Hello, Lightweights!

I haven't been here in a while, but I saw Roz's invitation in Menus and Miles to come to the Lightweights board and post. So here I am and glad to be back. Having had MGB, I don't really have a surgery support board (the MGB board is almost completely inactive 😢), but I always loved the camaraderie here. I never posted much because I felt like I had way more to learn than to offer. Then, I got busy finding my place in a new profession and fell away from OH for a bit. I popped back in to the Plastics board a couple months ago just before I had a lower body lift, but I'm really feeling the need for a home support board. Now that I've checked back in, I'll try to do a better job of doing my part to give instead of receive.

So, since I've been gone, I blew my surgeon's goal out of the water and reached my personal goal 🎉! As a result, I no longer have sleep apnea, impaired kidney function, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, prehypertension (my BP is actually a bit low now), or prediabetes. My knees and ankles don't hurt and I never have to sit out of an activity because 'I can't'. I'm a whole new woman. My goal now is to continue learning how to maintain my newfound health.

Hi Gina,

It's really interesting that you posted today.  I have been thinking about re-evaluating my goal weight and our stats are oddly similar.  Almost the same age, same height, almost exact same starting weight and your goal weight is what I set for myself. Of course I don't know what your frame is like and that could be a big difference.   My surgeon said my goal should be 155-165 or so and when they first said that I was not at all on board with it, it seemed too heavy still for me.  At my lowest adult weight I weighed about 155 and wore a size six in trousers and 4 in jeans and medium or large top (my upper body is always bigger than the bottom, I hate it!) I thought I would shoot for 135 this time and I am now thinking it might be too thin for me.  It sounds crazy to say "too thin" but my face is already starting to lose some elasticity and I look like I've aged a lot to me (friends say NO) Just wondering if you're satisfied at that weight and how long you've been at goal.  And if you don't mind telling me what size clothes you're in at that weight.  Thanks and Congrats on all your good health stats!

Hi! Our stats are really similar! Our surgeons' goals are the same, too. My surgeon set mine at 160. I knew from the beginning that I'd be more content at a lower weight, but it wasn't until I got to 143 (pre-lower body lift size 8 on bottom, small on top) that I felt like I was at a weight that felt acceptable to me personally. I tried to lose more--fearing the fourth year rebound weight gain--by restricting carbs even more than I already was, but the few pounds I lost came right back and I settled in at 143. I had been maintaining that weight since late January or so. Then last month, I had a lower body lift and the surgeon removed 5 pounds of skin and I lost a few extra during recovery. I seemed to get a bit of extra restriction from the abdominal muscle repair that came from the tummy tuck portion of the surgery (I've heard its temporary, darn it) and I'm back to struggling to hit 1000 calories again. As of my last weigh in a few days ago, I'm at 135.8 and my measurements are 35.5-27-37. I'm wearing a size 6 on bottom and a small on top. I'm still pear-shaped, but more proportionate now. My upper body is pretty thin. My clavicle is very prominent and my ribs show. And that 35.5 bust measurement? Nothing more than rolling up the empty skin, stuffing it into an unpadded bra, and measuring that. If the extra skin there were removed, I'd be much smaller. My thighs on the other hand... well, that's a whole other story!

Just curious, what is a mini gastric bypass.  You seem to have had excellent results!

Anne

Hi, Anne! I did have excellent results... of course, I'm only 19 months post-op and in maintenance for about 6, so the really hard work is still ahead of me. I'm going to cheat a little in my explanation of MGB. Another OH'er messaged me the same question, so I'm cutting and pasting part of my response:

MGB is similar to RNY in that it is restrictive and malabsorptive. The biggest technical differences are that the MGB only requires a single anastomosis and the new stomach is more like a 4-6 oz. sleeve created along the lesser curvature of the stomach. The remnant stomach remains intact, so the surgery is supposedly reversible and revisable. Here is a short animated video from my surgeon's website that explains it more precisely: http://mgb-surgery.com/procedure2012.htm There is also a dizzying amount of information on Dr. Rutledge's (the doctor who developed the technique) website at http://www.clos.net/.

Unfortunately, my employer wrote an exclusion into our policy for all bariatric surgery. My insurance company--barring the employer's exclusion--routinely covers RNY, VSG, and banding, but not MGB. Although there is mounting medical literature that shows MGB is as effective as RNY (here's one from 2005: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1357700/), it is still considered experimental and most insurance companies will not pay for it. The silver lining was knowing that I was going to have to pay out of pocket, so I might as well get exactly what I wanted. I already knew two people who had MGB 6 years earlier. Both were maintaining their weight loss and had experienced no complications. For me, it felt like the exact right thing to do, so I did it and so far, my new guts and I are getting along 😊

The worst part of MGB is the lack of community because there aren't armies of us like VSG'ers and RNY'ers. I find myself lurking on the VSG and RNY boards, but usually feel funny about posting with my MGB tagline. My surgeon and Dr. Rutledge have yahoo support boards for their patients, but neither is very active. I'd love to see this board hopping again.

Thank you, Texas. I'm a happy girl 😃. And a cautious one. Success can be fleeting as I am often reminded on OH.

Sounds like you've done great!  I didn't know what MGB was either - thanks for educating me!

this board has gone a bit quiet, and yes, we need to get it moving again. 

Congrats on your plastics!  I had my "girls" done and have been very happy with it.  I've had a TT too.  You're right, the temp restriction from the muscle tightening doesn't stay forever, but for awhile.  No lower body work - unfortunately my "rebound" has been in my butt/thighs... I've always hated them!  Had a time for about 2 years where I was happy with them, but alas, not to stay.  Of course I've become sedentary too... so that's part of the problem.

It's easy to migrate away from the board.  I find I get busy and try to get on, but it doesn't always happen. 

Thank you, Jody! My 'girls' are next in line. Hubby is looking forward to paying for that one 😉. I don't like my thighs now. Looks like I put on a pair of large, twisted nylons. I think I'm going to make myself live with them, though. Even if I had them fixed, I wouldn't be perfect. There's always something. Anyway, if I have rebound, I fully expect it to go to my butt and thighs, too. Thank heavens for Bermuda shorts and capris.

Welcome to or back to the LW's.  We are happy with any surgery type and so hang out with us.  Sounds like you are doing great and understand the fact that this is a lifetime work, not just getting to goal. 

thanks for the info on MGB.  I had heard of it but wasn't sure what it was.