David in Washington

I thought this was a great video explanation of dumping syndrome.

13 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

all surgeries have their pros and cons, so I know it's hard to decide. You brought up some good advantages and disadvantages of both.

one other thing to possibly consider is that most doctors (not just bariatric surgeons) are familiar with both RNY and sleeve, but not with DS (and it's variations), since those aren't very common - if that makes a difference to you.

I was surprised when he brought up the DS. My previous surgeon hadn't. I was having enough trouble deciding between the GS and RNY, and now this. I'm still leaning strongly towards the RNY. And congrats on your weight loss as well! It's good to see people successfully on the other side of this experience.

15 hours ago, NovaLuna said:

I recommend going with your gut. If you've decided on RNY then go for it. It's YOUR body and YOUR choice in the end. You are the one that has to live your life, not your doctor so go with whatever choice makes you happiest.

I agree with this. My head has been swirling with all the things I've read and experiences shared on this forum. It is a lot to take in. I think what makes this decision harder is that, unlike other surgeries I've had, it isn't quite like a doctor saying this is wrong with you and here is what needs to be done to fix it. This feels more like a choice when I'm deciding to have my insides rearranged (and by which method) and all that goes with it. This makes me feel like it's all on me, which I guess it mostly is.

There is also always the little voice that says I might be able to do this without surgery. I'm smart enough to know that this would have worked long ago if I could do it, but it's still part of the mix. Thanks for your comments. You seem to have done very well with your own weight loss. I'm glad your DS worked for you.

My original surgeon left the state unexpectedly so I had a consult with a new one today. I'm down to the point of choosing which surgery I want and I had settled on RNY. This new surgeon brought up SADI DS which he said solves issues the old DS caused, i.e. less malabsorbtion and less GERD than the sleeve alone (something to do with how they deal with the pyloric sphincter). He said the advantages over bypass are less chance of ulcers, increased weight loss and better control of serious type 2 diabetes (which I have).

I hadn't considered ulcers in my research so I would like to ask if others with RNY have had issues with these and/or have noticed this being a serious issue in your own research. I did a search here and there are almost 1K mentions in the RNY forum. I would also be interested in hearing from those who had this particular DS procedure (I think it is the most common DS version now?) and developed GERD after, and any other issues with DS in general.

I'm still inclined to get the RNY but want to keep an open mind at this point. Malabsorbtion is an issue for me as I do take a number of medications that I will continue even with weight loss. Thanks for any input. I really want to get past the decisions and get this done!

4 hours ago, maybelle said:

I had to do that last week, I'm gonna pray for you lol that mess is so thick and chalky

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks! I had it done Friday and yeah, it was very thick. The results were good so there is that 😁

20 hours ago, liveaboard15 said:

interesting. My hospital bans all ubers, lyfts ect... if you are having surgery. It has to be friend, family or a medical transport company. I never had to do the barium swallow xrays. Just regular ol xrays. But yes good luck! hopefully you get thru it quick.

Yeah, this was just for the upper GI so the Uber was allowed. I have to find someone to pick me up after surgery. The test went fine - no issues in the results - but the Uber was $130 ☹️ I don't have a car right now and probably couldn't drive with my hips at the moment anyway. Man, that barium was thick!

I'm getting to swallow the barium tomorrow. It's my last test before getting my date. My labs and EKG were fine. I'm doing all this with little to no support system, so I'm taking an Uber 30 min each way to the hospital. Then again, I watched my first episode of My 600lb Life and now whatever I'm going through seems minimized. Anyway, wish me well with hopes it all looks good to them!

10 hours ago, Phigment69 said:

*Waves*

Just trying to learn as much as I can before surgery. Hopefully will be next September/October. My insurance makes you wait a year before you're actually approved. Not sure if that's just to make REALLY sure you're ready for it or it's a stall tactic to get people so frustrated they just give up. Anyway, shout out to my fellow Friends of Dorothy.

I barely just got here myself. I'm getting my pre-op tests now and will hopefully have bypass within a couple of months. Welcome to the party 🏳️‍🌈

20 hours ago, MamiMB said:

Hi David, my PCP is in the Franciscan network, I didn’t realize they had a WL center. I’m leaning toward the sleeve but after reading all this I’m wondering…..I will be getting the endoscopy and go from there although I don’t have any issues in that regard.

I was actually approved for the sleeve but am switching to bypass. In my own research, and much reading of this forum, I just see too many people experiencing GERD after the sleeve. Sometimes it takes years to show up or it can happen right after surgery, but there are many, many revisions because of this. I just couldn't risk living with the kind of medication resistant GERD people describe for a couple of years then go through a revision. I see much more satisfaction from the bypass side.

I realize there are people perfectly happy with their sleeve and I hope that continues for them. This is my best decision for myself. I would just encourage you to search the sleeve forum for GERD and also stroll though the revision forum to see why they changed. The kind of GERD we are talking about makes living difficult. If not for this one issue, I would go with the sleeve, though the bypass is still considered the gold standard. Good luck with your own decision. Your surgeon can help with this.

That sounds like a healthier version of Banana's Foster. Sounds good.

Is this revision due to GERD? I'm trying to make the decision between sleeve and bypass myself so any experience you had would be helpful. Thanks.

17 minutes ago, I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ said:

I have/had? IBS-D and Bypass seems to have normalized it. My surgeon said that it would improve my symptoms. I was skeptical. But she was right it seems.

Wow, now that's worth considering. I've had IBS since my teens. Thanks.

I just noticed your weight loss - 180lbs in 3 months? Wow, just wow.

On 10/21/2022 at 9:34 PM, MamiMB said:

Hi David, I'm in Washington also. I have just started my journey, spoke with the Dr. and am making sure I have everything done, my insurance requires 4 months of medically supervised weight loss so I'm starting that in November, and I need the Endoscopy so I'm thinking I won't be ready for surgery until Feb-March 2023. Who are you seeing for your procedure? I'm going through MultiCare.

I'm going through Franciscan Center for Weight Management, David Swedler, DO. I've made it through my insurance company requirements and was certified for sleeve, but I'm on the fence now between that and bypass. Do you have a preference yet?

Congrats on getting started!

20 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

I forgot, I also wanted to comment on this.

I too thought that logically this made a lot of sense and thus sleeve must somehow be better because it kept the pylorus in the food canal. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn't actually articulate why i was so worried about this? Millions of bypassers live normal lives, thus surely it can't be as big a deal as I thought?

What I always found odd is that most people feel the sleeve is "less invasive". In sleeve, part of your stomach is permanently removed from your body. In bypass, noting is removed, all the parts are still there, just rearranged a bit. Not sure about you, but permanently removing things sounds pretty invasive to me?

You are right about this. I've started thinking about the sleeve as more drastic.

On 10/21/2022 at 10:11 PM, Tomo said:

RNY here. Revised over a year ago from VSG due to severe gerd. I don't dump, I believe most don't and can be avoided if you do, as@catwoman7 said. Maybe that's why I don't dump, I don't really have a sweet tooth. Not sure but it isn't as common as people think.

I can take any medication except NSAIDs (same with VSG, I believe). I really have no negative things to say about the RNY. It has been an extremely positive experience for me.

Both surgeries are excellent though and congrats on the beginning of your journey.

Thanks for the advice and congrats. Your weight loss looks phenomenal!

On 10/21/2022 at 6:10 PM, SeattleLady said:

My sure your labs are good presleeve. I was anemic and the doctors didn't notice but I did. I want all to make sure your labs are good prebypass.

Sent from my SM-G996U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks, I will.

On 10/21/2022 at 6:34 PM, SpartanMaker said:

A chose bypass due to GERD, but I also had some reservations around dumping and medications.

Medication-wise, the reality is over time, a lot of the medications you take may end up going away. Especially if they are for conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes that are often reversed with weight loss. Personally, I was really worried about NSAIDS, because I have a number of physical issues that have had me on prescription NSAIDS for over 35 years now. My surgeon agreed that even with bypass, I could keep taking them as long as I continued to take a PPI to limit the risk of ulcers. I'm also hopeful that as I get closer to goal, I may be able to give them up entirely. For the rest of my meds (if you include supplements, I take over 30 different pills a day), no mention has ever been made about me needing to adjust the dosage in any way. Honestly, I think the whole "malabsorption" thing for bypass may be a bit overblown? As far as I'm aware, the only ones where you might run into a problem are extended release versions of medications. For most of those, there are non extended release alternatives. If you have specific medication concerns, my suggestion would be to talk with your bariatric team. They can best advise you if bypass would be an issue for you with that medication.

As far as dumping is concerned, dumping is far from guaranteed with bypass. I have not experienced it and many others here have not either. Plus, we've had first hand reports that even some sleevers have end up with dumping syndrome. Certainly it's much more likely with bypass, but I'm not sure I'd worry about this too much. If you do end up with that issue, it can certainly help you stay on plan and may help you do better in the long run by controlling your intake of things you probably shouldn't be eating anyway.

Wow, 30 pills! This does make me feel better. I'm still going to ask my surgeon and PCP, but I've been reading that Cox-1 specific NSAIDS liike Celebrex and Mobic are ok for regular use. I'm on Mobic (meloxicam) for osteoarthritus. I realize the need may be reduced after weight loss but age could bring it back and NSAIDS are about all there is for this.

On malabsorbtion, after looking at all the surgical schematics which distort the dimensions, I thought maybe it was only a foot bypassed. It's actually up to 5 feet which I guess could make some difference. Still, that's out of 26 feet of small intestines.

I think I'm going to stop worrying about dumping. It sounds like something that can be controlled and may happen with either surgery. GERD concerns me more. I was concerned about it because I have IBS and diarrhea with cramps has been a nemisis for a long time 😣

Hi all. I've been lurking the past few weeks, researching heavily. My insurance has cleared me for sleeve but I'm not as sure now as I was when I chose that surgery. My last hurdle is labs and upper GI. I'm bouncing back and forth between sleeve and bypass. My doubts about the sleeve include the risk of developing GERD. I see a lot of revision stories and I don't want that.

My main reason for choosing the sleeve was to keep the pyloric valve intact and avoid dumping. It also seems to allow normal medication action - I take a number of meds. I'm creating a list of questions for my surgeon because I want to make the best choice but man, I must admit to feeling dizzy with all this information. It's a big step.

I'll save my dietary questions for another post. Thanks already for the great information I've gotten from reading through this forum!

This is literally my first post here but I couldn't pass up responding. It looks like gays are here, including me 🙂 I have a good friend in Prescot near Liverpool. We talk almost every day. I feel like an honorary Brit, lol. I'm trying to decide between Gastric Sleeve and RNY, there are pluses and minuses for both but I'm leaning towards the sleeve. Is bariatric surgery covered under the NHS? It looks like you have only about a week to go - good luck!