Sleeve vs Bypass

[tasha_kelo 12]

Hi!

I'm a 28 yr old female & I just had my a consultation with my surgeon today. Initially I wanted to get the sleeve but after talking to him I am now considering the bypass. He said I could choose either one. I know a few people who have gotten the bypass years ago and they have had complications and have had to have more than one surgery. I would really like to hear from people on both sides on whether they had any issues and if they did have issues if in the end they believe it was worth it...the though of not being able to eat certain foods for the rest of my life is a littler nerve racking but I would like to also do something that I know will be effective as I would like to loose at least 100 pounds. Any feedback is appreciated!

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[lgivaudan 22]

I'm 28 as well and just had gastric sleeve on Oct. 26th. What made me choose the sleeve is that they don't have to reroute your intestines, less Vitamin deficiencies, less food intolerances, and great outcomes! Do your research for sure and good luck!

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[Djmohr 6,965]

I had RNY bypass 2 years ago, lost 152lbs and have been at goal since March. I chose bypass because I had gerd and that can get much worse with the sleeve requiring a revision to bypass anyway.

I have had NO complications at all. I can literally eat anything that I want, not that I do. The only exception is eggs, my stomach just feels heavy when i eat them so I dont.

If you get your blood work done on schedule and take your Vitamins everyday, bypass is an extremely effective surgery. By the way, you have to have your blood work done and take Vitamins with the sleeve as well.

Both surgeries are aggressive but effective. RNY creates a small pouch for your new stomach and reroutes which provides a malabsorption factor that assists greatly in weight loss. On the other hand the sleeve creates a banana shaped pouch and removes the other 90% of your stomach. As you can see.....both aggressive.

RNY is the gold standard in WLS surgery but the sleeve is fast becoming just as popular however there is less long term data available.

The important thing is to choose a surgeon you are comfortable with and do your research.

[catwoman7 10,945]

I had bypass. I've had no complications, either. I chose it because there's a lot more long-term research on it, and because I had GERD pre-surgery and didn't want to risk it getting any worse.

[katragina 33]

I had the sleeve done almost a week ago. I chose it because I have significant scarring and lesions from endometriosis. The Dr said, for me, the sleeve would have less potential complications since I have fewer lesions in my stomach.

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[bostonmama 135]

I had bypass 5 weeks ago, no complications yet, besides getting a little dehydrated.

Initially I planned on the sleeve, but my pre op tests showed that I have reflux. This was a total surprise to me since I've never experienced the symptoms. Reflux can be made much worse with the sleeve, and can require a revision to bypass. I didn't want to risk that, and though I would have preferred not rerouting things, I felt comfortable with the bypass knowing it has been done for much longer than the sleeve with great results. Another plus is that bypass patients usually lose a little more those who are sleeved.

I don't think you can go wrong either way, though if you have reflux the sleeve is a bit of a gamble.

[justhere4theshow 462]

I had the sleeve in May 2016, and my mild, occasional reflux became reflux from hell. I had a revision to bypass October 26. I am not sure if my experience is normal, but I have had a lot more difficulty healing from the revision than the sleeve. I am still very sore internally, and it seems like it is taking forever to heal this time. I can't help but wonder if I would have had a better experience had I gone with the bypass initially. Don't let this discourage you, but if you have ever had issues with reflux, do NOT have the sleeve. Best of luck to you!

[shedo82773 1,236]

Just like with everything else everyone has their own reasons for which surgery we decide to do. For myself, I figured that I would get just one chance to have my WLS. I went with the RNY. I figured that I would go BIG or go home!! Another thing that I don't understand is when peeps say "I went with the SLEEVE because it is less invasive" what is taking out 90% of your stomach "NOT INVASIVE". Also, I would never go into my WLS with the idea if it doesn't work I can get revised to another surgery. TRUST ME!! My poor hubby has been thru the ropes!! You DON'T want to think it can be done. He has suffered terribly with few results! Now about my WLS, I did have problems with strictures ( kind of like scar tissue) I ended up having 5 ENDOSCOPES with 4 DILATIONS. I started having problems within my first 4 weeks. It felt like my food set on top of my pouch and then slowly go down. When I went for my check up the PA said we should take a look but of course I told him that it was just me learning about my body. (I had my RNY on July 2, 2013) In NOV of 2013 was my 1st Endoscope w/dilation. Again in DEC 2013, again Jan of 2014, July of 2014 with my last being in Jan of 2015. All has been great since. My Dr told me that no one knows who will have strictures. Now for my STATS: HW 249 (I did weigh 285#'s but managed to lose 36#'s) SW 232 LW 117 CW 125#'s. I got to 117 in 6 months but gained 8#'s but I have maintained my 124#'s for 2 and 1/2 years. Having my WLS is one of the very best things I did for myself. Only you can decide which surgery will work for you. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do. I look forward to following your journey!!

[Butterflywarrior 241]

I was going to do rny but bc if complex medical issues..chronic pain treated with narcotics and sometimes steroids, psych meds, and so on, my surgeon felt sleeve was better bc I could still properly metabolize meds but rny often messed that up. My psychiatrist even backed that when he told me he has a really hard time adjusting meds in his bypass patients. So consider your health history and potential for future health issues as much as one can predict...lol

Sleeve can bring about lots of weight loss too but you have to likely work a bit harder for it then with rny so they both have pros and cons.

Rny been around the longest so there is much more data available but sleeve is showing lots of longitudinal positivity!!

Good fortune

[Redmaxx 740]

My surgeon said that because my diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, acid reflux and high cholesterol that it was a no brainer to recommend RNY surgery. I became a kangaroo (with my pouch) on 20 October 2016. Everything is going great and I do not regret having the RNY.

[stacyrg2 350]

I chose VSG in May, 2014. I had no reflux, no diabetes and no other conditions that would have pointed me towards RNY. After a discussion with my surgeon, we decided that I would do well with a restrictive only procedure. And I did, losing 130 lbs. 8 months after my surgery I started experiencing significant reflux. I had my gallbladder removed in the hopes it would help with my acid issue (I had gallstones so removal was indicated). It did not. My reflux got significantly worse and no amount of medication would help my problem (I tried every PPI on the market). I revised to RNY on 7/1/16.

I can't begin to tell you what to do, but knowing what I know now, if I had any issue with acid, or had been diagnosed with reflux or GERD prior to surgery, I would never have had VSG. The acid caused damage to my esophagus and hindered my ability to swallow. While that all may resolve (it's only been 4 months since my revision), there's a chance that it might not. I was a seriously happy sleever and believe that it is on par with RNY. You can lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. However, if I had acid before surgery, I would have selected RNY.

[Butterflywarrior 241]

I have diabetes,ibsulin dependent, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and pcos plus a bunch of other non weight related physical and mental health issues.

Due to the sleeve, I'm now mostly diabetic and blood pressure free!! Maybe it's justmy results but there really seems to be a toss up with RNY and sleeve.

If you have gerd, rny seems better but if you have autoimmune disease, psychiatric meds, pain meds for Chronic pain type situations, then according to my surgeon and some research, sleeve is better.

[j16 166]

My advice would be to write down all your health issues (gerd, diabetes, history of kidney stones, arthritis, etc ) and research the better procedure for each. In my case it was split between the sleeve and RNY. I would have gone with the sleeve but after further testing they found Barrett's cells so I had to go with RNY. Having said that, I seem to be able to eat anything (4 months out) and have had no complications so I'm happy with my decision.

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[tasha_kelo 12]

Thank you all for your responses! It is such a big decision for me and I wanted to make the right one. Your input is very much appreciated

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