surgical options

Hi all.  I am new to this forum so if this is the wrong place to post please let me know.  I have my meeting with my surgeon next week.  I am 31 with PCOS and have a good 100 or more pounds to lose.  I have shifted my focus from lap band to the sleeve and possibly the rouxen y.  I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me.  I know I have to make my own decision but any advice or experiences I could think about?  I would appreciate any feed back.  I am so excited and anxious I just want to make sure I pick the best option for me.

Thanks in advance!

only advice from me is consult your doctor, listen to his advice, consider all surgery options, and don't listen to anyone on the board who tries to scare you away from one surgery or the other, says you will fail having one surgery or the other, you'll lose and maintain more weight loss with one or the other, or provides links to self-serving web sites promoting one surgery over another

we're all different when it comes to our choice of surgery, and how to lose weight. and we have varied experiences with weight gain and eating. make you own choice based on your needs and own it. i understand it can be a fearful and confusing thing, and i have my own opinions about what i THINK a person can do based on what they tell me. even what they should do IMO.  but i had my surgery, and you need to have YOURS. YOU know whats out there. all you will get here are "pro / con" posts and "personal experience" replies. some of which can be dogmatic, and go in pretty hard. you need to have your own personal experience. pick one that sounds right to you for you, and go for it. pretty sure you've done YOUR research, and go to some "in person" support group meetings where WLS people talk about....stuff

good luck. and i "hope4success" 4 you, too :) 

After being asked by a few people why I chose VSG, I wrote this for my blog.  These are, of course, just my thoughts on the matter and what influenced my own choice.  

The four WLS are - sleeve, gastric bypass (RNY), lapband, and duodenal switch. My insurance covers the first three, but not the DS.

I ruled out the lapband immediately because the only people I know who have had it are miserable or have needed it removed. The complication rate is atrocious and it only lasts for 10 years or so. It's billed as being a "reversible" surgery, but the damage it can cause, like from erosion into your esophagus, is permanent. So no lapband for me. Here's an article on that topic.

The choice really boiled down to RNY or VSG and I chose the sleeve for a number of reasons. (Even if DS had been an option, I would not have chosen it.)

1. I really like the simplicity of the sleeve. All it does is remove 85% of your stomach. That's it.
2. I dislike the idea of having my intestines rerouted.
3. The "good" malabsorption that the bypass gives (of fats) is a temporary thing that only lasts for a few years whereas the "bad" malabsorption (of vitamins and minerals) lasts for forever. That's not worth it to me.
4. The sleeve is restriction only, no malabsorption. This also means that I CAN eat anything at all. Fats and sugars won't screw up my bowels the way they can for the bypass. (Of course I still need to make healthy choices, but that's a choice, not something that my surgery requires.)
5. With the bypass, you're left with a remnant stomach that can't be scoped. That scares the crap out of me. First, the idea that I have this weirdly connected non-stomach but then to not be able to get it checked out with an endoscopy if there's a problem? Eek. Do not want.
6. My understanding is that complication rates with the bypass are significantly greater, especially longterm due to malabsorption. While I will be taking vitamins for the rest of my life, chances are that I won't end up in the hospital if I stop because the sleeve has no malabsorption involved.
7. For the most part (and there are exceptions) the people I know with the sleeve look and seem healthier than the people I know with the bypass. That's nothing scientific though.. just a gut feeling.
8. The sleeve leaves you with a fully functional pyloric valve at the bottom of your stomach whereas the bypass gives you a stoma which can stretch over time.

There's a third option you don't mention, but one you should research also. It's called the Duodenal Switch, and you might say it's a combination of the RNY and the Sleeve. It has the same stomach as the Sleeve, plus an intestinal bypass similar to, but more effective than, that of the RNY/gastric bypass. It's the form of WLS with the best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, and the best stats for resolving or preventing co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol.

My advice to you, and to all newbies, is this---RESEARCH EVERYTHING. Look at all your surgical options, and once you've decided which is the best for YOU, then research surgeons and choose one with a LOT of experience doing the procedure you've chosen. Visit all the various surgical boards here, and check out surgery-specific FB groups, too. Talk with people who've been living with their WLS for a number of years. Also check out boards dedicated to those who are UN-happy with their WLS---you'll be amazed the things you'll learn there. Talk to people who've had, or are seeking revisions to their WLS.

And---think long and hard about how YOU can live happily and healthily for the rest of your life. WLS, no matter which form you choose, will change your life forever.

Thank you all so much.  You have given me some good suggestions and ideas.  My clinic has advised me to talk to lots of people find out there experiences good and bad, what they like and don't like and how they decided on their surgery.  Its definitely good to see all aspects of each.