Considering Options...

I am considering all of my options and want to know why you chose VSG vs RNY or DS. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Here's a summary of what my surgeon told me, and the research I did. However, that was two years ago, and in the meantime there is probably new research that your surgeon can advise you about. But here are some of the types of things you will want to consider.

What's best for you will probably depend mostly on any other medical conditions you have, and how much weight you need to lose. For example, if you have acid reflux, it may get worse with VSG, so RNY may be a better choice. If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, RNY may be better than VSG. If you have a very high BMI, you may be better off with DS.

For people who don't have conditions like that, VSG is typically recommended. It is the least likely to affect vitamin absorption or cause digestive problems. If needed, it can be revised to RNY. The difference in weight loss between VSG and RNY is minor; the amount you lose will depend mostly on you.

In my own situation, my BMI was 46. I was leaning toward RNY because I thought it might help me lose more weight. However, my surgeon suggested I consider VSG instead, because it was the least likely to affect my quality of life. I'm mathematically savvy, and when I read the research papers I concluded that the slightly higher weight loss that RNY patients reported wasn't really significant. So I ended up choosing VSG. My BMI is normal now. I'm still losing, because I want a bit of a "safety buffer".

Whatever surgery you choose, best of luck to you!

I had VSG because I had been leery about some of the issues that may occur with RNY such as slightly more risk of issues immediately following surgery, malabsorption of vitamins/iron, and ulcers. My BMI was about 39, so I didn't really consider DS as an option. I did a lot of research/reading on my own then saw a couple of surgeons. The one I chose felt that I would do well with either and said that people who are motivated can lose just as much weight with VSG as with RNY. In early 2016 they were seeing a big shift from RNY to VSG and in fact a very large percentage of their surgeries these days are VSG. One other advantage to VSG is that it can be converted to DS later. So I somewhat let my intuition be my guide at that point and went with VSG which I haven't regretted yet.

On your profile it says you have a BMI of 59. Because of that, I would lean towards RNY or DS if I were you. You can be successful with VSG but you need to follow the plan perfectly to lose it all and keep it off. But if you do the VSG you could convert to DS later.

What does your surgeon recommend?