not the normal VSG vs RNY...detailed concerns, case specific!
I have posted something similar before but I need more input...
My desire and first instinct has been to get the VSG. I am not interested in re-routing my digestive system. However, after my first consultation last week, the surgeon said I would benefit more from RNY due to diabetes. I've learned that many VSG'ers have had diabetic issues resolved as quickly as RNY ppl so I'm not unclear on that. But now I am considering my own personal habits. I had to really evaluate myself and recognize that:
-volume is not my biggest issue; restriction is helpful but I do get full naturally very easily
-I am a grazer and carb freak, I need potatos (FRENCH FRIES! ), chips, cheetos, doritos, crackers, bread and more bread! I can snack all day without a real meal. I like sweets occasionally but it's not an issue for me. I'm a salty person.
I believe the abovementioned is the cause of my obesity. Volume is not my issue and I am not an emotional eater. I eat when hungry and that's it.
Of course lifestyle changes must play a part in all of this when deciding the appopriate foods to eat regardless of level of restriction. I'm just wondering will VSG be enough for me if restriction is not my issue? Do I need to get rid of my pylorus...do I need to have the threat of "dumping" hanging over my head to keep me away from snacking? Do I need malabsorption if there are times that I mess up and eat the wrong things so I won't suffer from those calories? Does malabsorption of calories really only last up to 2 years after surgery? If I get VSG, will not having the ghrelin hormone produced really help me if I am satisfied by junk food and don't have to have a big appetite even now? Does the VSG stomach really stretch less over time than the RNY stomach?
I want VSG...but now I can't seem to get RNY out of my head! I am so torn.
My desire and first instinct has been to get the VSG. I am not interested in re-routing my digestive system. However, after my first consultation last week, the surgeon said I would benefit more from RNY due to diabetes. I've learned that many VSG'ers have had diabetic issues resolved as quickly as RNY ppl so I'm not unclear on that. But now I am considering my own personal habits. I had to really evaluate myself and recognize that:
-volume is not my biggest issue; restriction is helpful but I do get full naturally very easily
-I am a grazer and carb freak, I need potatos (FRENCH FRIES! ), chips, cheetos, doritos, crackers, bread and more bread! I can snack all day without a real meal. I like sweets occasionally but it's not an issue for me. I'm a salty person.
I believe the abovementioned is the cause of my obesity. Volume is not my issue and I am not an emotional eater. I eat when hungry and that's it.
Of course lifestyle changes must play a part in all of this when deciding the appopriate foods to eat regardless of level of restriction. I'm just wondering will VSG be enough for me if restriction is not my issue? Do I need to get rid of my pylorus...do I need to have the threat of "dumping" hanging over my head to keep me away from snacking? Do I need malabsorption if there are times that I mess up and eat the wrong things so I won't suffer from those calories? Does malabsorption of calories really only last up to 2 years after surgery? If I get VSG, will not having the ghrelin hormone produced really help me if I am satisfied by junk food and don't have to have a big appetite even now? Does the VSG stomach really stretch less over time than the RNY stomach?
I want VSG...but now I can't seem to get RNY out of my head! I am so torn.
"I need potatos (FRENCH FRIES! ), chips, cheetos, doritos, crackers, bread and more bread!"
The first thing you need to do is to stop eating the junk food. Whichever surgery you have, you will
have to eliminate "white foods" from your diet; potatoes, pasta, bread, and rice, all increase your
insulin levels, which makes you feel hungry which makes you eat more junk food, whi*****reases
your insulin levels, which makes you feel hungry....see what I mean??
Whichever surgery you get, you have to be the one in charge of your food intake. The surgery
is only the tool.
You can't win the war against obesity if you keep giving all the ammo to the enemy.
Sometimes you will want to snack; that's just human nature. Then it's up to you, not the surgery,
to make the decision whether or not you will.
How much do you want to be healthy? Is your life worth a bag of Doritos?
The first thing you need to do is to stop eating the junk food. Whichever surgery you have, you will
have to eliminate "white foods" from your diet; potatoes, pasta, bread, and rice, all increase your
insulin levels, which makes you feel hungry which makes you eat more junk food, whi*****reases
your insulin levels, which makes you feel hungry....see what I mean??
Whichever surgery you get, you have to be the one in charge of your food intake. The surgery
is only the tool.
You can't win the war against obesity if you keep giving all the ammo to the enemy.
Sometimes you will want to snack; that's just human nature. Then it's up to you, not the surgery,
to make the decision whether or not you will.
How much do you want to be healthy? Is your life worth a bag of Doritos?
i dont care which surgery i get to help me , im desperate . all i know is if im fortunate enough to get this tool. i will never care if i eat another carb again. i would take this as serious as possible and educate yourself and write out the pros and cons of both and see which one you would best benefit from. right now i have waited so long i would let them do whatever it takes to get me healthy ....
You know only about 30% of RNY folks dump, right? So you would have that threat hanging over your head, but chances are you wouldn't dump and if you decided to test it out one time (which most people seem to do at some point) then you might know you didn't dump and then that would not help you anymore. Besides, people that do dump usually dump on too much sugar. You probably would not dump on crackers or bread.
Malabsorption decreases over time and at some point, you will absorb all the calories you eat again. Malabsorption does not mean that if you mess up and eat the wrong thing you won't suffer from those calories. It means you won't absorb all the calories but you'll still absorb some of them, and if you eat something like french fries you'll still get a lot of calories out of them.
I don't know if the VSG stomach stretches less than the RNY pouch. The RNY pouch is supposed to stretch some over time. You would be able to eat maybe 1/4 cup of something right after surgery but you would be able to eat more like one full cup of something a year after surgery. The RNY pouch stretching is only a problem if you repeatedly eat a lot more than you should, and you're saying you're not a volume eater anyway.
I can't say which surgery is better for you. But it seems like you want surgery to help you make better food choices and I don't think either surgery really does that. I think that's something you have to do yourself.
Malabsorption decreases over time and at some point, you will absorb all the calories you eat again. Malabsorption does not mean that if you mess up and eat the wrong thing you won't suffer from those calories. It means you won't absorb all the calories but you'll still absorb some of them, and if you eat something like french fries you'll still get a lot of calories out of them.
I don't know if the VSG stomach stretches less than the RNY pouch. The RNY pouch is supposed to stretch some over time. You would be able to eat maybe 1/4 cup of something right after surgery but you would be able to eat more like one full cup of something a year after surgery. The RNY pouch stretching is only a problem if you repeatedly eat a lot more than you should, and you're saying you're not a volume eater anyway.
I can't say which surgery is better for you. But it seems like you want surgery to help you make better food choices and I don't think either surgery really does that. I think that's something you have to do yourself.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Not to sound too harsh, but NEITHER surgery will solve your problem if, indeed, the reason fro your obesity is grazing. You can out-eat ANY surgery (including the DS) by grazing. That is behavioral change that you will need to make regardless of which surgery you have.
Only 30% of people with RNY dump. If you are COUNTING on dumping to help you control your sweet tooth, the chances of you being very disappointed are 70%. (I do dump, but it takes a LOT of sugar (way too many calories) to make it happen... so I guess technically I am part of the 30%, but dumping doess NOT help me control what I eat day to day.)
Also, the malabsorption from the RNY is only good for about 12-18 months, so what you end up with , in the long-run, is a restrictive-only procedure (like the sleeve) anyway.... but WITH the lack of vitamin absorption because of the bypass (although you will need supplements after either surgeyr, you will likely need more with the RNY). Based on what you wrote, if the sleeve will address your diabetes, I would get the sleeve and not have to worry about the bypass or the complications related to the stoma (stricture and stoma stretching). If the VSG had been an option for me 4 years ago, I would do it instead of RNY (I was not diabetic before my surgery, but my blood sugar had been creeping up and I was getting dangerously close).
Lora
Only 30% of people with RNY dump. If you are COUNTING on dumping to help you control your sweet tooth, the chances of you being very disappointed are 70%. (I do dump, but it takes a LOT of sugar (way too many calories) to make it happen... so I guess technically I am part of the 30%, but dumping doess NOT help me control what I eat day to day.)
Also, the malabsorption from the RNY is only good for about 12-18 months, so what you end up with , in the long-run, is a restrictive-only procedure (like the sleeve) anyway.... but WITH the lack of vitamin absorption because of the bypass (although you will need supplements after either surgeyr, you will likely need more with the RNY). Based on what you wrote, if the sleeve will address your diabetes, I would get the sleeve and not have to worry about the bypass or the complications related to the stoma (stricture and stoma stretching). If the VSG had been an option for me 4 years ago, I would do it instead of RNY (I was not diabetic before my surgery, but my blood sugar had been creeping up and I was getting dangerously close).
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Just a thought - you say volume is not your issue but you are a grazer. You might want to try logging your food for a while just to document how much you are actually eating with grazing - sometimes it is a lot more than you think, just in smaller increments. Also, I totally agree with the other posters - either surgery will not change your eating habits and that is really the hardest part about this process.
I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.
-Angela
I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.
-Angela
Most Active
Recent Topics