It has now been almost three months since I had weight loss surgery. For me, the choice was the gastric sleeve, also known as the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.
The procedure has been a HUGE success from my perspective. I started at a whopping 397 pounds when I visited the doctors office in March,2011. The surgeon had a LOT of requirements for me to meet. I had to undergo a long list of tests, a mental health evaluation and finally, I was required to loose 25 pounds before surgery. The insurance company was impossibly slow approving the procedure, however, it worked out in the end.
On the day of surgery, I weighed 369, and today just three months later, I am at 298 lbs? The weight loss has had a big impact on my energy level, my general mood and my overall health.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
What's this all about.
For me, 2011 will forever be remembered as a year of change and transformation. I started the year off by making a decision to end my struggles with being overweight. I have tried a lot of diet, exercise, pills, shakes and other programs over the years, and not one of them made a real lasting impact.
The approach that I took, seems to be working. In January, I went to a seminar about weight loss surgery, and learned about the surgical options available for help with weight loss. The procedures that are available included Gastric Banding, Different forms of Gastric Bypass and finally, the Vertical Sleeve Gsastrectomy.
I did a lot of research, talked about it and reviewed the choice with my doctor and my wife. The impact of each of the procedures was somewhat different. Starting with the lowest impact, the LapBand, it seemed to me the risk of aide effects and the projected weigh loss would not work for me. The various forms of gastric bypass seemed to have the right risk profile and projected weight loss; however, after the surgery the bypass has some less than ideal side effects. First, there is the dreaded "dumping" syndrome. I don't think that I need a physically distressing sensation if I eat too much sugar at one time. So, the by pass was not for me.
Ultimately, I chose, Laproscopic Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. The "Sleeve" seemed like the best choice. The changes are permanent, lifetime, forever, no going back. I really liked that idea a lot.
The approach that I took, seems to be working. In January, I went to a seminar about weight loss surgery, and learned about the surgical options available for help with weight loss. The procedures that are available included Gastric Banding, Different forms of Gastric Bypass and finally, the Vertical Sleeve Gsastrectomy.
I did a lot of research, talked about it and reviewed the choice with my doctor and my wife. The impact of each of the procedures was somewhat different. Starting with the lowest impact, the LapBand, it seemed to me the risk of aide effects and the projected weigh loss would not work for me. The various forms of gastric bypass seemed to have the right risk profile and projected weight loss; however, after the surgery the bypass has some less than ideal side effects. First, there is the dreaded "dumping" syndrome. I don't think that I need a physically distressing sensation if I eat too much sugar at one time. So, the by pass was not for me.
Ultimately, I chose, Laproscopic Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. The "Sleeve" seemed like the best choice. The changes are permanent, lifetime, forever, no going back. I really liked that idea a lot.
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