Hello all. I am only one pound away from scheduling my surgery. I keep going back and forth between the bypass and sleeve. I am worried about the malabsorption with the bypass and long term success with the sleeve. What were deciding factors for some of you? This keeps me up at night and I want to make the right decision. I am on the lower end of the bmi scale. I think since I lost 10 lbs on my pre op diet my bmi is now below 40.. I have about 90 pounds left that I I need to lose to be at ideal weight. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I'm pre-op but leaning towards the bypass. For one thing, my doctor said the sleeve is not as good at helping with reflux as the bypass. I also want the best chance for great success and the bypass has better long-term stats. I'm also attracted to (in a weird way) the dumping syndrome you get with bypass. I need that additional "feature" to help control the sweets/carbs... I know those will be a challenge for me and I need all the help I can get for it.

Good thing to discuss with your surgeon.

Sorry -- one more piece of info -- I'm also on the low end of BMI. I'm at 35 with co-morbidities.

Thanks for the input. My surgeon just says that either one would be ok for me. I wish she would just tell me which one she thinks would be best and I would go with that seeing as how the scales are pretty even for me. I need a tipper!

Hello ~ I am 4 weeks post-op and opted for the bypass. I too struggled with that decision and it took me weeks of research and discussion with my doctor before I decided on the bypass. I wasn't thrilled about resection, but on the other hand, the bypass does have good long term results. I wasn't too worried about malabsorption; I take a full regimen of Vitamins and supplements everyday and make sure I get my Protein in. My energy levels have been fine and I'm feeling pretty darn good.

Good luck with your decision and your surgery. I'm sure whatever you decide will be the right decision for you.

I was originally going with the sleeve until.my surgeon told me that the sleeve can cause bad reflux. I already have it pretty bad and don't want to suffer. I have about 125 pounds to lose and he told me honestly that I would be more successful with the bypass. Ultimately that final decision is up to you

I had the sleeve done on March 24. I went with it because I feel it's a little more natural. All your natural processes still work and malabsorption isn't as bad. Plus if you don't have a huge amount of weight to lose you don't need something as drastic as the bypass. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

Also I ended up watching YouTube surgery videos and the idea of someone removing half of my stomach made me a bit nervous.

I'm 3 days post op. I had the Bypass. It was not my original intention. But I have occasional heartburn which can be be a real problem with the sleeve. Although the malabsorption was a cancer for me, the bypass is the "gold standard" with decades of statistics. It also has slightly lower leak rate due to less staples on the pouch.

I think you will fine lots of pros on the sleeve boards. Here on the bypass boards you will find more of us who opted for the bypass.

I was stuck between both surgeries too until my MD asked me if i have or have had indigestion, acid reflux or heart burn. Sleeve increases all those symptoms. I decided on the Rny Gastric Bypass. I am 3 days post op

The best thing for you to do is make a pros and cons list and make sure you know yourself well enough that you understand how every pro and con will affect you personally. That would be the best way IMO to figure out what you should get. Research each type extensively and use them against your list as well.

No surgery is 100% perfect but only one would be the best match for you. Both the sleeve and the bypass are really great WLS choices it just depends on which one meets your needs and doesn't exacerbate anything going on with you physically. Anyone here would just give personal opinions on the surgery they have, but that's not really helpful when you don't know any of our pre-existing conditions nor do we know yours.

Why don't you also just outright ask your Surgeon what she thinks? Tell you you are on the fence and would really love her opinion, but also tell her that of course YOU will make your own decision.

Good luck!

I suffered the same cannundrum. I think anyone who has ever considered WLS has struggled with which procedure to choose. I knew I never wanted the LabBand because of the 'foreign object'. So, that wasn't an option for me. I 'settled' on the sleeve and was convinced that's what I wanted until my husband helped me to realize that it was non-reversable and that it involves removing over half of your natural organ. Therefore, I RE-settled on RNY because in the instance that I would have to change, the procedure could be reversed. So, I'm confident in my decision that RNY is the way for me. I have just a little over 100 lbs to lose and I know of the risks and potential outcomes.

I know when I'm faced with a difficult decision, I always wish there was a book or somebody to just tell me which choice to make. But we don't get an 'Easy' button. Everyone will have their own way of determining which to go with. It's the ultimate personal choice and you have to weigh out what factors are most important to you. My reasons will be different than yours. WHat matters to me may not matter to you. That's why you really have to weigh out your pros and cons for each and decide on your own.

I agree, most of us have struggled when deciding which surgery to have. I dont think you can go wrong with either the sleeve or bypass. Whatever you surgery u decide on, make it work for YOU! Good luck and God bless!

I had gastric bypass Dec 19, 2012. I started out at 335 pounds. I now weight 175 and am still losing. My indigestion went away. I haven't had any problems besides belly button hernia surgery six months ago. I knew I would need this surgery after I lost weight. I have no regrets. And am very happy with my decision. However I do not get dumping syndrome. Which I thought I would eat bad things since I didn't dump, but I don't. Its a mind set to do right. Loving my new life!

Hi there I had my surgery 3/3/14 and I feel amazing. I too was uneasy on what surgery to have and my Dr. Explained that because of my reflux I needed RNY because the sleeve has a reflux side effect.

I, too, was worried about malabsorption until my NUT told me i would have to take 3 vitamins a day with the sleeve and 4 vitamins a day with RNY. Not much of a difference. I dont dump, and thats a mixed blessing.