Sleeve questions as time gets closer to making decision

I have my psychologist evaluation scheduled today followed by a meeting with the dietician and surgeon in November. I've started to hear from friends who know people who gained their weight back. Does the stomach get larger after a portion of it is removed, and it is stapled. Also...has anyone heard of complications from the staples? Do they stay in or dissolve? One last question...will I be able to eat normal size meals eventually? Thank you for any feedback!

You can gain the weight back with any surgery since you can eat around any surgery.  For example, I could eat a pint of ice cream a day if I wanted to right now.  That would be a supremely bad choice, of course, but I could do it and I'd certainly start gaining weight back.  

Staples stay in. 

You can stretch your stomach if you consistently overeat.  

You should never eat "normal" sized meals, since normal sized meals are stupidly large these days.  I don't expect to ever eat more than a cup of food (8 ounces) at a time and I hope to be satisfied with my current 4 ounces of food for a very long time to come.  

Gwen hit the nail on the head. Expect this to be a forever change in lifestyle. I'll add one thing that I've seen posted on here often and so rings true. Surgery is done on our stomachs, not our minds. It is something I have taken to heart, and will take to surgery with me next week.

the part of the stomach that is removed is the stretchy part so it will increase normally,just slightly,as time goes on, but you should never expect to eat a meal that is "normal" for ppl who do not have a sleeve. "Normal" for you is now different and you need to get the mindset that your new " normal" is perfectly right for you and not be worrying about trying to increase it.

the staples are titanium and I have never heard of anyone having a problem with them. They are perfectly compatible with the body or they wouldn't use them for every other type of surgery under the sun. They stay in and the body heals over them. They don't set off airport scanners or get yanked out by the magnets of a MRI machine. You never know they are there.

You can easily bypass the VSG controls by eating sugary substances like candy, ice cream or other deserts.

Also, if you eat a lot of grain based foods, which may or may not bypass the VSG controls directly, you'll kick your body into "fat accumulation mode" just that same as if you ate candy.  It's caused by spikes in insulin which both sugars and grains cause.

Both of these things can return you to your pre-VSG weight over time.  So, bottom line, make lifestyle changes that remove them from your life.  Sure, once in a while, have come ice cream or cake, but don't think of them in terms of "daily" or "weekly".  They are (and should be for everyone) "treats" and should be used sparringly.

I'm 9 yrs out from the duodenal switch - whi*****ludes a sleeved stomach.

1. Everyone knows someone who's had wls that gained their weight back.  This is a reality with all procedures, so keep that in the back of your mind that it isn't a free ride.
2. The stomach will get larger in time.  The best comparison is that you will start with the capacity of about an egg (not the shape, but capacity).  You will stretch to the capacity of a soda can.  This is significantly larger, but nowhere near the capacity of a football that you have today.
3. I suppose people can get complications from staples.  My doc does a staple line, then hand stitches on the outside of the sleeve just to be sure. For my outside incision, I had glue all the way down so no stitches or staples to contend with.
4. It will take a couple of years before you can eat smallish-normal sized meals...well...at least enough that people are questioning you anymore.

I have a coworker who is in the process of regaining weight post RNY. She told me it was teh wine in the evenings. So, I have quit drinking alcohol. I still need to break the carb addiction but first things first! I am slowly working my way towards goal and a healthier lifestyle!

This is a total change intended to last the rest of your life, but it can be "got around" for sure. The things that lead us to eat and drink in excess do not go away but we learn better ways to deal with them as we go along. Or there is regain.

Best of luck.