Am I too obese for a sleeve??

Hi all.  I am having WLS in either December or veyr early January. I am self-paying, and I was hoping to get the sleeve, but I haven't had my pre-op surgical consult yet with the surgeon so it is not definite.  If it isn't the sleeve, it will be the RNY. I'm not interested in the band.

I am 33 now, and I am super obese with a BMI of around 52. I weight 345-ish.  My doctor cleared me for gastric bypass, but I didn't talk to him about the VSG. I wanted to wait for the surgeon who is very experienced in RNY and also VSGs.

My reasoning is as follows:

1) Since I have to pay for it myself, the sleeve is a lot more attainable at $7K less with my surgeon than the RNY.

2) I have a VERY bad family history of arthritis (both Rheumatoid and Osteo-), and I am very worried about not being able to take any NSAIDs later in life, which most of the arthritis medications are.  I can take them with the sleeve, right?  Maybe that was a faulty assumption on my part...

3) I feel like with the sleeve as a tool, I could really have a significant weight loss. I used to be an athlete and a dancer, and if I could just get to a place where it isn't painful to do those activities again, I feel like I could be such an active person again and my weight would be easier to control.

4) If I don't see the results I need/want, I can have a revision to an RNY a few years in the future, and at that time I will have a different insurance plan which will hopefully not have a weight loss surgery exclusion.

Are my reasons, well, reasonable?  Or am I just too obese to be thinking about the sleeve?  I noticed on this message board that the vast majority of people who had the VSG are much less obese than I.

Thanks so much for your advice!

---Barbara
 

You are diffinately not to big for VSG!   I started just over 51 BMI and there are plenty of others here who had much higher BMI's and have been extreme.y successful.   The VSG is a wonderful tool and I couldn't be happier with my decision to have it done.

There are many heavy weight VSGers.  There is even a group for it with 349 members

http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/vsgswith150ormoretogo/

I think you have done your research and know what you want.  Revision to RNY will not be necessary if you can eat right and exercise.  The VSG is shown to be better than 80% expected weight loss and the more logical division would be to DS but that should not be necessary if you can eat right and exercise.

You are correct on NSAIDs and the RNY do not mix, the blind stomach can get ulcers that cannot be treated via normal means.

I once thought the VSG was a selfpay surgery for lightweights and more of a cost decision that a surgical selection but after much reading the issues with the RNY and Lapband made them much less desirable than the VSG for my situation.

There are several 50+ BMIers that had the VSG.  OldMedic always comes to mind .. he's lost something like 200 pounds.  At this stage, there appears to be little long-term difference between RNY and VSG results, though there is obviously less data for the VSG.  If you are self-paying anyway, I would seriously check out the sleeve.  I consider it a permanent, yet less intrusive procedure than the RNY.

It is true that the sleeve seems to be the "lap band alternative" for lower BMIers, but don't let that fool you. 

Hi Barbie...
I just had to do that, cause that's who you are going to look like when it's all over with...!!!!
It will be Barbie-at-the-Beach...!!!

Welcome...you're family here...!!!

cyndy

My surgeon, Dr. Cirangle, reported that he performed the sleeve on a 600 lb man and he was doing well. Also, sleeve could have follow up and become the duodenal switch if necessary. So i bet you are not too heavy for the sleeve. IN fact, much of the research on it is on higher bmi patients. d

I have lost 160 lbs in 17 months and started out with a 50-51 bmi...You will do well if you follow the doctors orders!!

Good luck 

Hugs

Donna

Hi,

Mine BMI started over 50, I had my VSG 5 weeks ago and mine is now under 50, and I have lost nearly 40 pounds.

Julie

Hi Barbara-  If you're too obese, than I definitely was!  I had my VSG in April of this year.

I'm 25.  I had a starting BMI of 60.  I weight 341 on the day of surgery.  I now weigh 239 and tomorrow is my 7 month surgiverary.

I don't think you should go into this surgery thinking "If this doesn't work, I'll have another surgery later"   The VSG is the right surgery for you if you are a volume eater.  The amount you will be able to eat will be very limited.  But we absorb everything we eat. This surgery is just a tool.  You will definitely need to make lifestyle changes to be successful because if we still eat "bad" foods, we won't lose weight.

Many of us had higher BMIs than the lightweights, but are still successful.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!

I think you meant 239... ;)