gina171

Still deciding between the sleeve and RNY. At the first info session I went to, they stressed how the sleeve made hunger go away bc they removed the part of the stomach that produced gherkin. They didn't mention hunger going away with the RNY, and since the RNY diagram showed the entire stomach remaining in the body (even though it was divided) I assumed hunger must still be an issue after RNY. Attended a different program's info session last night, and they said hunger also goes away after RNY. Has this been true for you? Are you less physically hungry? Do you think about food less often? I am very hungry often, so I was leaning to the sleeve to help mitigate that, but I prefer the long term success DATA of the RNY. Please let me know how your hunger levels changed, and if your thoughts became les. "Food-obsessed"? Thank you. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Maggie, so your doctor was OK with giving you the sleeve even though you suffered from GERD? That's encouraging.

If people ask, I will tell them. I am not going to treat this as something shameful. And I hope that by being honest and open to people's questions. especially if they are obese or are worried about someone who is, that I will help them see this as a reasonable treatment for long struggles with morbid obesity.

I'll be the one with a notebook and too many questions! @becomingmandikaye will you be there, too? would be fun to meet.

This is an excellent article.....ugh I am really undecided whether to go with sleeve or RNY. One thing holding me back is I have never been a great healer from other surgeries, even childbirth, I tend to have a much longer recovery time (sometimes twice the norm), and I am thinking there would be less trauma to my body with a sleeve, rather than the RNY. Thoughts?

Hey! He's doing my sleeve on 6/15! Howdy there surgery buddy! becomingmandykaye, do you mind me asking you how far out your surgery was scheduled after your indurance requirements were approved. Just trying to get an idea on how far out the Duke program schedules, how long the wait might be? I don't think my insurance is going to give me a wait period, so wondering just how long the Duke Office waiting period typically is? THANKS!

Thanks Lemm61, I am already signed up! Looking forward to it! Are you going to be there? Your surgery date is so close, you must be thrilled! Once your insurance requirement was met, how long did it take to get your surgery date? Is there a long wait at Duke? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

So much of who I am is the mom/cook/entertainer. I am the person who cooks the kid's favorite foods when they come home from college, I am the neighbor who leaves a pot of homemade chicken Soup on your porch when you have the flu, I am the person who drops off a cooked meal for the family that just brought home a new baby. Our home kitchen has a 60" by 60" island with the gas cooktop built in, so that I can talk to family and friends as we prep and cook food together. After I have surgery, I am thinking that a way to make this possible and part of my life is to still do all those things, but to consider the tastes and bites I eat during party prep (or cooking at a party as I described above) as my meal ..... And then skip over the actual meal part? Sort of become the hostess who is running around prepping and then not really eating the meal (keep in mind our entertaining is very casual and buffet oriented, and not a formal sit-down deal). I am super creative and outgoing, and I love creating fun dishes and events.....anyone have success adapting similar loves into their lives postop? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I am almost exactly in the same boat as you (I am 48 with a 49 BMI), and have had the same realization that the bypass is a much better option when you have as serious a fight as we do, with our age and the amount of weight we need to lose. And....I know this isn't popular, but....some of the 5-year sleeve data doesn't seem as strong as was hoped; it's still a great improvement, but long term results are still unknown. And the 20 years of data on the RNY is pretty nice. If it makes you feel any better.....maybe you and I won't have to worry about monthly cramps much longer.

Msujester....asking this question honestly, not trying to poke at you here but....when those people asked her point blank if you'd had surgery, what did you truly want her to do? Did you want her to say "ask him" BC that's giving it away really.....if she said "I don't know" that would seem unlikely......or did you want her to lie and say "no"? I'm not saying it was ok for her to share it with everyone in your social circles, and the fact that she told so many people certainly points to the reality that she's not good with secrets (small ones or serious ones)....but did you expect her to lie? Did you want her to lie? And if you did want her to lie.....I think a lot of us can understand that. But if it's true that those folks asked her point blank and when she was alone, she was in a weird situation. AND they weren't so respectful, either. Sorry this is going on. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Nyseness... I totally hear you but....you might NOT get too low, especially if deep down inside you don't want too be too small. And your BMI is close to mine, and we have a real fight ahead of us.You have some control over when you stop losing weight, really, so why not just give yourself the best tool that's available for people with BMIs like us? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

That is my exact reasoning, too, Harsha. I was unsure about sleeve vs bypass, but with the bypass there's 20 years of post-op data vs 5 for the sleeve, and since I only want to go on the operating table once if possible, I might as well do the bypass now. I don't know if I would have the insurance or personal funds to pay for a revision. And....I am 48 years old and this has been a lifetime issue, so I ought to give myself the best chance of long term success. Fingers crossed for your approval! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Sounds very economical...I will certainly be an inexpensive date this time next year! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Has anyone here had their RNY at UNC? If so, which Doctor? Trying to decide between UNC and Duke, both have positives... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You look adorable! Love the change to bright colors and a little attitude! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

HUGELY encouraging, thank you for these replies!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Chapel Hill Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You all have really helped me .... I do think the RNY is the best choice for me, given my BMI of 50, and the fact that I want to do one surgery and give myself the best possible chance of success. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Icantbelieveit, I thought this was one of the most honest and beautiful posts I have read here. I am only at the beginning steps, but I know this will happen, and I am a little sad to say goodbye to the only version of me whom I've ever known. I want to healthy, I want to live, but I am really letting myself feel what a real change this might be, I'm a little scared, and I am ok with that. Thanks for your honesty. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

This is really helpful, thanks. And Cervidae, yep, I am in therapy and will continue....I know this weight did not happen only bc I thought food was delicious, it's bigger than that for certain. In fact last night I was having dinner with my husband, who runs marathons and considers a Sunday bike ride to be 70 miles, and I kept saying over and over, "But what does normal feel like? What's it like to move through the world WITHOUT this protective bubble? How will I know if people are really good people deep down, if I don't have this barrier that they have to be open to overlooking? Am I suddenly going to be angry at people who once judged me, but are nicer if I'm thinner?" I am really giving a lot of thought to the head piece. I think that's going to be the most overwhelming piece for me. If my physical healing goes well, and I fervently hope it does, I still think the biggest part of this journey is going to happen between my ears. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Oops...the hunger hormone was gherelin, not gherkin. darn autocorrect!!! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Thanks for the replies....the idea of dumping worries me bc my 20 year old daughter (who is thin) lives with a digestive issue that sometimes causes her to feel faint, nauseous, and in serious pain....and it looks pretty awful. Hers has to do with her colon, and the only treatment is to have her colon removed. I know dumping has nothing to do with the colon, but when she and I heard the symptoms, we couldn't believe how it sounded just like her pain/condition. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I am just starting, too. After my first info session I thought I wanted sleeve, but after my info session with another program last night, I am thinking the RNY might be a better choice. The idea of dumping scares the heck out of me though. How did you guys decide whether to go with the sleeve or RNY. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

"Poorly uninformed" actually means well informed, it's a double negative. Slow down when writing. Correct grammar, usage, and spelling goes a long way in presenting oneself as knowledgeable in a written forum like this. It's hard to understand each other otherwise. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 48, and have been overweight and unhappy about my weight since my mid-20's....when I had my children at age 25 and 28, I didn't have my photo taken holding them in my hospital bed after their births, BC I didn't want my children to look back and be embarrassed that I was fat......I never swam with my children at a public pool, and when we went to the beach I pretended I just wanted to read, not swim.....I once went to an amusement park with my daughter and the safety belt snapped on me halfway through a roller coaster ride (I could have killed her or me or both)......every milestone in my children's lives I have hidden in the back of the photos promising myself that the next Girl Scout camping trip, the next ski vacation, the next middle school graduation, the next prom, the next college drop off....THEN I would be 100 pounds lighter BC I would finally buckle fine and get serious and beat this thing. The next one never happened the way I wanted. I think you're making the decision I wish I had made when I was in my 20's. Don't let anyone tell you what's right for you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App