I need some advice

Hi,

my name is Jhadere i'm 23 years old a student in Toronto, Canada. I am currently going through the process of becoming a candidate for WLS. The hospital I'm doing the program with is Humber River Hospital in Toronto. I had my initial appointment with the surgeon on October 6th. After meeting with the surgeon he told me that I would have to do the Gastric Bypass instead of VSG. Prior to the surgery I did a bit of research as to the type of surgery I wanted and I was a lot more comfortable with the VSG. I also have lupus and take a variety of medications where before I take them I have to eat. The surgeons reasoning for not doing the VSG is that the risks of Acid reflux and ulcers. there was a point where I was having issues with acid reflux but that was due to my gallbladder that i had removed. I really want to have this surgery because I have struggled with my weight my whole life and this right now feels like its my last resort. I really dont want to go through with it if I have to do the Gastric Bypass. I guess what I'm asking is what should I do. Has anyone on here with Lupus (SLE) gone through with the surgery and still been able to take the medications.

The Meds I take are:

Prednizone

Imuran (Azathioprine)

Doxasozin

Lasix

Calcium

Vitamin D

Womens Multivitamin

Tumeric

Probiotics

Iron (Europher)

Tecta

I see more and more sleeves needing revisions for reflux. If you had reflux I wouldn't take the risk.

As for the lupus - that's a very specific question which will get more responses on the main message board.

Good luck!

Hi there,

I started out really wanting the sleeve, and as I researched, I decided RNY was the best surgery for me. I don't have lupus, and medically, everyone is different, so I am by no means saying RNY is best for you... I can only share my own experience.

What the biggest deciding factor for me was acid reflux. I am twice your age: 46, and twice in my life have had problems with acid. I wouldn't say it's been a problem for me, and I could always find the underlying cause. But knowing I am prone to acid problems, my research told me the sleeve would be a bad choice and it wouldn't be long before I would be back under the knife again, getting a revision anyway. No thank you.

I notice one of your medications is Tecta, which I was also on. I wonder how truly resolved your acid really is if you need to be on a PPI daily?

May I ask why you feel the sleeve is the best surgery for you?

I wish you the best of luck in your decisions and consults with your surgeons. :)

I thought the sleeve was my best option because I know that with my prednisone I have to eat I also take NSAIDs occasionally when I'm having a flare up so I didn't want to take away that option from my self and my rheumatologist and family doctor. I'm still in pre op so I still have time to make a decision. I'm meeting with my rheum again to discuss my options and really decide if this is the best option for me.

nsaids are an issue for both the sleeve and the rny because they remove the protective lining of the stomach. they are not recommended for either surgery. best bet is to talk to the bariatric surgeon about your specific medications. You are not the first bariatric patient on medications. the practices should all have experience with it.

I'm a revision from a lap band to rny because of reflux. don't recommend a revision if you can avoid it. I wish I'd gone straight to bypass from the start.

Removing your gallbladder doesn't necessarily mean that your reflux will be better. I had my gallbladder out years ago and my reflux is worse now more than ever. I was very pro-sleeve at the start of my journey as well (i have two friends that have had it and have done really well with it - so I wanted it too), but as I did the research and know how my situation is with GERD, I have come to realize that the RNY is probably the way i'm going to have to go. Gradually, I have become okay with it. I am still pre-op but have been waiting and researching for a while. But it is your body, and it's a choice you are going to have to live with for the rest of your life, so if it is something you absolutely do not want to do, then you have made up your mind I suppose. I know that our bariatric center has a non-surgery medical weight loss portion to it as well. Maybe it is something that your clinic has and you can consider.

I would definitely definitely go with the RNY.

I had quite severe reflux pre RNY and the reflux was gone right after my surgery.

You can not take any NSAIDs, no carbonated drinks, no caffiene, no pop...

RNY is definitely worth it....

Prednisone is a steroidal anti inflammatory.

You will have to ask if that is okay....

You will be amazed how great you feel once the surgery is over....

I say take a chance and jump in with both feet....

I had a sleeve in Sept. I also have autoimmune disease, and take nsaids sometimes. I also have GERD, and have been on PPI's for probably 10 years. There is a risk of this worsening, however, I am ok so far, and most often it can be controlled by protein pump inhibitors (PPI's), more severe cases do happen tho, which may interfere with quality of life/ and esophageal damage and so revision may become necessary. I am not sure what the literature says about what percentage of sleeve patients get GERD that is not well controlled with PPI's.

For me, the doctor agreed sleeve was best given my need to take nsaids. there is less risk of ulcer with sleeve, is what he explained to me. Seems like there is varied medical advice about this however, so I suggest you speak to the doctor about your concerns.

Sincerely, Julie