What are your pros and cons to this surgery?

I am looking to have this surgery done over the others as I feel it is the least invasive (no rearranging of natural order of things).

From what the doctors are saying the results should be very similar to the gastric bypass.  I was wondering if that is accurate and what some of the pros and cons were for those that have had this surgery.  Are you happy with your decision or do you wish you had gone with another type of WLS?

Hi

I had VSG on Nov, 4th 2014. 

Pros

Less felling hungry

Eat small portion

Good option for long term

Cons

Hard to recovery (2 to 3 weeks in liquid diet then 2 weeks soft food) eating hard food can result in bad compilation.

Over eating result discomfort for one or two hours plus vomiting need to be strong and not over eating (not good for emotional eater )

one way procedure (no coming back)

Risk of leaking

Other point I'd like to add this is not a miracle surgery that is going to lose weight without changing our behavior or life style. It is very good tool it helps me to change my behavior and life style.

I am so happy to stop the diabetes pills and most the blood pressure pills. I used to take 12 pills a day to only 2 pills a day. 

Hope this help you

This helps a lot!! Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. :)

all the newest report say ether the same lose in the long term or just slightly less , but you probably lose slower with the vsg than the rny or ds

I love my sleeve , am a slow loser but lose a few lb every month and im 1 1/2 years out still losing and im a heavy weight

since surgery Im off insulin and byetta and only take metiformin for my diabetes and my a1c is 5.8 and my fasting blood sugars around 90-95

 my knees no longer hurt or my back

I'm rarely hungry and a few bites fill me up

 only with the vsg you can take nsaid pain killers which is important for obese people because most of us have knee and back problems

 the vsg is the safest of the wls less deaths during surgery (almost non) less leaks , stuck food is very rare with a well made sleeve

 I have not vomited once since my surgery (unlike the crap band and rny)

 the crap band requires many refills which are expensive and probably not covered by insurance  and there is a good chance of never geting it full right 

 the malobsortion of calories useually stop after a year or so with the rny and sometimes the ds but the malabsortion of nutrients  is for life 

 the vsg has little problem with malabsortion of nutrients  if you stick to you plans supplements 

 wish I had my vsg 10 years ago 

Sounds like you are doing great! :)  Good news!! :)

my plan had me on solid food food after 2 weeks starting with softer stuff

if does help emotional eater because you only can eat small amounts if you binge  you just need to eat the right foods 95% of the time and it will work 

 all wls are tools to help you change your eating habits , no will help you lose the weight and keep it off if you do not stay on plan

 I have never stayed on a diet for more than 6 months in my life , but with my sleeve it has been over 2 years that I am eating right

 I go out now and enjoy my life , I fit in seats and can buy cloths , I was almost to the point of needing a wheel chair and now im running around the mall

con cloths are getting expensive , I keep seeing new cloths that would have never fit since I was a teenager

I am also looking to have this surgery done. I just started the process. I have lost 17lbs since I started last month. Thank you for asking this question because I would also like to know if the results are similar to gastric bypass. Good luck with your weight loss journey.

Best wishes to you as well. :)

The sleeve is a great restrictive surgery that is quickly gaining momentum and respect, and not a moment too soon with all the complications of the Band procedures.

That being said, though, for some people, it's just not enough.  Some people need that malabsorptive component to kick their metabolism into gear more than the VSG will give them.  The point is that your surgeon is no fortune-teller, and cannot determine what you know about your diet history in the whopping 15 min you might get with him personally.  Look beyond the fear of invasiveness or convenience, because a second procedure is much more invasive and inconvenient than one that would have worked in the first try.  Learn all you can about the VSG, RNY and DS.  Compare what you learn to what you know about yourself and your diet history. 

Some questions to consider:

1. Did you ever lose a considerable amount of weight with diet/exercise?
2. Is satiety a problem?
3. Are you a champion dieter - but show no results?

What you learn about each procedure, with these questions answered will lead you to the best procedure for you.  WLS is not one-size-fits-all, so you owe it to yourself to put some real effort into it.

I have lost 70 pounds probably 4-5 times over the past 20 years, then because I didn't have the surgery I would gain it back.  I couldn't follow through with the bypass.

I stop eating when full and don't over eat, and I don't eat until I am stuffed.  If I feel "munchy" a short while after a meal I will have a veggie or fruit snack or a shake and then I am fine.

I have been researching the bypass for years as that was what I thought I would have but I couldn't get passed all of the rerouting of the intestines and making a new stomach, it didn't seem natural.  I also knew people that had friends and siblings that died, people that went to classes with those that died and it was unnerving.

After speaking with the surgeon (we get an hour intake here) we decided that the WLS that suited me best was most likely gong to be the sleeve. I just don't know anyone who has had that done as all my friends have had the bypass.