VSG or RNY??? My daughter is TERRIBLY undecided....

Please let me know your reasons for which surgery you chose.  She's 18 and is 5'8ish and over 300.  She's away at college in Miami (We live in the DC area) and her college is letting her take a quarter off for surgery then she'll be going back.


Thanks

Ok, I am copying this from a different forum that I just found last night.   But I thought it was a good break down of the VSG vs RNY:

1) Malabsorption of calories/fat only lasts 2 years, but you get a lifetime of vitamin/nutrient malabsorption with RNY, doesn't seem like a fair trade off.
2) The regain stats and long term complications that I have witnessed with real life friends (plus the information on internet forums, and long term data presented) was downright scary. I can give you the detailed list of complications, but the main ones are major vitamin deficiencies, pouch or stoma dilation, bowel obstructions and intestinal strictures.
3) The number of patients seeking revisions 3-7 years out from RNY to either DS or ERNY really scared me. This was going to be my 2nd and FINAL WLS.
4) I loved the fact that I would keep my pyloric valve, with RNY you lose it.
5) I have a normal, fully functioning stomach, just smaller than what God gave me, no rerouting, no pouch
6) No blind stomach left behind that can still develop ulcers or cancers, yet can be very difficult to diagnose and scope
7) The rate of loss for VSG is neck and neck vs. RNY without all the long term complications
8) No food or medication restrictions. I can take NSAIDS and I don't dump on sugar like 30% of RNY patients experience. Plus, this whole idea of needing to be sick, fatigued, have massive diarrhea and gas pains after eating a cookie seems a little ridiculous. Sorry, but I want to live as normal as a life as possible, and naturally thin people enjoy a cookie or a piece of pie here and there.

naturally thin people enjoy a cookie or a piece of pie here and there.


Amen to that!! Very well said!  My hope is that VSG will be a great tool to help me eat like a naturally thin person!

Pam

I'm 24 and chose the VSG because of a statement my doctor told me. "you will have to live with this ALOT longer than 90% of my patients." And that scared me. I was terrified to malabsorb for 40, 50 or 60 years. My start weight was 277, surgery was 8/16/10 and today i weighed 208.4. The only thing my sleeve does not tolerate well is fried foods...but there is ALOT of foods I have not tried also. Hope your daughter makes the best decision for herself!

I'm 28 and also had to weight my options between RNY, Band or Sleeve.

I have personally never been a fan of the whole rerouting that occurs with RNY, which is why I knew that that was one choice I could count out. I also can't get past that with the Band, something is being "installed" into you, so the sleeve was what I ended up choosing and I haven't looked back.
I liked the fact that the sleeve is still your stomach, just less of it. It won't prevent me from eating certain things, but will help for me to control the amount that I eat (which was my biggest problem anyways).

Being young, it really seems to be the best choice for long term success because it is something that you will have to live with for a long time.

But every person is different and whatever your daughter decides, it will be the best choice for her!

As you can see from my stats, I started at over 440 and am now at 305.  My sleeve was on April 20th. 

My reasons for choosing the sleeve over RNY were as follows:
1.  Didn't want to "reroute" my insides.  The sleeve just makes your stomach smaller. 
2.  Didn't want malabsorption or dumping which most RNYers have.
3.  The hormone Gherlin is removed in the part of the stomach which is removed and gherlin makes you hungry.  When I tell you that I've never been hungry since surgery, it's a miracle.  I love it.
4.  The sleeve seems to have many less side effects than the Band or RNY.  In my case, I have had no side effects at all.  No pain after surgery, no nausea, no vomiting etc.  It's been wonderful.
5.  I was self pay and the sleeve was the least expensive of the 3 WLS choices.
6.   Can take NSAIDS in the future if I need to, whereas, RNY can't take NSAIDS.
7.  The sleeve has less vitamins/supplement to take after surgery.  I take Calcium Citrate, multivitamin, and B-12.   


Loving my sleeve.

Marlene

Everyone's reasons for which WLS they choose are different, and you and your daughter should certainly learn everything you can about each so as to make the best informed decision you can because, after all, your daughter will be living with it for the rest of her life.

My reasons for choosing the sleeve over the RNY (or band) are similar to others posted.  I pretty quickly dismissed the band.  Way TOO MANY complications associated with it for my comfort level, and I too, was concerned about installing a foreign object in my body. 

As between the RNY and the sleeve, I also didn't like to whole "re-routing" idea and the additional complications that  come with the RNY, which others have already mentioned.  My health insurance company originally denied coverage for the sleeve because it is considered "investigational," but approved it following appeal, mainly because of my family's medical history, I need to have yearly endoscopic exams, which are not possible with the RNY.

My surgeon does not like to perform the sleeve for patients that have sugar addictions however, because patients can still consume sugar after the sleeve, and usually do so unless they resolve that addiction issue, while for RNYers, the malabsorption issues prevent that, at least for the first couple of years.

I am a little over 4 weeks post-op and am 1/3 of the way to my goal weight.  I can honestly say that for me, having had the sleeve was the best weight-loss decision of my life.    Good luck to you and your daughter as you begin this incredible journey.

Im 6 months post op from my RNY so I already know the complications with BOTH procedures etc. I had diabetes so I went the RNY route due to sending that into remission... My daughter has NO co-mobitities but she does want to lose about 200 pounds. Her goal weight is around 150 to 175. Ive lost 135ish in 6.5 months with the RNY and I think that's leaning her that way BUT Im worried a lil bout her taking her vitamins, the rerouting, and malabsorption as well. She has NO fat issues so Im thinking the sleeve since it's less stress on her body like a previous poster said... "years" of malabsorption.

If she must choose between these two, I vote for the Sleeve. Her youth is a big factor, and so is keeping a fully-functional stomach. Hopefully restriction will be all she needs, at least for now---but the Sleeve will offer her the option of an 'easy' revision to the DS if, on down the road, she finds that she has metabolic issues that require a 'stronger' surgery.

Statistics say that the DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight loss, ESPECIALLY for those with a starting BMI greater than 50---and if your daughter needs to lose 200 pounds, I'm guessing hers is that high. It's also the best at preventing co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol.

She WILL need to take vitamins and supplements, even with the Sleeve. Many, many people who don't have WLS are actually deficient, and with a Sleeve she simply won't be physically able to eat enough to get everything she needs by food alone.

I'm a bit puzzled about "She has NO fat issues..." What do you define as "fat issues"?

Im rather blunt so excuse me didnt mean to offend.  But I called myself fat when I was close to 300.  I dont see harm in words cause they are JUST that words.  But by "fat issues" I mean things like diabetes, GERD, joint pain, mobility problems, heart, circulatory, pulmonary and etc that obesity usually brings.  She was born over 13bs so she's always been big. To be honest, she's really just getting it to be AHEAD of the health issues not behind them.