Sleeve made too big

Hey jag that must be so frustrating. I'm sure you've heard people say that it's just a plateau, that it's only a tool and you have to work at it, that a loss is a loss....etc, etc, ad nauseum.

I reckon it's just not right....there, I've said it! I would be totally pissed if it was me. My loss was s l o w but it's picked up a bit now and I'm a bit more confident it's going to happen but I'm 12 weeks out, not 16 weeks out and I think you should insist on seeing the surgeon again.

The VSG is supposed to be RESTRICTIVE bariatric surgery so if you don't feel any restriction, it didn't work. You are a third of the way through the "honeymoon" phase. If it's not happening now you are losing that important time frame.

This is probably just MY fear talking but if you see your surgeon and can get a reassurance and maybe some tests that'd be the way to go.

Thanks Sway, at my three month check up things were not very encouraging at all. They offered me nothing but 'go back on opti, you will gain weight'......(and proceeded to tell me horror stories of weight gain after sleeve).  I am not looking for further surgery or tests at the moment, just hoping I can buck up and take some more control.. but then I couldn't control before, all my life, so how do I do it now? The sleeve stops me eating as much, definately. Before the surgery the dr said it should change my cravings and tastes... nope. No such luck... I've seen a psych who said "gee, your eating is very disorganized, you shouldn't have had the surgery"...  I argued that if I didn't I wouldn't be sitting here talking. Quicker to work out the tummy to a degree than work out the damn head!!! My next thoughts would be to look up the endobarrier if possible before further invasive surgery. Endobarrier is only a temporary tool though, and don't know if they will use it after sleeving.

Garfield, thanks so much for sharing your experience and knowledge too. It helps me to weigh up the options. Everyone does respond differently, every surgery is different, even by the same surgeon.

You're very brave Liz, I'm not sure I go through another operation with a doctor that already stuffed up the first operation. Don't think I would trust him. To go through the pain & nausea of the first couple of weeks again.
Good on you for going ahead with it & now you're past the worst of it & on your way to a better, healthier life :)

minniemouse wrote:

Awww Liz, what an incredible story!! SO so disappointing!

How's your recovery and pain been so far? Are you OK? Can't imagine how that must feel for you, but you are incredibly brave!
Thankfully (and rightly so) you shouldn't have to pay for revision surgery given the Dr clearly made an error - although I thought they use a Bougie so I'm not sure how that even happened?????

All the best for you recovery and thank you so much for sharing!

The surgeon used a size 36 bougie on me. He couldn't explain what had happened either. So far the pain has actually been both better and worse than the sleeve.  
Definitely worse at the start although this time I didn't wake up screaming like I did with the sleeve. However it took 12 days for the pain to ease after sleeve and today is the 10th day and it has been a great day, pain wise.

In regards to Garfield's comments: The malabsorption is what I was referring to re the sweets. The bypass was chosen as the revision because the surgeon was worried about the complications that are far more common when trying to make a sleeve skinnier. It is too easy to make it too skinny and then there is the normal problems with leaks as well. And I hope I won't need any further revision because I did get the band at the bottom of by stomach which is supposed to help stop stomach expansion as well as reduce regain chances. 

I am not worried about malabsorption of vitamins since I was already going to be on lifelong vitamins post sleeve so nothing has changed there. And yes I know the malabsorption only lasts for 18 months or so, but hoping to have lost most of my weight by then. In regards to people thinking they will be able to eat less and won't be able to eat certain foods, umm yes to the first but no to the second. My stomach IS smaller therefore I WON'T be able to eat as much. And NO if I wanted to restrict foods I would have chosen the band which is notorious for that as well as for vomiting.

LizHaynes wrote:

So I said, what now.  RNY Bypass was the answer.  Too dangerous to go back and give me a smaller tummy as it then risks all the above complications, only worse. So bypass it was. Thankfully the out of pocket I paid for the sleeve has covered me for the bypass surgery but I wish I didn't have to go to a bypass.  Mind you, it was probably the better surgery for me in the long run as I love my sweets so much lol.

Hey Liz, just wondering why you think bypass would be a better option as you like sweets?  I can eat the exact same as a sleeved patient - the only difference from what I can tell is I have more malnutrition, tiredness, much worse reflux plus general nausea.  I can also eat any carbs, even a whole box of cheezels no probs etc - it doesn't work any different from the sleeve in my experience.  If you didn't dump with the sleeve then you won't with the bypass.

I am also surprised they are optioning for the bypass route as they didn't make the sleeve small enough.  I would of suggested a sleeve revision before a bypass as there is more risks going with the bypass not only in surgery but also afterwards.  It took me a lot longer to recover after bypass and it's something I would never recommend.

Sorry if I sound harsh but I often hear some silly statements that people actually believe having the bypass will help them lose weight quicker, eat even smaller portions and won't be able to eat certain foods & won't need revision surgery later on down to the track due to stomach stretching - they are all not true at all.  It is still a tool that you to work with to lose weight and if anything, makes life a bit harder as your body doesn't maintain the vitamins as well as the sleeve so slipping into malnutrition, feeling fatigued happens so quickly.  I also think I have a much lower immunity and get anything that is going around!!

Hiya Liz,

Aww Minnie you worded that so nicely.
Exactly what I was feeling for Liz.

So... Liz ... DITTO to what Minnie said.

Heal well, and bring on solids eh !

Cheers,
Tara

Awww Liz, what an incredible story!! SO so disappointing!

How's your recovery and pain been so far? Are you OK? Can't imagine how that must feel for you, but you are incredibly brave!
Thankfully (and rightly so) you shouldn't have to pay for revision surgery given the Dr clearly made an error - although I thought they use a Bougie so I'm not sure how that even happened?????

All the best for you recovery and thank you so much for sharing!

Just a quick reminder to people that there are more complications out there than leaks, constrictions, paralysis.
I had my sleeve done in August last year and other than MAJOR pain for the first 2 weeks I had a dream run. Had no problems with my fluid intake and everything was wonderful. However, I was constantly hungry!!!  Now people kept telling me it is head hunger, you aren't really hungry. Umm, no, sorry I was starving!!!
At 3 weeks post op I had my first stall. Expected it, it is a normal time for a stall at 3 weeks post op. But I never started loosing weight again. 
I spoke to the dietitian attached to my surgeons practice and he told me I was placing too much emphasis on protein and I should start adding more veggies to my meals. Ok. Did that. Still nothing but gnawing hunger!!! Wasn't reflux as I had been on reflux meds for years so I knew how that felt. I complained to my surgeon and he said to give it time, stick to the plan. Well sorry but I was just too damn hungry!! I ended up eating the amounts of all the right foods that made me not starving and ended up eating twice as much as I should have been able to eat :(  OK enough was enough. Next appointment to my surgeon I said the same to him and he booked me in for a CT to check the size of the tummy he had made. 
Well it turned out that he hadn't made it small enough :(  CT came back saying my stomach was only minimally smaller than a pre-op stomach.
Gutted,   totally gutted.
So I said, what now.  RNY Bypass was the answer.  Too dangerous to go back and give me a smaller tummy as it then risks all the above complications, only worse. So bypass it was. Thankfully the out of pocket I paid for the sleeve has covered me for the bypass surgery but I wish I didn't have to go to a bypass.  Mind you, it was probably the better surgery for me in the long run as I love my sweets so much lol.
So, I am currently 10 days post-op (again) and hopefully will have a dream run with the bypass instead of the sleeve.