Decisions Decisions

Help! I need to figure out what surgery is best for me. I do have some time so I can do more research but what better way than to ask those who have had this done. My doctor said there is no health reason to recommend the sleeve vs. the bypass so it really is up to me. I do know a handful of people who have had the bypass but only 1 that had the sleeve. Please share your experiences with me so I can better inform myself. I know everyone is different and we react differently to certain things but I just need a better understanding. Thanks so much!

i had the SAME dilemma. Because i have had issues with acid reflux, I originally wanted the sleeve, also i felt it was less invasive....

then my surgeon told me more weight is lost with Bypass than sleeve, plus there is more restriction of sugar tolerance with bypass. Sleevers tolerate sugar.I need the restriction,... I decided on the bypass in the end. HAPPY with my decision! Surgery is MONDAY!!!

Love this Bonnie. I wish you the best of luck in your new journey. I, too am having to make the same decision. I just had my first consult today. 

Thanks a bunch! I am kind of leaning toward bypass but that is because I don't have all the facts on the sleeve.

Bonnie,

Good luck on your surgery. I appreciated your post because I too am addicted to sugar and chocolate. Keep us posted when you feel up to it after surgery.

Robin

My doctor said if you have diabetes or acid reflux that the bypass tends to work out better. His biggest question for me was if I had reflux or not... He said it will make your reflux worse a lot of times with the sleeve. That all being said, I don't have either and I'm getting sleeved on September 10th!

I do have reflux but I have noticed as I lose weight the reflux goes away little by little. You will have to let me know how you make out. My surgery will hopefully be in December.

Think of your own weight history.

Can you stick to a diet - but still don't get good results?

Are you always hungry?

Do you never feel full and need some help telling you to stop eating?

WLS isn't one-size-fits-all, so it's important to take these questions to heart and to understand how each procedure works to determine where your benefit lies.

Keep in mind that not everyone who has RNY develops "dumping" or problems with sugar.  There's plenty of RNYers on these boards who can eat sugar with no problems.  And I'm told that the malabsorptive piece of that surgery only lasts for 2 years.   I got the VSG because I didn't want any rerouting of my intestines, I didn't want a "blind" stomach hanging inside me, I wanted to be able to take NSAIDs if needed, and I wanted the least invasive surgery with the fastest recovery time possible.  

Now, there is also the DS surgery where you get the sleeve plus the intestinal re-routing and that malabsorption lasts for life.  So it's another one to consider too if your surgeon does it.  

I encourage you to check out the surgery specific forums on this site for VSG and RNY.  You'll probably learn a lot from reading all those posts.  Good luck!  

What Tracy D said.  All of it.  And, yes, we do all experience things differently.  I had VSG and I am now really sensitive to sugar.  I have had a teeny tiny bit of a sweet dessert and my stomach was extremely unhappy.  I don't know if it has anything at all to do with the surgery or merely the fact that I don't consume sugary foods (even too much fruit will cause a bad stomachache) very often at all.   I have a coworker who had RNY and eats cake like it's going out of style without getting sick.  I would follow Tracy's advice and read the surgery specific forums.