Why did you choose VSG over other WLS?

I have had my consult with my surgeon and started my 6 month supervised physician diet.  I am having trouble deciding which surgery I would like.  At first I was convinced I would do lap-band but after talking to my surgeon today I am leaning toward bypass.  Would love to hear how you made your decision.  Thanks!

my reasons were these:  sleeve and rny have about the same effectiveness but rny is more complex and I didn't like the idea of my guts being rearranged. Also, I am older and needed advil often and you can't take that with rny or band due to ulcer risk. Finally, I have read as many as 25% of bands have to be removed due to slippage or erosion or other problems and since you have to keep it for life, there is the chance of breakage or port infections. So the sleeve just seemed simple and effective for my bmi which was 42. Its now below 21, and I have lost half my body weight. I would do this again in a New York minute. Had to fight my insurer to get them to pay for it but I did and won. Read my blog page for my story.  GL with whatever you decide. Diane

When I first visited my surgeon, I wanted the lap-band. Then he was telling me VSG would be better for me, so I went with the VSG.

Hi! I am about 3 months into the 6 month wait however I have been thinking about surgery since 08. Back then I had decided on the band but my surgeon talked me into the RNY. That is what I was going for. Then I got pregnant and had to wait, again I went to a new surgeon wanting a band however after talking about lifestyles and such he recomended I do VSG. I was reluctant because VSG is not reversible however he really made me think when he said that NO bariatric surgery should be thought of as reversible as it was life changing.

I'm having the VSG. I don't like the idea of somthing foreign being put inside my body.. And the success rates with lapband are terrible, compared to otehr surgeries. The VSG can be revised to almost any other weight loss surgery if it doesnt give the results needed or if theres a complication. And the RNY, i dont like the idea of a 'phantom' stomach floating around inside of me that wuold probably end up just dieing off cause it doesnt get much nourishment from the rest of your body, and the mal absorbtion issues i dont necesarily want to deal with at 15.. TheVSG just seemed right for me. i havent had it yet, i'm having it in august. But everyones different and different surgeries are right for different people.

So, I got this from USAF Wife and *Edited* abit because I agree the same way she does!!!

You can also check out the revision, failure, and food issue forums on here to get an idea of some long term RNY patients. For me, it was never an option. The cons outweighed the pros.

The VSG was my 2nd, and final WLS. I could have easily had RNY or Lap-Band, but I fought to have VSG over the RNY and Lap-Band. Some factors I considered in deciding on VSG. The pouch that RNY offers is similar to the pouch with the band. Least to say, a pouch sucks, I love having a normal tummy, just less capacity and still fully functioning.

1) No blind stomach left behind that can be difficult to scope yet can still get ulcers and cancer.

2) 2 years max on calorie/carb/sugar malabsorption, but a lifetime of vitamin/nutrient malabsorption. This process is called adaptation, and it happens with intestinal bypass surgeries.

3) I had a pouch with the band, and it sucked. I'm pretty fond of my pyloric valve and the sleeve let me keep it. I love having a normal functioning stomach, just smaller in capacity.

4) Regain stats and #of RNY patients seeking revision truly scared the poop out of me

5) I  too have many friends in real life that struggle with vitamin deficiencies post-RNY, and most of them either never got to goal, or have gained back a significant amount of their weight.

6) The long term complications with RNY were too numerous for my comfort level. Pouch or stoma dilation, strictures, vitamin/nutrient deficiencies, ulcers,

7) I researched gastrectomies that had been performed for stomach cancer and ulcer patients, and found comfort in the long term results and minimal complications of patients that had lost most or all of their stomachs had dealt with over several years.

8) A restrictive only procedure would work for me.

9) I did not want to have food or medication restrictions. I chose WLS to have a "normal" life, and I think it's normal to eat a couple of cookies. With RNY, I wasn't willing to go through the possibility of dumping if I wanted to have a couple of cookies, or a slice of cake on occasion. The big scare for me is medication restrictions for life. NSAIDS and steroids are a NO GO for life with a RNY pouch. I realize that I may never be diagnosed with a condition or disease that requires steroid use, but it is possible. I want the best long term results with the least amount of complications. Malabsorption is not anything to play with in my mind, and I was not willing to take that risk.

I was originally interested in the lapband too, but changed my mind after seeing too many horror stories on here.  The more I learned, the less appealing the band became.  I think learning about how your body wraps it up in scar tissue, and sometimes that scar tissue can adhere to your liver was pretty much the nail in the coffin on that idea.

I was never interested in the RNY... I'd like everything inside of me to stay exactly where it is.  The VSG made the most sense because my stomach would continue to function just as it always has, only the capacity would be smaller, forcing not only portion control but better nutrition as I'll need to prioritize eating things that are good for me (I can only fit in so much food, it would be stupid to eat crap).

 My daughter and I "thought" we wanted the plication surgery but once we got there it was determined that the sleeve was a better fit.  For some reason it is better for diabetic issues and since she is hypoglycemic and I am pre-diabetic it was better for us.  We are both very happy with our decision.

To those saying that they didn't want a band because it us a foreign body, so are titanium staples.

But I chose the vsg after I was set on the band. My doc educated me about vsg and sent me home do to some research. I ultimately didnt want the continued management with the band. Nor did I want risk of erosion, slippage etc. I personally felt there were less risks with the sleeve.

I did not want the rny because I didn't see the point of the remainder of the stomach being left behind and frankly I thought I would lose weight too fast. Was my back up option after lapband though

DS never sat well with me. Majority of people I know with DS still eat crap, I didn't want to risk that and my doc didn't offer it and said that some docs are fading out with the procedure

I researched my options for quite a long time.  The things I knew were:
a) I didn't want any re-routing.
b) I didn't want any malabsorption.
c) I didn't want a foreign object within me that I would have to maintain with fills and unfills.
d) I knew my issue was that I was always starving and I knew I had to control that somehow.
e) I wanted weight loss at a reasonable pace.
f) I wanted an as-easy-as-possible recovery period with hopes that I would, eventually, be able to eat and enjoy everything I did preop.

So, for me, VSG was the best choice...it likely isn't for everyBODY because everyBODY has different needs and wants.  But, this is working for me...exactly the way I wanted it to.  Now, several years ago, prior to VSG, I was looking at the LB...the more I read about it and from personal experience with a friend who has it, the more I knew it wasn't for me.  The moment I read about VSG...I knew I would do all I could to receive my VSG.  It took me awhile and I had a few appeals but, in the end, it all worked out for the best!  Good luck to you!