Newbie

New here and deciding which surgery I will have.  What is the safest and most effective?

Hello,

I remember when I was 18, I received a tool set for Christmas one year. There were all sorts of tools. Hammers, pliers, etc... and they were stored in a closet and not used for many years. In that time that they were stored, they were never used. They were used starting when I was about 30, and started to build my home.

Which tool do you think was most effective in the time used since? Can a tool do anything if it sits in a tool belt, in a closet? These "surgeries" are like that. It is only effective if YOU decide that it will be. It is only "safe" if YOU follow your post-op instructions exactly. Can you do those things? Those are the questions that should precede the initial inquiries you posted. Then you will have a better footing on an answer.

Good luck. and Welcome.

Wow I love that analogy!   I think you are right.   I am going to keep this in mind.   So helpful!

Welcome! Have you attended an information class with a surgeon? If not, you should check into one.  I learned a ton about what each surgery option was like and had many of my questions answered.  When I had my individual consultation, we were able to decide together which procedure would be right for me.  Each person's situation will be different and you will need to find the best option for you.  Read the forums here as much as you can.  You will learn a lot from everyone.  I wish I would have known about this site prior to my surgery.  You have come to the right place!!!

Hey thanks for responding.   Yeah I have been to a meeting  but not met with doctor yet.   I am paying for surgery out of pocket so researching what would be the best in price for me as well as best type of surgery. 

Yeah and so far love this site!!

TY

No problem! I am happy to share with you the reasons I chose the RNY.  I felt most comfortable with it because it has been around the longest (My surgeon calls it the "Gold Standard" in WLS.)  He was fine with me doing RNY or the sleeve but said that the long term results with RNY would most likely be better.  Knowing myself and my love for sweets, I thought RNY would be a better choice for me because of the added safeguard of Dumping Syndrome.  I wish I could trust myself 100% around treats but I know from my past experience that I have been able to stay away from sugar and loose tons of weight just to gain it all back- plus more- once I started eating it again.  Now I know that there is no "magic bullet" when it comes to my sugar issue but knowing that I could dump is definitely a deterrent for me. 

No matter which surgery you choose, it's going to be a lot of work and a big change in your life.  I didn't really have the opportunity to talk to other people about why they chose their surgeries or if they were satisfied before I had mine.  I didn't know about this website or the tons of video blogs people have running on YouTube.  I am really glad I chose RNY but I would have felt a lot better about if it I would have done what you are doing now!

As you can imagine that question has been asked since the beginning of time.  Research the different types of surgeries, read what is required of you and decide on the type you feel you can live with for the rest of your life.  

You can use our search tool in the upper right hand corner, to the left of your user name and search for other threads that have discussed this subject.  We have PM'd you some links to read about all the options.

Good Luck to you and let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you on your journey!