Why choose VSG over RNY?

Hello. I am new to this site and have been approved for surgery but am trying to choose between the sleeve and bypass. Can you tell me why you chose VSG and whether you feel now, post surgery, that you made the right choice? Thanks.

I chose the sleeve because I wanted a more normal stomach.  Also, my issue is I am more of a volume eater so restriction is important to me and malabsorption less so.  A co-worker had the bypass and he is more of a sugar fiend and the bypass has been a better choice for him as he does dump and it stops him from indulging in sweets.  Alas, not everyone who has the bypass dumps.  His wife had the sleeve and it has worked well for her.

My wife is contemplating which WLS surgery to have and we are meeting with the surgeon on 1/29.  We will probably go with what they recommend based on her history.  My surgeon(different one as mine is no longer in network) said I could have either one and I chose the sleeve.

My wife is also thinking about the DS.  We shall see.

As my surgeon said, both are good surgeries and both will work given you do the work.

more normal life , any food can be eaten without getting sick just in much smaller amounts

being able to take nsaid pain killers almost every over weight person I know has knee and back pain

many drugs do not work well with the rny or ds

Add to the above post:

- loss of ghrelin (hunger hormone)

- not nearly as likely to dump

- no rerouting of intestines

-anatomy works exactly the same, just smaller capacity

-no blind stomach that cannot be scoped

-no end of the "malabsorption" period where calories start to count again (a problem for me, as I knew I needed to adjust the eating all the way through otherwise be at high risk of regain once the calories all started counting again)

-meds were huge for me given my cancer status, allergies, and asthma

-less complications/faster recovery

-comparable overall weight loss to Rny (DS outperforms us)

- loss of comorbidities (no longer diabetic, joints doing better, etc.)

RNY is also an excellent choice, but the sleeve was for me hands down. DS worries me a bit. I am prone to forgetting supplements and that is far less of an issue with the sleeve. (Note- not due to noncompliance, but rather difficulty remembering to take them!)

My surgeon recommended VSG over RNY for me because of my age and the possibility of me wanting to conceive children in the future (after I get the all clear in 2 years or so). 

He said as we age there is more of a liklihood that conditions will crop that could be easily handled endoscopically but wouldn't be possible with RNY.  

I wrote this for my blog about why I chose VSG.  I'm 10 months post-op and I definitely feel that I made the right choice.  

The four WLS are - sleeve, gastric bypass (RNY), lapband, and duodenal switch. My insurance covers the first three, but not the DS.

I ruled out the lapband immediately because the only people I know who have had it are miserable or have needed it removed. The complication rate is atrocious and it only lasts for 10 years or so. It's billed as being a "reversible" surgery, but the damage it can cause, like from erosion into your esophagus, is permanent. So no lapband for me. Here's an article on that topic.

The choice really boiled down to RNY or VSG and I chose the sleeve for a number of reasons. (Even if DS had been an option, I would not have chosen it.)

1. I really like the simplicity of the sleeve. All it does is remove 85% of your stomach. That's it.
2. I dislike the idea of having my intestines rerouted.
3. The "good" malabsorption that the bypass gives (of fats) is a temporary thing that only lasts for a few years whereas the "bad" malabsorption (of vitamins and minerals) lasts for forever. That's not worth it to me.
4. The sleeve is restriction only, no malabsorption. This also means that I CAN eat anything at all. Fats and sugars won't screw up my bowels the way they can for the bypass. (Of course I still need to make healthy choices, but that's a choice, not something that my surgery requires.)
5. With the bypass, you're left with a remnant stomach that can't be scoped. That scares the crap out of me. First, the idea that I have this weirdly connected non-stomach but then to not be able to get it checked out with an endoscopy if there's a problem? Eek. Do not want.
6. My understanding is that complication rates with the bypass are significantly greater, especially longterm due to malabsorption. While I will be taking vitamins for the rest of my life, chances are that I won't end up in the hospital if I stop because the sleeve has no malabsorption involved.
7. For the most part (and there are exceptions) the people I know with the sleeve look and seem healthier than the people I know with the bypass. That's nothing scientific though.. just a gut feeling.
8. The sleeve leaves you with a fully functional pyloric valve at the bottom of your stomach whereas the bypass gives you a stoma which can stretch over time.

Hello first I would like to say I agree with what everybody has said in this post. I haven't had my surgery yet but am 80% sure I want the sleeve cause I have a volume problem not a sugar  problem.  from  what I have heard you can still have malnutrition from the sleeve so I would look that fact up but the rest is true I hope😕 I'm going to be asking questions up until my surgery date. I advise you ask,ask and hell ask everybody god,mail person anybody so you can see what everybody  says can not hurt good luck.