomach but rather suffering some type of health problem as a result of having it removed.
When I did the lapband it was the greatest invention since sliced bread. Then people began realizing it often led to problems.
I'm concerned the same will happen with VSG.
Alexis
Partial gastrectomies have been done for about 150 years now, to treat stomach cancer and ulcers. My FIL had 95% of his stomach removed due to cancer---and with the Sleeve, they only remove about 85%.
The VSG as a stand-alone WLS has been done for about ten years now, but it only became commonplace about five years ago. However, it's also the stomach portion of the DS, which has been done since 1988.
Have you ever heard of a partial gastrectomy? They have used it for cancer and ulcers for many, many , many years. Some people with partial gastrectomies lose as much of their stomachs as VSG patients, sometimes even more depending on the severity. THey have often lived full and long lives after. There have ALSO BEEN a couple of VSG patients on our site who developed cancer after VSG that required chemo and things like that and they were able to tolerate it. That should really help rest your mind at ease.
