Hello

[Roger Green]

Hi. I’m 58 years old, 280lb, sick and tired of feeling ashamed of my obesity. Now jumping through all the hoops for pre-authorization. Hope for VSG with Dr. Thomas Cerabona at Putnam Hospital in NY State before year end. My wife is supportive, which makes me a lucky guy. Most friends and family think bariatric surgery is a bad idea. I have read and studied a lot about the surgery, but still learning. Hope to be over prepared for surgery. But reading academic papers about WLS is not the same as listening to other people who’ve gone through it. Also love Reeger Cortell’s Weight Loss Surgery Podcast. I know some people lose a lot more than average and some people lose little. I hope for the best but want to be ready for whatever may happen.
I hope you guys can help me and hope I can be supportive for you.

 

[Larra]

Roger, hi and welcome!
Many of us have had friends and/or family being very negative about bariatric surgery. Sometimes it's out of ignorance, sometimes fear, sometimes jealousy, sometimes other reasons or a combination of reasons. Those of us who have experienced that sick and tired of being sick and tired life understand you and support you.
My only suggestion is that you consider all your bariatric surgery options, in particular the DS. The DS has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery not just for weight loss but also for maintenance of that weight loss. While VSG works well for some people, and does have some of the advantages of the DS (normal stomach function, ability to take NSAIDs, no dumping), it does not have the same statistics for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss, or for resolution of important comorbidities. On this website you will find a lot of people with the DS, including a good number who have revising, or who want to revise, from VSG or other procedures to the DS.
I wish you only the best with whatever decision you make. But choose wisely.

 

[Clematis]

Welcome Roger!

Re-read what Larra said and research the DS. The VSG quickly becomes a diet with a smaller stomach. I, for one, knew I couldn't diet for the rest of my life. The DS was the perfect solution for me.

There are some who get the VSG and then revise to add the "switch" but they do not usually have as much success as there is a loss of that initial synergy. Also many insurance plans only permit one bariatric surgery in a lifetime. Aim for "one and done".

Note: it looks like Cerabona does perform the DS so if you choose that, please make sure he does a proper DS with two anastomoses and with limb lengths based on the Hess method. We have seen many docs claiming they do the DS and then performing some sort of variant that has no data to support its efficacy.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[southernlady]

Welcome @Roger Green

 

[Munchkin]

I wish you the best but as the others said, the VSG is just a diet with a smaller stomach. We are seeing a lot of people looking for revisions now. How have diets worked for you?

Think twice, cut once!

 

[Roger Green]

Thanks Larra and Clematis. Larra, Did you get DS too?
I've gotten a few different opinions from different doctors. The surgeon and medical bariatrician I saw at Mass General Hospital both recommended RNYGB, but said sleeve was an acceptable second option. Dr. Cerabona from Advanced Surgeons and Dr. Shawn Garber from The New York Bariatric Group both recommended VSG. The latter two did not even want to consider RNYGB or DS due to higher complication rate. Funny how opinions vary between specialists.
Was trying to decide between Mass General and more local (Dr. Cerabona or Garber) and think I will go with Dr. Cerabona. I will speak to him again and see if he is open to considering anything other than sleeve.
Thanks again for your help and advice.

 

[Roger Green]

Thank you the warm welcome Southern Lady!

 

[Roger Green]

Thanks for asking Munchkin. I've done countless diets. Lost 10% body weight so many times I should weigh less than helium. But weight comes back every time as urges to eat become too strong a few months after weight loss.

 

[DianaCox]

Your metabolism has been ruined by yoyo dieting. I as well STRENUOUSLY encourage you to get a consult with a surgeon who does the DS routinely. You will be surprised at the different recommendation you get.

 

[Clematis]

Remember you can't buy a Lexus at a Kia dealer. No doc will recommend the DS if s/he doesn't do the surgery in the first place!

 

[hilary1617]

Hi and welcome @Roger Green!

The key deciding factors for me in selecting a DS were: (1) I wanted my stomach/ pyloric valve to remain intact, functional and accessible - no blind stomach and/or "dumping" (2) I wanted to have to go under the knife once and once only - no revisions, (3) I wanted to eat as "normally" as possible afterward - diets didn't work for me previously, so I had no reason to expect that the lifetime of dieting necessary to maintain weight loss after a restriction-only procedure would work for me in the long haul, and (4) no artificial devices to slip or damage natural tissue.

Whatever procedure you choose, research the surgeon and their long term results...

All the best!

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

Welcome! I also urge you to investigate DS. Remember, you are the boss, it shouldn't be what THEY are open to, it should be them providing a service to you for which they are paid, a service/surgery YOU research and decide is right for you. Traveling a bit to get a great dr is well worth it. I, due to being self pay, traveled to Mexico and had a DS in June 2016 with the wonderful Dr. Esquerra. If you're lucky to have insurance that covers Bariatric surgery, there are several great doctors in the states. I was 58 years old at time of surgery and was 229 day of surgery, 238 when I started pre-op Diet two weeks prior and my all time high weight was 250ish...I'm 5'1"! I've lost 104 currently, and loving life. I could NOT lug the weight around any longer! I was tired and getting more tired every week. Welcome.

 

[nedsmehlp]

Welcome Roger! I had the VSG in 2008 and lost 182 lbs. I regained 110 lbs. I revised to the DS April 7th of this year. I wish I had known in 2008 what I now know, I would have had the DS back then. But my VSG surgeon didn't do the DS, so he never told me there was such a surgery as the DS. When I was gaining back my weight he got mad at me and told me it was my fault. I felt such guilt until I talked to Dr. K (my DS surgeon) and he told me it wasn't my fault. I felt such relief. So please, read all you can on this website. There are so many knowledgeable people here. I wouldn't want you to have any regrets. Good luck!

 

[Munchkin]

You don't know us at all but we are a smart group of people. If you hang out here you will figure it out. Go read the stats on every procedure out there. Every legit study will tell you there is nothing available with better stats for losing the weight and keeping it off long term than the DS. So, if you can get the Cadillac, why would you even look at the Kia?

People are still buying crapbands. If they did even a little research, they would find out there is about as much chance of success as pigs flying.

Some day there will be something better than the DS. But someday isn't here yet.

 

[Larra]

@Roger Green I did have the DS, over 11 years ago. I was on course for gastric bypass (with a surgeon who doesn't do the DS, of course) and the more I learned about the post-op diet (3 meals/day, all nothing other than LEAN protein and maybe a veggie, no snacks, only beverages water and Crystal Lite type stuff) the more I knew that I would not be able to stick to that for the rest of my life. I felt that I would do well initially, but not long term. I also was concerned about not being able to take NSAIDs for the rest of my life. This is one of those times when you have to be totally honest with yourself. For me, I could have accepted some of the unpleasant side effects, but not a rest of your life that, for many people and certainly for me, is unsustainable.
You've already tried your best with diets. Like you, I would have disappeared altogether with all the weight I had lost if I hadn't regained it. The only thing the sleeve does to help you is make your stomach smaller - at least for awhile. They stretch out eventually no matter how narrow they start out. Docs are making them narrower than they did at first, but this just postpones the weight regain, not prevents it. And a really excessively narrow sleeve will cause problems of its own.
The surgeons you have seen don't do the DS. They aren't going to recommend it, they may even say negative things about it. Yes, the complication rate is higher than with just a sleeve. It has to be, it's a bigger operation. But it isn't excessively high, and in return, you get far better long term results. MO is a chronic disease, you need a treatment that lasts a lifetime, not just for a couple years. I would strongly recommend that you consult with a surgeon who actually does the DS before making your final decision.
I knew the risks going into surgery. I was so confident about my decision that I wasn't nervous at all, because no matter what happened, I knew I had made the best possible decision that I could make. After 11 years, and even with a somewhat rough recovery, I can honestly say I have not had one day of regret.