RNY instead of Sleeve

I have been through all my pre-op testing and all along have only been interested in the sleeve. I had my first consultation with my surgeon today, and he is strongly recomending the RNY. I am so nervous about it! I dont know why, I guess because I have known a few people that had it done many yrs ago, and had alot of complications. My Dr. said with my BMI at 53, and weighing 328, the RNY was a better choice for me long term. My sugery is scheduled for Oct 29th. I hope I am making the right decision!

At your BMI, the best surgery for your statistically speaking would be the DS. RNY and VSG are about neck and neck for results.. the %EWL difference is insignificant, and there are long term issues to consider beyond just immediate weight loss numbers.

Have you thoroughly researched all 3 effective surgeries- DS, VSG and RNY?

wish I could help you had the rny 8/6/12 have never felt better but my bmi was only 45 to start.

I went going into this wanting a lap band my surgeon felt rny was a better optionI think higher bmi are DS i WOULD JUST RESEARCH HAVE YOU SERIOUSLY COMMITED TO A LIFESTYLE CHANGE BECAUSE AFTER GASTRIC BYPASS YOU WOULD TOLERATE HALF THE STUFF YOU EAT NOW i EAT 6 SMALL PROTEIN MEALS A DAY.....yOU JUST NEED TO REALLY COMMIT REAMBER WLS IS JUST A TOOL

I am seriously commited to the lifestlye change. I have met with my Dietician/ Nut more than the required visits, only to help better prepare me for it. I know I can not continue to live like this, I am hurting so much!! My feet, my legs, my back, I work 60 hrs a week and I can barely keep up! between the hrs and the weight I am feeling pretty miserable! I have been overweight since the age of 13. One of my concerns is the amount of time it is gonna take me to get my energy level back. I have seen posts on here where it's sometimes longer than a month before feeling normal again. Thanks for the responses:)

I understand your concern about recovery time post-op.  I think my recovery time would have been the same if I had the sleeve, my rny recovery was pretty quick.  I was walking all over a botanical garden in Honolulu two days after my surgery.  

It will depend on how old you are, how physically fit you are, and how your body deals with the anasthesia.  Everyone is different.  I went back to work 10 days after my surgery.  Just for reference, I was 45 when I had my surgery and my BMI was just over 40.

The great news is that I am 10 days from my surgiversary and I feel fantastic!!!!  Everything is better now.  Everything.

Sara in Maui.

 My doctor provided me with data that the RNY is the "gold standard" of the WLS. He only performs three types: RNY, VSL, and lapband. The notebook of information I recevied from him (Center of Excellence - the only type of facility my insurance would cover) listed the pro/cons of each type of surgery. For me and my history of acid reflux, the VSL was out. Because of my chronic back issue, a lapband typically produces the least amount of weight loss compared to VSL and RNY and to help my back I needed the most weight off. The RNY was his only recommendation as his data of the 3 types stated RNY produces the most weight off and for the longest time. I don't regret it a bit. In the beginning I was a little hesitant but then researched it more only to learn the RNY is really the gold standard in the industry.

I think the recovery time is about the same for RNY and VSG, but your doc could give you more info on that.

Have you thought about the DS, though?  With a high BMI, it might be a better choice even than RNY for you.

Did you talk to your surgeon about the likelihood of complications with RNY?  Most complications are rare and most are the same complications that could occur with any major abdominal surgery, including VSG.

The RNY is still considered the "gold standard." The difference between the sleeve and the RNY is this
RNY - provides restrictive and malabsorptive benefits. It restricts how much you take in AND how much you absorb. 2 benefits in 1.
Sleeve - only restricts how much you take in. Good for individuals without acid reflux, so if you have acid reflux (GERD) - this is not for you.
I would do some research on how many have gotten the sleeve only to revised to the RNY. This is the trend that I see in the health care community. Ask the question here and see how many answer.
As for the DS it may not be something that your surgeon even does - only a few of them do it in each regional area so you might not even have a DS surgeon in the area.

Good luck in your decision!!

I think your doctor is right, but in the end I guess you have to make the decision. Lots of VSGers have to later revise to RNY or DS. You do have a high BMI and all the sleeve does is restrict the amount you can eat for a period of time.

What ever you decide, best wishes!!