Partially broken and somewhat terrified...

YES! I can't chug it or anything crazy,  but I can absolutely drink a whole glass of water without any sipping.  I can even gulp,  just not multiple gulps in a row without letting the first one settle. 

It doesn't take long (a few seconds) to move on down,  but you do have to wait between big gulps.  Regular drinks without gulping are fine and you can pretty steadily drink without stopping. 

That gives me hope! I love to chug cold water. Lol

You absolutely DO NOT want the sleeve if you have any amount of Barrett's syndrome.  I never had reflux or heart burn before I had the sleeve, but I have it now.  With your pre-existing conditions, it's contraindicated for you.

There is nothing wrong with the RNY. You will be fine.  Surgery is the best thing I've ever done for myself.  With all the outside factors that you're dealing with, I highly recommend seeking out a therapist, preferably one who specializes in eating disorders.

I've lost over 220 lbs and I'm old.  I wouldn't trade being fat again over the sagging skin I now have.  If you think the skin issue will cause you emotional stress, start saving your pennies for plastic surgery.

I'm sorry that you're going through so many stressful things right now.  I can only encourage you to get the surgery now rather than wait.  If you change your lifestyle, the weight will come off.  You will feel physically better.  

I think it was just the shock of it since I had all of this planned out in my head. Lol The more I read here, the better I feel. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice!

Hi,

i am also and RN and am seeking the sleeve. My physician suggests RNY also due to the amount of weight I have to lose. I have a week to decide. I'll keep you posted. I'm nervouse either way.

Hopefully you saw my reply in the thread. I wanted the sleeve and the doctor recommended RNY based on the amount I had to lose. I am so glad I listened to the professional. Very successful thus far. I plan to lose 100% of my excess weight, so I am glad I chose the RNY.  Good luck on your decision.

Cory,I am worried about the long term effects such as vitamin deficiencies, osteoporosis, and secondary hypothyroidism (sorry, it's the nurse in me).

Unfortunately, I can't give you any advice on all that, but so far all of my labs are good and I simply take a good multi-vitamin twice a day, hair, skin and nails (from Costco), a B-6/B-12/folic acid tablet from Trader Joe's a few days a week, and some calcium chews with Vitamin D twice a day (a nice chocolate treat).  My labs have all been good. I have new labs next month for my year check up.  I have hypothryoidism (since I was 18 years old) and those levels have been fine as well.

I would say that the risk of staying as heavy as I was or, more likely, continuing to gain, was more dangerous to me than any of the other issues. I had asked my primary physician a few years back and again before I chose to have the surgery, "When do the risks of surgery outweigh the risks of not having the surgery?"  He told me that time had come a while back.

I think that my dietary habits before the surgery could have also lead to other complications, including vitamin deficiencies or osteoporosis. I feel better than I have in 25 years. I would do it again in a minute.

Good luck on your decision.

You've found some great answers here already but I'll chime in too.  I so badly wanted the sleeve, but during the pre-op testing was found to have Barretts (did not realize I had GERD badly for years) and my doctor was very good about explaining that RNY is actually therapeutic for GERD, and even Barretts.  I did my own research and found data showing that to be true, so that's what we went with.  And I have no regrets.  It's been great seeing my life open up with the loss of the weight. I also am a lucky dumper...no temptation at all walking down the ice cream aisle, which was my downfall for many diets!  But the life-style change, the work on the mind effort is still important because there are other carbs and bad choices out there calling my name.  OH has been a big help to me, and it's great you found it early on!  The loose skin is surprisingly not the issue I thought it would be - though I have not ruled out plastics.  But I did go to Hawaii for the first time in my life at age 59, a year after surgery- and wore a bathing suit on the beach - AND have been back twice since!  This from a girl who wore long dresses and heavy sweaters all year long in a feeble attempt to hide for over 40 years.  Thankful every single day for my RNY.

Good luck in reaching your goal...there are a lot of successes ahead of you!

When I went in for my final consult my doctor said the same thing, that the sleeve wouldn't work for me, I too was devastated and worried about having Roux en y.  I did end up doing it and yes, diarrhea was a factor in the beginning, then and now constipation but....I'm glad I listened and now 8 months out I wouldn't have changed anything about the experience.  Roux en y holds me accountable which is what I needed.  Just think about all your past attempts at loosing weight and "why" you failed.  As many have said, this is a tool and its "how" you use it.  I have COMPLETELY changed the way I view food and what goes into my mouth, protein first then a well done/steamed veggie if there is room, very little carbs (quest bar, oikos zero yogurt, fairlife skim milk, almond milk) now and then.  This journey is yours and yours alone, only you can make it work.