Surgery date set.

October 5th 1330 is the date for my VGB. Still wondering if i am having the right one for me, all i see on this site is ppl that have had RNY. Peer pressure? I guess ill try to convince myself the dr. knows more than me when he suggested the vgb. Since im not a big sweet eater he thought this one would help me more.

Congratulations Duane! Your big day is just around the corner. I live in St. Paul as well and Dr. Rupp was also my surgeon. I am very happy with my decision to have VBG and my choice to have Dr. Rupp as my surgeon was excellent. Like you I was not a big sweet eater or a grazer. My main problem was portion control. I ate huge amounts of food at each meal. Having VBG (restrictive intake) surgery pretty much corrected my food issue. The other main benefit of VBG is that it is less invasive. If Dr. Rupp felt that you would be more successful with RNY he would have recommended that surgery. The nice thing about Dr. Rupp is he takes into account your needs and recommends the surgery that would be best for YOU. I have journaled a lot about my experiences both pre and post op in my profile if you care to look it over. VBG and RNY both have pros and cons. If you change your mind and really want RNY just let Dr. Rupp know as soon as you can. The day of my surgery he asked me if I still wanted VBG, I think he would have let me "change my mind" right there if I wanted. I would suggest that you start reading VBG profiles and doing your research. Take notes and ask Dr. Rupp any questions that you come up with. Best of luck to you and CONGRATULATIONS!! Sharon Chute Open VBG 10.28.03 start 340# bmi 62 now 227# bmi 40.4 goal 190ish (hoping for less) 5' 2" // age 37

thanks for the info and support. I have been a faithfull daily reader of all post her on the site. I just rarely post anything. Also the Dr. is Baker out of the same office as rupp. this shouldn't change anything should it? thanks.

Hi Duane, No I do not believe that having Dr. Baker will change anything. Dr. Rupp took a lot of time selecting partners for his practice. I am sure you are in capable hands. Picking the surgery that best fits your cir****tances is most important. When I first went to Dr. Rupp and he asked me which surgery I was interested in alls that I could say to him was "not VBG". After that we discussed my eating habits and my mental condition. Dr. Rupp felt that because I did not "graze", wasn't a "sweet-eater" by rule, would be happy at a higher weight goal (190 vs 135) and because I was mentally stable that I would do well with either VBG or RNY. His opinion was that VBG was less invasive and because it was reversible it was a safer alternative to RNY for me. He even went so far as to say that if I chose to get down to 135 that with this surgery I could do it. To be honest now that I am 227 I would really like to get to 170. So we shall just have to see. Again I would have to stress doing research of the pros and cons of both surgeries. Make a list and discuss your questions with Dr. Baker. The best part is that YOU get to choose in the end which surgery you are going to have. As of today at 10 months out I am happy with my choice to have VBG, wouldn't change a thing. Do your research, make your decision and then get ready for the life you will be leading. Best of luck! I hope you find everything you are looking for in life. Sharon Chute