RNY vs VSG

Everyone gave really good feedback I would just like to add that at my WLS programs seminar one of the reasons the surgeon gave for choosing VSG Over RnY is age. He said RnY would have a higher chance for complications over the VSG and when someone is older they might not be up for dealing with all the complications that could potentially arise from it.

Hmm...thank you for sharing that. I did find during my research that WLS in of itself is no more risky for "people of a certain age" compared to the effects of obesity but I had not heard that the choice of procedure might be a factor. Nobody has told me that so it's definitely something to ask my surgeon's office about.

My mom is 62 and I remember telling her that the surgeon said that about age being a factor in case she decided to get the surgery. Of course though there is many older people on this forum that have had the RNY and I am sure they will tell you they have had great experiences with the RNY. Alot probably has to do with how your health currently is along with your age. My Mother has alot of health issues and combined with her age the VSG would probably be the best surgery for her.

That's interesting. My mom also had surgery in her early 60s and they gave her the exact opposite advice! They told her that at her age she really just had one chance to get it right, so RNY was their recommendation. She was very heavy and inactive, but otherwise (thankfully) did not have a lot of health complications from her obesity.

VSG has more restriction then RNY ( one of the reasons I changed from RNY along with I could take NASIDS) Either surgery will work though and only you can make that choice.

MAKE SURE YOUR SURGEON IS EXPERIENCED ON THE PROCEDURE YOU ARE GETTING (GREATER THAN 125 SURGERIES OF YOUR TYPE)

There are 3 parts to the RNY. First the size of the pouch, second the size of the stoma and 3rd the amount bypassed. Please ask your surgeon what measurements he uses and why. Most of my adult life I weighed 170 lbs. and was a type 1 diabetic. I gained 25 lbs. to have the RNY to "cure my diabetes". (The RNY doesn't cure type 1 diabetes.) I was given a large pouch, large stricture resistant stoma hole and 70 cm bypass. Shortly after surgery, X rays showed food racing from my mouth through my gut without stopping. I struggled to get back to my 170 lbs. and at the end of a year I weighed 186 lbs. I never felt like I swallowed food...even in the hospital shortly after surgery and after 3 oz. of soft food and a protein drink. I haven't felt like I swallowed food for 13 years. I only take a multi vitamin because I have very little bypasssed and my labs are always normal. My surgeon had only done a handful of RNYs. Most of the people in the support group were struggling with too much restriction or not enough restriction. One girl had a feeding tube coming out of her abdomen and many had revisions or needed their stomas stretched. I read on a surgeon site that they aren't fully trained until they do 125 procedures. I asked once how they get trained. One patient said they practice on us. If I had gone to a support meeting before the surgery I would have found a different surgeon. My insurance won't pay for any revisions...1 bariatric surgery in a lifetime. Please choose your surgeon carefully. Tri harder

Sounds like you have a lot of good advice already, but I wanted to pipe in with one more anecdote.

I had the LapBand 10+ years ago. It was a newish surgery and all the rage. When I first came to OH the LapBand forums were hopping--there were so many of us! But within a few years all of us (really... ALL!) started having complications, and most people have had to have revisions or have gained all the weight back and live with uncontrolled GERD.

When they offered me the revision due to my band failure, they told me I could do the VSG or the RNY. Again, VSG was a lot newer and all the rage! My surgeon was doing x3 more of that type of surgery than the RNY at the time.

But knowing first hand that long term results are crucial, I went with the RNY that has over 75 years of data. And now in just the last few years, we are hearing about more people revising from the VSG to RNY due to GERD.

After getting so sick from the band, you could not pay me a million dollars to do any surgery that is newer than the RNY and doesn't have the long term data to back it up. Plus in the end, if you have a surgery that needs revision, they revise you to RNY--so why not just start there?

Good luck!

I'm going for ryn I'm am so excited I'm glad it work for you l have bad diabetes and tired of taking insulin 5 times a day

and THAT, plus the GERD issue, is why I chose RNY.

btw - lots of us older people have RNY. I had it at age 55. Some of us are in our 60s when we have it. I've never heard that it was contraindicated for older adults. Many of us have no complications whatsoever with it (I had a stricture - a minor complication with an easy fix)