Hello!

My surgery is scheduled for December 13th and I have chosen the Sleeve. I was wondering how others chose VS over Bypass.

The stats on RNY regain and long-term complications made the decision very easy for me. If I would not have been able to have VSG as my revision from the band, I would have had my band removed and stayed fat. I would have never chosen RNY. I know there are success stories out there, but I know far too many people that have problems and struggle with significant regain. Plus, I love the fact that my stomach is still a normal, fully functioning stomach with a pyloric valve, and that I can take NSAIDS and have zero food restrictions.

I chose sleeve because I didn't want anything to do with re-routing of my intestines. I also have had a few friends have bypass and the dumping syndrome is horrible and they stretched their pouch back out and gained most of their weight back. I think the sleeve is a better choice for me. I need the restriction, but do not want the malabsorption. The results are similar. Some studies show bypass a little higher on weight loss immediately , but overall the sleeve is the only option for me.

Thanks...these are the exact same reason I chose VS. Just want to make sure tha i's the right choice. UCLA 12/13/10! WOOHOO!

Hello!

My surgery is scheduled for December 13th and I have chosen the Sleeve. I was wondering how others chose VS over Bypass.

When I started this process I did not even know about the sleeve. I found out about the sleeve when I went to my seminar I was sold as soon as I heard about it an knew that was the surgery for me. Everyone in my support group except for me has had the RNY, and I love it when they say they can not take medicine, and can not eat certain fruits, etc, and I love saying I can take medicine and eat almost everything I want not that I do as I am only 2 months post-op.

For me it was the sleeve or nothing. I didn't have all that much weight to lose and I wasn't about to have my intestines messed with (and that's even before I knew about the dismal rate of regain for the RNY). i initially looked into the lapband, but once I found out about the sleeve, that was it. I had my surgery 7-1/2 months ago and it's been like a miracle for me. I only wish it had been available 20 years ago!

As bad as this sounds, I made my decision based on economics. I couldn't afford to be out of work for weeks with the bypass and I couldn't afford the $150.00 per month to fill the lapband.

When I asked my Doc for a referral, I was thinking RNY, because thats all I knew about besides the band, which I knew I didn't want. When I went to the seminar, he said he only did RNY, and discussed why not the band. I signed up to try and get surgery. When I went in to the Dr. for my interview, he said I qualified for the sleeve because I was prescribed aspirin by my cardiologist, and my insurance actually would approve the sleeve, or he would do RNY.. my choice. I went home and looked into the sleeve, and at that point, I ONLY wanted the sleeve. I just felt uneasy about rerouting my guts, and losing my pyloric valve. The next time I went in, the surgical nurse acted like I was getting the RNY... I said no way. The sleeve was my only choice. She kind of acted a little snooty about it... talked to the Dr and he said OK...Im on the books for the sleeve. I think my Dr has not done many sleeves, but has done many many RNY with low complications and teaches it to other doctors as well. I was even thinking if my Dr wouldn't do the sleeve for me, I would go to Mexico and self pay. My surgery is in January.

Is it usual practice to be required to lose weight before surgery?

I chose sleeve because I didn't want anything to do with re-routing of my intestines. I also have had a few friends have bypass and the dumping syndrome is horrible and they stretched their pouch back out and gained most of their weight back. I think the sleeve is a better choice for me. I need the restriction, but do not want the malabsorption. The results are similar. Some studies show bypass a little higher on weight loss immediately , but overall the sleeve is the only option for me.

Lisa, i have a question, how can they stretch their pouch and we cant, when they have more stomach removed than we do, ive heard this before and i dont understand it. hwo can they gain their weight back when they have had more extensive surgery than us?

Lisa, i have a question, how can they stretch their pouch and we cant, when they have more stomach removed than we do, ive heard this before and i dont understand it. hwo can they gain their weight back when they have had more extensive surgery than us?

RNY patients DO NOT have any of their stomach removed. All that is done is a pouch is stapled off from the top part of their stomach and then the intestine is attached to that pouch bypassing the pyloric valve. They have all of their stomach tissue, and the tissue that the pouch is made out of is the stretchy part of the stomach.

They gain weight back just as easily as we can. Their pouches can stretch, the stoma (which is the little hole at lets food through) can dilate and get bigger, and the malabsorption of calories/fat/carbs only lasts 2 years then their body adjusts(intestines adapt and grow new villi which is what absorbs calories/fats/carbs).

We do not have a pouch. We have a stomach, and while we can eat more after 6-8 months post-op than we can at 2-3 months post-op, our stomach tissue has less give because of the way our stomach is stapled off and removed from our body. My sleeve is at maximum capacity, and I've been eating the same amounts of food since I was 7-8 months post-op.

I made my decision solely on the fact that I knew I am a volume eater. I eat way too much during my meals. I really don't typically "snack" unless I'm bored - and I'm rarely bored. The only other reason I tend to want to snack is because I get cravings due to hormonal reasons, and that's not nearly enough for me to really worry over. It may end up slowing my weight loss eventually, but it really hasn't so far - so I'm going to continue down the road I'm taking. I think I'm doing outstanding.

I originally had the lap-band for the exact same reasons, however that device proved to be unworthy for me. When it's not filled I can still eat just as much as I ever wanted. It's also way too easy to eat around it. I'm sure that's true with the sleeve as well, but there is just something different about it. I really don't want to, and even right after surgery I found myself struggling with this. Of course the weight I did lose I gained it all back. I did get surgery for a reason. I believe that anyone that has success with the band truly could do it on their own. To keep the weight off with the band proved to be extremely difficult once the honeymoon was over.

I can lose weight on my own and have always been able to. It was sticking with the low calorie diets and keeping focused and keeping the weight OFF has always been my biggest enemy. I loved the stats on keeping the weight off with the sleeve, that really cinched it for me. It's been said that only about 10% of sleeve patients will gain any weight back and of those 10%, they will only gain back about 10 Lbs. usually. Those are stats that anyone can love.

I know way too many folks who have had the GB and have seen so many gain back a significant amount of weight. We're not talking 10 Lbs here. More like about half of the excess weight lost or more. Those are not stats I can deal with - because knowing me, I'd probably be one of those people.

Good luck in whatever you decide!!!

Honestly, once I heard about the sleeve, it was the only op I could consider. I didn't want the malabsorption issues or intestine rerouting, I didn't want the band complications. The fact that the sleeve keeps everything the same except the stomach capacity sold it for me.