Went to my first seminar tonight...I was SHOCKED

Hi all

I've been researching bariatric surgery for a very long time. My sister, and a lot of other people I know had bypass. So, I've been researching and had my head set on bypass. 

Low and behold, the surgeon said 99.9% of the surgeries he & his partner perform are sleeve! I was astonished! All I've been reading about is how gastric bypass  was the "gold standard"...

Of course I have an open mind, and I will listen to the medical experts...but now I need to do more research and shift what I was thinking... will it work as well? It sounds like you have more "freedom" with the sleeve? 

ahhh- my mind is spinning!

Anyway- I've been reading all f your stories- very inspirational!

Everyone has to make this decision for themselves but I was not comfortable with the re-routing of the intestines that happens with the bypass.  I had the sleeve in October 2014 and am down 116 lbs so far.  It has certainly worked for many people.  Good luck to you on your decision and future surgery.

Welcome to the forum.  I am so happy with my sleeve.  I was very heavy and my NP suggested the RNY because she thought the mal-absorption and the dumping might help me.

But I decided on the sleeve because it seemed like a simpler procedure and left the pyloric valve active.  I am so happy I did the sleeve.  I lost all my excess weight, going from 385 to 160 pounds -  a BMI of 60 to 24.  I'm a normal weight.  My energy is so much better, no pain in my joints. I can walk miles and keep up with others.  Its amazing the changes.

I never thought I'd be this successful.  Its not easy.  You really have to commit to eating right and watching your diet for the rest of your life.  But the surgery makes it possible. 

Plus I can eat anything in moderation.  I follow the rules - no grazing - eat dense protein first, fill up on low carb veggies, no liquids with meals.  I avoid carbs because they cause serious food cravings for me - the carb monster, as we call it!  I can have a desert occasionally, as long as I get back on plan right away, it is manageable.

Best of luck with your weight loss journey.

Carol

It is great you are keeping an open mind! Both are very good surgeries. What I would encourage you to do is consider what your specific situation is to find the best fit. Rny does a little better job of putting diabities in remission, although VSG does as well- just to a lesser extent. (I am no longer diabetic.) Rny is more likely to cause dumping when you consume fats or sugar- a benefit in that it will naturally deter you from eating it, but a pain in the butt to deal with. Rny causes malabsorption- a benefit in the caloric reduction it causes for the first 2 years, and a hinderance to life long issues with absorbing vitamins. Occasionally some Rny folks mention that once the calorie malabsorption stops, they deal with some issues with regain- but that seems to be a minority, and perhaps much better addressed by a Rny person.  Vsg has a lot of benefits as well. You lose most of the ghrelin (hunger hormone) and personally that was a major factor for me doing so well. No rerouting of the intenstines and no pouch that cannot be scoped- a big deal to me given my other health issues. You might hear or read that us VSG folks can take Nsaids, but that has been reversed- you should still avoid them.  The restrictive capacity of the surgery does a terrific job and is a powerful tool- we lose overall at a comparable rate to the Rny folks and regain statistically is 5% of what you lost. Finally, if you feel you need a more powerful surgery than either Rny or Vsg due to being a super morbidly obese check out the DS surgery- it is the strongest and most effective of the three, but also comes with more severe vitamin malabsorption issues. With the Vsg I only take 1 multi supplement a day, a D3, and some calcium supplement- the same as what I took prior to surgery 

I love the Vsg, and you will find on this board most all will say the same. Go to the Rny board you find that most all love the Rny. Both are good!

If you thnk you get more "freedom" with what you're eating with the sleeve, think again!  The amount of food, calories, protein and carbs it takes to lose and then maintain are the same whether you get RNY or VSG. 

One benefit to VSG is that you have no malabsorption so you don't have to take so many vitamins at multiple times through the day for the rest of your life.  And you have less of a chance of serious vitamin deficiencies because of that.  

Another benefits is that because a large portion of your stomach actually gets removed with VSG, it also removes a lot of the ghrelin (hunger hormone) that triggers those intense hunger pangs that some of us used to get.  

Some people want and need the malabsorption piece in order to lose all their weight.  Do your research and carefully decide what you want.  But if your surgeon primarily does VSG and you want RNY, I'd find a doctor that has done TONS of RNY.  

Hi! Welcome to the forum! When I spoke to my Surgeon (Dr Johnson at Atlanta Bariatrics), I was told they only recommend the RNY in 3 cases and that is either if the person is diabetic, has acid reflex or is such a sweet tooth that they can't control themselves. Otherwise they recommend the sleeve. 

I don't know if you have more "freedom" with the sleeve. I actually think it's easier to "cheat" with a sleeve then it is with a RNY as a little bit of sugar won't make you all that sick, and with a RNY it will. You need to be committed either way, to a healthier lifestyle, a better way of eating and caring for yourself. I like the sleeve because you don't have any malabsorption issues as you can have with the RNY.

Everyone is different. I have a friend that did the sleeve 2 weeks before me. She became lactose intolerant, can not eat anything with egg in it, can't drink milk or have any dairy, but can drink decaf coffee like nobody's business. I can't drink coffee (and I used to be a coffee junkie!) I used to hate fish and now I can eat it without problems and I have zero problems with eggs and dairy. I also completely lost my sweet tooth. The results can vary greatly.

Whatever surgery you do, be committed to your decision and follow your doctor's instructions to a T! If you do that you are well on your way to a healthier and happier you!

Keep in mind the distinction between what is best for you, and what's best for your surgeon. Many surgeons prefer the sleeve because it is easier for them, a lot faster, and they get paid the same as for an RNY.

Just make sure that what you get is what's best for you.

I was just going to reply the same thing. And although the surgery is "easier" for the surgeon to do, I think there is a lot of precise skill necessary for the best long-term results and I think that skill varies a lot from surgeon to surgeon.

Yes. I think the RNY is a lot more standardized. It seems that sleeves can be many different sizes, and more importantly, different shapes. And that can cause many issues long term.

And the counter to what Grim mentioned is that some surgeons are more comfortable performing the Rny, and consequently steer patients toward that. Same thing applies though- make sure you get the surgery that is best for you and not your surgeon!