Vsg surgery

Question
I am interested in vertical sleeve gastrectomy.  It sounds like a good thing but I do not know anyone who has had it done.  Would like to hear a success story.  Thanks for any info.

Answer
Hi Wanda:

There are a lot of success stories out there.  Try the VSG board on Obesity Help http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/a,messageboard/board_id,5463/  If you go around the 1st of the month, that's when all of the oldtimers come back and report their progress.  Here's a sample thread.

The Sleeve Gastrectomy Yahoo! Group is also great.  Wanda just posted her 4 year anniversary post today.  She had a VSG done in Spain and has maintained her weight at a BMI of 25 for quite some time.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sleevegastrectomy/

You can also find some success stories at
http://www.sleeveguide.com/success.html  The names (in blue) are linked to their profiles.

I do feel the need to say that Yahoo Groups, Obesity Help, and Sleeve Guide are not scientific studies.  Just as there are people who reach goal, there are people who never reach goal.  It happens with pretty much any bariatric surgery.... although it is less common to meet DS patients who did not lose at least 50% of their excess weight (how most classify a successful bariatric surgery).  Most of the studies out there show that VSG patients lose around 58-60% of their excess weight.  Some lose more, some lose less.  If you have a BMI over 50, then you're better off with a malabsorptive procedure such as the duodenal switch.

Hope this helps,
Karla

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