150 cm common channel?????

[shawnern]

So I met with my surgeon yesterday and I'm going to have surgery on November 24th. He said that 150 cm, common channel would be sufficient for my weight loss and less chances of malnutrition. Does that sound right to y'all?
Thanks
Shawn

[west4thavenue]

Hi, Shawn.

I am certainly no expert in this, except to say that I know there is a lot of variation from one cc to the next. Mine is 130cm, and I believe that is longer than a lot of people. I'm a small female, 58 YO. My weight loss has been great and I can't complain of any problems so far. If having a longer cc prevents me from having issues further out, that sounds good to me.

Vets?

[fullhousemom]

I am a lightweight, or I should say, I WAS a lightweight, with about 100 lbs to lose. I've lost 110 pounds and been maintaining well at three years out. My cc is 95 cm, and I wish it was longer.

I don't know the details of how much you have to lose, but typically the more you need to lose, the shorter the channel. Sort of. I think the trend over the years has been to make the common channels longer.

If you want to get really skinny and are considering plastics, are a volume eater, or have a lot to lose, I would go shorter. If you are happy with a great amount of weight loss and won't have a problem settling in on a higher weight, then 150 would work for me. You will still lose. Maintenance might be harder. But my guess is that gas issues, and vitamin malabsorption is better, the longer the common channel. Good luck!

[shawnern]

I have 150# to lose. He said with my muscle mass and frame he would be afraid that I would lose too much weight and start losing my muscle mass at the same time.

[newyorkbitch]

Nov 9, 2014 10:21:35 GMT -5 west4thavenue said:

Hi, Shawn.

I am certainly no expert in this, except to say that I know there is a lot of variation from one cc to the next. Mine is 130cm, and I believe that is longer than a lot of people. I'm a small female, 58 YO. My weight loss has been great and I can't complain of any problems so far. If having a longer cc prevents me from having issues further out, that sounds good to me.

Vets?

My cc is 75cm. I think the cc length matters more in the long run than in the short term. In the first couple of years, weight loss occurs because of the reduced stomach size and some malabsorption. But as time goes on, our absorption rate increases and the stomach gets bigger. So a shorter channel will keep the weight off better long term, with less of a need to "diet." That being said, a shorter channel means more vigilance with protein and vitamins.

You have to decide what you are capable of doing in the long term. If you are a "lightweight" (and I'm not sure 150 lbs to lose is a light weight - that's the same as I needed to lose) I still would not personally choose such a long cc. But if you do not think you will be able to be vigilant over the rest of your life, then that's another decision. But only you can make that decision.

I weighed about 300 lbs before my DS, dropped about 150 lbs. My cc is 75cm. I work hard all the time to stay healthy - I have robust health insurance, enough money to eat high quality protein and food , buy excellent vitamins and supplements, see very good doctors whenever I want, have iron infusions, bone scans, etc etc. It takes assertiveness, education of yourself and your physicians, time, and money.

The tradeoff for all the risk and work and complications is that my weight stays off…and I'll be 15 years out in a few months.

I'm not suggesting that you necessarily get a 75cm channel….but 150cm is a lot. I wouldn't do it.

[shawnern]

Will the longer CC prevent some of the bathroom issues?

[newyorkbitch]

Nov 10, 2014 18:12:33 GMT -5 shawnern said:

Will the longer CC prevent some of the bathroom issues?

Impossible to know. It varies tremendously from person to person.

[OnMyWay2Thin]

I have a 125 and no real bathroom issues, at all. Keep in mind, I'm only four months out of surgery so I know things can change. I do get constipated and hard stools sometimes, but I seem to now have that under control with no more pain. Just thought I would share my length and experience, so far.

[nursemelanie]

My surgeon would have went with a longer cc (130-150) had I not specifically requested my cc to be 100, after researching different lengths...weighing what others were experiencing with shorter/longer cc's, ect. I am very new, a little over 4 months, but I am very glad to have the length I have. Also, I was a VSG for 4 yrs prior to getting the 2nd part of my DS...so that means my weight loss would not be as easy as a virgin DS. I agree that 150 might be too long. But of course, that is up to you and your surgeon.

Sent from my SM-N900T using proboards

[citizenk9]

I have seen a fair number of males who have lost too much weight. Males tend to lose weight the easiest so I would go with what your surgeon suggested. I can't remember if mine is 100 or 125 but I'd sacrifice a little less weight loss to avoid some of the issues I have due to being on the high side of malabsorption.

[PeteA]

While you can correlate malabsorption with common channel length a lot of people seem to do just fine at 125. 150 seems a little long to me but I don't think it is a deal breaker. Mine is 100 and it looks like I will be able to level off the weight loss when I need to.