My surgeon wants to use a 40 Bougie and I'm concerned.

Had my pre-op yesterday and my surgeon told me he plans to use a 40 bougie with and over sew.  I'm freaking out.  I know I will be able to drop weight... I'm committed to this lifestyle but I'm worried about regain and long-term success.  Where can I go to get this data?  

He's head of Center of Excellence but he does the biggest bougie in the practice with his peers using a38/36 respectively.   How concerned should I be?  I don't want to go through all of this just to end up with gain in a few years!!!

A little depressed......

Elisa

Checkout this thread, it may help you understand the size difference.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4599794/Informativ e-Bougie-Size-Information/

 

Thank you for that thread.  That was very informative!

Thanks for the link.

My surgeon used a 38 which I was a little hesitant about. Ideally, I would've loved a 36 & no smaller but at the same time my recovery was a breeze, overall I feel great, I'm just exhausted all of the time. I can eat 1-2ozs comfortably, I get in all of my protein & water. I think a 38 was perfect for me. Ultimately, it's your choice, this surgery costs a ton of money so think it through & do what you think will be best for you.

Thanks for the support and advice. I know it's a much discussed subject I guess I'm fearful of failure...

Elisa

I am up in the 40s and loosely sewn.  No problem making to goal or maintaining so far.  Some will post that people with this size sleeve can eat 16 ounces- a crock of crap.  You will be able to eat around any size sleeve you have.  I had no complications, no acid issues, excellent tolerance, no issues getting my fluids in, and now eat a small normal sized meal.  Typical "big" meal for me would be 4 ounces protein, very small salad, and a little cooked veggies.  Protein shake still works perfect as a meal when used, restriction is just fine unless I decide to eat a lot of carb... but those slide through smaller sleeves too.  I wouldn't change a thing.  

I have a 40F and am lucky to get in my 3 oz of protein at 11 months out. Everyone has an opinion but I know for me, I couldn't have gone much smaller because I already suffered from GERD prior to the surgery. I didn't have any problem meeting goal and my new habits are pretty firmly in place now that I'm almost a year out. Again, I plan on being vigilant to maintain my new weight and that's by weighing myself daily and addressing gain as it happens. I have also learned my trigger foods and I know that I just can't go back there again. Since my trigger foods are slider foods like potato chips it really wouldn't matter if I was 32 or 40, I could eat a bag of chips and end back up at 271 so I can't have even 1. But, that's just me... everyone has what works for them.

Thanks everyone for all the information.  I feel much better about having a 40.  I'm ready to get on the loser's bench...

Elisa

My surgeon, who is probably the leading expert in my country, consistently uses a 40f bougie. He's found that it prevents the development of GERD, whereas the smaller bougies often lead to GERD.  I was totally cool with that!