So it’s been a minute since my last blog. I’ve been busy. It’s
hard to believe that it is November. Surgery is just a little more than a month
away. Wow. For so long, it seemed so far away and now I need to start getting
my “ducks in a row.” December 19 will be here before you know it. Now that most
of you have wrapped your head around the idea that I’m really going to do this,
I have been getting questions about the type of surgery I have chosen, the
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I’ll admit – I didn’t know anything about it
before I began this process but, ultimately, it is the choice that makes the
most sense for my weight loss goals.
The Clinic basically offers four types of weight loss
surgery: the Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, the Lap-Band, the Vertical Sleeve
Gastrectomy, and Gastric Plication. The Roux-En-Y is the traditional gastric
bypass and I knew I didn’t want that surgery because it is the most
restrictive. Additionally, it is a more complicated surgery and requires a
longer recovery time. I also did not want the Lap-Band. I didn’t like the idea
of having a “foreign body” inserted into me and the follow-up necessary to
maintain it. It came down to the sleeve and plication. They are very similar
procedures, although the sleeve has been performed for a longer period of time.
The plication is a relatively new procedure. Ultimately, I learned that my
insurance would not cover gastric plication so my decision was made.
The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is a laparoscopic procedure
in which the size of the stomach is reduced. Your stomach is normally the shape of
the sideways view of a man's big old beer belly. This surgery cuts off the
'beer belly' section leaving just a banana-shaped stomach, or sleeve, in its
place. In this process, the section of the stomach that produces ghrelin, the
hormone responsible for causing you to feel starved when dieting (and certainly
not starving), is also cut off. The new stomach is about 75% smaller than the
old stomach. This video shows an animation of the surgery…
Patients who have this surgery can expect to lose 50-70%
of their excess body weight so it is not intended to be a surgery for people
who are morbidly obese. I am about 100 pounds overweight. If I could lose 50 to
70 pounds, AND KEEP IT OFF, I’d be a happy camper. The surgery is a tool, not a
cure-all. The better you use the tool, the better results you will have. So,
the surgery combined with healthy eating plus exercise can result in even greater
weight loss which is ultimately what I am hoping for. I don’t have a set “goal
weight.” I’ll know it when I get there J
And, yes, I do plan to share all of my weight numbers with
you…I’m working up to that. I’ve not willingly revealed my true weight to
anyone in a very long time so that may have to wait until the very last post
before the surgery, or maybe even the very first one after. I’ll get there.
This is all about full-disclosure.
No comments:
Post a Comment