VGS with BMI 35

So I'm looking at gastric sleeve and my weight is around 255-260 and my height is 6 ft 1/2 inch and i'm 50yo. Over the last 15 years my weight has been as high as 300lbs, and then as low as 240 (only after doing atkins stringently for 6 months). I work as a nurse so I wear scrubs which disguise my big belly which is where I carry most of my weight. People tell me that m y weight is fine, but i'm unhappy with the fact that I always seem to regain weight, and I'm scared of ending up like both of my parents---morbidly obese, diabetic, and crippling back pain. I'm fairly active with work and enjoy going to the gym and bicycling, but I can't get my weight below its current plateau for any length of time. I have no comorbidities---i'm not diabetic, no sleep apnea, etc, so this would be out of pocket. I am looking for folks who may have had this surgery with a BMI like mine, especially interested in those who might have gone to mexico.

Have you considered RNY? Gastric bypass is a great procedure for lightweights. If you've ever had reflux than it is a better procedure than VSG. You don't want to have to revise from VSG to RNY if you develop GERD or it worsens post-sleeve gastrectomy. Cut once, not twice.

I recommend Dr. Esquerra at Mexicali Bariatric Center. Many OHers have had surgery there and are very happy with the experience and healthy.

hello, my bmi fluctuates between 35.3 and 36.1 and I am scheduled for sleeve surgery this month. I am 51 and havent been able to budge the svale in the right direction for 3 years! I do have mild sleep apnea & a couple other commorbidities. If you can afford it, i say , why not? It could be just the tool you need.

I have heard many good outcomes with surgeries in Mexico, i think the key is getting a good medical tourism agency. Good luck to you

I had my VSG about 2.5 months ago . My BMI was 35 . I also had no comorbidities, so this was an out of pocket expense for me. I did this for myself . I was also told by everybody that my weight was fine and that I should not do this. I have lost about 44 pounds since the surgery . I feel so much better about myself now. I have had my ups and downs, but I still feel like this was the right decision for me.

good luck on your journey!

David, It sounds like you and I had about the same body issues. I had a DS/BPD 8 years ago, I lost the weight and am maintaining at weight since 6 months after surgery. Results for WLS vary greatly as I have observed and people get upset when they have to work hard to maintain. My sleeve was about the size of a banana and it has stretched some to about 12-14 oz size. I indeed had co-morbs so I opted for the DS. And the BPD hooked up my pancreas separate from the common channel. Because my stomach was very large and the Small Intestine so long I absorbed every oz of food I ate and I ate a lot! Dr. Anthone the surgeon made the call on common channel and I must say it is perfect as I take in with regular eating habits everything I need in Vitamins and protein

DS/BPD 5/10/2010
Common channel: 250cm
BPD: 500cm
Total length before surgery: 755cm