Contemplating Surgery

I had been on many diets and been successful, just could never keep the weight off. Lately though, last couple of years even when I would follow plans to a 't' I wouldn't lose any significant weight. So for me I felt I needed the malabsorbtion to get headed on the road to weight loss, restriction wasn't enough. By the time I get to the point where I only have restriction, I will be at goal and will hopefully learned the tools I need to maintain.

There's another option that no one's mentioned so far, called the Duodenal Switch. The DS has a Sleeved stomach plus an intestinal bypass similar to, but more aggressive than, that of the RNY/gastric bypass. The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, and the best stats for resolving or preventing co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol. While you're in the deciding stage, you need to research ALL your options.

Hi Brian,

Here's a great read put out by the Obesity Action Coalition: Understanding Your Weight Loss Options Hope it helps in your research.

~Michelle "Shelly"

If you use the search function and put in "sleeve or bypass" or "RNY vs VSG", you will get literally hundreds of posts asking this same question.

I lost 190 pounds with the RNY, but if I were doing it again and had a choice that inlcuded VSG, I would opt for the VSG.  

I say that for many of the same reasons that Gwen chose the sleeve. Basically, 18 months of temporary, partial caloric malabsorption (and therefore slightly faster weight loss) with RNY isn't worth the lifetime of

1) lack of vitamin absorption

2) potential "side effects" of RNY (kidney stones, reactive hypoglycemia)

3) strict prohibition on NSAIDS because of possibility of ulcers in the blind remnant stomach

4) the risk of stretching the artificial stoma of the RNY (which replaces the natural pyloric valve that the sleeve keeps (which won't stretch))

Also, you can be successful (or a failure) with ANY surgery.  DS has by far the best statistics, but is a pretty drastic surgery. The band has pretty abysmal statistics and a high rate of additional surgeries (to repair problems, to remove the band, or to revise to a VSG or RNY).

As far as choosing between RNY and VSG, though, multiple studies show that by 5 years out, the amount of initial weight loss is comparable (slightly higher with RNY) and that the amount of weight loss maintained is determined much more by how compliant people are with healthy eating habits than which surgery they had.

Lora