luvhermitcrabs

Axlr8n I hope you have a smooth recovery!!
I just had my last weigh in with surgeon-- they are submitting for approval this week! ????????????

I got the bypass and it's awesome! It's your body get what you want. I had gerd and it helped a lot. I didn't want the sleeve because I read the weight loss was better with bypass. But I am sure there are many of you that did amazing on the sleeve I have no experience with the sleeve so I am most definitely biased. Lol

Be your own advocate! Don't get the sleeve if your research and instincts tell you to get the bypass. I've worked in the medical field for almost 20years and can tell you all surgeons aren't created the same. It will suck to have to change doctors at this stage but you have to live with this decision while your surgeons is on to the next patient or making more money off performing a second surgery. My surgeons does sleeves and bypasses based on his patients needs. Be cautious with any surgeon that performs mostly just one type.

My surgeon does almost all sleeves. Why? Probably because the sleeve is extremely effective and has fewer complications. Definitely learn as much as you can about all the procedures and talk with your surgeon about what is best for you.

Possible that he can get more sleeves in in one day? Sounds awful but I have heard of this stuff before.
Also the long term effects of the sleeve are not really known. And the sleeve is only restrictive. My advice is get what is going to work for you. If you feel that RNY is what will work for you. Then don't be afraid to go with another surgeon. I would think that the dietary period would transfer over to another surgeon. You have to live with the results of this the rest of your life the surgeon does not.

I have major acid reflux, but I also have lupus. So after having a long discussion with my dr medically the sleeve would be a better outcome for me than the bypass.

I'm now just a few days over 3 weeks post op gastric bypass and so far eating somewhat normally again, err, well for my "new normal." I thought these tips might be useful to others...
Things that go down fine (and are pleasurable to eat)
oatmeal (I buy the quick packets of organic oatmeal, no sugar added), lowfat 1% milk just cover them in a bowl and microwave a minute to a minute and 1/2. Add a handful of fresh strawberries and blueberries with a sprinkle of splenda a spash more milk. Yummy and fills you up with no issues (at least for me) Salads - I've really had no problems enjoying a small salad. No sugar added popsicles (about 25 to 35 calories each) - very soothing and tasty Black bean Soup and almost any cream Soups in the cartons (roasted red pepper etc.) Chili - in small quantities most canned Soups like Progresso heart healthy laughing cow cheese - actually, I'm not a big fan but these are fine Light and Fit greek yogurt - 80 calories - these are good Stouffers mac and cheese cups - these are high in fat but only 240 calories or so since you're eating a small amount and a tasty treat once and a while Vitarain from costco - about $10 a case eggs so long as they're cooked soft Low Fat 1 or 2% cottage cheese Almonds - just a few once and a while Flank steak - flank steak is tender, slice it thin, saute with some peppers and just remember small amounts Popcorn air popped - just a small bowl with a tiny drizzle of butter and a little salt Artificial crab - fine in small amounts. Jello Things that hurt to avoid or eat very, very slowly
Pasta/Noodles - even small quantities are pretty tough to keep down chicken, especially white meat - doesn't digest well Crackers - almost any kind - a few rice crackers maybe but all others don't feel good to me ground meat - a bit easier then chicken but still, very small amounts bread or Bagels - don't feel good anything fried in oil The key is always listen to your body. Chew well, wait for it to go down, see how it feels, if it feels bad stop or slow way down. Hopefully this makes sense to some folks. I'm hoping things get easier but I'm adapting well to my "new normal."

My doctor told me I was a good candidate for both. I know some surgeons view RNY as more drastic, but in my experience and I have a FB group with over 200 members, most sleevers struggle to get to goal weight. Now I am no expert and this is just from the small group of people I have contact with. But for me during my research I knew RNY had a better percentage of weight loss and I had struggled so many times that I wanted the best opportunity to make it to my goal! I have NO regrets at all.
Good luck, and know this is your body and with what info you have provided, I think the choice should be yours.

I don't know any other background info on you or your surgeon, so it's hard to assess, but if I were in that position, it would raise a bit of a flag for me, as RNY is considered the "golden standard" of WLS procedures, and it's usually the other way around, where the surgeon would prefer the patient get the RNY instead of the Sleeve for various reasons. I would immediately dig into the surgeon's background to find out her confidence level in performing RNY's versus Sleeves - how many RNY's vs Sleeves has she performed, how many issues resulted from each type, etc.
If you want the RNY and she doesn't have a high confidence level in performing them, then you might want to find another surgeon.

You have a family history of GERD. In general RNY gastric bypass surgery is normally recommended for GERD patients because a sleeve will only make the condition worse. RNY has a longer track record than sleeve. It has been around longer.
Generally the surgeon leaves the decision of which type of surgery to the patient. But they do make intelligent recommendations. So if the surgeon is pushing sleeve, listen to his arguments and then make up your mind.

This doctor is pushing the sleeve on everyone? That raises a red flag for me. The Bypass is the golden standard in WLS, so if this guy is trying to push the sleeve on everyone instead of the RNY, that seems a bit odd to me. It immediately makes me wonder how many sleeve and RNY operations he has performed, and the success rates of both. It would also bring into question for me his confidence level of performing the RNY. If he has a low confidence level in RNY and that is causing him to push the sleeve, I would definitely seek out another surgeon.
Many people have GERD, or history of it, or the potential for it. I, for example, have terrible GERD and Barrett's, so after a few tests my bariatric surgeon and my thoracic surgeon (I also had a hiatal hernia) both said straight out that I was not a candidate for the sleeve. Many people who have never had GERD wind up getting it post-op, so if your family has a history of it, I would highly recommend researching on the net why the sleeve is so bad for people with GERD, and I would also highly recommend RNY instead. You can always get the sleeve now and get a revision to RNY later on if GERD becomes a problem, but why do two surgeries when you can just do one to take care of it all?
I guess first I would just talk to your prospective surgeon(s) to hear what their thoughts are, and then move forward from there.

the sleeve has become really popular - probably because, as others have said, the idea of re-routing your intestines really bothers a lot of people. I went with the bypass because I had GERD, and I've been very happy with my choice.

@@luvhermitcrabs I definitely understand your thinking. I didn't make my final decision to have the bypass instead of the sleeve until a week ago when I met with my surgeon to set the date (Sept. 21).
I have Aetna insurance and my clinic's nurse told me the insurance would only authorize one surgery a time, but that if I changed my mind, it would only take a phone call to get authorization for the other procedure. Maybe you could ask your insurance company or your clinic what happens if you change your mind about which procedure to get. I'd be surprised if you had to start all over. That's assuming your surgeon is comfortable performing both procedures.
If it helps at all, I was leaning toward the bypass all along because there are long-term studies demonstrating the success of the bypass, but not the sleeve because it's a relatively new procedure. I also think dumping might help as "aversion therapy" as you put it. Also, while the hormonal changes that take place after surgery are not fully understood, my surgeon said the current research shows they are longer-lasting for the bypass. Of course, that's the best understanding he can have today. Things could change in 10 or 20 years (too bad we can't hop in a time machine and find out!). I'm going with bypass because it seems, based on what we know today, that the bypass will give me the best chance of long-term success. This is just one doctor's opinion, btw. I just personally trust him.

Even though I have awful GERD that has been made worse by the sleeve, I went with the sleeve so that a) dumping is not even a word on my map, I can rely on restriction to get me where I need to go without constantly being on the lookout for some sugar that could make me totally sick (sugar wasn't a weakness anyway so bypass would've been a waste in that sense), and c) I am not convinced that the hunger hormone completely goes away with bypass as the stomach remains inside your body. The latter issue was the most important to me by far, and while I am not one of those lucky few that have to be "reminded" to eat or find old favorites sickening, I can eat and be satisfied for the first time...ever.

The bypass is the gold standard for WLS. I would suspect that your surgical team will have no problem with your choice.
Any surgeon that pushes you toward a surgery better be able to explain very clearly why that is the best surgery for you. Otherwise get a new surgeon.
I was originally going for the sleeve and after much discussion with both my surgeon and a gastroenterologist it was determined that bypass was the better surgery for me. This was specifically because I had severe reflux and the sleeve could make this worse for me which could have resulted in a second surgery to revise to bypass anyway.

My MDs office told me today that they submitted to insurance for my approval. I am so worried, scared, and anxious wrapped into one. This is going to be the longest wait ever!! Wish me luck that I too can jump on this losers bench with you all ????????????????????

I have to eat frequently throughout the day even if I am not hungry in order to get in all of my Protein. I also eat protein first and only eat vegetables and fruit after I eat my protein if I still have room. If you are able to eat all those vegetables then you should have no problem getting enough protein. You just have to commit to do it. Try setting reminders on your phone if you need reminders to eat.

@@Trisha213 Am I correct that you are having trouble getting in enough food pre-surgery? That pre-surgery, you are eating only 600 calories a day? You are eating lots and lots of veggies, and that you are getting filled up?
That is an extremely low calorie load for someone pre-surgery. I understand your concern. I think a call to your nutritionist or doctor would be wise, or even a visit if possible. With such a low calorie level, you need to ensure that you are getting in enough Vitamins, and that there is not some other thing going on.
If you are eating this low number of calories under your doctor's supervision and with their OK, that's one thing. But if you are eating this few calories and the doctor doesn't realize it, that could be an issue.

I meet with the doctor on Oct 12. The next six weeks will drive me crazy with waiting to talk to him :-)
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

I walked in thinking I wanted the sleeve. But I have acid reflux and the Dr. said that wouldn't be a good choice for me. Plus she said for the amount of weight I wanted to lose, bypass was a better option. Did your Dr. offer their opinion on what would be best for you?

I think a lot of people just get "weirded out" by the idea of their intestines being re-routed. I personally don't think "I get an ooky feeling" is a great basis for making a medical decision, at least it isn't for me. I ended up going with the sleeve because of some medical issues making the sleeve a better choice for me, but I would have been very happy with a gastric bypass. I know several people who have had them and they are all doing fantastic.

I was grinning and nodding my head while reading your post.
I've been going through very similar experiences lately as I navigate my way to surgery.
I'm wanting bypass for the reasons you described, yet faced with a surgeon who seems to have an overall bias for the sleeve.

OMG! I'm so so so expected and happy. Doctors office just called and told me the insurance approved me. My date is September 23. Wow!! Thank you all so much for putting up with me and my posts!

I'm pre op just starting the process. I told my husband, my mom, a good guy friend, my supervisor at work and a co worker. Other than that I don't plan on telling anyone else. If they read my blog then they will know. It will be interesting to see who reads it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I told 5 people about my surgery - my husband, son, parents and best friend. Since surgery, I've told two people - my hairdresser and financial planner. Weird, I know. (The hairdresser because my hair was falling out and I'm not really sure why the financial planner - he used to be a minister, maybe I felt compelled to tell him!).
This is such a personal choice - the right choice is different for all of us.
I live in a small community where everyone gossips. I did not want to give anyone any fat to chew...I knew if I told my brother, he would tell his wife, who would take great enjoyment out of picking up the phone and calling everyone we knew - by the end of the day, word would have gotten back to me that I had weight loss surgery, got a new job and had sex with a goat. It was not worth involving them.
If you keep it a secret, you do have comments about your rapid weight loss. I'm sure that some people suspect I had WLS and that's fine - suspect away. When people asked, I just said, "I got some things straightened out with my doctor and totally changed my lifestyle." That's a good enough explanation for me.
Do what's right for you - that's the right answer!