Will the sleeve work for me? 250+ pounds to lose

Hello all, I've been a member of this page for several years and still have yet to get any surgery. All of the insurance companies I've had, have totally excluded WLS of any kind. I have gained about 100 pounds since I first starting wanting to have WLS. I would ultimately love to have the DS but that is upwards of $25,000 for the cost of a hotel since they don't even offer it in Oklahoma. I've found a wonderful surgeon here in OKC that offers the sleeve for a little under $10,000. I can afford that since I'll get 1/3 of that back in taxes soon. I just would like to hear from those who were extremely obese who had great success with the sleeve. Please chime in if you can, thanks so much

Stacy

Yes, you can. BUT you're in for the long haul and it gets harder the further out you are. The big question is can you commit to making it work? Any surgery will work if you're willing to put the time into it. I'm almost 20 months out and down almost 212 pounds. There ARE some that have lost like 200 pounds in that first year. It really depends on YOU.

I went for the sleeve too and had the same reservation, but the side effects from the DS and the lifetime insanity of vitamins turned me off. Ultimately I decided to do the sleeve and if in a few years I wasn't happy, I could always revise. I've made it work though. Make sure you have a GOOD surgeon. That's the second key, aside from your own commitment.

The 3rd key was mental health for me. Honestly, I think that's been a bigger contributing factor than the surgery. The surgery will only get you so far. You have to want it and do your part.

Ditto!

I agree completely with what Candy says.  You can lose the weight, but you cannot depend on the surgery to do all of the work for you.  Thats a way to end up poor and frustrated.

For me, I tell people that I did not lose weight because I had bariatric surgery.  I said this in front of all of the staff and surgeons of my bariatric clinic.  What the surgery did for me was level the playing field so that I could work on my food issues - compulsive and addictive eating habits.  The surgery took away the biological pressures to eat so that I could work on those head issues.

The surgery is only one tool of many I now have in my healthy lifestyle toolbox.  Its an important tool, but its my tool of last resort.  If I have to rely on my restriction to stop me from eating - I have let myself get out of control.

As for how much weight I have lost - I have lost 170 lbs and have kept it off for about 7.5 months now. There are people in my group who have lost over 200 and some who are in the process of losing that much.

Make sure you go to a center of excellence to have your surgery - a place that provides nutritional and emotional support after your surgery.  Find a good support group or overeaters anonymous.  If you find you are still struggling with those resources, consider private therapy along with your surgery.

"What the surgery did for me was level the playing field so that I could work on my food issues - compulsive and addictive eating habits.  The surgery took away the biological pressures to eat so that I could work on those head issues."

Love this :)

Me too Happy!

Very well put Rob, what you said gave me a new perspective which I was hoping to find today on this board...and it's only 8:27 a.m.

Deidra

Candy girl is tellin it........!!!!

frisco

You guys are so awesome!! I had a small typo in my post, I meant to say the DS was about 25,00 PLUS the cost of hotel fees. I'm not sure why I posted the hotel would be 25,00. I guess it was too early for my brain lol!

YES

Candy definitely nailed it. I've lost over 200 + lbs - your success will depend on your commitment. Honestly, the sleeve does nothing to stop me from binging on cookies, cakes, or sucking down lots of liquid calories - the biggest causes of my obesity to begin with. It's all me  and my choice not to consume those things. The DS wouldn't help me either seeing as how I'd still be absorbing 100% of those simple carbs/sugars - and that's one reason I chose not to pursue that avenue. I didn't get fat pigging out on protein and fat so it was a tool I didnt necessarily need (and definitely not a commitment I could have made).