looking for advice or opinions

Hi,  I am new here.  I am hoping to have WLS.  My first consult with my doctor is on Nov. 17th.  At that point we will discuss what surgery options are available to me, but i was just wondering if anyone would be willing to share with me which procedure they had and why they chose that one.  I guess i am just trying to get a sense of what others went through in making their decision.  Thanks in advance.

I recommend you visit all four surgery boards, rny, sleeve, ds, and lapband. And most importantly the revision board.

Good luck.

First you should know which surgeries your insurance will cover. Then look into all of them. I choose RNY because the band wasn't good for me. I wasn't really familiar with the other types until after my surgery.

 That's why you choose your surgery first. Then you research surgeons. A surgeon is only going to sell you a surgery he does. It is better to do your research first. 

my surgeon does lapband, ryn and vsg!  My insurance covers them all.  My surgeon stated at the informational siminar that he will do whatever surgery I wanted because he said he feels if patients really want one procedure then he wont try and talk you into anything different as long as he feels you are medically able to have that particular surgery.  I have my initial consult on the 17th and I am open to all, and i will be seeking his opinion....i was just really curious about others.

 So you know, there is also duodenal switch. You can learn more about it on dsfacts.com. If your insurance pays for all the others, you can maybe appeal and get a ds covered. 

Look into all 4 and decide what surgery fits you. 

Actually, it appears Dr Provost is a band RNY surgeon. He doesn't do DS, and only lists 10 sleeves, which is as good as zero. 

That's unfortunate, because you will not be offered the most effective surgery. Surgeons only sell what they do - they don't send customers away.

Factors to consider include your starting weight, your metabolism and your eating habits.

First, visit the lap band and revision forums to read the horror stories of weight loss failure and physical failure of the band. If you have a band, you have at least a 50% chance of having to have it removed. In some cases you can start over with another surgery, but some posters' stomachs have been so damaged by the band that this isn't an option. The only flat our advice I will give you is DON'T HAVE A BAND.

RNY is the second biggest candidate for revision due to loss of malabsorption or reactive hypoglycemia. Google both or read the forums.

Up at the top right, click Forums, then Surgical Forums to find the various boards.

The surgeries fall in the categories of restriction only (the band and sleeve) and malabsorptive (the RNY and DS). I have a sleeve and am doing fabulously, as are a huge number of other sleevers - visit the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy board to see the pros and cons. However, I was a good sleeve candidate:

*Starting BMI below 50 - many have lost well with VSG at much higher BMIs, but the surgery is most successful on those who have BMI below 50.

*Decent metabolism (not great, I'm menopausal, just nothing wrong with it). This is a key. Suppose you could stick to a 1200 calorie diet. Would you lose weight? This isn't about how hard it is to stick to it, just "if you did, would you lose weight?" The sleeve helps you comply, but some people's metabolisms are so messed up that this isn't enough.

*Volume eater - if you graze all day, you can get more calories in with a restrictive surgery. If you tend more to overeat in quantity but don't graze all day, a restrictive surgery is more likely to be effective.

In the end, it comes to a balance. I would recommend choosing between the sleeve and the DS. The DS is absolutely the most effective at weight loss and co-morbidity resolution, but it does come with a price in terms of heavy supplementation and life-long health monitoring. The sleeve seems to be very effective for many of us but the average loss is lower than DS. On the other hand, other than some supplementation (you're gonna have to supplement whichever surgery you have) the life-long health monitoring is much less.

Only you can weigh these benefits vs. costs. Again, reading the sleeve and DS boards to see their successes and struggles will help you understand the realities.

I chose the DS, which your surgeon doesn't do---and so, he may not give you complete, accurate info about it. Research it here, or at www.dsfacts.com

Ther are many, many reasons I chose the DS over the other forms of WLS. I've never been very good at dieting, and I was sick and tired of doing it. I wanted a WLS that would do much of the work FOR me---I'd been working my ass off dieting for years with no success, and I just plain didn't want to live any more of my life counting calories and denying myself. I knew my metabolism was super-efficient---I swear I think my body stored 4 out of every 5 calories I ate.

The RNY scared me. The whole pouch/stoma/remnant stomach arrengement scared me. Dumping scared me. Reactive hypoglycemia scared me. Getting food 'stuck' scared me. Not being able to take NSAIDs scared me. The thought of food intolerances scared me. And frankly, the idea of a meal being only a cup of food scared me. (*grin*)

Back when I had WLS, the VSG wasn't talked about much, so I never considered it. Knowing what I do about it now, I still wouldn't choose it for myself---I NEED malabsorption. Without it, I think I would have regained every one of the 170 pounds I've lost. With it, I've had zero regain.

I strongly encourage you to research ALL forms of WLS, and to visit the Revision board. Think twice, cut once.

My recommendation is that you fully research all the options and the good, the bad and the ugly with each of them -- because there are issues with each.  I have had issues with adhesions in the past so I knew I didn't want a band -- that seemed like a problem waiting to happen.  I know several people (personally) that have had great success with the band but, they work it as a tool and have made huge sweeping changes in their diet.

I didn't want an RNY for a variety of reasons - but one of the biggest was the fact that at 30 years ago I had already developed arthritis in my knees and I wanted to be able to take NSAIDS in the future if I needed to.

I wanted a DS and I wanted it lap, not open, however when they got in there I had too many adhesions from prior hernia surgery and the doc couldnt seperate things enough to do the switch part thus I ended up with a VSG.  Things happen for a reason and I have had some difficulty with digestion that would have made it difficult to keep on top of the massive amount of supplementation needed with a DS.  On my surgery date I weighed somewhere upwards of 435 and had a BMI of 70.  I have lost 250 pounds and I am doing great.  I still have A LOT of restriction and a strong motivation to keep healthy.

Everyone has very strong opinions about "their" surgery -- but you must do ALL the leg work and have a REALISTIC understanding of what you are capable of maintaining in the long term.  I have seen people with all types fail and I have seen plenty of success with each type too.  Research, research, research and read, read, read.  Then, ask questions and don't be shy -- there are plenty of people here willing to share, share, share.