Ten Years Post-op (or close)

I'm not 7 years out, only 4!

I don't know anyone who's out past 5 1/2 years or so...and not many of those. But they seem happy. I know one person has regained a significant amount, but the majority are maintaining.

So, I don't think it IS possible to answer your question for sure. I know that I fully anticipate being happy at 10 years out based on my first 4 years. Life is great with the VSG!

Well, you can never know... but this is my take on it:

Most problems with any WLS seem to happen in the first couple of years up to 5 years. If you make it to 5 years and you are happy, then most likely you'll be happy in 10 years. And, if a surgery has been performed for more than 5 years, you can know if it's going to be successful.

My aunt had stomach cancer in the 60s and had a partial gastrectomy and then it came back a few years before my VSG and she had another (maybe it's all gone now so a total gastrectomy?). The second time she did have a leak... a small, slow one that took forever to diagnose and to heal. But she was just fine after the first one and lived a normal life the entire time I knew her. (We are on different coasts now and don't really keep in touch.)

There are tons of people who have partial gastrectomies ... every WLS is a form of one and they used to do them all the time for ulcers (before they figured out a lot were caused by bacteria) and they do them for stomach cancer and to cure gastroparesis. We have decades of research into partial gastrectomies. This is what we know:

-Most people live full and normal lives with few adaptations needed - mostly just not eating too fast, chewing well and eating small meals more frequently
-Maldisgestion of certain elements can be an issue due to the smaller stomach and lack of stomach acid and intrinsic factor. Calcium, in particular is a big problem and it's why we supplement so much and only with certain kinds. B12 can be an issue for some, but that's rarer. Iron is also an issue with some, but even rarer. Protein absorption is also an issue but that's the rarest of the rare.
-If the pylorus valve is removed (as with RnY and some stomach cancers) that can cause post gastrectomy syndrome, but that's not an issue with VSG (more on post gastrectomy syndrome: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/post_gastrectomy_syndrome/dd_overview.aspx)

For VSG in particular, the shape of the stomach causes a high-pressure system and this sometimes leads to untreatable GERD. However, a lot of MO who have GERD pre-op have it because of a hiatal hernia. This can be repaired during WLS and then most likely GERD resolves or is greatly lessened. So I don't think a VSG is precluded if you have GERD. It depends on the cause. OTOH, RnY pretty much always cures GERD so if you have GERD and it's not from a hiatal hernia or just from being overweight, then that's something to consider.

Thanks for your lengthy responses!

I have learned a lot; I didn't know that gastrectomies were performed for reasons other than weight-loss, although it seem obvious now that I think about it - doctors remove all sorts of body parts...

 Mind if I pipe in here?  I'm only 9 months out, so I'm not nearly as experienced as others.  One way to view this, and this was my way, was that I can spend the next ten years as a thin, healthy person and maybe have to battle regain, or I could have stayed obese and unhappy for the next ten years, guaranteed.  I am very happy with my decision, I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I self paid, so you can bet your bippy I am going to get the most bang for my buck out of my VSG.  It's really up to you whether or not you keep the weight off.  It's a tool, but a very powerful tool.  Keep us posted!
Marie

How do I know that this surgery won't cause other, unknown problems to develop? (rhetorical question) The obvious answer is that I don't know what other problems might develop. I do know which problems the surgery is likely to resolve. The question is: is that enough?

That's when you look at the data for the partial gastrectomies and decide if those things are things you can live with.

We all have to make this decision with what information is available.  It's good to know what you're getting into.  For sure we know that obesity will lead to diabetes, heart disease, severe arthritis, increased risk of colon cancer, breast cancer and other cancers.  Depression, respiratory ailments, the list goes on and on.  For me, those risks far outweighed the risks from a VSG.

Ditto to everything that everyone has said. I was more afraid of NOT having the surgery, than the surgery itself. I was headed towards the path of diabetes, I had severe sleep apnea, hypertension, the beginning of joint and back issues, and the list goes on. Frankly, I didn't know what else to do. I was very stuck and was at my highest weight, ever. Now, all those issues have been resolved and I feel so much healthier and happier.

I will say, that as I get further out from surgery, it becomes more about the choices that I make on a day to day basis, than the surgery itself. WLS is only a tool to help us to get to a healthier BMI. The restriction helps, but any WLS can be eaten around, so it is still up to us to eat correctly and to exercise. I never thought that I would I would achieve my current weight. The VSG helped me to do so, along with making proper food choices, weighing and measuring my food, food journaling, weight training, and aerobic exercise. It takes all of this to be, and to remain successful.

Good Luck to you!!!

Gail

Ditto the fear of *not* having surgery.  The chances of what "could" happen from surgery were chances, the reality of what was coming at me as a MO human were PROMISES. 

The low percentage of chances were worth the price of not enduring the promises of what was coming, for me.