I was thinking of having that surgery in 2007 but my insurance would not approve it. I did find this site to be of help. http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/sleevers/ I hope it was ok to post it. Hopefully it will help you too.

I've heard some good things about the sleeve but can't say that I've had any personal experience with it. I did have "The Band" put on about 8-10 years ago. At first I had very good success with it. But then slowly I put the weight back on. Just keep in mind that Bariatric Surgery only works to help the physical portion presented by obesity and over eating. The thing that I found was that it didn't help with the mental aspect of it. So I would highly recommend that if you do decide to go forward with this make sure that there's an aspect of post surgery support to help you with the mental changes that you need to make to be successful. Otherwise you'll most likely see the same thing that I did.

Unfortunately, it's been my experience that there's no quick fix for obesity. Only hard work and personal change. But I'm definitely not going to say not to have the surgery, just please think long and hard about it.

Best of luck to you regardless of what you decide to do.

I have been offered the opportunity by several Drs.

The side effects of it are not worth it for me.

Peggy,

Just joined and saw your post and had to reply. I got the gastric sleeve November 15th, 2011. I started out at 375+ pounds, I am now between 230-240 on any given day (currently on a several month stall, which is why i have joined my fitness pal)...I drink 128+ oz of water daily, I eat green leafy veggies, cucumbers, fish, low sodium ham, sometimes I can tolerate chicken, sometimes beef--most of the time those two won't stay down because they are heavy on your sleeve, light and lively greek yogurt w/2x the protien, on a busy day i slug back a EAS Carbadvantage shake to keep my protien at over 60 grams daily--sleeve people don't absorb as much as normal people so we have to increase out intakes. I eat around 4-6 oz of food three times a day, depending on the heaviness of what I am consuming. Food is no longer my main concern--I don't get up thinking what am I gonna have for breakfast/lunch/supper. I eat at designated times because I now would forget to eat otherwise--15 months out and I think I have felt hunger maybe twice. I am finding life so much more enjoyable than I did before. I have 65 pounds to go, but that number is not as daunting as the 210 pounds I started with. Yes, there are limitations, and yes, you will get out of it, what you put into it, but I myself know that I would do it all over again tomorrow. If you have any questions, let me know.

Binks

I wanted to answer your question because you really only had one person who actually has had sleeve surgery to reply to you. I was sleeved on 6/25/12 & can honestly tell you that it is by far the best health decision that I have ever made for myself. I have had ZERO complications, & yes like any other surgery there is a slight risk of complications. In addition to the sleeve surgery I had my gallbladder removed & a hiatal hernia repaired....all at one time. The recovery was not bad at all, & I was back at work (at my desk job) in 11 days. Did I have any pain? Well of course I did, but I can honestly say that it was far easier than my recovery from a hysterectomy. There are NO foods that I have a difficult time with although some say chicken, beef or eggs but personally I eat all of these with no difficulty. I really live on eggs and chicken because I love them and they are full of protein. I also eat a lot of cheese as well. Some sleevers say they never get hungry, but I do....at appropriate times. However if I don't eat when I feel hungry usually the feeling will pass if I drink something & often times I won't think about it for a while. I have lost 74.5 pounds since surgery, but I do follow the rules except for splurging on occasion. The only 2 items that I am not supposed to ever have again are really not deal breakers for me. No sodas (no carbonation at all), and no chewing gum. I can live my life without these, so no problem. I did actually look at a coupon this morning for Diet Dr. Pepper & say "Dear Diet Dr. Pepper, I do miss you" & than I moved on
One of the biggest rules for any bariatric patient is not drinking while eating, and honestly this was the hardest to adjust to but adjust I did and it is a rare thing for me to even sip while I am eating. The only time that happens as a rule is if it is too spicy or too dry.
If I had it to do again, I would run and not walk to my surgeon's office & my hubby is now thinking of the procedure himself. A great site that I still use for information all the time is www.gastricsleeve.com
This site is full of actual sleevers and people who are in the process of getting sleeved as well as folks like yourself who are gathering information.
I hope some of this can help you!
My best advice to anyone who is considering bariatric surgery is to do you homework!! Research, research, and than research some more. Be extremely diligent when picking a surgeon because this is not your car you are getting worked on it is your body! The Gastric Sleeve forum was and still is a huge part of my life, and I still go there for advice and to try to pay it forward and help others in any way I can.

I am on day 6 of my 2 week pre-op diet, I start full liquid on Friday until my surgery next Thursday (April 25th.)

Most of us who are having or have already had the sleeve are in serious danger of dying very young due to complications related to obesity. I have been on and off diets my whole life, have lost more than 100 pounds 3 times in my adult life(since puberty) and I just cannot keep it off. For me the sleeve is providing me a tool to use to facilitate a "re-training" I will call it of how to eat proper portions and what foods to eat. Life is precious and you can either take a leap and have another chance or stay on the teeter totter battle of the large life and ultimately pay the consequences. For me, the choice was easy. I just wish I wouldn't have waited the 3 years from the time I initially started researching it to do it.