concerned about a website

First topic message reminder :

http://s1.webstarts.com/ozobesitysurgery-info/index.html

ok - can someone look at the above web page? It is the story of an Australian lady who had WLS and has had terrible problems since. She did not get a sleeve but still reports that even though she couldn't eat much more than a saucer of food at a time she still has not lost much weight. Added to that all her complications she has had...

I am worried now.. I don't want to go through this sort of thing if it is not worth it. Do you think there are people out there that have this surgery and it hasn't worked for them???

EmilyG wrote:

I love this part of her page about sleeves (I get the picture it's permanent hah!). Looks like she was struggling to find something negative to write!


IT IS NOT REVERSIBLE.

Although the other major
surgeries for obesity are difficult to reverse, they are not impossible.


Because the stomach is partly removed, it cannot be replaced.


This operation is for life.

I go to a support group where I live though I am the only one sleeved but they changed the name to Lapbandeders and Gastric Sleeving to make me feel welcome and we have one lady who tells others if they are new that I had the sleeving but its not reversable and I keep telling her that regardless of which op we had we shouldn't be thinking any other way.

Her thoughts are if she got cancer (example given) that her band could be opened up and she would be able to "eat properly" and get all the goodness she needed.

We have these ops because we dont want to be the weight we are/were and we never want to go back to that weight again so I just dont get it when ppl go on about it "is for life" Well thank goodness it is otherwise we wouldn't be doing it.

I have to admit I wasn't scared by the op but I have had a few so I basically knew what was going to happen in regards to go to theatre ect.

You will be fine and in 6 months (or less) you will be thinking why was I ever worried as you flaunt off your sexy new body :)

Ruth :)

Thanks everyone for your replies they have been great to read. I am still petrified but still excited. I have my consult on Tuesday so I should know then what I am going to do. I am very excited to meet with him.

Hi all,

I was never worried about the risks with this surgery. I was however terrified of having a heart attack in my 40's like my dad.
I asked my Dr what I could do to help him make my surgery as safe as possible and help ensure I wouldn't develop a leak... and then I followed his directions to the letter.
It's that easy :)

I hope everyones future is as bright as mine now is :)
Trina

Also, another thing to add... My Doctor did say that they don't tend to know exactly how much they will take out. They aim for what ever amount each Dr tends to do (and I have heard some docs do differ, some aim for 80% and some 90% etc) but until they see your tummy inside, they don't know for sure.

I know with having had a band before they may take slightlyless out of my tum because the scaring (if you have any) from the band may mean they can't get as close as they like and hence, take slightly less of your tum away. This is also why if you have had a band before, you have and increased chance of a leak because sealing around where scarring from the band is, can be tricky in some people. So if you have ever had a band before make sure you really check out the opinion of your doctor.

So again everyone is different. When you settle on a doc just make sure you ask him about this as they tend to be a bit different and they can then explain to you what happens and why it the amoutn cut out can vary from person to person.

I am going to have my sleeve done in 9 days. I have to admit I am nervous and a bit scared because of the risk of having a leak...mainly because I am an ex bander and that brings a slightly higher risk of a leak from 1-2 % to 5%. But what you have to understand is there is risk with every surgery you have. But like everyone else has said it is far outwieghed by the risk of living overweight for the rest of your life. (and I am more excited than scared but being nervous and slightly scared before a big decision like this I think is completely normal).

You just need to do alot of research and get alot of info...and from reputable places and doctors. With any research done on the internet and this goes for anythign you are researching, you have to take with a pinch of salt because you never know whats true and whats not. Sure one persons story can be scary...hey I had a hell of a time with my band during the last 6 - 8 months I had it, so that would probably scare people off of the band....but a lot of people also have good stories about having bands too. I don't actually know the story you are talking about but the way I see it is...Good and bad things happen with everything so you can't listen to just one story, you need to listen to many and work out what the trend tends to be.

Oh and *Lib* coming from a person who is an ex bander...I think alot of people with bands say that they like the thought of the band being reversible (and are scared by the thought that the sleeve isn't) because if something goes wrong it can be fixed. I know I used to think that and I am sure glad when mine went wrong it could be reversed by coming out. I also get what people mean by 'you wouldn't do it so you could reverse it and get fat again', but I think it's just the scare factor of something going wrong...but then maybe they havn't done enough research or know enough about the sleeve to make that comment because then they'd know that there is a lot less complications if any, that can happen. (hence why I am having the sleeve and WILL NOT EVER have a band again!!)

My advice is just to be well researched and get lots of opinions and hear lots of stories and way it up in your own mind. Everyone is different and this kind of thing may not be for everyone so you need to figure it out for yourself. Also, don't do it until you are ready and clear in your own mind it's what you really want to do. Oh and make sure you have a doctor you trust 100% and more.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing your journey.

How much is removed depends on the size boogie used Qured. In some places more of the stomach is removed but the usual range is between 75% - 80% There have however been a few places who would remove more, often places that are involved in 'medical tourism' in countries where the rules are a bit more lax and the patient will be out of the country within a week. I must admit I would not have included Greece in that list, but different countries have different rules.

The sleeve has been used for weightloss for much longer than 5 years, it is that there are no long term studies of longer than 5 years. It was used for a very long time as a part of a two-step gastric bypass for patients who were too obese to safely undergo the bypass surgery on its own. It was because of the number of patients who lost so much weight with the sleeve alone that they decided not to go ahead with the bypass itself that the medical profession first began to look into doing it as a stand alone surgery. Particularly because the risks with the sleeve are so much lower than those with the bypass (hence its original use as a preperation for the bypass, but you can check the statistics yourself if you wish to be sure).
I myself had some complications with the surgery, but have had none since, healed much more quickly than I expected, particularly since it is a major surgery (easy to forget when the only outward sign is a few tiny scars), and I have never had any regrets.

I would recommend that, when weighling up the risks people should also check out the risks of not having the surgery.
The actual statistics of death brought about by obesity related causes... heart attacks, diabetes, kidney or liver failure, asthma & respiratory disorders, circulatory disorders & blood clots alone (and there are many more obesity related illnesses) are quite horrific, and much higher than those caused by smoking.
Further, while the financial cost of the surgery might be scarily high, it will more than pay for itself in money saved over time, not only due to reduced grocery bills, but also in medical expenses, clothing, and many more areas you don't think off.

And the unattended costs in ordinary day to day discomfort and pain.
I had that brought home to me yesturday when, after a day on my feet in a pair of those torture devices known as women's shoes, I was coming home, mentally whining about how sore my feet were, when I had to carry a heavy bag of household goods up from the car. My feet were screaming after that short walk, yet that sack weighed less than half of the amount of weight I have already lost. I hate to think what my feet would've been like if i had been carrying two of those damn sacks around with me all day!
Small blessings can have as much benefit in your quality of life as the obvious big ones.

i was told 2/3 of your stomach is removed and as i am shocking at converting into percentages i googled it lol it says 2/3 = 66.7%

but i also seen another doctor in syd said 80%

so i say who knows , as long as they remove the bigger section ill be happy lol

Peazles,

my surgeon did tell me that they were removing 90% of my stomach - so i believe that is the truth and I still went and did it even after hearing those facts....

well said bingobutt

Hi Everyone

Been a while since I've written but been enjoying life as many sleevers do after the fact...

I noticed this post when quickly browsing and decided to rellay my thoughts...

There is definatly horror stories out there from wls however, not many to my knowledge from the sleeve.

What I don't understand is this....

When people read this forum and the 100's of positive results with the sleeve and only a handful of people here whom have had complications....Why does one story from another website from a person who hasn't even had the sleeve done and gives her own opinion with a 30 year mind set matter.....

It doesn't!!

At the end of the day if you are reading this forum or considering wls you already know you are dieing a slow death by eating .....just like many of us use to be...

It's a hard decision to make...YES....But the positives outway the negatives by your excess weight, the time your losing thinking about making a change and the side effects of being obese in general.

Everyones an individual, each of us hae a story about our journey, not many of us have had complications.....and the best part 99.9% would have done it sooner if they had known about it sooner.... Like me.

It's a shame we cant turn back the clocks....because I would give anything to have had the sleeve done 15 maybe 20 years ago....My whole life could have been different...

Now it is, a little delayed but still well worth every penny and every smile we all have when those kilos fall offf and those scales change from triple digits to doubles ....

Good Luck in your Journey

i'll 2nd that WendyS!!
Im 21 kg down too)

The sleeve was my FINAL option, and I knew I would never have another chance at permanent weight loss. I am eternally grateful that I had it done. I was prepared to risk everything for this chance, and I have not regretted it once. I was desperate. and it worked. I have now lost 21kgs without the suffering of dieting, and I am SO thankful that this operation is not reversible.
Research and ask questions...
Regards,
Wendy

Well notproud, looks like we are in the same boat! Sorry - I didn't mean to put anyone else off the sleeve but I like to go into these things with my eyes open and happened across this site.
I guess we will never know how we feel about this surgery in 30 years time - there well could be complications that no one has thought of...

But like I said in an earlier post, there are guaranteed complications with being obese, diabetic etc. and they are not pretty. I feel at my current weight with my health conditions I will be lucky to see 45. I want to live a lot longer than that (I am 29 now) and if the sleeve can eliminate some of these other conditions I have then I think it is worth a shot.

Good luck with your journey and try and take comfort in the fact that there are HEAPS of people on this site that are thrilled with the sleeve and very few have anything negative to say.

Oh and ask your surgeon lots of questions on tuesday! Maybe if you can find out about his thoughts on risk of long term complications you could pop back and let me know.. (I don't have my first consult for another 6 weeks and the wait is driving me crazy!)

The part about 90% being cut off isn't necessarily false. My pre op stomach was 1200cc and my new stomach is about 120cc, that's 90% off.

Wow I must admit this has scared the life out of me. I have my first appointment on Tuesday to talk about the sleeve. I tend to go from being so excited to being absolutely terrified.

I think the fact that although we now say alot has been fixed and improved over the last 30 yrs. Will we be saying that in 30 yrs time?? I am only 33 and have 3 children 4 and under and I am just so confused.

TexasBell wrote:

As a ex bander I'm grateful it's reversible... and as a sleever I'm grateful it's not! say no more

As a ex bander I'm grateful it's reversible... and as a sleever I'm grateful it's not! say no more

thanks countrygirl,i have sent them an email
it would be great to have a positive story aired

Try This.

http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/feedback.aspx

we really need positive stories about the sleeve done!! they always use one bad atory and that scares everyone and people get surgeries mixed up.Who knows someone at aca or tt that we can get to do a story LOL!!!

EmilyG wrote:

I love this part of her page about sleeves (I get the picture it's permanent hah!). Looks like she was struggling to find something negative to write!


IT IS NOT REVERSIBLE.

Although the other major
surgeries for obesity are difficult to reverse, they are not impossible.


Because the stomach is partly removed, it cannot be replaced.


This operation is for life.

Of course its not freaking reversable. Why would we want to reverse it and get fat again!!?? THis shits me. Banders say the same thing, you know its not reversable right??? If I wanted to be fat I wouldn't bother doing anything.

Thanks aprilsun, I must say from reading the posts on this site - most people seem extremely pleased with their sleeve and the surgery does seem to be relatively low risk. I am already diabetic, I have been obese since I was 5 and have come to the conclusion that no amount of "dieting" is ever going to get me into my healthy weight range so it is time for drastic measures. Surgery is a gamble but having watched my mum lose her battle with diabetes at 58 it is one I am prepared to take. One thing is pretty much guaranteed - I will have diabetic complications if I continue down this path.
Goodluck with your upcoming sleeve, I look forward to hearing how it all goes!

For life! yay!!!!!!!

I love this part of her page about sleeves (I get the picture it's permanent hah!). Looks like she was struggling to find something negative to write!


IT IS NOT REVERSIBLE.

Although the other major
surgeries for obesity are difficult to reverse, they are not impossible.


Because the stomach is partly removed, it cannot be replaced.


This operation is for life.

well said aprilsun

Hi KandK,
Thought I would have my say too. I believe everyone has a story, and they way they tell it leaves a lasting impression. 30 yrs ago is a long time, and medicine has come a long way. Understandable she is bitter, but unfortunately thats how it worked out for her.

You have found this site we are on now and take note of whats happening in the NOW 2010, most people on her seem to be more than happy with their choice of the Sleeve. Yes the procedure has not been around as weightloss surgery that long, but so far results seem to be ok. Its no different from any other surgery you may have, there is a risk with all surgery even getting your tonsils removed can be fatal, but if we all thought of the bad things that can happen then nobody would ever get anything done.

Think of how medicine has saved millions of lives, and the other thing is do you ever wonder about how being Obese......... is a KILLLER!!!!!!!!! The diseases we can get through being obese are scary.............. in fact more scary that the Sleeve surgery, we are bound to die earlier than expected if we dont do something about our weight.

Now........... think positive, dont read crap that bitter people write about, you have made a desicion too improve your health and lifestyle................Go for it, life is one big gamble, but if you dont take that gamble you will be left exactly were you are.

Fill your day with reading positive posts, but also be realistic and know that there is the chance that maybe things dont go as plannned, we might have little hiccups along the way , but it doesnt mean it wasnt worth going through with the surgery to improve your life.

Boy did I write all that??????????????? LOL, Im having the sleeve done in 8 days and Im not scared and Im not being put off by nobody. I know its the best decision Ive ever made, and even having had the gastric band back in 2007 has not put me off trying something else, now that was a nightmare, I think they should be writing more on the dangers of the Band than other things.

Wishing you all the best,

Anna