Want your thoughts.....the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Those of you who have the sleeve could you please briefly share your experiences.

What has been the best part?

How does it feel if  you accidentally overeat?

What is the worst complication?

Would you do it again?

I'm considering a revision to a sleeve and want all the info I can get.

 

I am 3 weeks post op and it has been challenging. I won't say HARD because, well, I'm stubborn as they come. The best part, so far, has been seeing myself shrink into clothes I haven't worn in over a year. If I accidently overeat, it feels like pressure in my chest and like food is stuck in my throat. (I highly suggest you read into dumping syndrome.) It can happen even when you are extremely careful. My worst complication (not really a complication) has been dumping syndrome. It hurt pretty badly. The pain after surgery was to be expected, but it wasn't bad. I also wasn't allowed to lift my daughter for the last 3 weeks. So that kind of sucked. Would I go through EVERYTHING again? AB SO LUTELY!!

Best part - easy recovery, fast weight loss, almost instant response from people.

Overeat - Hurts and is scary because you don't know if you've done any damage.

Complications - I have not had any complications per se. I think the worst part is the constipation but I am taking probiotics now which help immensely.

Do it again - for sure.

 

The best part is I dont really feel hungry anymore, and I dont think of food very often. Like I did before (constantly)   If I overeat, uh I feel like **** Its like my esophagus gets full of food. There is pain in my chest. Very uncomfortable. I havent done this very much just a couple of times at restaurants (much easier to measure food at home) Really there is no signal from MY body until its too late. So I just try to eat less automatically to avoid the feeling.   I think the worse complication is a leak. Which is leak in the staple line. Pretty rare but can happened. Happened to a friend of mine, she just had to have a drain for about a week after and be on clear liquids longer.   Oh yes I would do it again for sure. Its not a magic bullet (like I thought it would be for some reason) I still have to work at it to make sure I dont overeat, dont eat slider foods (which go right down and have more calories) and also that I work out a little bit everyday.   Good luck on your decision!  

The best part is knowing that I will be successful, that I have this great tool to ensure that I maintain my healthy weight once I reach it. I previously lost weight and re-gained, and once I got to that point, for various reasons, I lost all hope. Having this tool gives me the hope and faith I personally needed to turn things around.

Rarely, if I ever overeat, it is a little unpleasant. It's hard to describe the feeling, but it sort of just feels like a heaviness. I have never overeaten to the point where I have gotten sick, just a little uncomfortable.

I did not have any complications with surgery itself, the only thing that I dislike is the gas that I constantly deal with.

Yes, I would absolutely do it again. My insurance does not cover WLS so I had to pay cash, and while I hated spending that much money on myself, it was the best thing I could have spent that amount of money on.

Okay, I'm seven months post op, not a Vet, but here are my thoughts:

The best part for me has been finding myself again. I look in the mirror and see the person I always thought I was. 

If I accidentally overeat I feel bloated and nauseous, much like I would have pre-op after a big Thanksgiving dinner, but now it's with about 3-4 oz. I don't get this very often because I try to eat somewhat slowly and portion my meals accordingly. 

I've had no major complications. I have had some back issues and have had to see a chiropractor regularly recently, but I was told this is common after massive weight loss, not specific to VSG. This is also true for my hair loss, which has been significant.  I can handle most foods, except for any kind of bread. Of course food tolerance will vary from person to person.

I would do it again and again and again. I would not have told you that the first few weeks out. I was miserable when my food was first "taken" from me, but now that I'm on the other side of the tunnel I see what a beautiful thing VSG has been for me.

I'm scheduled to have the sleeve surgery.  I'm trying to anticipate how much time I will need to be off of work.  I have a desk job, so no physical assertion.  I'm hoping to return after two weeks.  Is this reasonable?

Everyone is different, obviously. For me personally, I was in the hospital 2 nights and I did not take ANY pain pills once I left the hospital. I was not in quite enough pain to warrant taking them. Discomfort for the first few weeks, but not any severe pain. The worst pain I had was the gas I dealt with the first couple days. To answer your question, I think that is entirely reasonable assuming you have no complications.

Thanks for your response, that helps!

You're welcome. Hope your experience is as uneventful as mine. :)