Considering VSG surgery please help!

Hello! So i have started my vsg journey. I am heavily considering this procedure.. my husbabd is very afraid of complications. I would love some stories, success, complications, pros and cons! Thank you!

Hi TwinMom!

Congratulations on the decision to have weight loss surgery. Your life will truly change for the better for life!

I decided on weight loss surgery in August 2016, because of degenerative joint disease, and started the process at the end of that month. I was sleeved on October 12, 2016. My surgery was the last one of the day so I spent two nights in the hospital, walking as much as possible, and getting my water in. I will admit that after the 6 hour ride back home (no, you can't drive), I was a bit tender, but nothing a Tylenol couldn't help. The first couple of days home were a learning process of getting my protein shakes in, what soft foods I could manage, how much and keeping mindful. I took 2 weeks off from work, but honestly could have gone back in a week. (I work in an office, so it's nothing strenuous).

At my 2 week follow up I was cleared to start soft, moist protein, and have had no issues at all. Well, only one......eggs still don't sit well for me. Who knew! I still weigh and log my food every day with the focus on enough protein and 64 oz of water minimum.

I have no knee pain anymore. I can walk, run, kayak, hike and enjoy life to its fullest with no regrets. I can eat at family gatherings or restaurants, being mindful of proteins and amounts. I have lost 94 lbs to date and I am still less than a year post-op.

My recommendations - do your research so you are fully aware of possible issues because everyone is different. Start now with changing your eating habits.....focus on protein, start trying protein shakes/drinks. Find a surgeon that you are comfortable with. Get ready to enjoy your life again!

Take care and keep us up to date on your journey.

Pat

I feel successful and I am only 7 weeks out from Surgery. I am down 55 pounds since I made the decision to go for surgery.

I suggest that you write down your reasons to have surgery so that you can organize your thoughts. Then have a conversation with your husband, because it will make his journey easier.

In my case my husband has been with me to almost all the meetings. (All that weren't restricted due to class size.) He has modified his diet some, but not to the degree I have. As a result he has lost 10 pounds. He has been my biggest cheerleader, coach, and sounding board. By going to all the meetings with me, he has learned the risks and seen the rewards that others achieved.

I used my husband as a sounding board to explain why I wanted Vertical Gastric Sleeve before I had to explain it to my surgeon. Luckily the second swallow tests showed that I did not have have GERDS and hence was a candidate.

Depending on your insurance and your body, your journey will be different as everyone here has had their own journey. However if you are really committed to making permanent life changes, then this can be a very successful tool.

It isn't the easy way out. You still have to choose to eat correctly and in smaller portions. You have to get exercise. But if you can help your husband see why surgery is important to you, he will be more likely to help and encourage you.

Best of Luck!

Stories, success, complications, pros and cons is pretty much the whole point of this site! Read as much as you can to educate yourself and your husband. Does he have specific complications he's afraid of? Maybe we can help you combat those arguments.

Thank you all for your responses. The main thing my husband is worried about is malnutrition, getting deathly ill from it, and recovery time. He understands how important this is to me, but we have family member discouraging it. So that doesnt help. Luckily ive always been a "healtht"eater. I dont keep snacks and sweets in the house. Im a pro dieter, but my body does not respond snd my weight keeps going up and up. Hes also worried about my energy level taking care of the kids but like i told him ive been on liquid diets before. As a child and teen i was extremely active in competitive dance. When i was 16 17 i danced 6 days a week and i could not get below 185/190. Yes i was all muscle, but i couldn't lose. I want to live for my kids and be healthy

I had my sleeve surgery last week. I was really scared going in but continuing to ruin my health by remaining over weight was more scary for me. I only needed to lose 60lbs, and lots of people told me I was crazy to consider surgery but I knew I was already doing everything I could and it wasn't working. I lift weights with my husband 4 days a week, I walk 2-3 miles every day, and I never ate fast food or junk. However I was pre-diabetic with metabolic syndrome, and extremely high cholesterol. Nothing I did, made any difference and with three kids under 10, I knew something needed to change or I wouldn't be here for them for long.

I had a lot of the same fears you described. What if I lose too much weight and can't eat enough to stop? What if my hair falls out? What if I can't eat normally ever again and I'm miserable? So I read a lot about the procedure. I talked to a lot of people who had already had the surgery and listened to their stories. I ultimately decided it was the best solution for me. The pre-op liquid diet was hard but doable. My surgeon let me have a protein & veggie for lunch & dinner plus protein shakes, just no carbs. The recovery post-op has not been bad at all. I've been hitting both protein and water goals from the day I came home. My surgeon really emphasized those as being the most important to recovery and overall health. I've lost 10lbs in 1 week, my blood sugar is in the normal range with no medication and I actually feel pretty darn good. The first couple of days after surgery I slept a lot and just focused on recovering. I'm on day 8 post surgery today and am starting to feel normal again. Today was the first day I didn't need a nap and just in time because I go back to work tomorrow. I do have 3 kids so I understand your concern about being able to keep up with them but it has been very manageable.

I would encourage your husband to go with you to visit your surgeon and ask all the questions he wants. My husband went with me and he also talked to our primary care doctor about the surgery. I think it helped put his mind at ease.

All in all, I'm glad I did it.

Thank you for your insight! How are you feeling and what have you been able to drink

A typical day right now goes something like this:

Breakfast - coffee and 1/2 protein shake or 1/2 bowl of Cream of Wheat made with milk.

AM Snack - 1/2 protein shake or sugar free pudding thinned with a couple oz of protein shake

Lunch - soup (pureed chicken noodle, tomato basil, pureed beans, veggie, potato, etc) or 1-2 oz of rotisserie chicken pureed and a pureed veggie

PM Snack - applesauce & 1/2 protein shake, or greek yogurt & herbal tea

Dinner: I puree whatever my family is having with chicken broth. Last night it was refried beans and taco meat. The night before was roasted chicken and veggies. Some stuff is just gross pureed so if I buzz it up and it's nasty, I toss it and grab some soup or have another protein shake.

Snack: 1/2 protein shake ( I do protein before bed because it keeps my blood sugar down so I don't get a morning spike)

I can do about 4oz of fluid at a meal/snack. If it's a puree, I can only do about 2oz. I did stick with water, clear broth and protein shakes for the first 2 days after surgery but that was just based on how I felt. Once I passed the swallow test in the hospital my surgeon said I can eat anything that is pureed smooth, no chunks, in addition to full liquids. I wanted to start slow because I was nervous about how it would feel in my tummy so the first few days I just focused on protein and fluid intake.

I feel like I am constantly eating and am getting around 500-600 calories a day based on Myfitnesspal logs. I'm 5'7" and weighed 227 the first day I met with my surgeon. My pre-op diet was 1 week and I weighed 220 the day of surgery. Today is 10 days post-op and I'm at 209. I start a regular diet on Wednesday, small diced no larger than a chickpea, for 2 weeks and then no restrictions.

The positives - first time I've lost weight without feeling like I'm dying in a very long time. I feel in control of what and how much I eat. I do get hungry but it's not the same ravenous, I'll eat whatever I see, out of control situation I've always struggled with. I'm making better dietary choices for my entire family, which means my kids are now eating healthier too. All of my health issues that prompted the surgery are gone. My blood work is phenomenal. There's nothing like running into a friend and seeing their face when they first register it's me and go, "Wow, you look amazing!" I feel really good at this point both mentally, emotionally and physically. I'm not tired, nothing hurts anymore and I haven't needed the nausea meds at all today. I'm actually planning on going to the gym to walk in a bit and my incisions are healed so I'll probably take the kids swimming as well.

The negatives - (I'd really call them inconveniences because so far they've all been short term problems and nothing that would make me wish I hadn't gone through with the surgery) The pre-op diet is hard. I only had to make it 1 week and I still wasn't perfect. Making the decision to have surgery was an emotional roller coaster for me. Thankfully the process was quick so I didn't have to agonize for long but I flip flopped on my decision right up to the moment I was on the operating table. Anesthesia always makes me sick and they gave me everything they could but I puked relentlessly in recovery anyways. I obviously survived so the staple line is a lot stronger than I gave it credit for. There have been 1-2 days of recovery that were hard either emotionally or physically where I thought, "OMG, what did I do to myself?" I can tell you those thoughts came on the days when I was the most tired, frustrated by dietary limitations, battling nausea, trying not to take my pain meds (for heaven's sake take the dang pain meds as long as you need them). I popped up with a cold my 2nd day home from the hospital so it didn't help my attitude either. I went back to work yesterday after battling a full night of insomnia (thank you Sudafed) and I did just fine. I was worried about making it through a whole day but I actually felt good enough to take a walk when I got home. Other than a few days of needing an afternoon nap over the last week, I'd say I have more energy for my kids right now than I ever did before. I'm ready to be done with the post-op diet but I'm almost there so all in all there's nothing much to complain about.

The one thing that I kept asking myself before the surgery when I'd start to second guess my decision was, "What in my history would suggest I can lose this weight by myself and keep it off?" For me, there was no evidence to support the idea I would ever do it on my own. I've never lost more than 30lbs on my own and it always came back when I stopped whatever insane diet or workout program I was following. In the moments when I was completely honest with myself about how much hunger I could tolerate and how much time I could focus on my weight loss while still managing all the dynamics of my family, I knew it wasn't going to happen without the surgery.

I know this was a lot more information than you asked for but it's a big decision and I feel like all the people who shared their stories with me were what helped me finally reach the decision I felt was best for me. I wanted to know the good and the bad so I could decide whether the negatives were things I could live with and still be happy.

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I havent gotten too many like yours. Im really leaning towards having it at this point. I just enjoy hearing stories

Wow, you sound so much like me. I was an athlete in my teens and obese despite my activity level. I ate healthy and was in diet mode all the way up to my 30's. The most I ever lost was 21 lbs, and it took a year on weigh****chers to accomplish this. That's reallly SAD. It was that experience that made me question the effectiveness of wls, too. I did some heavy research about how each procedure works and compared that to my own experiences. That's what led me to the duodenal switch, which has a sleeve stomach. It was the DS that the sleeve procedure was derived from. In the largest of patients, it would be done in two parts. The first part was the sleeve, then the patient would come back to finish the switch after either a year or 100lbs loss. What they found was many patients did so well with just the sleeve that they didn't need to finish the switch. For that reason, I'm glad that there's an option for those who need assistance with volume control.

For me, it wasn't my problem, so the metabolic changes the DS gave me is what made the difference for me. There is a tradeoff, and the warnings of malnutrition are real. It's not so much for the sleeve, because all parts are working as nature intended. You simply must eat healthy food, which you already do, and take supplements to fill in the cracks. DS and RNY with their more aggressive changes do require more complex supplementation to stay healthy, but it's really not a big deal once you're in good habits and keeping on top of it. It becomes a habit like taking any other medication daily.

The sleeve is a great procedure, but it doesn't work on everyone, so give this some serious thought. For the naysayers, you must know that you are researching this much more than what they have heard from their coworker's brother in law's cousin's best friend. You are not living your life for them, so this is your decision. Share what you learn with your husband so he can be at ease, too.