Marquismark
Why I choose the sleeve
Dec 21, 2009
This is for the new people that come to OH trying to figure out what surgery is best for them. Well, I can't tell you that. I can only tell you why I picked the sleeve. In telling you why, I will, by necessity, be telling you that I didn't think the other procedures were as good FOR ME, so please bear in mind this is just a record of MY thinking, not a put-down of anyone else’s procedureOK. The surgeries are constantly evolving. When it was time for me to get mine (December, 2009) there were three choices offered to me by Kaiser - The lap band, the RNY and the sleeve. These three comprise about 95% of WLS done today
I eliminated the Lap-Band immediately. The big “selling point” of the band is that it is reversible. That’s fine if you have a reversible, temporary problem, but compulsive overeating is a permanent problem requiring a permanent solution. The only people I see getting the band taken out are the people who have trouble with it or are converting to another surgery. I’ve never seen anybody remove it because their weight problem was cured. On top of that, there ARE complications (slippage, erosion) and it has the lowest percentage of average weight loss of any surgery. You also have to go in for fills and live with a piece of plastic inside you (I’d hate to get punched in the gut with one of those in me). Finally, I have a policy about not submitting to any procedure advertised on a bus bench.
Next on the chopping block was the RNY. I was actually going to get this, but, about halfway through my required classes at Kaiser, they announced that the sleeve was now an option. Although I think I could have lived with the RNY and was comforted by the fact that there was 20 years of data to back it up, the idea of rerouting my plumbing, getting sick if I ate the wrong thing, and some of the complications (bowel obstructions for one) made me uncomfortable. On top of that, I’m not a diabetic and was a relative lightweight (305 lbs at the time of surgery and 6’3” tall) so it seemed like a bit of overkill for me.
That left the sleeve. The surgery made perfect sense in my mind. In fact, it seems like such the obvious solution (simply making the stomach smaller) that I was amazed that surgeons hadn’t thought of it before. I mean, why go through all the plumbing changes? I really liked the fact that you could eat whatever you wanted just in smaller quantities. Yes, I want to be able to have a small dessert from time to time without feeling like I want to die. I also liked the fact that it is a very simple surgery (according to my doctor) with a significantly lower complication rate than RNY. Plus there would be no malabsorption or possible nutritional deficiences to contend with. The only thing that made me nervous was the fact that it was a relatively new procedure. But then I learned that complete and partial gastrectomies have been around for over 50 years to treat ulcers and cancers. There is ample evidence that people live full, normal liveswithout their complete stomachs (just as they do without a kidney, part of their lungs, gallbladders, spleens, prostates, etc). So really, this is a 50 year old operation with a new application, that’s all. The only question remaining is how long-lasting the weight loss is. Well, right now they have 5-year studies which show it is as good, or better than the RNY. I think 5 years is enough to show that the weight loss will be long lasting. I can’t imagine that at the 6th year everybody starts putting their weight back on. It’s highly, highly unlikely from any logical standpoint. However, the final beauty is that if, for whatever reason, you did put the weight back on, the sleeve can be converted to the RNY or DS as you are already half way there (but you cannot convert an RNY to a sleeve). So, with that, there was no reason for me NOT to get the sleeve.
Finally, I read the postings of many people that had the RNY and the sleeve. While both groups generally seemed happy with their decision. The sleeve people seemed just a little happier.
In the end, my sleeve surgery went well. The recovery has been a breeze and, so far anyway, I’m delighted that I made this choice. The surgeries keep getting better. I feel like I just got Windows 7 and the people before me got Vista. I'm sure in 5 or 10 years they'll have an even better procedure, too.
I hope this helps anybody trying to decide. Please read everybody else’s opinion and consider your own situation (i.e. if you’re a diabetic, or if your sugar and/or fat intake are so out of your control that you need the negative feedback of dumping, the RNY may be a better choice for you). I’m sure you will decide upon the surgery that is right for you.
Good luck!
