What Made You Chose RNY vs. The Other Types of WLS?
I chose RNY over VSG because I had a LOT to lose and felt I could manage the stricter vitamin regimen. While their average long-term losses are comparable, RNY wins by of 5-10% and when you need to lose 200+ pounds that's still a lot of weight.
If you are diabetic or have existing problems with acid reflux then RNY is kind of a no-brainer because it excels at resolving those issues. Otherwise VSG is a solid choice.
/\ what was mentioned above in addition to the surgeon advising RNY. But all types require dedicated commitment with no guarantees of avoiding things like complications or losing all the weight you hope for. WLS has not turned me into a ravaging beauty nor has made me 100% healthy, but it has bought me more time with my family for which I am very thankful for.
I chose RNY mostly because I was living on Tums. Morning, noon, and night. My reflux was crazy. And I hid it as much as I could - I'm still finding hiding spots for my tums all over the place! Thank heavens I had no ulcers or permanent damage! But anyway, I could have medicated for the reflux and had the sleeve, and my surgeon left the decision up to me, but RNY was a better choice. I didn't want to live with that. Also, I wanted to be sure I had the strongest tool to get to a normal weight for my height, and wanted the deterrent of potential dumping to keep me away from sweets and fried foods.
My surgical team strongly advises people toward the sleeve, as it's such a great tool with fewer potential side effects. But I am confident I made the right choice for me.
________
137 pounds lost - from a 24/26W to a size 8/10!
I chose it because in 2007, my only chocies were RNY, DS, or a band. There was no chance that I would lose almost 200 pounds with a band, and I didn't want the extra vitamin malabsorption and potential side effects of the DS.
If I personally were making the decision now, I would opt for VSG, though. In my opinion -- with no medical considerations such as acid reflux to influence my decision -- the 18 months of caloric malabsorption (and therefore slightly faster weight loss) with RNY isn't worth the trade off of a lifetime of lack of vitamin absorption.
In general , RNyers do lose slightly more weight, but the statistics for the amount of weight kept off long term are almost identical and depended FAR more on sticking with healthy post-op eating than which surgery you had. DSers lose the most weight and do better at keeping it off, but not many surgeons do the DS and the lack of vitamin absorption is even greater than with the RNY.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
I'm the one who chose RNY after doing a ton of research. I discussed it with my Dr. and he agreed that it was the best for me. My reasoning is that I have a significant amount of weight to lose and while I know the other options also have good outcomes I thought that this one could give me my best possibility to get to a healthy weight finally. I've had to be on medication for the last 8 years since i had cancer so I wasn't concerned about sticking to a vitamin regimen at all. I am concerned about the malabsorption issue but feel that I still made the right choice for me.
Melinda
HW: 377 SW: 362 CW:131
TOTAL LOSS: 249 pounds
I did a lot of soul-searching about this very topic. VSG seems to be the new darling. My surgeon said I was a good candidate for either but he leaned toward RnY for the extra weight loss. Additionally he did say that VSG shows similar numbers in maintaining the weight loss, but has much less statistical data to work with.
What finally tipped the scales (no pun intended) for my decision were two things - 1) I hoped to dump. This may sound crazy, but I felt I needed the extra deterrent. 2) RnY is reversible. Not that I hope to ever want or need that, but comforting to me to know that it is a last ditch option should I ever medically need to re-plumb. ;-)
Reflux was a big motivating factor for me. I didn't want to get stuck taking medication to control acid for the rest of my life. I was already dealing will too much acid, and I didn't want to risk aggravating the problem. Maybe some people are willing to take the chance that they may need a revision, but I wanted to make sure I got it right the first time.
Height: 5'5" HW: 290 Consultation Weight: 276 SW: 257 CW: 132