New Patient Consult-Dr wants RNY I want VSG. Help!

Which doctor are you working with? You mention Northern CA--is it Dr Legha at El Camino? He did my RNY in 2013 and his team is excellent. He has indeed felt that for patients with a lot of weight to lose that the RNY is the option for the best chance of success. You definitely do need to stay on top of your labs and address any problems quickly, but it's definitely a lot easier with a good team behind you. Dr Legha's team is excellent for followup--I've learned on these forums that not all teams are so supportive and just kind of release people out into the wild!

Also, regarding menstrual cramping--I used to need three ibuprofen every few hours, but since losing over 160 lbs, my period has gotten so much easier and now a couple of Tylenol takes care of any cramping. Once I no longer had all of that visceral fat pressing down on my uterus, it's not really a big deal. I'm not saying that will happen for you because there are plenty of thin ladies that have severe menstrual pain, but it's definitely been an improvement for me.

Continue to do your research and talk to as many people as you feel comfortable with regarding the different procedures. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion as well. This is an important decision and you want to have to make it only once. :D

Jen

I will be having my surgery done by Dr. Ali @ UC Davis Bariatric Surgery Program. I have heard/read it is a very good program. I'm located in the Sacramento area.

Like others have said, deficiencies are rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins. And taking them becomes automatic after awhile - I don't even think about it anymore.

I was really worried about the NSAID thing as well (although again, as others pointed out, they're contraindicated for VSG now, too). I was post-menopause when I had my RNY, so no cramps - but I used to get terrible headaches at least once a week. Oddly, I don't get those headaches any more. I still get very occasional headaches, but they're always mild - a couple of Tylenol will wipe them out. Not sure what was causing them, but whatever it is is gone now...

Personally I don't think the amount of weight you have to lose should be a factor in choosing which surgery to get. The factors that matter are medical ... are you a diabetic? Do you have acid reflux? If you don't have those 2 conditions then I see no reason to be pushed into getting an RNY. RNY is better for a diabetic because you don't absorb sugar as much and acid reflux is an issue with VSG patients so if you start with that condition a VSG will only make it worse.

Yes, VSG is a newer surgery an doesn't have the long history of results ... but let's be honest here ... a person CAN lose all their weight without any surgery at all. Its a matter of willingness to do what it takes ... and if YOU think that you can do it with a VSG then tell your doctor that is what you want. Remember that its YOUR body and you have to live with the decision.

For the record, when I started the pre-op diet my BMI was 49 My surgeon didn't try pushing me toward either one. He said I was a candidate for either one. I chose the VSG for all the reasons you gave. And yes ... my weight loss is not as dramatic as some others ... but I'm good with how things are going. If I end up heavier than what is considered "normal" that's fine too. To be honest I would PREFER to be a little bit heavier ... like a BMI of 27-29 sounds better to me.

I had similar concerns about RNY and chose VSG, but now having hung around this site for many months I can see that a lot of my fears of RNY were not as big of a deal as I imagined them to be. In hindsight, I think I would have been happy either way. Keep an open mind as you figure this out. If your surgeon is recommending RNY for you, I would strongly consider it.

After speaking with all of my friends/co-workers/family that has had RNY or VSG surgery I feel I bit more calm today. I realize both are really good options. I had more work ups yesterday and I got to speak again with more members of the program. They have talked me off the ledge so to speak . They advise I could get other meds for pain relief though probably prescription. And I already take a multi-vit every day so not really hard to add another 1 or 2(with iron!!) to prevent deficiencies. The nutritionist I talked to said dumping probably wont be such a big deal because I eat very little sugar on a normal pre-surgery basis(I have never been a cookie,cake,pie,donut,chocolate,candy eater.) I'm mostly a portion sizes to big/carb eater. I love breads, I don't even have a problem with pasta or rice its just bread. And we did have a discussion about how bread might be hard to digest with RNY. After careful thought I think I'm going to go with RNY. Sacrificing some things to get the weight off will be worth it. I just have to keep my mind from being paralyzed with fear. Thanks to everyone for comments and support. This is a big reason why I joined the community, I'm a big worrier and I know I will need a lot of support to ease my fears and get me through this.

Being out on the ledge is uncomfortable. It's nicer in here.

Your best bet is to avoid carbs while losing weight, so at least for the first year. Bread is effectively off the table until maintenance, possibly forever if it's one of your trigger foods.

Gosh, I so "get" you about the "lot of support to each my fears and get me through this." Get outta mah head, will ya? LOL! ((hugs))

Both are good options. I think I would have gone with the RNY even though the digestive changes were scary for me, except I have a condition that requires meds I can take with VSG but not with RNY. So the decision was pretty much made for me. But generally speaking, if your surgeon/team recommends one over the other, they usually have good reason for it. Most surgeons are seeing the two as a toss-up at this point, unless there's specific patient history to make one a better option than the other.