anyone unhappy with the VSG
There are people that do have regrets but I am not one of them. The thing that anyone who is going to have weight loss surgery needs to realize is that this is not a quick fix or a miracle cure. This is not easy and if you want to be successful long term, you need to follow your program and learn to have a new relationship with food. This is a lifestyle change.
In the beginning the weight will come off but there does become a time when you have to start doing the work. I log my food, I eat my protein first and try to exercise 3-4 times per week. People that I have personally talked to who have started to put the weight back on did not log their food and did not exercise. Once they got the weight off they qui****ching what they ate and then they let the weight gain get out of hand. They also did not stay part of the support groups to hold themselves accountable.
If you are ready to make a life long lifestyle change then you will be successful with your surgery. If you slip back into your old ways and not eat healthy, then you will more than likely regain at least part of or all the weight back.
Good Luck on your journey!
I am in the 4- 6% who have had a complication called a stricture. Causes vomiting and extreme nausea. So, yeah, I have had my regrets for sure, since I have been as sick as a dog for the past 8 weeks of my 12 week ago surgery. I HAVE been very depressed, for sure!!!!!!
But, I am getting medical help to get it fixed and I hope I will be normal soon. One thing I was telling my friend today about the Sleeve is that this new Sleeved stomach is like an alien in your body, in a way. This is not the same stomach you have had for the past "X" years of your life. This new stomach will most likely give you one or MORE of these problems - acid reflux, heartburn, constipation, foamies, feeling sick and full (sometimes, a few times, or only once ina Blue Moon - depends on what you are doing, overeating, or whatever)....I mean, maybe there are people on this board who have not experienced any of these - I do not by any means wish to speak for any others! I am just saying, beware that no surgery is perfect and you *may* be one with some sort of complication. Maybe just constipation. Maybe just getting the foamies once or twice. Just know what is possible, and do your research and study this board and read all the old posts. Know what this surgery brings with it, the good, the bad.....don't be blindsided like, "Oh, no one ever told me I would have to take Miralax every night for the rest of my life! I had no idea?!"
But, I have ALSO lost 50 lbs in almost 12 weeks (my big goal was to loose 55lbs, so 50 isn't bad). So, I still am very glad to have this lifesaver Sleeve, but I am just suffering through complications at the moment. I would rather have this surgery than the RNY. Ultimately, I am definitely someone who feels like the only thing I regret is not getting my sleeve sooner. Wish I had had it in my early 30s instead of at age 41!
- Geneen Roth
The only thing I regret is not getting my sleeve sooner. Though, I had to be in the right place emotionally physically and mentally to be successful. I am still in the "honeymoon phase" and trying to learn the skills to carry me through when the weight loss slows and the novelty wears off. I do have some hunger, and am hoping it doesn't come roaring back at super strength, I will deal with that when it comes; one day, one meal at a time
Anne
HW 259 GW 145 CW 140.2 Not finished yet? 
Gross bandages to change, pain, foamies, nausea, vomiting and the inability to sleep comfortably the first couple of weeks. I had read all of those things prior to surgery and was prepared to handle; however, it did not stop me from wondering if I made the right decision. Now, almost 5 weeks out I'm very glad I made the decision. I'm still learning how to manage my sleeve but tracking and weighing food keeps me on target. I was able to wear a pair of capri pants this past Saturday that had been hanging in my closet for two years, and they were loose! Each day is getting better and some days are better than others. I guess we could say that about most anything, such as work. I'm glad to finally focus on me and taking steps to ensure I'm healthy. That keeps me going. It's too easy to give up...the sleeve keeps me motivated.
I'm 4 months post op and have gone through my regrets, I've had two abscesses post op... one from a leak and another caused by the drain that fixed the 1st leak! I've been in and out of the hospital the past few months and its been crazy. I have lost 88lbs in 4 months but have been in pain and trapped in hospitals that I havent really been able to "enjoy" the weight loss.
I'm hoping there are no more complications and things can go back to normal... and maybe I can finally enjoy the weight loss.
As of now, I'm on the fence about the sleeve. I regret it some days... well, most of the days so far but I'm hoping that will change in the next few months.
At 4 weeks out, there are definitely some days I have regretted it. I had a rare complication that I haven't really seen mentioned here.
I felt pretty good for about the first 10 days after surgery, then I started having terrible pain in my abdomen that wouldn't go away. At first, myself and my surgeon just thought it was constipation, so I did milk of magnesia and miralax and when I was no longer constipated, the pain was still there. I cried every night because the pain was worse at night when I tried to sleep. I couldn't get comfortable no matter what I did. I got about 3 hours of sleep in 4 days. I called my surgeon again the next day and he agreed something just wasn't right and this was not normal recovery pain. He is 2 1/2 hours away, so he said to find a nearby hospital that was a bariatric center of excellence and get to the ER for a CT scan. Luckily, I went and had the scan. It turns out that everything was good with my sleeve, but I had blood clots buried pretty deep in my superior mesenteric vein and also the main and right portal veins.
They said there was nothing I could have done to prevent this from happening, it is different than getting blood clots in your legs from not moving enough after surgery. The danger is that the blood supply to my bowels will be cut off and my bowels will die. Even though they didn't touch these areas during the surgery, they say just having any type of surgery can put your body in a hyper coagulant state that can cause this to happen. The thought is that I have a genetic predisposition to a clotting disorder. I have an appointment with a hematologist in a few weeks to be tested and to find out more.
I hope someday when I don't feel sick all of the time, I will grow to love my sleeve. I do feel like I am turning a corner. I love that I have lost 29 lbs. in a month, but I hate that food doesn't taste good to me anymore and that I feel weak all the time because every single protein shake I have tried makes me want to vomit.
