Why did you choose VSG over other WLS?
Chose VSG because:
- RnY was never an option because of the malabsorbtion of nutrients for the rest of my life - wanted to keep my supplementation as similar to what I would/should be taking anyway at my age (51 yrs).
- Lapband became out of the question when I read about complications, healthy food getting stuck and the maintenance needed with fills (needles). Plus the possibility of additional surgery or revision later - I only wanted to go through this once.
- It may sound silly but taking into account the potential damage the Lapband can cause, the VSG seemed the surgery that would keep my anatomy closest to whole - even with 85% of my stomach removed. My digestive system still works in its original design.
Good luck on your research and decision!
- RnY was never an option because of the malabsorbtion of nutrients for the rest of my life - wanted to keep my supplementation as similar to what I would/should be taking anyway at my age (51 yrs).
- Lapband became out of the question when I read about complications, healthy food getting stuck and the maintenance needed with fills (needles). Plus the possibility of additional surgery or revision later - I only wanted to go through this once.
- It may sound silly but taking into account the potential damage the Lapband can cause, the VSG seemed the surgery that would keep my anatomy closest to whole - even with 85% of my stomach removed. My digestive system still works in its original design.
Good luck on your research and decision!
~*Sandy*~ Ht 5'7" HW 262/SW 254/GW 160/CW 155
I have been researching this for a yr. Have not had my surgery yet. I chose the sleeve for the same reasons as the above posters. My problem is portion size now. The sleeve is exactly what I deed. Like others said you dont have to worry about takeing any meds and you can eat like a normal person. I like that. To me its the built in controll I need.
I never considered the lap band.
I wavered between sleeve and rny, then my surgeon settled it. Even though I have been minus a gallbladder for 20 years, my common bile duct still makes stones on occasion (painful!). If it ever happened again, with rny it would be major surgery to reach the bile duct because of how they re-arrange things in there, whereas with sleeve they can still do a simple ercp.
It started out as that reason, but now I am so glad I got the sleeve 6 months ago for a million other reasons. Definitely a great choice for me.
I wavered between sleeve and rny, then my surgeon settled it. Even though I have been minus a gallbladder for 20 years, my common bile duct still makes stones on occasion (painful!). If it ever happened again, with rny it would be major surgery to reach the bile duct because of how they re-arrange things in there, whereas with sleeve they can still do a simple ercp.
It started out as that reason, but now I am so glad I got the sleeve 6 months ago for a million other reasons. Definitely a great choice for me.
For me, neither the Bands nor the RNY were really on the radar - the bands don't offer the results to make the surgery worthwhile, coupled with their high complication and revision rates, and the RNY just doesn't seem to make any sense relative to the VSG, being a more complex procedure with notable long term side effects and limitations without any additional benefits (for all that, the RNY has most of the long term detriments of the DS, or more for that, without the long term weight maintenance benefits). For me it was a choice between the VSG and the DS (or continuing to make progress by 'traditional' means.) Since I had already made substantial lifestyle changes on the diet/exercise front and had lost and maintained a significant loss long term but could not make more progress due to the volume that I required to be satisfied it seemed like the
VSG was the most appropriate procedure for me, and I could do without the malabsorptive component of the DS. But, if in future I could not maintain a healthy weight and needed that additional tool, the VSG is much easier to revise to a DS than the others since it is a part of the basic DS procedure.
Rick
VSG was the most appropriate procedure for me, and I could do without the malabsorptive component of the DS. But, if in future I could not maintain a healthy weight and needed that additional tool, the VSG is much easier to revise to a DS than the others since it is a part of the basic DS procedure.
Rick
1st support group/seminar - 8/03 (has it been that long?)
Wife's DS - 5/05 w Dr. Robert Rabkin VSG on 5/9/11 by Dr. John Rabkin
(deactivated member)
on 6/28/11 4:04 pm
on 6/28/11 4:04 pm
Go for the Sleeve is the best choice you'll ever make!!! 
I'll be Blunt the RNY is HORRIBLE. Avoid it. to many DEATHS!
If you don't believe just simply google the deaths related to the RNY, DS.
and to much darn COMPLICATIONS with the CRAP-BAND after a few years.
I hate how people like to say "Ohh it's not the surgeons fault". Many times IT IS!
it's not always about those patients having problems before surgery.
I call it B.S.
Do not believe everything everyone said's. I've done Years and Years of Research.
The TRUTH is the SLEEVE is becoming POPULAR
Go for it!
Do not settle for less.
I'll be Blunt the RNY is HORRIBLE. Avoid it. to many DEATHS!
If you don't believe just simply google the deaths related to the RNY, DS.
and to much darn COMPLICATIONS with the CRAP-BAND after a few years.
I hate how people like to say "Ohh it's not the surgeons fault". Many times IT IS!
it's not always about those patients having problems before surgery.
I call it B.S.
Do not believe everything everyone said's. I've done Years and Years of Research.
The TRUTH is the SLEEVE is becoming POPULAR
Go for it!
Do not settle for less.
I haven't had the surgery yet, but I've spent a very long time thinking about it, talking to real patients, doctors, reading whatever I could get my hands on, etc.
I decided the VSG was right for me. It was a hard decision, though, because my BMI is over 50. Based on BMI alone, the DS seemed a better option. (Which I think it is for many, if not most, folks with a BMI over 50.)
The reason I have decided on VSG over DS is because I am a vegetarian, I currently fight anemia and vitamin D deficiencies, AND I have some hormone issues that may require that I take steroids in the not-to-distant future. Now, all of these reasons can potentially be worked around - but for me I just had too many strikes against me for being an ideal DS candidate.
I am at peace with the idea that I will lose weight slower, that I may not achieve a BMI below 30, and that the long-term studies are just not available for the VSG.
Another thing that I kept thinking about is what surgery I would want to have if, god willing, I live to the ripe old age of 80. I think about all the medications my grandma takes (and she has never been overweight), I think about how little my grandma eats and how difficult it might be to meet protein requirements if working against malabsorbtion.
I liked how the VSG is simple in that the stomach is simply smaller. The intestines are left alone. The function of the stomach is unchanged. It is just smaller. In that way, it seemed more "natural" to me. I was more comfortable with that.
I don't mind dieting. I like eating light, and I prefer it. As a lifetime dieter, I really feel happiest and most "in control" when I am eating small portions of food. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's just the way I feel. I just need some help to keep hunger in check and allow me to feel satisfied on a low calorie lifestyle. It's hard to maintain light eating because you are always fighting hunger. My hope is that the VSG will really tame that hunger for the long haul.
It's a very very personal thing - but for me the VSG is the best choice. Every surgery has pluses and minuses, no surgery is perfect, every surgery requires commitment and change.
It's great to be very careful as you think through your options. It's great to learn the perspectives of others, as it can help you to sort out your own goals and vision for your "new life." Just know that what is a plus for one patient is a negative for another. So be very honest with yourself and take your time. Don't let others tell you how you should feel about a certain operation. You make that call based on variables that strangers on the internet could never know about you. It's a HUGE decision, and one you want to feel confident in making.
I hope some of this made sense. Good luck and take care!
I decided the VSG was right for me. It was a hard decision, though, because my BMI is over 50. Based on BMI alone, the DS seemed a better option. (Which I think it is for many, if not most, folks with a BMI over 50.)
The reason I have decided on VSG over DS is because I am a vegetarian, I currently fight anemia and vitamin D deficiencies, AND I have some hormone issues that may require that I take steroids in the not-to-distant future. Now, all of these reasons can potentially be worked around - but for me I just had too many strikes against me for being an ideal DS candidate.
I am at peace with the idea that I will lose weight slower, that I may not achieve a BMI below 30, and that the long-term studies are just not available for the VSG.
Another thing that I kept thinking about is what surgery I would want to have if, god willing, I live to the ripe old age of 80. I think about all the medications my grandma takes (and she has never been overweight), I think about how little my grandma eats and how difficult it might be to meet protein requirements if working against malabsorbtion.
I liked how the VSG is simple in that the stomach is simply smaller. The intestines are left alone. The function of the stomach is unchanged. It is just smaller. In that way, it seemed more "natural" to me. I was more comfortable with that.
I don't mind dieting. I like eating light, and I prefer it. As a lifetime dieter, I really feel happiest and most "in control" when I am eating small portions of food. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's just the way I feel. I just need some help to keep hunger in check and allow me to feel satisfied on a low calorie lifestyle. It's hard to maintain light eating because you are always fighting hunger. My hope is that the VSG will really tame that hunger for the long haul.
It's a very very personal thing - but for me the VSG is the best choice. Every surgery has pluses and minuses, no surgery is perfect, every surgery requires commitment and change.
It's great to be very careful as you think through your options. It's great to learn the perspectives of others, as it can help you to sort out your own goals and vision for your "new life." Just know that what is a plus for one patient is a negative for another. So be very honest with yourself and take your time. Don't let others tell you how you should feel about a certain operation. You make that call based on variables that strangers on the internet could never know about you. It's a HUGE decision, and one you want to feel confident in making.
I hope some of this made sense. Good luck and take care!
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