Which surgery?
on 1/27/17 1:31 pm
Hey! So I'm still pre-op, but I've just finished the "research, research, research till you find the right surgery for you" phase. So a lot of the info is fresh in my head :)
I think most people would say that the surgery you pick is a very personal thing. It depends on your eating habits, your health history, your comorbidities, your goals, etc.
For example:
Do you have GERD (or acid reflux)? If yes, then Vsg is probably not the surgery for you as it can cause your reflux to worsen. Long run this could lead to cancer from Garret's esophagus.
Do you have diabetes? While most surgeries improve diabetes, RNY has a slightly higher resolution rate.
Does your health insurance cover DS? The DS is the most effective weight loss surgery for long term results. I think the stat is like 90% of DS patients keep off the majority of their excess weight (my numbers may be off). However, my insurance doesn't cover it.
How willing are you to commit to a vitamin regimen? You should take vitamins regardless of the surgery, but with the DS and the RNY it's vital you stay on top of those bad boys as you have malabsorption not just restriction.
There are many many more questions to ask yourself. Your best bet would to read up on each of the surgeries and then delve into specific questions you have about all of them. Then mull it over with a surgeon. Use this site as a sounding board. I found a lot of great information on the surgeries themselves at a website called obesity coverage. Unlike this site, it is not a forum. But it presents a great over view of each surgeries pros and cons.
finally, you may want to consider asking this question to the general discussion board. It gets more traffic.
of course, ultimately you have to decide with your surgeon which is best for you. Good luck!
I also say do your research. I'm a revision from lap band to rny. Lap band has about a 50% complication rate (that will require surgery). Mine tortured me for 7 years then just broke. I chose to revise to rny because the band gave me acid reflux and I knew that is the problem with the sleeve. Lots of people are successful with the sleeve but I did not want to risk yet another revision. Am really happy with my bypass, no issues at all. I have lost 68lbs in just under 4 months. I started at 260.
Pick a great and experienced doctor and you should be fine. You need to ask how many of each procedure they have done and you need to ask them for their results. They should be able to provide you with their complication rates etc.
Yes, as others said it really depends. I'd recommend against the band. I'm getting a revision to RNY this week. My surgeon says he doesn't even do the band anymore as it's just not successful long term for most patients. Nowadays he's doing quite a few revisions from band to bypass or sleeve.
I chose RNY as it's got the best track record for resolving diabetes, and I'm having trouble keeping mine managed well. I'm willing to take supplements for the rest of my life. Heck, I think I've been taking supplements since I was a kid anyway, this just makes it more important to stay on top of them.
Best wishes in choosing!
Band removal & RNY Feb 1 2017
