Considering Options...
I have had multiple procedures. I started out with the lap band approximately 15 years ago. I lost weight, but I also threw up all the time. The band was removed after about 8-10 months of constantly throwing up and staying dehydrated. Once the band was gone I regained all the weight I lost. I then had the gastric sleeve. I did really well with the gastric sleeve for approximately 13 years. Lost over 100 pounds and maintained a healthy weight. I had a lot of stress in my life and all of sudden the throwing up started. At first it wasn't as bad as the lap band so, I dealt with it for several years. However, I started aspirating food and throwing up. So, I went to several surgeons to find out that I had a large hiatal hernia that was pushing 1/3 of my stomach into my diaphragm. I had kept my weight off with the sleeve, but due to how large the hiatal hernia was and the fact that I had the sleeve in Mexico, no local surgeons would touch me. I was referred to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo surgeon recommended the RNY, but I wanted to see if we could fix the problem by repairing the Hernia. The repair included having internal plastic surgery to repair my diaphragm and pulling my esophagus down. My stomach had pushed my esophagus up like an accordion. I came home and did well for several months and then the throwing up began again. So, I was back up to Mayo and my only option was the RNY. I am now 6 months post op and doing well with the RNY. I'm being monitored closely because I went into the RNY with a low BMI. You do take a lot of vitamins by mouth and a monthly B12 injection. You also have a lot of blood work to insure your getting the nutrients you need and if your vitamins need adjusting. The first year the blood work is more often, but after you reach the year mark, if everything is going well, I will only have blood work once a year. The RNY does cause malabsortion, thus the reason for all the vitamins and blood work. The surgeon at Mayo told me that since I had issues with throwing up with the lap band I should have never had the sleeve. If you have Gerd prior to having the sleeve you will probably have it even more with the sleeve. Also, at the Mayo Clinic they only do the RNY and they have a high success rate. With all that being said, for me I wish that I had started with the RNY. I've lost an additional 35 lbs since having the RNY and my BMI hovers around 19/20. I haven't experienced any throwing up, but I do still have some reflux, but that is due to the damage that was done to my esophagus. I'm not throwing up, but I do have a cough sometimes after eating. So, I'm on a protonix to help with that. Do your homework, talk with your surgeon and make the decision as to which surgery is best for you. I had the sleeve when they didn't have a lot of data on it. My surgeon at Mayo said that the surgeon that did my sleeve had done a good job. The sleeve just wasn't a good fit for me. Good luck on your weight loss journey.
