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

Thx soo much. She's more worried about losing the weight which the studies we've read say: 70% to 80% with RNY 60% to 70% with sleeve 50% to 60% with lapband which isn't an option. She don't want a foreign objecrt in her nor would it work for fills in Miami. Her goal weight is around 160ish. My gfs who've had the sleeve are still big but they are going for the second part of that as well.

Something else she needs to think about is not just how much or how fast she can LOSE weight with a given procedure, but how well she can MAINTAIN that loss, long-term. The DS has the very best long-term stats, with the 'average' patient maintaining a loss of 78% of excess weight at ten years post-op.

I need to see if my surgeon even covers that procedure.  She does have a HIGH BMI which could warrant the DS procedure.  I just got the RNY so we will be pretty much going thru everything together... 

That's one drawback to the DS---there are not a lot of surgeons who do it. (The number is growing fairly rapidly, though.) Most DSers have to travel to get a vetted DS surgeon. Here's a link to a list of vetted DS surgeons in North America:www.dsfacts.com/North-American-Duodenal-Switch-Surgeons.html

There are no doubt some other surgeons who do the DS, but this is the most reliable list out there. The list here at OH, the surgeons PAY to get listed on, and we've found there are a number of what we call "bait and don't Switch" surgeons on it. (*grin*)

Simplicity of the surgery and no malabsorption.   I did not want to be wandering through my senior years trying to remember if I took my vitamins when I can't even remember where I left my reading glasses!  I was also totally unwilling to have my intestines cut on if I didn't have to.  

 I am 17 mos out; been off diabetes meds since the first week after surgery.  My most recent blood work (last week) showed levels that were all fine, and the only thing I take are multivitamins.  At this stage, I am eating a pretty normal amount of food - maybe 1500 to 1800 cals.  I do eat a pretty healthy diet, though -- lots of veggies.  I eat about 6 times a day to get that in.  Fat does not sit well in my stomach (makes me nauseaus), and (other than Thanksgiving!), I usually eat pretty low fat, low carb.   I am 61 yrs old and am maintining a wt. loss of over a hundred pounds - size 8/10, 5'5".  

One more plus about the sleeve in my experience -- no bowel issues.  I don't know if RNYers experience smellier than average gas or poops, but I do think there are issues with bowel leakage.  People who have had this surgery could speak more about this, but I have read some complaints.  I have never experienced any abnormally smelling poops or gas, no matter what i eat.  I think other sleevers occasionally do, but I don't think it's the norm.   

The VSG was my 2nd, and final WLS. I could have easily had RNY, but I fought to have VSG as my revision from the band. Some factors I considered in deciding on VSG.

1) No blind stomach left behind that can be difficult to scope yet can still get ulcers and cancer.
2) 2 years max on calorie/carb/sugar malabsorption, but a lifetime of vitamin/nutrient malabsorption
3) I had a pouch with the band, and it sucked. I'm pretty fond of my pyloric valve and the sleeve let me keep it. I love having a normal functioning stomach, just smaller in capacity.
4) Regain stats and #of RNY patients seeking revision truly scared the poop out of me
5) I have too many friends in real life that struggle with vitamin deficiencies post-RNY, and most of them either never got to goal, or have gained back a significant amount of their weight.
6) The long term complications with RNY were too numerous for my comfort level.
7) I researched gastrectomies that had been performed for stomach cancer and ulcer patients, and found comfort in the long term results and minimal complications of patients that had lost most or all of their stomachs had dealt with over several years.
8) I was a volume eater, and knew a restrictive only procedure would work for me. That was my thought process when I got the band, and I thought I could beat the odds on complications. Sadly, the band only lasted 8 months before I had to revise.
9) I did not want to have food or medication restrictions. I chose WLS to have a "normal" life, and I think it's normal to eat a couple of cookies. With RNY, I wasn't willing to go through the possibility of dumping if I wanted to have a couple of cookies, or a slice of cake on occasion.

I lost all my weight with the exception of 7lbs with the sleeve. It's been a fabulous journey, and I'm easily maintaining with zero issues.

another thing i have a sister who had rny about 10 years ago, she's gained alot of her weight back, and ditto what airforce wife said. in the end what ever surgery you choose its up to you and you alone to succeed.

I chose the VSG because:

1. I had the band & had a strangulated hernia at the port site
2. I have family that had the RNY & noticed that they gained weight after 3 yrs.
3. I realized that with any of the surgeries you have to make good choices, so I went with the least traumatic to the body.
4. No malabsorption
5. No dumping
6. No Foul gas
8.  Very similar weightloss
9.the stomach is removed = Less grehlin = less hunger= more compliance

I just joined OH yesterday (at the suggestion of someone on Yahoo Answers...who would have thought that site could ever give useful info!) I've been debating between RNY and the sleeve, and I can't tell you all how much this thread has helped me. I didn't realize the malabsorption aspect of RNY was temporary, or that surgeons will sometimes recommend the procedure that leaves your GI tract more "normal" afterwards to younger patients (I'm 26). My insurance has an exclusion for all WLS, so coverage for the sleeve is not an issue for me (plus, since I'll be paying out of pocket, I like that it's a few grand cheaper). I've just started this process, but knowing which procedure I want is a great start. Thank you all so much!! Was anyone else self-pay, and if so, how much did your surgery cost? I had one hospital offer a package price of $25,000 (the same as their RNY), but another local hospital that's university-affiliated quoted me $16,000. Are these numbers about average for this procedure, or do you think it would be worth it for me to look at hospitals or clinics farther from home?