Newbie here!!!!

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum but not the site. Several years ago I had a lap-band. It was a absolutely horrible experience. I had to have emergency surgery to have it removed. I've gained back everything plus a little. I swore off bariatric surgery until hearing about the sleeve. I'm so excited about this surgery!! Does anyone regret their surgery or wish they would have had RNY? I really think my surgeon botched my lapband, but I want to be really careful and choose a good surgery with the lowest complication rate. Just yesterday I met a lady that said she didn't recommend the sleeve, but rather the RNY. My mother is team RNY too. As far as I'm concerned the sleeve seems the best option but I would love to hear your thoughts. 

My doctor made his recommendations based on how overweight you are.  He told me I was in the range where either VSG or RNY were choices.  If my only option was RNY I'm unsure if I would have done.  I selected VSG because I wanted the least complex surgery and I wanted to try and have a normal life experience after.  I define normal as following the plan and still being able to live comfortable without the side effects and taking lots of supplements due to malabsorption.  I have a couple of friends that did RNY and they struggle with dumping and continue to have issues with their labs.  My surgery has worked out great.  I still like all of the food I did before I just have to stay away from some of it as it isn't in my plan.  I'm incredibly happy with the results.  Good luck with your choice.

Thanks so much for your response. I'm with kaiser and I've been approved for the surgery, but during my initial meeting it was said that the Doctor would ultimately make the final decision on which surgery I get approved for. I'm 360LBs. Really praying for the VSG.

 You may want to consider getting anew Dr, I don't think it should be their decision.  Mine recommended RNY before we ever discussed options.  Once I researched and determined VSG, he agreed and its been great.  I honestly wonder if they make more on the other one since its probably more work....

Ding Ding we have a winner.

The choice should benyours and not the surgeon. My doc recommended i get RNY but i really wanted the sleeve. I also went back and forth contemplating which one to get because he recommended the RNY over the sleeve for me. Im so glad i hose the sleeve. I have no regrets what so ever. Im one year out and so happy with my decision. Love having the sleeve. It works just as good as RNY. Remember, which one to get is your choice since you will have to live with it

I'm afraid you're going to get a lot of biased opinions on this forum about the sleeve! LOL!

I have to say that I have no regrets whatsoever. I would do the sleeve again without hesitation. It has been one of the best things I have done for my health (second to becoming a non-smoker, though!). Both the RNY and the VSG are fine surgeries. It really depends what you personally want. I wanted to keep my gut as close to "normal" as possible - meaning I really wanted the simplest surgery that was effective. I do think that RNY has proven to be a very good tool for putting diabetes type 2 into remission. If you are diabetic, that is something to consider. I will say that my pre diabetes resolved within 12 hours of surgery and has remained so ever since.

So here are some of the reasons I went VSG:

The complication rate overall is quite low and the 5 year complication rate is I believe the lowest of all bariatric surgeries (I could be mistaken here though).

VSG and RNY have roughly the same weight loss result statistics over a 5 year period (though RNY edges out VSG in the first year). I also didn't want my stomach floating in my abdomen with no way to access it.

I thought it best to remove the "unused" portion, which VSG does. (I DO understand how the remnant stomach works in RNY so, no one attack me for that comment, please.)

There is also a possibility of taking NSAIDs with the sleeve. Most docs don't recommend it, but most will admit that it's okay when necessary. With the RNY, NSAIDs are a big, big no!

I liked the idea of having my pyloric valve still intact and working, rather than the anastomasis created during the RNY.

A huge factor for me was that the research showed (back in 2011) that the VSG had a profound effect on ghrelin levels. It has now been shown that ghrelin levels remain low in most VSG patients over time - meaning we produce less of the hunger hormone after VSG than we did prior. I have found this to be a huge factor in my post surgical life. (To be fair, though, I have a friend who had RNY who also has a much lessened level of hunger at 5 years out than she did prior to VSG.)

but the number one reason I went with VSG was....

at a gut level I knew it was the right choice FOR ME!

Kairk said it all.

psychoticparrot

Thanks for your response. Yes, very informative. 

Thank you. This was very informative. Everything I've read points to that VSG is the safer way to go. I'm like you in that I just have this feeling that this is the best surgery for me.