Trying to decide if I should get the RNY

Hello, I'm really confused. I am currently scheduled for the sleeve surgery in Mexico; however, I've recently read some articles about the RNY that makes me think maybe RNY is better for me. I have been diabetic for 12 years and the articles I've read said this surgery would improve my diabetes quickly. Has anyone else dealt with this issue and can anyone help me to understand the differences between the sleeve and RNY? Thanks for any help you can provide!

Best decision I ever made.

My reason for surgery was diabeties...pre surgery i was on 2 insulines and 4 pills...i left the hospital on NO meds and have had A1's in the 5 range this whole time. After the first 3 months I was no longer required to stick myself and test my sugars.  I must admit its the best feeling...to actually feel good again.  The year I got my surgery (2012) I had been to er 7 times for diabetic issues...since surgery i havent been to the er AT ALL.  (i also had NO complications from surgery)...

 

Thank you for your story. It's so good to here about real experiences.

Which surgery did the surgeon recommend for you?

RNY may be better for resolving diabetes.  It's also a better choice if you have GERD.  However, with VSG, there is less risk of nutritional deficiencies and you can continue taking NSAIDS if needed after surgery.  There are pros and cons to each.

I chose the RNY over Sleeve for a couple of reasons. One- nothing is removed. Sounds odd, but I had some concerns about most of my stomach being removed. Two- I know my demons. Sugar and Fat and while only 30% of people dump, I need the fear to keep me focused.

My surgeon felt the best surgery for me was RNY; however left the decision up to me completely.

I am 6 days out so too early to gauge any success; however, I have had very little pain. At most it felt like a hard ab workout. I have taken no pain meds, no nausea meds, and no intolerance issues as I went back on my liquid diet. I am not fooling myself, I know there may be ups and downs, but so far so good'

Thank you for sharing. I know everyone is different, but that makes me feel better to hear how well it went for you! Best of luck to you!

Check out this study on the comparison of both surgeries in regards to each and Type 2 diabetes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21339423 Basically it says that 93% of RNY patients had remission of Type 2 diabetes and 47% of sleeve patients did. Some studies have shown that the 'cure' rate is similar for patients who have had diabetes for less than 5 years, but you are far beyond that.

Did you ask the surgeon which surgery he/she recommended for you and why? You can do more research on both and other studies. but if you think that you can live without NSAIDS and just rely on Tylenol for aches and pains then probably RNY would be a better choice, but that would be up to you and your surgeon.

Martha 

Thank you, that study was spot on!

I had a revision from LapBand to RNY 8 months ago. . .my hemoglobin A1c at that time was 9%. . .as of last month it is 6.7% . . .I am almost in remission!  

I have been a diabetic longer than 12 years so I knew going into the surgery that I may not go into remission, but I am sooooo close now and my Dietitian and physicians believe that once I get these last 30 lbs or so off that I will be in remission and able to just use my diet and exercise to control my diabetes.  

Feel free to read my blog outlining my experience to date.  

I will tell you that when my diabetes did not resolve instantly, I was a little disappointed.  I was hoping RNY would be an instant "cure" for me as it is for so many, but again, I have been a diabetic for about 16 years.  The chances for me and complete remission were not as good as for people who have not been diabetic as long, but, it looks like I am going to get to remission after all, it is just taking me a little longer and I am totally okay with that.  

Even so, I no longer do daily injections, I only take 1,000 mg of Metformin 2x a day and my blood sugars are in the 94-112 range now pretty much all of the time.  I rarely go over 112 and if I do, the highest has been 121, which is a HUGE improvement over the 300-400+ range I was in on Victoza + Metformin pre-RNY. 

Best of luck to you with what ever you decide!!!

Thank you for the info. After looking at these posts I feel comfortable going with the RNY. I believe my "cure" will take a while too, but any improvement is good. I'm starting to get the symptoms such as numbness in my feet, damage to my eyes and difficulty healing when I had an wound on my ankle. It's pretty much downhill from here if I don't make some dramatic changes. Thanks again!