Question:
need updated info on pref of gastric bypass or sleeve?
— chinagirl (posted on August 14, 2008)
August 14, 2008
I am not sure what you are looking for, but I can tell you that the
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is almost nearly as effective as the Gastric
Bypass at helping people lose the weight. It is essentially STATISTICALLY
the same with just a few percentage points difference. It also has the
advantage of NOT requiring special supplements that need to be taken for
the rest of your life that tie you to your weight loss surgeon and the
pharmaceutical industry. You will also not require to have Blood Work done
for the rest of your life to ensure that you are getting the proper balance
of nutrients from the supplements. A different issue that you will have
to worry about with the Gastric Bypass is the constant worry about whether
your insurance will be accepted if you need to change providers or of you
need to change jobs, or if it will not. Another advantage of the Sleeve
over the Gastric Bypass is that the Sleeve is a much SIMPLER procedure.
The more COMPLICATED a procedure gets, the more LIKELY the chance for
COMPLICATIONS! While the sleeve has not been used widely in the US for
WEIGHT LOSS, it HAS been used for OTHER reasons like the removal of severe
STOMACH ULCERS and stomach CANCER! It has been proven to be the SAFEST
weight loss surgery available. It has the LOWEST rate of complication of
all the most commonly available weight loss surgeries available today.
From what I can see, the only reason that the Gastric Bypass is the more
POPULAR option is that many of the INSURANCE COMPANIES will not PAY for it
since the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy has not yet been performed in the US
regularly for WEIGHT LOSS for more than 10 years. Since the agencies that
provide CERTIFICATION for medical procedures do not have US DATA for 10
years, they will not CERTIFY it as a "SAFE" procedure and
consider it to be "EXPERIMENTAL." There is PLENTY of data from
both Central and South America, and EUROPE that prove that the Vertical
Sleeve Gastrectomy is both SAFE and EFFECTIVE, but the US Certifying
agencies do not consider that data a RELIABLE and instead, insist on using
only US data! As if US data had the CORNER on the market for RELIABILITY!
There have been a NUMBER of US medical
products that have been RECALLED due to DATA that has been MANIPULATED by
the US MEDICAL INDUSTRY! Due to THIS, many INSURANCE COMPANIES will not
PAY for the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, but they WILL pay for the Gastric
Bypass! I would STRONGLY recommend the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy over
the Gastric Bypass. I also strongly recommend the Gastric Bypass over
doing NOTHING! If you have a CHOICE, chose the Vertical Sleeve
Gastrectomy. You will have a better quality of life. You will not have
the DUMPING issues and the issues with MEDICATION limitations that you will
with the Gastric Bypass. You will probably have to take VITAMINS, but you
will NOT be required to take SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS for the rest of your life.
You will not be saddled with the COST of these medications if you lose
your INSURANCE. If you are interested in finding out more, check out my
profile page at: http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/hubarlow/ . Look for my
post called Surgical Comparisons. It gives you the rundown on ALL of the
most common surgical options commonly available today. If you can't find
Surgical Comparisons on my Profile Page, look for it in the March 2008
archives. I hope that this answers your questions. Hugh
— hubarlow
August 14, 2008
I had a VSG on Aug 4th and my insurance paid for it. I have BlueCross
BlueShield Federal Employee Program- Basic. Don't be discouraged about
asking insurance to cover it because it does not hurt to try. I was told
that my insurance would not cover it and they approved me with no problems.
It is a situational basis for every person. I love my sleeve and so far I
have lost 15lbs so I highly recommend it!
— [Deactivated Member]
August 19, 2008
Both are mal-nutrition. Lap band is the only surgery out there that is
HEALTHY. Stay away from the bypass unless you want to look ill, look
muscle mass and loose hair.
— ljtrowern
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