WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE SLEEVE OVER BYPASS?

I AM ENROLLED IN A PROGRAM AT SUMMA BARIATRIC, AKRON OHIO. RIGHT NOW I AM DOING ALL OF MY TESTING AND APPOINTMENTS NEEDED TO GET INSURANCE APPROVAL.

I AM LEANING TOWARD THE SLEEVE, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS THE KEY OR MAIN FACTOR THAT HELPED ALL OF YOU DECIDE WHICH SURGERY TO HAVE?

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

For me, it was the fact that your "input" and "output" are not altered!  The surgery, while complex, is pretty straightforward and there are few known long term problems.  You are able...somewhere down the road....to be able to eat anything you want.  Understanding that during this intensive process, you are not going to choose some of those things anymore because you have learned to make better choices for you and your body.  After having the surgery a week ago....I am most thankful for the decision that I made.  They discovered a hiatal hernia during the surgery and, as a result, I am acid reflux free for the first time in years!!  Just a little fringe benefit....oh, and that's going to be covered by my insurance, while my surgery was not!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT, I WAS THINKING THE SAME WAY.. I KNOW THIS IS A TOOL TO HELP ME . AS IT IS WITH EITHER WLS YOU CHOOSE.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU !!!

the bypass just seems so invasive...rerouting the intestines...the sleeve is cut and dry, remove around 80% of the stomach, thats it!

THANK YOU!

Here's the post I made to my journal about my choice:

The four WLS are - sleeve, gastric bypass (RNY), lapband, and duodenal switch. My insurance covers the first three, but not the DS.

I ruled out the lapband immediately because the only people I know who have had it are miserable or have needed it removed. The complication rate is atrocious and it only lasts for 10 years or so. It's billed as being a "reversible" surgery, but the damage it can cause, like from erosion into your esophagus, is permanent. So no lapband for me.

The choice really boiled down to RNY or VSG and I chose the sleeve for a number of reasons. (Even if DS had been an option, I would not have chosen it.)

1. I really like the simplicity of the sleeve. All it does is remove 85% of your stomach. That's it.
2. I dislike the idea of having my intestines rerouted.
3. The "good" malabsorption that the bypass gives (of fats) is a temporary thing that only lasts for a few years whereas the "bad" malabsorption (of vitamins and minerals) lasts for forever. That's not worth it to me.
4. The sleeve is restriction only, no malabsorption. This also means that I CAN eat anything at all. Fats and sugars won't screw up my bowels the way they can for the bypass. (Of course I still need to make healthy choices, but that's a choice, not something that my surgery requires.)
5. With the bypass, you're left with a remnant stomach that can't be scoped. That scares the crap out of me. First, the idea that I have this weirdly connected non-stomach but then to not be able to get it checked out with an endoscopy if there's a problem? Eek. Do not want.
6. My understanding is that complication rates with the bypass are significantly greater, especially longterm due to malabsorption. While I will be taking vitamins for the rest of my life, chances are that I won't end up in the hospital if I stop because the sleeve has no malabsorption involved.
7. For the most part (and there are exceptions) the people I know with the sleeve look and seem healthier than the people I know with the bypass. That's nothing scientific though.. just a gut feeling.
8. The sleeve leaves you with a fully functional pyloric valve at the bottom of your stomach whereas the bypass gives you a stoma which can stretch over time.

     THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT, I HAVE BEEN DOING ALOT OF READING, AND I THINK THE SLEEVE WOULD BE BETTER FOR ME.

I JUST WANTED TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO WENT THROUGH IT.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

For me it was the fact that I can take NSAIDs, granted not for 6 weeks post-op.  I have RA and depend on my Aleve.  So for emit was a no brainedbrained

The ASMBS recommends that VSGers avoid NSAIDs.  

@ gopats_54: Same here (I'm waiting on my surgery date).