Surgery choice... a little rant.

Had my heart set on VSG since August when I first started on the path to WLS again.

My surgeon's now discovered some problems during the EGD which led him to highly recommend RNY over the VSG for me.

I'm still not quite ready to accept that.  I do feel he's truthful as 2 close friends have had VSG with him and he made no indication RNY would be better for them after their scopes.

Weight-loss surgery's been 10+ years in the making for me, and back when RNY was the 'it' surgery, I would've had it.  Now that something that I perceive to be better has come along, I just can't quite wrap my head around the thought of dealing with the possible long-term deficiencies the Roux-en-Y is known for.  As far as going for the gold, DS is out, too, as the sleeve portion still wouldn't correct excess bile and acid (and nasty inflammation) I apparently have and had no clue was there.  I've got the pictures to prove it... so I don't think he's just trying to 'upsell' me!

My mind is running like a hamster on a wheel! 

I just needed to get this off my chest and out of my heart for a while.  I've been thinking about it too flippin' much... I've given myself a month to make my ultimate decision.

Even if you trust your surgeon completely it is always a good idea to get a second opinion...even a third...good luck!

He "highly" recommended RNY to me. I told him, I would be on Prilosec the rest of my life vs the RNY.
He laughed and told me it was my choice.
I stopped my prilosec on March 1st as directed byhim to me. No problems with hunger and still losing. Talk to him about the VSG and what meds you may continue to take.
He is very reasonable!
Good luck!!

Thank you!  So happy you're doing well and off the med!!! 

I'm glad you shared what he told you as well.  He mentioned RNY to my 2 friends, but let it drop as soon as they showed zero interest.  I'm pretty sure I showed zero interest, too, but I've now had 4 visits to his office, and 2 of them consisted of RNY talk from him even though he knew I was 100% for the sleeve.

Great job losing!  Looks like we may be having a long summer the way the weather's already going.  Won't it be wonderful to face it with less insulation! 

 I definitely second the "second opinion" suggestion. 

That being said, I never had GERD pre-op, but post op, it developed like a B****. Last week my chest hurt and the pain and burning had me almost on the verge of running to the nearest hospital and beginning for an emergency RNY.  I am to the point where as much as I absolutely hate the RNY, would not ever even consider it as a WL tool, I may have to consider before I do too much damage to my esophagus and stomach. It would take a lot to get me to that point, but i can't rule it out 100%. 

If the VSG is going to have a strong likelyhood of causing or increasing acid/GERD problems, maybe it's worth considering, but I would definitely have to have multiple opinions personally. 

Thank you for posting this!!!  

You are experiencing exactly what frightens me about continuing on the sleeve path.  And give my thoughts some validation.  Hating the thought of RNY, knowing I'll never get rid of the weight without help of some sort, but also recognizing some WLSs are just not a good fit.

I'm so sorry you're going through that!  Did you have a scope before, and did it show anything that would contraindicate having the sleeve?   

Dr's have to be good for something.  He;s the one with your medical file and according to you he's given you valid reasons.  Now it's up to you to use those reasons to do further research and look up the stats.  If you trust this doctor i would do this instead of just finding someone who tells you what you want to hear, because there are a lot of those out there.  But i think giving yourself a breather is a good move.  Relax for a minute.

There is something to be said for a medical professional's opinion. It seems he feels like the other procedure is better, coming from an informed viewpoint.

Definitely something to consider.

Maybe a second opinion would be best, to ease your mind, especially if another doc agreees with the RNY decision. That might help you find peace with the decision.

Thank you all for mentioning the second opinion. 

I had another surgeon before this one (I changed only for insurance reasons), and he had no qualms with the sleeve but he did say acid reflux was certainly a side effect for many.  I should mention, he did not have EGD results sitting in front of him, though.  Going into this knowing it's a possible side effect for anyone, but almost guaranteed to be one for me, kind of changes things up a bit.  

It's great to see everyone having such great success with the sleeve!

I'd trust your doctor.  My doctor also said that GERD would be worse with VSG.  With RNY it will go away...it will be completely gone.  After treating the H-pylori I had the reflux completely went away.  I'm not even sure why...but it was gone and hasn't come back.  I can eat spicy food now with no problems...they used to kill me before.  My doctor did say that I'd do great with either surgery.  If you doubt what he says getting a second would be good.  Go to someone that is extremely experience with both surgeries and share your concerns.  It never hurts to get  a second opinion.