NYC VSG NEWBIE DOCTOR HELP!~

[nayro]

Hello everyone! Very glad I found this forum! I'm new here and am hoping to get some advice/help.

I've been struggling with my weight my whole life. I originally grew up in Italy and food has always been very positive and prominent in our upbringing. I've never been insecure or troubled by my size because I am a very positive person in general however, I am 29 and have ballooned to 293.4 lbs. My doctor has been recommending surgery for years but I've always said no ill do it on my own. I've gained and lost and yo-yoed for most of my life and am concerned because although I am active and otherwise healthy (blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar all normal) , I am finally feeling the weight on my body. My knees have pain, my back, dancing makes me out of breath in 10 minutes when just 2 years ago, I could dance all night with no breaks. Mostly, Im worried about getting pregnant at this weight. I know things can happen to skinny and obese women during pregnancy, but I rather not take the chance. I cant imagine myself pregnant and weighing 350-400 lbs. Im scared of surgery, because hello, its surgery! My doctor said on a scale of 1-10 she is not even concerned at 1, that I am healthy and young and if I want kids, do it now.

So these are my questions/concerns:

My doctor recommended Dr.Alfons Pomp at Cornell for my surgery. Im meeting with him next week to go over everything and am equally nervous and excited. Has anyone gotten VSG by him? Or anything? How is he? His staff? Nutritionist, etc..?

I was also going to meet with Dr.George Fielding at NYU, but he has several malpractice suits and Ive read some articles re:nyu that really made me uneasy. If anyone has any advice/info on nyu and Dr.F?

And- for everyone:
Was it worth it? How was pregnancy after VSG?? any trouble with it? any good things? Anything at all? Any problems after? During? Dumping syndrome? Daily life? Any struggles? Any regrets? Worth it? What is your life like now? What about loose skin? Hair fallout?

Anything anyone can tell me would be so appreciated! Im very nervous and scared but feel like talking to someone whose had it done is the only way ill be 100%.

Thank you so much all!!

[caprice]

Welcome!
On my computer, there are "buttons" across the top, but they are blank. However, if you click on the one that is second from the left, you can use the search feature. I just tried it, and used only the word "pomp", and asked it to search the entire site. You'll get plenty of discussion concerning Dr. Pomp. What I scanned through looked positive - especially since you are wanting a VSG only.

To your second item: I think you answered your own question, didn't you? Multiple malpractice suits? Feeling lucky, are we? Seriously - you've gotten more info than you need to make an informed decision there.

I've had the DS, so this isn't an answer to specific questions about the VSG, except to clarify for you that you will not dump with a VSG - Dumping happens when undigested food exits the pouch of an RNYer and hits the small intestine. You'll have the stoma at your stomach exit (still), and your body will keep the food in your stomach until it is digested enough to pass into the small intestine.

Have you researched the differences between a VSG and the DS? This site is a particularly good one for unbiased comparison of the two. It would be good if you were more familiar with exactly how your surgery will work, whatever type you decide to pursue.

Skin and hair - surgery and rapid weight loss are probably going to adversely affect both of those, at least for a while. At your young age, you may not have much of a problem at all with skin. It may be elastic enough that it's not a bother for you. Any hair lost GENERALLY comes back. For some the texture is a bit different, but for most, if there is significant hair loss, it does come back.

Please read through older posts - you'll pick up a lot of information, and possibly will have more questions based on what you read.

[aa]

Drs. Pomp and Gagner did my DS in 2005. Subsequently, Dr. Pomp has done my gb (2008) and hernias (2016). Obviously, I trust him as he's performed surgery on me so many times. . Luckily, I also like him. By this time, we know each other pretty well.

I still see him yearly for a check-in. It's just a formality and probably not needed, but I promised long ago I'd keep up with the aftercare. That's important to them and one of the things I really admire about the program. Same goes with the nutritionists. Every 6 mos. (whether by phone or email) we go over my blood results. That's very important to me. They also have monthly support meetings (I generally go about twice a year) which you might find helpful.

As for pregnancy, I can only speak to what I've heard over the years. I know 3 DSers who've had children postop. All were recommended to work with a high-risk ob/gyn and did well.

[jpcello]

Feb 10, 2016 14:58:30 GMT -5 nayro said:

So these are my questions/concerns:

My doctor recommended Dr.Alfons Pomp at Cornell for my surgery. Im meeting with him next week to go over everything and am equally nervous and excited. Has anyone gotten VSG by him? Or anything? How is he? His staff? Nutritionist, etc..?

I was also going to meet with Dr.George Fielding at NYU, but he has several malpractice suits and Ive read some articles re:nyu that really made me uneasy. If anyone has any advice/info on nyu and Dr.F?

And- for everyone:
Was it worth it? How was pregnancy after VSG?? any trouble with it? any good things? Anything at all? Any problems after? During? Dumping syndrome? Daily life? Any struggles? Any regrets? Worth it? What is your life like now? What about loose skin? Hair fallout?

Anything anyone can tell me would be so appreciated! Im very nervous and scared but feel like talking to someone whose had it done is the only way ill be 100%.

As a caveat, I have the DS not the VSG (well I do have the VSG but I also have the switch).

Pomp is a very skilled and experienced surgeon. NYU Medical is excellent but I really don't know much about Fielding.

I have a friend who had the VSG and has had two successful and uneventful pregnancies. Remember that with the VSG there's no malabsorption. With these procedures (DS and VSG) there is no dumping because the prylorus valve is left intact. Dumping happens with the RNY because the food dumps directly from the stomach (pouch) into the digestive tract. The prylorus valve regulates the food leaving the stomach (sleeve) as it enters your digestive tract.

Everyone has different issues with all WLS. Will your hair fall out, maybe. That usually happens because of rapid weight loss and will eventually (and in most cases) stop falling out - mine did. The DS requires large amounts of protein, vitamins, etc., to maintain the nutrition level needed every day. The VSG doesn't have the extensive requirements because there's no malabsorption so you may only need an extra multi-vitamin and some additional iron or calcium.

With the VSG after you reach your goal weight you will need to "diet" to a certain extent to maintain your weight. Remember that WLS is only a tool. The VSG is totally a restrictive surgery--you can definitely stretch your sleeve, just like you can stretch your stomach. IMHO it takes more discipline with the VSG than it does with the DS, and that's because of the malabsorption.

You mention you're young. Excess skin seems to only be an issue for those of us who spent our entire adult lives obese. Do I have excess skin (I'm 58 and had my DS when I was 45), you bet I do. Do I care, nope. Skin is elastic and it may very well bounce back.

Like I said, I had my DS almost 13 years ago. I lost a total of about 175 pounds (I've had about 20 pounds of bounceback). Would I change anything - absolutely not.

[newyorkbitch]

Pomp is terrific, as is Cornell as a hospital - and their program is the best. His senior nutritionist (Liz) is the best in the city.

Avoid Fielding and the NYU program.

I also really like Dan Herron at Mt Sinai, if you are interested in another opinion.

Your hair may get a lot thinner, or maybe not. No way to know ahead of time. Yes you might have loose skin - also no way to know ahead of time, although you are young so it hopefully won't be too bad.

I had the DS 16 years ago. I had a baby 5 years ago. All is well.

The VSG is a restrictive procedure - not a malabsorptive procedure. Please do a whole lot of research about the differences in procedures before you proceed.

Being pregnant and giving birth when obese adds a great deal of risk for yourself and the baby. You are young enough to lose the weight with the help of surgery and then get pregnant. But don't wait. Figure out which surgery is best and do it soon. You will need to lose the weight and then be stable for a year before you get pregnant.

[OnMyWay2Thin]

Oh, to be 29, again... I'm joking, but I wish I had done my surgery at 29, I was 46 and it changed my life so much for the better. I went from a restrictive procedure (lapband) to a Duodenal Switch (DS.) Honestly, there was no comparison. I needed the malabsorption to be a success. I've now lost about 175 pounds. Our stats were about the same, I was 5-6 pounds heavier than you when I started my journey. I'm now a size 2, a little on the skinny side, but I know that bounceback is real and that I shouldn't expect to maintain this size permanently and will probably fluctuate 5-20 pounds. I buy all my clothes, well most of them, secondhand because I'm nervous about bounceback at this point being 19 months out of surgery.

Sorry I don't know anything about those surgeons, but I've heard good things about Pomp. I also don't know much about childbirth after surgery, but if NYB did it and had a good experience, I trust what she says. I consider her a local expert along with Janet (jpcello.)

Good luck to you!