Would you do VSG again?

Without a moment's hesitation!! My biggest issue pre-op was portion control. I could eat as healthy as I am now, but I still ate enough for 4 adults. Getting the VSG solved that problem for me. Now I can put into action all of the healthy eating I knew how to do, but with such small portions, that demon is vanquished.

I also went ketogenic at 5.5 months post-surgery, and the combination of good proteins and good fats keeps me satiated for such a long time...way better than when I ate nothing but carbs pre-op. I eat only 3 meals a day now, no snacking. I am right at a year post-surgery, and I don't even crave carbs anymore. It's awesome getting your brain rewired after getting the stomach taken care of.

I wish you good luck and a great and happy future with whichever WLS you choose. I, like so many others, only wish I'd done it 10 years ago!!

Cathy, Thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate hearing your story and knowing that you are happy with your decision. Congratulations on taking care of yourself and your great success!

Paige

I'm not really sure how to answer this. If I needed another WLS, that would mean that my VSG was flawed in some way and causing me GERD or some other issue, so I wouldn't have VSG again - I'd have a different WLS that would fix whatever problems VSG had caused.

However, I think what you're actually asking it's "would you do it again in the future" but, "if you went back in the past, would you choose to do it if you had the choice to make again." Or something like that ;) And, definitely yes. I'm glad every day that I chose VSG and, if I had to live March 2014 over again, I wouldn't hesitate to show up for my surgery appointment!

The physical differences with VSG vs. any diet are the addition of restriction and the metabolic change. Those are great. For me, though, VSG gave me the breathing room I needed to not be frustrated about my body all the time and feel like a failure so that I could start addressing the actual problems that led to obesity - the mental health ones. The size of my stomach isn't what made me obese, my brain was the culprit there. Doing this surgery thing is what led to me addressing the mental health aspects. I'd never done this before VSG. Who knows if I could have done it without VSG - the only thing that really matters is that I didn't. And now I do/am/have. w00t :)

Hi Gwen,

Thanks for your response. I appreciate what you are saying about the mental health issues. I am sure I need to address my mind and relationship with food. Would you mind sharing how you have addressed your mental health issues?

I'm wondering if I should see a counselor or join a support group in addition to OH to help me not just now but after my surgery.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

Paige

Sure! I'm happy to share.

I started seeing a therapist 3-4 months pre-op and continued that regularly (once a week) for maybe 2 years. Then I went to every other week. Now I'm sort of "as needed." (I'm about 3.5 years post-op.) I tried to find a support group locally, but had no luck pre-op. I recently found one and have started going to that. I'm also about to try out a CBT group for bariatric patients that meets every other week - that starts this week. I tried Overeater's Anonymous, but it wasn't for me - it works well for other people though. I also got a diagnosis for my binge eating disorder and work with a psychiatrist to manage my medication for that.

So... basically my method has been to "try everything." :) In addition, I also work hard to be kind to myself because that helps as well. It's not always easy, but I try.

Gwen, I am all over this! Thank you so much for sharing and being so open. I'm going to call tomorrow to make an appointment with my therapist and look for a local support group.

"In addition, I also work hard to be kind to myself because that helps as well." - SO GOOD!!!

I believe mental health is everything. I'm hoping that VSG will be a part of getting me there.

THANK YOU!

Paige

You're welcome and good luck. I knew, going into this, that mental health would be really important to long term success so I sort of approached it the way I approach most things in life - try everything and see what'll work best for me. I already knew that "do nothing, ignore the issue and hope it goes away" wasn't working so.. :)

While I'm super thrilled about the results of the VSG, I wish I had been more open to the idea of an RnY. I had ruled it out early on because of my fears of rerouting the intestines. I feel better educated now and it really isn't as scary as I thought it was.

I'm one of the ones who developed GERD post-VSG. Thre's no knowing if you'll be one or not, but the percentages are high. I had a hiatal hernia repaired at the time of my VSG, but it didn't take for some reason. So I'm facing a second surgery at the end of this year to fix it again. I'm hoping this one will stick, but I wouldn't be the first on OH who's second repair failed too. It's not a problem I'd have with the RnY.

But at the end of the day, I'm so happy I chose to get surgery at all after years of being anti-surgery and thinking I could do it on my own despite always having regained and then some. My main problem was portion control, though I ate crappy food too once I had given up on myself. The sleeve has heled tremendously with that aspect. Whichever surgery you choose, you're doing something great for yourself!

Thanks, Cecily! I am sorry to hear your developed GERD and are having hernia issues but appreciate so much you saying that the surgery was going something great for yourself. Just what I needed to hear.

Congratulations on your weight loss.

THANK YOU!

Paige

Absolutely. I fall firmly in the camp of those that doubted the surgery would really and truly work for me prior to getting it... I was just hoping to lose enough to be able to move around better. I made it to a normal bmi in about 8 months, maintaining now nearly 6 years. Did blow out the gallbladder and dealt with a returning hiatel hernia, but both of those may well have happened without vsg. My health improved dramatically. And I mean dramatically dramatically.