Gastric bypass or sleeve

[pattyoj 13]

Hi, I am 27 years old, 5'2 and 280 lbs. I am waiting for my insurance approval but I am undecided on which surgery to get. At first, I was set on gastric, but I talked to a friend and she's happy she did a sleeve. I am looking for log term weight loss. Any input your would like to give me? Gastric or sleeve?

Thanks

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[catwoman7 10,901]

I went with gastric bypass because I had GERD. Otherwise I would have considered the sleeve as well. I also like the fact that there's more long-term data on bypass. They know about potential long-term complications and how to prevent - or at least greatly reduce the chances of getting - them.

[Waler 330]

I went with the sleeve because I did not like the thought of the absorption issues that go with the bypass. The best advice I can give you is do your homework and decide which is best for you, make an informed choice. I have had no issues what so ever with my surgery and I am quickly closing in on my goal. Go with what you are comfortable with and what your doctor thinks is best so you have the best chance of reaching your expectations.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

Oh there are so so so many threads about this. Overall both surgeries will help you loose lots of weight. Both surgeries will help resolve weight related issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, PCOS, etc.

I chose the sleeve and love it

[katanne 215]

I'm going with the sleeve - I didn't want anything malabsorptive because I take a lot of medications and it was hell trying to find the right types and doses. I don't want to have to go through that again if I don't have to.

[Daniellewi 69]

I chose sleeve because I prefer normal digestion. I had GERD prior to surgery and now 2 months post op it's practically gone. My surgeon told me not to use GERD as a deciding factor.

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[JamieLogical 8,684]

Both offer long term weight loss. Bypass may allow you to lose weight more quickly, but unless you health is immediately threatened by the excess weight, then losing it more quickly isn't necessarily a blessing. My reasons for choosing sleeve over bypass:

• I was a relatively low BMI to start with. Right at 40 when I began pursuing surgery.
• Disliked the idea of my plumbing being rerouted.
• HATED the idea of my unused stomach being left inside my body where it might develop ulcers or cancer and not be accessibly through a normal endoscopy.
• Wanted to retain the use of my pyloric valve. I was also sort of weirded out by the idea of my pyloric valve still being over there attached to my old stomach and opening and closing randomly with signals from my pouch.
• Didn't want the malabsorption factor. While it's great for absorbing less calories, you also absorb less of all the good stuff as well. Once I was at goal, what good would the malabsorption do me? Meanwhile I might continue to develop Vitamin and mineral deficiencies. And while sleeve patients have to be on Vitamins for life too, at least we know we're absorbing all the Vitamins we take.
• Dumping syndrome is both a blessing and a curse. It can serve as a deterrant from eating the wrong foods, but it also means I could never even have those foods in moderation again. With sleeve I knew I could at least have a little of anything I wanted without issue. Plus there's no guarantee you'll experience dumping syndrome in the first place. Many people who have RNY don't.

[AnA92212 577]

I went with sleeve. It was my doctor's recommendation for my situation. I am glad I don't have to really worry about the absorption issues and that my stomach is just super tiny. It is really what is best for your health.

[oceangirlpc 68]

I chose sleeve because I prefer normal digestion. I had GERD prior to surgery and now 2 months post op it's practically gone. My surgeon told me not to use GERD as a deciding factor.

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Good to know, I suffer bad from Gerd i'm still debeting on my surgery want sleeve tho

[Briardlady 73]

I think you need to get an opinion from your surgeon, but don't make that the deciding factor. They have biases, and I think for some, the longer they have been doing this, the more they might push bypass over the sleeve. Mine told me any diabetic who choose the sleeve over the bypass was a fool. But I knew the stats, and having been a diabetic for over ten years, and being insulin dependent, I knew there was a good chance the bypass would NOT be an instant cure for my diabetes. I choose the sleeve because there is a very strong incidence of cancer in my family, and I did not want to have malabsorption issues if / when I end up on chemotherapy. With the weight loss, my A1c has dropped from 12.3 to 5.9, so I don't think I made a foolish choice. My program's own literature says the complications rate for bypass is five times greater than for the sleeve, another big factor for me.

[CBT 450]

My surgeon's point was the sleeve is the middle of the road and if patients don't do well they can revise to RNY or get a lapband.

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

I chose sleeve and it was the right choice for me. More doctors are moving away from the gastric bypass as sleeve is safer, has less risk of complications, lower mortality rates, and produces nearly the same level of weight loss as gastric bypass but without the threat of malnutrition.

[pattyoj 13]

Thanks everyone. I have a EGD today and due to GERD, I will be getting bypass. They also found ulcers in my stomach which will delay the surgery. I am so fed up on how I let myself gain so much weigt

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[JamieLogical 8,684]

Thanks everyone. I have a EGD today and due to GERD, I will be getting bypass. They also found ulcers in my stomach which will delay the surgery. I am so fed up on how I let myself gain so much weigt

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At least you are on top of it now. You are setting things in motion so you can begin your new life!

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

I chose the sleeve because it is just as effective, and it is less invasive. The recovery time is quicker. Anecdotes I've heard from other people, turned me away from the bypass. I come from a family of nurses who tell me that bypass patients lose a lot of weight but looks sickly. Longer-term results indicate that bypass patients need much more nutritional support for a much longer time-forever. While sleeve patients are informed that they should take Vitamins forever as well, medically speaking, some surgeons say that it is only probably necessary/a good idea. It is not life or death. There are a lot of people on these forms who had bypass and are very happy with the results, so you just have to choose what's best for you. But for me, bypass absolutely did not seem like an acceptable trade-off.