Hiya, I wondered if you could tell me more about the sleeve, i was looking at the bypass but the sleeve is less expensive and apparently more effective, how much have you lost and how quickly and did it stop the hungry hormone lol? thanks
x
Well the bypass is a great surgery for a lot of people. Some people do better than others but that's true with any surgery. My sister was very successful with GB but has to have iron infusions a lot because of malabsorption. She is keeping the weight off very well. I chose the sleeve gastrectomy because I was a bit scared of the side effects my sister went through. She is very healthy except for the iron though. She just has to be very careful. You can become deficient with the sleeve as well but it's usually not severe because our bodies don't have malabsorption.
I needed to lose about 95-100 lbs and I've lost 83 lbs. I am very pleased with it. My diabetes is in remission now. I had found out I was type 2 diabetic not long before my surgery but realize I had probably had it for a couple of years. My eyesight had gotten quite blurry over the last couple of years and I was thirsty constantly. I should have known I was diabetic but I finally found out from the doctor. Now my blood sugars are quite normal.
I am very pleased with my hunger levels. I don't get very hungry at all now, especially compared to before surgery. I must take Prilosec because I do have acid reflux since being sleeved. That is my only negative side effect. I take one prilosec and it keeps the acid reflux away completely. It also does help with any hunger I feel because sometimes the sleeved stomach still produces too much acid and that can make you feel hunger. The only time I feel somewhat hungry is before my time of the month. However, I'm still not as hungry during PMS as I was before the sleeve surgery.
I think every weight loss surgery can be really great if you follow the rules. If you have gastric bypass, just be smart about chewing slowly and taking your vitamins. Never eat and drink at the same time, no matter what. My sister has done VERY well because she chews very slowly since her gastric bypass and has not stretched her stoma. She never eats and drinks at the same time and I don't either. It's not recommended to do that with VSG or RNY because it can make the food just slide through fast.
The only reason I didn't choose bypass is because of the vitamin issues I saw my sister go through. The weight loss with the gastric bypass tends to be faster that first year than VSG typically. Then by the time year 2 rolls around the percentage of excess weight loss is close to the same. So we lose a bit slower and I'm okay with that. However, I've lost very fast for someone who only had about 100 lbs to lose. So I really do think some sleevers can lose as quickly and as much as a gastric bypass patient! I swear by the protein first rule and the no drinking and eating rules. I really feel these have made me successful.
Best wishes on whatever surgery you choose!
