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I am a 34 yr. old female, 5 ft. 8 in. tall weighing 233 lbs. It seems impossible for me to lose weight no matter what I do. And it seems like I am always hungry no matter what. I do like to eat and find myself eating a lot of processed foods as I work long, hard hours and am always on the go. I am also taking birth control pills (maybe this has something to do with it). I am interested in the gastric sleeve plication weight loss surgery so that my stomach can shrink, I will not feel so hungry all the time, and then I can lose weight. I like to exercise and would continue doing so after the surgery. So I am not lazy and just using this as a quick fix. I am just depressed and almost given up on losing weight. Do you think that I would be a good candidate that you would recommend for this weight loss surgery?
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Female Person's Age: 34 Already Tried: cardio, weights, stretching, strength training, colon cleansing, hcg diet/drops, nutrition supplements, vitamins, protein shakes, personal trainers, hydroxycut, xenadrine, lipo-6 fat loss tablets
Hello,Your calculated BMI is 36, which would qualify you for vertical sleeve gastrectomy with many insurances, as long as you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or sleep apnea. Probably 3/4 people in your weight range have some form of sleep apnea, even if a formal diagnosis hasn't yet been made.Gastric plication is a gimmick procedure designed to let gastroenterologists get their fingers into bariatrics. It almost universally fails, and sometimes can cause permanent problems with the stomach.The vertical sleeve gastrectomy, on the other hand, actually does a pretty good job helping patients lose weight, both by decreasing portion size and by changing the hormones tha regulate hunger and satiety(feeling of fullness). Sleeve patients get better appetite suppression than any other bariatrics procedure, including the gastric bypass. Long term weight loss and diabetes resolution are not quite as good as the bypass but still respectable and better than the Lap Band.The operative risk is similar to the gastric bypass, but the risk of malnutrition, vitamin an iron deficiency are much lower.I thin you would be an excellent candidate for the sleeve. I think it was just a mixup in terms on your part, but please don't seriously consider gastric plication.Good luck!Dr DanDr. Dan40976.0161797801
Thanks Dr. Dan.Could you go over in more detail what the vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure entails? How long is average hospital stay? What are common long term side effects? And would I not be able to eat certain foods again for the rest of my life due to them not agreeing with my "new" digestive system?
The vertical sleeve removes 80% of your stomach, creating a tube for food to pass thru. Your digestive system is not otherwise altered, so the food you eat will be digested normally. You will be able to eat the same foods as before surgery, except soft breads are very difficult for sleeve patients to tolerate.My sleeve patients are back at work within a week of surgery.Hospital stay is 1-2 days, with most patients staying 1 night.Good luck,Dr Dan
What are some of the common long term side effects of this vertical sleeve surgery? Based on the original info I told you about myself and my weight loss struggles, would this be the preferred weight-loss surgery that you would recommend over the other ones or do you think one of the other ones would suit me better? Or would one of the other ones work just as well for me?
Long term Problems are sleeve narrowing (treated with ballooning, stenting or conversion to gastric bypass) or sleeve stretching out (leads to weight gain and treated by conversion to bypass). In your situation, it would be a good choice. A band would also be a good choice, but for some people the low risk of surgery is offset by more long-term problems (band slip, erosion, esophageal stretching).Good luck!Dr Dan
Experience: ASMBS Centers of Excellence Bariatric Surgeon