Gastric Sleeve

i wish you well in whatever choice you make. i will say this, of all the people i know that have done the gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, lap band - only ONE has maintained a weight loss... two died of surgical complications, and the rest ended up losing weight initially, and are all bigger than before their surgeries now. it's all about making a lifestyle change and maintaining it - if you can view it as a kick start to a lifestyle change and be disciplined enough to carry through, maybe you should look into it, if you view it as a magic bullet, i'd advise you to wait until your view on it changes. good luck!

Hubs had lap band done in August 2011. His surgery was so called ambulatory, and he was discharged the same day. He was a little groggy for about a week, then his usual self. He's lost a total of 75 lbs to date. It has changed the way he eats, and that will remain the case forever. He used to eat nothing all day, then eat a lot at dinner. Now, he eats 3 small meals a day. There is nothing which is truely off limits, but he still suffers nausea if he eats too much or too quickly. Cake, bread and baked goods are tough on him. So he's largely eating fruit and veg, protien, and a bit of carbs.

He has always been one to eat home cooked foods. He just ate mountain man foods (calorie rich and hearty, a diet that worked during his days as a ski instructor), when he is now a city boy. Also, he ate too much of them, too late in the day, and was sluggish and lethargic all day as a consequence.

The lap band has basically forced his hand. It makes him only able to comfortably eat a sensible portion of a sensible balance of food.

I understand that the band is easy to undermine though, especially if you are an emotional eater, or there are other things at play. The band for instance wouldn't stop you from having milkshakes or cheese doodles all day. If you hope to continue to eat that way, save yourself the bother of the surgery.

As for the pain, his biggest complaint, at the time was resolving gas pain (attendant to his orthoscopic surgery).

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

I had gastric sleeve done in December 2010. (1.5 years ago) I personally think it is the best of the 3 procedures. Bypass seems too invasive and affects the way you tolerate certain foods (vomiting and "dumping" syndrome. I didn't want lap band because of the frequent visits that are necessary and I didn't want a foreign object in my body. With the sleeve, I lost 115 pounds in 1 year, and have had no problem maintaining it since then. (I am at goal weight now - which is smaller than I've ever been in my life) The procedure is by no means a magic bullet, but I do still enjoy all the foods I've always lived, just in smaller portions. I still believe it was the best decision for me and one of the most important ones I've ever made. I do stay on the scale regularly, not to be a slave to the scale - but to ensure that nothing creeps back on unexpectedly the way it seemed to when I did let my weight get out of control.
As far as the procedure, I was off work for 1.5 weeks, and I think it should have been 2 weeks. But I know others who seemed better faster. I compare it to childbirth though, lol. Once you start seeing results, you forget about the pain and discomfort you went through to get there. The first few days you will wonder what the heck you were thinking! But it passes fast, and life is sooo much more fun when you aren't carrying all that extra around.
I am happy to talk more if you're interested. I know I always wanted to talk to people who were a few years out to get more long term info, and I have yet to find them. Hopefully I will be one of those long term stories that can help others!

My cousin had this done recently. She was out of commission for two weeks. My aunt had to fly down to help her w/ daily things. She had a good bit of nasuea (sp) and vomiting. That eased up after about a week. Her weight lose has been slow, but steady. She said she is having to learn or re-learn how to eat. There are a lot of foods she can no longer eat, something about her body can't handle it. The Dr would give you more specifics. She has discovered that sugar is a no go, not even a little cake. She can't tolerate it. Right now, 4 months or so out she is doing fine. She said the adjustment is hard but doable. The last time I talked to her she had lost 26 pounds, but a lot of inches were also lost. The pain was manageable. I hope this helps some. You can PM me if you don't get more info and would like for me to get more details from her. Good Luck!