Pressure from surgeon to do bypass instead of sleeve?

It sounds to me like your surgeon is more comfortable performing the RNY than the sleeve.  Her statements aren't completely factual.

I am also a cancer survivor.  My starting BMI was over 70.  My surgeon gave me the choice between the sleeve and the RNY, and I opted for the sleeve.  He said that initially you will lose more weight with the RNY, but at the two year point, statistically the results are similar.  The retention of the pyloric valve, removal of the stomach that produces ghrelin and the lack of rerouting was a big factor in my decision.

I second the recommendation that you ask your surgeon how many of each procedure she's performed.  I think that will be the smoking gun why she is pushing the RNY so hard.  And again, it's a more time consuming surgery so she might be able to bill for when she does them.

Ultimately the decision is yours.  You have to live with the choice.   I love my sleeve.  It was the right decision for me.

I disagree. And I also had cancer prior to making the decision regarding Rny and Sleeve and also totally can appreciate your concern about absorption of vitamins, meds, etc. I cannot emphasize this enough- I am not your doc and don't know squat about your personal medical situation other than as a cancer sister I get how much that can suck. So, this falls strictly under my opinion/my experience. 

My doc also wanted me to go Rny due to being diabetic, but I was sure about Vsg. He indicated that at the time of my surgery his Rny patients lost 5% more of the EWL than the sleeve patients, but by the time I had my 1 year follow up they were identical in loss. Regain for his patients is the typical 5% of EWL loss- neither Rny nor Vsg had an edge in that department. From what I saw in the support groups for the 2 years or so I attended that matched what I saw with the patients who attended. 

Now fast forward and I have dealt with a lot more cancer and a **** ton of surgeries to go with it. There has been seveeral times that inflammation was an issue and Nsaids were taken. Totally not an option with Rny. Now, please know I take them very very sparingly and do not take them consistently by any means. But I do appreciate it being an option. 

The malabsoprtion of vitamins in my case is a very big deal. Even with the sleeve I struggle to keep my levels up. As cancer patients we sometimes take crappy medicine that makes it harder to eat correctly or messes with us. I am so grateful to not have added that malabsoprtion to my plate of crap to deal with. 

And complications- more likely with rny. Maybe not MUCH more likely, but we are in situations where we need to carefully consider managing complications to the greatest extent possible. 

Vsg will be plenty strong enough for you to lose all of your weight. I also was not a volume eater, but rather eat crappy food all day long grazer type and I made it no problem. I did exercise a lot when I could during the weight loss phase, but also had several surgeries during the weight loss phase (cancer related) that gave me long stretches where I couldn't. My current slight regain I do attribute to a combination of crappy eating choices along with not being able to exercise for a realllllly long time due to a double mastectemy, complications from tissue expanders, complications from the exchange, and now complicatins from the revision surgery. 

VSG all the way. Just my humble opinon. I would suggest you find another doctor that does a lot of Vsg. Sounds like your current one is more comfortable doing Rny over Vsg and THAT is the reason why it is being sold a little more heavily. 

Our stats are not that different. I am 5'4" & my weight on the day of surgery was 241. I am now 6+ months out & weigh 170 lbs (20 lbs less than what my surgeon expected). I still want to lose another 20-25 lbs. and I have no doubt that I will be able to do it. BTW, they give you that number because statistically the surgery is considered a success when you lose 60% of your excess weight. 

Also, it sounds like your dr may be more comfortable & have more experience with performing bypass surgeries. Bottom line is it's your body & ultimately your decision. Do your homework, talk to others who've had both surgeries (either online or by attending a bariatric support group) and make the decidion that's right for you. 

Your surgeon is badly informed about the sleeve, which is a subject for which she should have the greatest expertise. Dump her now, and find someone who knows what they're talking about. This doctor does not sound competent; I'd be very afraid that her incompetence extends to her surgical skills as well.

"Run away! Run away!"

psychoticparrot

With your concerns, I would recommend the sleeve.   I would check other surgeons out too.

Thank you so much, everyone, for your feedback. This helps a lot.

I'm still very conflicted. I went back to my surgeon today and one of her staff members told me they don't even normally do the sleeve for people of my weight because they just don't see the results they need. All that said, they agreed to do the sleeve for me if I want to go that route.

Honestly, I have a friend who weighed around 350 and she lost over 100 lbs -- so she has been successful, but she is having trouble losing the rest of her excess weight.

So, I'm still really confused -- and I'm not sure how much of it is because my surgeon and her office are encouraging me to do the bypass or what I have seen with my friend and her sleeve.

Also, I spoke with my oncologist and he said that if I were to ever need treatment in the future, I could be treated if I have the bypass or the sleeve.

Considering you really want to make the correct choice (both in the surgery type and the surgeon (skill) ) I highly recommend you seek another surgeon. Yes, it will mean a delay, yes, it's a pain.. but all signs are pointing that this particular surgeon doesn't do an optimal procedure, and in their own way- they are owning that. 

GO, find another surgeon, and get what you are putting your life and finances on done right, the first time. It's just time vs possibly needing another surgery to revise, after the fact.. an inconvenience, but not the end of the road.

The only two surgeries I would consider are a. the best restrictive: the Sleeve, and b. the best malabsorptive: the DS. As long as you have fully educated yourself on these, and made an informed choice- the next step is not getting a subpar outcome because the surgeon doesn't perform the surgery as well as they should. Good luck!

What type of aftercare does your surgeon's office provide? The surgery is only one of MANY pieces to this puzzle, my group provides lifelong support through not only the surgeon, but nutritionists, support groups, one on one counselors, and even an image consultant/personal stylist. If they aren't 'getting results' perhaps they aren't providing the appropriate type of education and support that the average WLS patient needs to be successful?