New to Bariatric Pal and have questions

[ogleland 2]

Hi everyone! I'm Natalie and I have my consultation with a bariatric surgeon on June 5. I am considering VSG however I have 200+ pounds to lose and RNY may be my only option.

I'm just curious by experience who has had which surgery and what are the pros (besides weight loss:)) and cons. I'm interested in hearing from all WLS patients - not just what I've listed here.

Thank you and I look forward to getting to know you!

Natalie

[LousPeachy 100]

I'm afraid I can't answer any of your questions since I have a Seminar and my first consultation with the surgeon on May 22. Just wanted to say HI and tell you what a wonderful forum this is.

Let us know how the visit goes and I will do the same.

Louise

[MisforMimi 760]

@@ogleland,

Welcome!

Keep searching the forums. You will find the answer to this question and many more.

But this one in particular has gone around and around.

I chose Roux en Y or gastric bypass because it made the most sense for me and my situation. I had 100+ pounds to loose. I wanted more long term data. I wanted better chance of complete resolution of my specific co-morbities and I wanted the procedure that most bariatric surgeons feel comfortable fixing complications with because they have been doing the bypass longer. I think you and your doctor can make a decision that you can be confident with. Either of them work really well. And you can achieve success.

[AussieSam 234]

I guess you can choose any weight loss surgery as success will depend on you not the surgery. I had more then 250 lbs to lose when I started but my doctor recommended the lap band for me as he said because of my ability to do a lot of exercise I didn't need to do the bypass. He said the bypass had a lot of complications and in the long term they all seem to get similar results . Good luck whatever you choose

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

@@ogleland

I would listen to what the doctor recommended. However, I do think you are on the right track with RNY. Stay away from the lap band. It's not effective for people who need to lose hundreds of pounds and it has high complications further down the line. I think you are probably not a good candidate for gastric sleeve right now. However, if you want to diet and get your weight down to at least 200lbs in order to have gastric sleeve you can. That is an option for you. If you go on the pre-op diet you will lose weight fast. I'm not even finished with my 2 week pre-op diet and I've already lost 20lbs. So keep that in mind.

[Stephanie Stroup McIntosh 157]

Monday will by 7 weeks post op for me, so my experience is fairly limited.

I can tell you that I am already very happy to have had the surgery. I had the sleeve procedure. I wanted to lose about 100 pounds, but even if I don't lose another ounce, I would say the surgery was worth it.

I chose the sleeve because I didn't want my intestines rerouted. That was my personal preference. The sleeve doesn't average as high of weight loss as RNY, but there isn't a malabsorption problem either. Either way you will be able to eat less and have to take Vitamins forever.

I don't really know what else I can tell you at this point. Do as much research as possible and become comfortable with the procedures. Your doctor will probably recommend a surgery after looking at your medical file. Start thinking about why you are choosing to have surgery and why you want the sleeve. Are you ok with RNY? Ask yourself the hard questions and be honest with yourself. That is the best way to succeed in this journey.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I have 200+ to lose and chose the sleeve. I wasn't crazy about the malabsorption and rewiring on my organs. I have no problem with it taking a longer time to hit goal. I have been steadily and consistently losing. I'm 7½ mths in and 85lbs down.

[Weighting2BeFree 164]

I'm 6.5 weeks in, 8.5 if you count pre-op diet, and i hit 50 lbs today. I did the sleeve because it is less invasive than bypass. Also i knew that if this didn't work, revisions are covered under insurance. So far I'm loving it. It's been both the hardest thing I've ever done, and the easiest. Hardest because coming to the point i knew i couldn't do it on my own was really difficult, then that pesky pre op diet, then the actual surgery recovery was hard for me. It's also the easiest because now, I'm not hungry and i love that. It's so much easier to make better choices now. I'm not craving carbs. It's been the best thing I've done. I'm starting to fit into smaller clothes. Last weekend i went to s texas rangers game... and fit in the seat! My confidence is growing every day. But you cannot look at it as a magic solution. It's making good choices every day. Good luck!

Edited May 9, 2015 by Weighting2BeFree

[LousPeachy 100]

Last weekend i went to s texas rangers game... and fit in the seat!

CONGRATS! I know about the not fitting in the seat thing. What is even worse is when strangers ask if they can help you get up.

Louise

[Djmohr 6,965]

You definitely need to get on line and do your research then work with the surgeon to determine the best solution for your specific health issues.

For example, do you suffer from reflux or Gerd? If you do, the sleeve and lap band can make this worse requiring a revision to bypass down the road. Even if you never had reflux these surgeries can cause it. It does not happen to everyone but so many people on this site and others have had this issue and then have to get a revision to bypass anyway. If you are looking to only go down this road one time, then research and work with your specific surgeon to understand the best solution for you.

[Weighting2BeFree 164]

You definitely need to get on line and do your research then work with the surgeon to determine the best solution for your specific health issues.

For example, do you suffer from reflux or Gerd? If you do, the sleeve and lap band can make this worse requiring a revision to bypass down the road. Even if you never had reflux these surgeries can cause it. It does not happen to everyone but so many people on this site and others have had this issue and then have to get a revision to bypass anyway. If you are looking to only go down this road one time, then research and work with your specific surgeon to understand the best solution for you.

just in answer to this: my gerd was caused by a hernia, which was fixed during surgery. This is how insurance paid for my surgery. Haven't had a problem since, so it doesn't always cause it. I do agree that serious research is needed!

[ogleland 2]

Thank you everyone! I'm excited to get the process started and am definitely doing my research. I will talk about my concerns with my doctor. I'm trying now to boost my Protein intake and working to lose weight because I know both of those things are required. I really appreciate everyone's input and if you have words of wisdom for leading up to and preparing for the surgery (no matter the procedure) I would like to know.

[scstxrn 213]

I chose a sleeve because I wanted the minimum amount of rerouting with the maximum odds of success. I also didn't want to have to give up Ibuprofen forever, and the surgeon I used didn't say I'd have to - although I do limit NSAIDS now. I also suck at remembering to take pills, so the Vitamin regimen was somewhat daunting to me. From a physiological standpoint, I also know the body increases its resorptive capacity in response to malnutrition, and the pouch can stretch... I work with several nurses who had roux en y, many regained after a rapid weightloss... they have many of the complications of wls, with few of the 'benefits'. I work with 3 who have had the sleeve, and none have not regained. They lost slower, but it stayed off.

My highest weight was 335; I was 315 when I decided to have surgery and 295 day of. That was 5 months and 2 days ago, and this morning I weighed 227. I haven't done much exercise and I'm not the most careful with my diet.

I found out a couple of months ago that I have MS. There's one oral medication, Tecfidera, that would theoretically have a LOT more side effects with bypass than it does with my sleeve - simply because it would absorb more quickly. Potato chips seem to reduce much of the side effect - and half a serving of potato chips twice a day with my medicine has slowed my weight loss down to 8 pounds this month.

I had 150 pounds to lose when I got my sleeve, and I believe I will make my goal and maintain with it. I might already be at goal if I were more careful with what I put in my mouth and made it a priority to exercise, but I'm ok with the pace I'm going at.