The Vertical Sleeve Gastroplasty (My Decision by John Hibbs)

    Much the same as everyone who has weight loss surgery, I've struggled with my weight all my life.  My best friend in high school was also named John, so I got the nickname "Big John."  That stuck with me through high school and on into adulthood.

      I was an accomplished dieter.  I'd go on a diet--pick a diet, any diet--and I'd lose 50 pounds or so.  Then I'd go off the diet and eat "regularly" again, and gain back all the weight plus more.  When I met my wife, Chris,  I was seeing a local "diet doctor" (who has since lost his license) and taking some kind of shiny black capsules..  Didn't sleep for days, but the weight sure came off.  Of course, after I was done with that, the weight came back on with some to spare.  She wouldn't let me go back to him again.

       After Chris and I got married, we both started gaining a lot of weight.  I guess that's the "15 pounds" of marriage weight they talk about.  Only for us, it was more like a hundred pounds--each.  We were wonderful enablers to each other and rewarded each other with food.  Since we both like to cook, we enjoyed many gourmet meals created at home from the many cookbooks we collected through the years. 

         When we were younger, the weight didn't really matter.  As we got older the weight began to take its toll.  We were unable to do our favorite activities like horseback riding and Chris had to gave up hiking. Bike riding got harder and eventually impossible as my knees gave out.  Even fishing from our canoe got to be a problem--it was too hard to get in and out of, and with both of us in it, it sat too low in the water for easy navigation.  I couldn't go on amusement park rides with my daughter anymore--I just didn't fit into the seats. Even vacations were rough. We were crammed like sardines into the plane seats on the way to our one cruise.  Chris swore she'd never do another cruise because she didn't want to be the fattest person on the boat again.

          Health wise,  I suffered through 2 knee surgeries and was looking at one for my ankle..  All the negative things associated with obesity finally caught up to me--at 375 pounds, my cholesterol and blood pressure went up and my sugar was borderline diabetic.. Chris's health was already suffering--she had high cholesterol,  high blood pressure and depression. Enough was enough--we finally decided to do something about it once and for all.

           Chris went to see Dr. Ing and had the lap-band done in September 2005.  I, on the other hand, was a little more leery of weight loss surgery.  After a year and a half of going to the meetings and getting more than a little ribbing that "I sent her first," I finally decided to have the surgery myself.  I decided that I didn't think the lap-band would work as well for me--especially since it would have been difficult to come back for adjustments because of my job.  I definitely decided I didn't want to have gastric bypass since I was realistic enough to know I'd never be able to keep up with all the lifelong supplements that are necessary. The duodenal switch seemed a little drastic to me, and also had a lifetime of supplements with it.

       That's when Dr. Wasser suggested something called a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.  It's a newer procedure where about 85% of your stomach is removed--basically, it's the first half of the duodenal switch, but the stomach is made even smaller. No supplements, other than a multi-vitamin are required.  Since my surgery on January 22, 2007, we've discovered that I and a lot of other Vertical Sleeve patients have become deficient in vitamin B-12 and possibly foliate.  A sublingual B-12 and a couple of foliates daily and I'm back on track.

        I lost 115 pounds within the first nine months.  It's amazing--you lose the weight and all the health problems go with it.  My cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar are all back to normal and most importantly, I don't need any medications.  I'm probably looking at one more knee surgery to repair all the damage I caused from being overweight.

          I've stalled over  the holidays (my fault, not the procedure's) and now I'm getting back on track to lose another 30 pounds. The procedure has worked remarkably well and I take only a small portion of the credit.  I'm only able to eat about as much as a Lean Cuisine entree and be satisfied. Now it's up to me to make the difference with better food choices.  I'll never be a saint--I still enjoy eating different types of food--but this TOOL is helping me make better choices and get my health back.  It's what you make of it. If you want to cheat and eat "around" the procedure, you won't lose much weight.  But if you work it and use it like it's meant to be used,  you should get good results. 

     I also have to give Dr. Wasser, Dr. Ing and Dr. Greenbaum their props. They're great surgeons and also wonderful human beings.  They truly care about their patients' health and successes. They're with you every step of the way, and really work with you to find the best procedure which is right for each individual.   I look forward to going to the monthly support group meetings because I feel like I'm part of an extended family with all my weight loss brothers and sisters.

This most recent picture was taken at our Bariatric Bunch Holiday Party Hosted by

the surgeons at South Jersey Bariatrics.  The picture was take December of 2007.... Handsome couple... I'd say!!