Considering the Sleeve...

Hello all.  I am considering the Sleeve, but I am terrified to make up my mind.  I am 5'9" and currently weigh about 340.  I am 45 years old and have been overweight all my life.  I have been on every diet ever invented.  It scares me to death thinking about getting part of my stomach cut out of me.  I LOVE ice cream and sweets and I'm afraid of never enjoying them again.  AND I am terrified of the loose skin after weight loss and not having it covered by insurance.  My husband is not supportive of weight loss surgery but I think it is because he is afraid I will lose the weight and leave him.  We have no children...I was unable to because of my weight.  HELP!  I guess I just need some encouragement.  I am sooo conflicted. 

For a sleeve stomach, all they are doing is reducing capacity.  Think of making a paper bag smaller by cutting the top off.  All working parts of the stomach are intact and working as nature intended.  It just cannot hold as much as it did before.

For your weight, I would also recommend a look at the duodenal switch.  It's got a sleeve stomach, but added malabsorption to help with the long-term loss.  Think of the sleeve with turbo-power.  Some get revised to the DS later after the sleeve (the sleeve as a stand-alone came from DS patients doing well enough on the first phase when they needed the DS in 2 parts).  They do this if they've not lost as expected or start regaining.  Some people just need more than eating less.  Whichever though, you'll need to limit your sweets.  You don't have to say goodbye forever, but it can't take center stage.

On the skin, I'm afraid there's no comfort I can offer.  If it's going to happen, it's going to happen, no matter what exercise, lotion or potion you try.  Being 45, your skin is already on the downward trend no matter what.

For me, early death or incapacitation was a lot scarier than getting part of my stomach removed or ending up with loose skin.

If you love ice cream and sweets more than you love having a long and healthy and happy life, weight loss surgery may not be for you. That said, I am perfectly capable of enjoying ice cream and sweets, I just have to save those for special occasions.

I have lost just about 200 lbs. A little loose skin doesn't stop me from having freedoms I could never have imagined at over 350 lbs. I wish I could tell you how great life can be as a slim person. I was also obese all of my life and tried mightily not to be -- nothing worked (long term****il sleeve surgery. I would never trade the health and happiness I have now for unlimited ice cream. That's a really bad deal.

With respect to loose skin -- yes, I have some. The only people who ever see it are romantic partners and health care professionals, and they can deal with it. Really, for most people, unless you are running around in crop tops and booty shorts, loose skin isn't a public issue. And I promise you, even when standing completely naked, I am a lot more attractive with "loose" skin than I am when I had the same amount of skin but it was stuffed with mounds of fat. That's not so cute either.

No one can decide what path is right for you ... Not anyone here , not your husband or friends.

i will say that whatever you decide you should be at peace with your choice and not second guess.

Seven years ago I looked into doing the band .. I went all the way to meeting with the dr.(it was easier back then --less hoops to jump through) and I backed out .. Something in me wasn't ready ..last year around this time I went to the dr and he suggested I revisit my decision .. I told him I'll go through the paperwork and appointments but I am not making a decision yet...

well 3 months in to the pre authorization  I was hooked .. I couldn't wait to change my life..

i guess what I am saying is .. Start the process ,half way through if your not excited about where your life can be then stop .. No harm done .. But if you find yourself looking forward more than looking at your plate .. You'll know your ready!!

good luck in whatever you choose!!

sleeved on feb 24 2016 down 57lbs and loving life 

1, You enjoy food just as much post surgery- actually more. Most of us actually savor it more mindfully due to the smaller portions (in a really good way). No worries there. There is an adjustment period first out, but for sure once everything heals up this is not an issue.

2. Bummer about the hubby not being supportive, but this is about you and not him. Your health and quality of life will improve dramatically. The best that I can say about his fears of you leaving is that this is his insecurity and it should not dictate your decision to improve your health. My hubby was worried too (although he never expressed it until my tummy tuck)- just continue to love him and eventually he will realize it is not an issue. 

3. You will have loose skin. It is far far better though than all of the weight we carry around without question. I did have the tummy tuck, and now have a perfectly flat tummy similar to my lean and athletic teen years, Don't worry about it.

Couldn't agree more with all your points, but especially the one about enjoying food more. I enjoy food SO MUCH MORE than prior to surgery. I have also become a much pickier eater. No more eating something just because it's there. If I'm not enjoying it 100%, I'm not wasting my limited tummy real estate on it.

Kudos to this post. I, too, am enjoying food sooo much more and I'm just out of the chute. This morning I had applesauce with a scoop of protein powder, warmed it slightly and grated fresh nutmeg on top of it. I see people post that we should not love foods anymore. Whaaaaat?! For the first time, I'm TASTING what I'm eating because I'm using a baby spoon and have slowed down to enjoy it. It's a great thing to me. I'm anxious to put my instant pot to use with homemade apple sauce, bone broth, soups and dense proteins. I grow my own herbs and love cooking with fresh, fresh foods. I'm all cha-chingy here about my new life. Thumbs up!

Oh sheesh, careful with the IP applesauce- that stuff is positively addicting!

Like others have said, ultimately you have to think long and hard about if you are willing to change your life forever. The sleeve is just a tool - it makes it easier to be "good" - but you control what you put in your mouth. I was scared of getting part of my stomach removed too, and actually asked my surgeon "But, don't I actually NEED the rest of my stomach for something?" And the answer was "No!" We don't live as hunter-gatherers with periods of famine where you need to store food. My stomach was also so stretched out from years of abuse that NO diet was going to help me at that point because gherilin was working against me.

I am 5'10" and was 348 when I started my 2 week pre-op diet. I have gone my entire life yo-yo'ing up and down on the scale. I tried every single diet out there. I was tired, frustrated, and spiraling completely out-of-control. I chose to have the sleeve because I didn't want to spend the remainder of my life being held back by my weight - not only physically, but mentally.

My husband was dead-set against me having the surgery because he was scared of something happening to me, and I let him know flat out that if I keep going the way I'm going, the risks are far greater than that of this procedure. He eventually got on board after I eased him into the idea by educating him about the minimal risks, etc.

And like others have said - typically, the only way to avoid loose skin is to not lose weight. My best friend lost 100 lbs. through diet and exercise and she has JUST as much (if not more) loose skin that I do.

I had access to WLS for years before I did it. I had to be ready to do it before I could proceed. It doesn't sound like you are ready.

Even though it was hard to imagine life as a thinner person because like you, I was overweight my entire life, and had no concept of how to live in and interact with the world as a normal sized person, I finally came to the determination that I was literally killing myself and I could not continue to be so F'n miserable ALL the time.

Looking back, despite all the rough patches, there is almost nothing that compares to living life in a "normal body" (and im still technically obese at 220 lbs). the way the world views me and the way I view the world has done a complete 180. My life right now is beyond my wildest imagination - even when rolling into surgery, I didn't know I could have a life that was full and complete and that I would actually look forward to waking up every day. I used to go to bed wishing to die in my sleep - now I jump in bed with excitement for the next day. No my life isn't easy but I have changed so much that I can deal with the rough days.

for me, I have a sharp decision to make - either eat sugar and sweets and be a crazy person, or not eat them and be a sane person with a wonderful life. I PERSONALLY chose to completely abstain from all recreational sugar and flour products, as well as binge foods. And I have for the last 8 months almost. Do I miss it? I don't know. What I don't miss is that out of control feeling where I literally can't stop eating and the shame and embarrassment and guilt and self loathing that follows a binge. I enjoy the peace and serenity and sanity I have around my food 100 X more than I love sugar. And sugar was my go to drug - like I would eat 5000-6000 calories a day in pure sugar (and on donut day, a little fat too to mix it up). So I get it. But it comes down to a choice in the quality of life.

I recommend checking out overeaters anonymous if you can. It has saved my life, saved me from a 90lb regain that was heading to a 200 lb regain if I didn't get it together. If you want to chat more, feel free to PM me (that goes for anyone that wants to chat about food issues and/or OA)