By-Pass Phobia

I pray that your biopsies are negative, I know that must be scary for you, it would be for me as well.

My surgery for RNY is on Monday, August 22nd and YES, I've been so nervous about the though of rearranging my insides. I first wanted to get the DS but my insurance does not cover it. It only covers RNY or LapBand. I did not want the lapband due to a lower success rate with it AND I did not want to have a port that had to be filled and sometimes never hits the sweet spot (either too loose or too tight for many folks).

I first worried about the vitamins and supplements I'd have to take every day and thought what a hassle that would be and I'm not the best at taking pills (unless I KNOW that I have to in order to survive or to avoid pain, etc.). But I started realizing that at my age, 53, and needing to lose about 130 pounds, that my health from here on out is going to start deteriorating anyway. If I get diabetes like my mom has and my great-grandmother had, then I'd be stuck with *****ing my fingers and having to be on a special diet and medication for that. If I don't lose weight to help the pain in my knee and my back, then I'd be taking Nsaids out the ying yang and then have to deal with any long term side effects from those drugs. I could have a heart attack or stroke from carrying all this weight around and then think of the drugs and the miserable life if stuck in a wheel chair due to having a stroke (if I survived those things).

So, all in all, when I think of the future consequences staying morbidly obese will bring, I'm having the RNY surgery with the belief that it's the right decision for me. Would I rather be able to lose weight and maintain it without surgery? Of course, I think we all would, but some of us food addicts can't do it. Trust me, I've tried, over and over and over again. I dieted myself into the size I am now. I'd lose weight, then gain it all back plus 20 more.

I know how disappointing it is to have your heart set on something and then to have it yanked away from you, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. Perhaps you would have been one of the people who had the sleeve that it did not work well for or had a bad side effect from.

Take your time and think about it. I know that with time even my worst disappointments get easier to handle and don't seem nearly as bad as you do at first.

Wynter
Wynter

Well, there are complications with the RNY.  They aren't the norm, though.  I wonder if the reason in your job you see what seems like a lot of people having problems is because if they weren't having some kind of problem (RNY-related or not) they would not be going to the doctor, right?  Like, if I have a stomach virus, I look like crap when I go to my doctor, but it has nothing to do with my RNY.  The reason you don't see an equal number of people with VSG at work may be because far fewer people have that surgery than RNY.  I'm not sure if the actual percent of patients with complications is any greater for RNY than for VSG, although your surgeon should be able to tell you that.

The NSAIDS thing would be a big issue for you, I understand.  You might want to talk to your doctor or even a pain management specialist about what else you could use that would be more effective than Tylenol.  That's probably something I would want to have all figured out before surgery, if you decide to go with the RNY.

If you just had your EGD you were probably getting close to a surgery date.  You can postpone it a bit if you need more time to figure out if RNY is right for you or not.  Don't be rushed into anything.

Thank you EVERYONE for your replies.  I had not really given thought to the office I work in and how I usually do see the "sick" people and not the happy, healthy successful ones.  Why would they need to see their primary care physican if they were feeling great?  I have a lot of questions to get answered.  I was feeling very discouraged when I wrote the original note. have more clarity now and realize that ultimately I am doing anything to better my health. I will have to make the final decision based on my biopsy outcomes and the options given me. Thanks again for your advice.

I agree with the others, Mostly you only see or hear (especially online here) the ones that have problems or concerns because well, the others don't really have anything to say. LOL. I'm two years out, have had NO complications, No dumping, No problems at all really.
I do hope your biopsies come back normal! Good luck with what ever you decide to do. Just remember that those of us who don't have ANY problems don't post as much because well, we don't have a lot to say. We DO however love to give support to others!

I do hope that the biopsies come back okay.  I will say that having the sleeve is not an option for you - the majority of people with the sleeve either end up with reflux or they had it before it gets worse.  RNY is the best surgery for someone with reflux and god forbid Barretts.  We have the highest incidence for totally elimating reflux and heartburn, which is actually a treatment for barretts.  Just as a precaution, you would need to take a PPI for life to make sure it never came back and this also prevents ulcers.

The one biopsy in the duodenum is standard for HPylori - a bacteria that causes ulcers and we need to be tested preop.  The esophagus ones are probably for barretts.  I was tested many years ago since I had horrendous reflux for years, ended up having surgery to correct it but thank goodness the biopsy was negative.  Think positively that yours will be negative.  It is usually caused by long term reflux.

I had NO problems with eating or drinking post-op (I did not throw up even once until I was 18 months out (and ate some dry chicken too quickly), never had foamies, and only dumped three times in 4 years), lost 185 pounds and am maintaining my weight loss at 5-7 pounds above my lowest weight after 4 years.  I went from a size 28 to a size 10/12 and a BMI of 57 to 24-25.  Not all of my hair grew back (most of it did), but I definitely do not look sickly.

MOST people I know who have had a RNY are reasonably healthy, so I'm not sure why you are seeing so many "sickly" people.  The rate of regain, however, is also a consideration, but that would be a consideration with the sleeve as well (and if you cannot have the sleeve, you would also not be able to have the DS which has a lower regain statistics).

I have severe arthritis in one knee and moderate arthritis in the other, however, and I will tell you that I really miss being able to take anti-inflammatories.  I have to take a combination of Tramadol and Vicodin for the pain, steroid injections every 4 months for the inflammation, and Synvisc injections every 6 months in order to make it bearable until I gather the courage to have a knee replacement. I didn't think it would be that big a deal to give up the Aleve and Celebrex post-op, but I also thought my knee pain would improve after I lost weight (the arthritis was too advanced so I only got minimal improvement from losing 185 pounds).  I therefore encourage people *****ly on NSAIDs pre-op to try living without them for several months before they commit to a RNY...

Lora

 Good morning.... 

Thank you again to all of you who had concerned replys.  I have GREAT news to report. All of my biopsies came back negative. No dysplasia or Barrett's.  The Dr told me that I  have a small hiatal hernia that needs repair, but the suspect areas are free from severe reflux issues.  At this point the Dr is letting me make the choice of surgery after giving me all the benefits and risks of both. She is not leaning one way or the other, in fact seemed reluctant to give a strong opinion, based on my personal issues there are pros and cons for both. 

She did mention that the sleeve can be converted to a RNY  if things didn't work out with the sleeve.  It's a very difficult decision to make.  I will chat with my primary care Dr on Thursday and make my decision then. I am leaning toward the sleeve since it was my first choice based on my medical history and medication needs.

Thank you  and good luck to everyone.