Anyone prefer sleeve over rny?

Hi. I'm new here to the forums. I just had my orientation day today at Humber. Now I am a little confused. I have read so many posts on here, past and present, thought I knew what type of wls surgery I prefered, only to find out they do more rny's than gastric sleeves. Anyone else prefer the sleeve over rny? If you have had the sleeve, do you like it?  Are you happy with your decision? Any problems after surgery? 

Thank you for any info that you could give me.

You might want to check out the VSG forums - I'm sure all of us who chose the sleeve preferred it for a reason!  :)  I love my sleeve, I'm very happy with my choice.  I had a weird issue about 3 months out where I started experiencing a lot of restriction, but I took an anti-spasmodic for about a week and I've been great ever since.  

Here is something I wrote a couple of weeks ago.

My doctor made his recommendations based on how overweight you are.  He told me I was in the range where either VSG or RNY were choices.  If my only option was RNY I'm unsure if I would have done.  I selected VSG because I wanted the least complex surgery and I wanted to try and have a normal life experience after.  I define normal as following the plan and still being able to live comfortable without the side effects and taking lots of supplements due to malabsorption.  I have a couple of friends that did RNY and they struggle with dumping and continue to have issues with their labs.  My surgery has worked out great.  I still like all of the food I did before I just have to stay away from some of it as it isn't in my plan.  I'm incredibly happy with the results.  Good luck with your choice.

Just had the sleeve and it was my choice and my surgeon's.  I wanted the least complicated surgery.  Through much of my research it seems that lots of doctors do RNY if you're diabetic.

When I first went to see my surgeon I was thinking sleeve. But, after discussing all options with my surgeons I decided I wanted the R&Y basically because I loved sweets and the chance of dumping with getting the R&Y was greater I figure that it would be a better tool for me to keep me from eating the sweets. I also did not want to have issues with heartburn they say you have a higher chance of having with the sleeve. So, I say if I was going for it I was going all the way. I am 6 weeks out right now, and still happy I decided on the R&Y.

The sleeve is often done when there are other complications like my friend Bev.  As for myself I had the RNY.  This is your surgeons decision.  Let them tell you.  I must admit that this was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself and do not regret going though with it.  Currently, I have lost over 85 pounds but the surgery is not magic and will required commitment from you to follow what they ask you to do.  Because of my success my doctor recommended  other patients to go through this process and they were not ready for life style change and failed to loss any weight.  Be prepared to be true to yourself and all will work out.

Respectfully yours

Sue

The decision is the patient's NOT the surgeon's!  The surgeon can provide some input, but NO ONE should have a particular surgery just because one surgeon recommended it.  Many surgeons are biased for or against particular surgeries, and it is not the surgeon who has to live with that decision and the ramifications of it down the road!

Lora

In Ontario, we don't get to choose our surgery or surgeon for that matter. They will generally do the RNY unless there is a compelling medical reason to do the sleeve.

It is really a tough decision and a very personal one. Some people (like me) did not even want to go anywhere near the risk of having dumping syndrome or reactive hypoglycemia. For others dumping is a deterrent mechanism and they actually want to get it so they choose RnY for the same reason that I did not. The same with GERD (acid reflux). To me it was not a big deal. I figured if I got it (i did not by the way) I would control with a good PPI. My father has GERD and his is controlled and has not damaged his quality of life. For others they hear GERD and they run the other way. 

Some don't mind the lifelong vitamin regiment. Or the risk of marginal ulcers, bowel obstruction, bowel issues, blind stomach, etc. For me these were all deterrents to getting the RnY and what cemented my choice of surgery. VSGers still have to take vitamins by the way.

I also wanted to preserve normal stomach and digestive track function and keep my pyloric valve. 

Some doctors will give you all the options while some will steer you in the direction of what they are more comfortable with in terms of surgical experience. 

A friend of mine is getting the RnY soon. She was swayed by her surgeon who said that the RnY was a better and safer operation with 30 years of data behind it as compared to 5 (ridiculously inaccurate!) for the sleeve. To a left brain person that was enough to decide to go with the RnY - sad really - she has no co morbidities and 80 lbs to lose. 

So you see...I will tell you that I made the right decision for me and I love my surgery and my results but I probably would be saying the same thing had I chosen the RnY.

bottom line is you have to choose based on your body and your lifestyle and your needs. I disagree wholeheartedly with a previous poster who advised to let the doctor decide for you. The doctor is there to give you info and advice but you are in command of your life body and health. The decision should be yours.

I had RNY eight years ago, but if I were making the decision now, I would opt for VSG. IMO, having 18 months or so of partial caloric malabsorption (and therefore slightly faster weight loss) isn't worth the trade off of a lifetime of lack of vitamin absorption. 

RNYers in general lose a bit more weight, but by 5 years out studies show that the amount of weight loss maintained depends much more on how compliant the patient is with changing their eating habits than on which surgery they had (between RNY and VSG... DSers lose more weight, and maintain greater weight loss than either RNYers or VSGers) 

With RNY you are committing to a lifetime of taking vitamins at least 4 times per day (it requires, among other things, 3 doses of calcium plus one dose of iron which cannot be taken with the calcium), are at greater risk of kidney stones, can develop reactive hypoglycemia, and are most strongly advised to permanently avoid all NSAIDs (which means you will be limited to taking Tylenol or prescription pain killers (and the government is tightening controls on Vicodin and even Tramadol/Ultram)... No Aleve, Motrin, aspirin, etc.).

As far as dumping (which some people consider an advantage of RNY and others consider a disadvantage), only about 30% of RNYers dump, so chances are you won't be one of them (so it probably shouldn't be a primary consideration either way).

Your surgeon's office may currently still do more RNYs than VSGs, but the statistics are changing rapidly with VSG being done in much greater numbers all the time as more insurance companies add it to the list of covered procedures and as surgeons add it to the list of surgeries they perform.

Good luck with your decision.  It is yours and yours alone because you are the one who has to live with it for the rest of your life. Your surgeon can provide information and opinion, as can people who have had the surgeries, but ultimately, you have to have the surgery that you feel will be best for you.

Lora