A Major Desision – VSG

I’ve alluded to this a few times in the past couple of weeks, but I realized that I hadn’t actually written a whole post on the subject, so since I’m in the mood to write tonight, I figured I’d make sure you guys were in the loop.

As you know, last July I decided to get WLS and since I’d heard such great things about Lap Band, I knew that was the surgery for me.  Then I met with the surgeon and he was adamantly opposed to Lap Band, mentioning all of the drawbacks:

• It is the newest of the WLS, and as such, long term information is unknown.
• Because there is a foreign object in your body, it can be rejected.
• There can be scarring and/or erosion.
• While the Lap Band is “removable” it isn’t really “reversible.”  The damage that occurs many times cannot be corrected.
• We have no idea how long the band itself will last – it may need to be replaced in my lifetime, meaning another surgery.

The surgeon highly recommended that I got with either the VSG or the Gastric Bypass.  I told him then and there that GB was too invasive, but that I’d look into VSG.  And then I really didn’t do anything more.  I had it in my head that I knew what was best for me, and that was Lap Band.  Why I thought I knew better than the surgeon, I can’t tell you.  I don’t think of myself as a stubborn or hard-headed person, but for some reason, I was dead set on getting the Lap Band and I didn’t want to hear anything negative about it.

I’m actually really glad that I’ve had this year in between (although the impatient side of me wishes I’d already had the surgery), because I’ve come to decide against having the Lap Band.  It all started with Scale Warfare’s post about the pros and cons of Lap Band vs. VSG.  That post really got me thinking about what I was doing.

• Why did I think Lap Band was so much better?
• Why were there so many people on the WLS forums who were so disappointed with Lap Band and/or who had such complications?
• If SW was having these kinds of doubts, shouldn’t I also take a look at the logic behind my decision?
• Why wasn’t I heeding my surgeon’s advice?

And that final question really put me over the edge.  Of course I should listen to the professional.  My surgeon has performed thousands of procedures, seen thousands of patients, and knows the risks and drawbacks of each surgery.  So I started doing my own research and came across this very informative video that explains the differences between the two surgeries:

And after really reading up on the VSG procedure, visiting the online forums for both types of WLS, and watching tons of videos on YouTube from people who had had the VSG, I have decided to get that instead of Lap Band.  Some interesting differences:

• Most of the weight loss occurs in the first 6 months post-op.  Which means that if I have 120 pounds to lose, I’ll lose 90-100 pounds in 6 months.
• The only real complication with VSG is that the staples used to seal the smaller stomach don’t heal properly and leak.  But if I follow the advice of the surgeon, this won’t be an issue.  A couple of weeks post-op, they do a “leak test” and if all goes well that’s it.  There really aren’t other types of complications that can occur.
• The healing process takes longer, about a month or so.  I’m unsure how much work I would miss, but I have over 36 sick days, so I’m not worried about it.
• Food is reintroduced at a slower pace, but once I’m back on “real food,” there are very few restrictions to my diet, other than portion size.  Obviously sugar and fat should be kept to a minimum/avoided.  And no bubbly stuff (i.e. beer, champagne, sparkling water, etc).

Now that I’ve made this decision and I’m more well informed on the VSG surgery, I’m more motivated than ever to lose the required weight and get on the list for the surgery.  It’s amazing to think that it could happen later this year and that I could be my skinnier self by next year at this time.  😀

I’m so ready to just get it done.  To stop planning and hoping and researching and anticipating and just start LIVING!

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