Roux-en-Y patients do you wish you were sleeved?

I could have had any of the four on my insurance and CHOSE to have RNY.  Have not regretted it for one second.  (Well other than that idiot crying fit I had about a week out from surgery when I got sad about not being able to eat French fries ever again.  I blame that on the boring liquid diet.  And I can have French fries now if I'm so inclined.  I think I have had a couple in the last year and a half.  MEH).

I'm leary of any new trend.  Lap-Band is trying to get the industry to think that anyone with a moderately high BMI should be recommended to have their surgery....and people and professionals are buying into it!

I'm not saying the sleeve is a bad idea.  It just wasn't the one for me.

And about that interview posted, it's not always about calories in calories out.  Metabolic issues have to be considered.  I know more than one person who followed strict diets (me included) that never lost an ounce.  That needs to be factored in when considering different procedures.

Well, I am 2 1/2 years out of lap-RNY.  I am incredibly pleased with my results.  I reached goal very fast and haven't gained a pound.  From those I personally know with VSG, it is harder for them to reach goal. 

I'm still newly out of my RNY. I don't regret it at all.

Not at all. Especially now that I've seen a friend of mine who has the sleeve and she is losing rather slow, in relation to the amount of weight she has to lose. If my insurance would have covered DS, I probably would have considered that, but seeing how RNY and lap-band are all they cover, I chose RNY. I love my pouch and I'm very happy with my choice. At only 22, I don't really have issues with not being able to take NSAIDS because no long term damage was done to my joints by being over weight. Maybe once I'm 60 I'll wish I could take them, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there, and who knows what advancements will have taken place in medicine by then.

Most people chose WLS, at least in part, so they will be healthier and live longer.  RNY has been proven to reduce heart disease and cancer.  RNY has also been proven to dramatically extend lifespan, such as in this Harvard study:
www.nature.com/oby/journal/v17/n10/full/oby2009207a.html

And as proven in the Harvard study, proximal RNY works -- not by restriction or malabsorption as commonly thought -- but by dramatically increasing energy expenditure (metabolic advantage) and addressing the fundamental physiology of weight regulation, and these benefits of RNY do not change over the long term.

By contrast, VSG does not yet have the track record on long term health improvement that RNY has.  This same Harvard study specifically also looked at VSG and found that VSG does not offer the metabolic advantage that RNY exhibits.  Other research suggests that VSG instead works largely by reducing the hormone ghrelin.  Unfortunately, HIGHER ghrelin has many health benefits that may be lost with VSG, see:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/4456479/Controversial-Ghrelin -is-actually-a-GOOD-thing/#36856352

So we just don't know yet if VSG will be as healthy for heart disease and cancer in the long run as we know RNY is -- these beneficial health effects of RNY are NOT just related to weight loss.

The one downside to RNY is the reactive hypoglycemia (RH) that develops because of the lack of a pyloric valve.  RH can be prevented by adhering to a low carb diet for life.  If you are considering WLS, have tried low carbs and know you can't do it, then VSG or DS might be worth considering.

Contrary to popular belief, proximal RNY does not cause significant protein, fat, or carbohydrate malabsorption (again, see Harvard study).  RNY does cause mild nutrient deficiencies that should be addressed with supplementation.  And contrary to common belief, VSG also leads to nutrient deficiencies as found in this study:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21088925

DS will offer the same metabolic advantage that RNY does (just even more so), but without the loss of the pyloric valve.   DS will lead to more long term weight loss than RNY, but the complication rate is almost twice that of RNY -- so odds are you will not have major complications with RNY, but odds are you will with DS.  See:
http://www.endocrinetoday.com/view.aspx?rid=87692

The above reasons I think encapsulate why RNY is still the gold standard in WLS.  RNY has proven long term weight loss, proven long term health benefits, and a low complication rate.  Of these three objectives, VSG currently only has a low complication rate.  DS has proven long term weight loss but a very high complication rate.

Based on all the research and my comorbidities, If I had to chose a different WLS than I did, it would be DS and not VSG.  But for now, I am very happy I went with RNY.

I am 3 years out. I am healthy and have had no issues related to my RNY. Maintenance has been pretty easy for me so far. I will always stay vigilent in the fight.

I know quite a few sleevers in real life and the overwhelming majority of them seem to be 30-50 pounds from goal. I'll admit the vain part of me likes being the thinnest. 

Laura

If my insurance would have covered it, I would have gone with the DS. But it is what it is. So far I'm doing good with the RNY.