Question:
Which is better - proximal or distal ryn byass surgery?

   — Miera (posted on December 7, 2005)

December 7, 2005
Actually the best is laproscopic. Very short recovery and less healing needed.
   — shoutjoy

December 7, 2005
That is totally up to your surgeon. Distal bypasses a lot more of your intestine and is generally used for folks with a bmi of more than 50 (if used at all). It causes greater malabsorbption so its harder to keep your nutrients up. So if your bmi is lower proximal is the method your surgeon would most likely go since the malabsorption doesn't need to be so aggressive. And just to reply to the other response, either can be done laproscopically, but since distal is usually preformed on bmi's of 50 or more, open is generally used with distal. (or at least thats how I remember my surgeon explaining it to me almost 3 years ago now :-)
   — Rachelq

December 7, 2005
I just had my orientation with Dr. Oh in Federal Way Washington. What Rachel Q said is exactly what my doctor said in his orientation. He went through all the surgery's he performs and explained the differences of all the surgery's. Good Luck!! Janice B
   — GertieMae3

December 7, 2005
It depends on how you definte distal. For some doctors, their distal is just "less proximal". A true distal is measured from the colon back, so the figure we quote is our common channel length. Mine is 100cm (40"). Surgeons who do proximals (of varying lengths) measure from the top, so the figure you hear is the amount bypassed. If your RNY is Y shaped, a proximal doc will be quoting the length of the 2 arms of the Y, where a distal surgeon will quote the length of the tail. Got that? OK, which is better? For what purpose? I have a rather extreme distal, so my nutrition is more fragile than a proximal. However, I have always kept on top of it, so it is not an issue, except that I need to devote the energy to it. And proximals are not totally safe, as they can have as many deficiencies as we do, but it may take a little longer for the bone, nerve, brain damage to show up without proper supplementation. For weight MAINTENANCE, distal is better or, easier, if you prefer. For weight LOST, they are comparable. Where I work diligently at my nutrition and keep an eye on my intake of sugars/grazing, a proximal will keep an eye on nutrition, but after 3-4 years, they will put more energy into keeping the weight off. It's a trade off and only you can decide, if you have doctors who offer both models. The more popular procedure today is a laproscopic proximal, so you may not actually HAVE a choice in the matter. But it's good to know what you have so you can be the best one of "it" that you can be.
   — vitalady

December 8, 2005
I don't think you can say that there is a best... There are best for you or best for me sceaniros. Become the most informed you can. Do your research and determine what is best for you. If you have a smaller amount to lose and think that you can better control your weight once you get to goal, think lap band (cheaper, less invasive). If you are SMO and have dealt with it for your entire adult life -- think Duodenal Switch (more expensive, more invasive, but pheonomenal long-term results). Also remember any doctor you may see is wanting to sell his product... he won't recommend you get a DS if he only performs Roux-en-Y. Best your own best advocate!
   — [Deactivated Member]

December 9, 2005
Hi~~~ I don't know if there is really a "better" weight loss surgery. they all come with pro's/con's and risks!!! I can tell you that I had the Mini Gastric Bypass(MGB) back in October of 2003. I lost most of my weight in the first year(125-130lbs) and have maintained that with a fluctuation of 5lbs either way for over a year now. My surgery took almost an hour due to scar tissue from my c-section with my twins. I had surgery on a monday, was released Tuesday and was in the park playing kickball with my twins and husband by thursday and friday of that week. I have had no complications from the surgery what so ever and I had such faith in my surgeon. He answers his own cell phone and talks to you like a patient with concerns should be talked to. What I like best about my surgery is that it is less invasive.. it was done lap., it is reversible should some type of problem arise that "I" need to have a revision, my intestines were not "severed" and re-routed and the fact that my new pouch is on the "inside" of the curvature of my stomach, thus, less likely for stretching and weight gain. The main reason I went with the MGB is the fact that the DEATH RATE IS 1 IN 3,400 patients. My surgeon had over 25 years as a trauma surgeon before having to complete 6 months to 1 year of weight loss surgery training. That is what my decisions were based on! I did some very, very extensive research and I came to the conclusion that this was the best surgery for me. I can't tell you enough how important it is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH AND RESEARCH SOME MORE. good luck on your weight loss journey and I hope your will be as successful as mine. DS
   — ds