Hello, I'm wondering if any of you bypass patients have gone through what I've just gone through. I was working toward getting a sleeve, but was just notified today that a sleeve is out of the question due to a 4cm hiatus hernia found yesterday. My surgeon says no sleeve, it will have to be bypass. Has this happened to you? If so, please let me know I have company. I am a bit disoriented, now.

20 minutes ago, G Sleeve After Fifty said:

Hello, I'm wondering if any of you bypass patients have gone through what I've just gone through. I was working toward getting a sleeve, but was just notified today that a sleeve is out of the question due to a 4cm hiatus hernia found yesterday. My surgeon says no sleeve, it will have to be bypass. Has this happened to you? If so, please let me know I have company. I am a bit disoriented, now.

Not in the same extent but yes. When I was in the process of getting my band removed, I was going to get the sleeve. However my surgeon ( the same doc that installed the band ) told me she doesn't do band to sleeve revisions due to greatly increased risk of leaking where the scar tissue from the band is. So, my plans got changed and I'm a bypass patient now. And I wish I had gotten the bypass back in 2011 when I got the band.

14 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

Not in the same extent but yes. When I was in the process of getting my band removed, I was going to get the sleeve. However my surgeon ( the same doc that installed the band ) told me she doesn't do band to sleeve revisions due to greatly increased risk of leaking where the scar tissue from the band is. So, my plans got changed and I'm a bypass patient now. And I wish I had gotten the bypass back in 2011 when I got the band.

Thanks, Matt. I've always been leery of the full bypass. I can rememebr the "horror" stories of bypass patients from the 1980s when they first started them. Have they improved the procedure over the years? DO they still leave in the entire stomach, even though its cut away? I am not up to speed on bypass, at all. Then, to further add to the confusion, I've seen "mini" bypass, the "switch" thing and the "RY" thing and I don't know if they are all the same or different. I've got tons of reading to do to get up to speed.

7 minutes ago, G Sleeve After Fifty said:

Thanks, Matt. I've always been leery of the full bypass. I can remember the "horror" stories of bypass patients from the 1980s when they first started them. Have they improved the procedure over the years? DO they still leave in the entire stomach, even though its cut away? I am not up to speed on bypass, at all. Then, to further add to the confusion, I've seen "mini" bypass, the "switch" thing and the "RY" thing and I don't know if they are all the same or different. I've got tons of reading to do to get up to speed.

So much has changed in the overall process with the Bypass, those scary statistics are throwbacks to the open surgery version of the bypass. Now that they are almost all done laparoscopically and all the advancements in materials, the bypass is just as safe (for the most part) as the sleeve.

Yes, they leave the whole stomach in place, the portion that's no longer attached to the esophagus is called the "excluded stomach", it still produces stomach acids and those acids mix with the food a bit lower down the small intestines.

Between the Sleeve and the Bypass, contrary to popular misinformation, the Bypass is reversible under certain circumstances, and we actually had a member this year have reversion. The sleeve however is a done deal, once that 80+% of your stomach is cut out and thrown into medical waste, that's pretty much the end of that, there is no reversal option for the sleeve. You *CAN* be revised from the sleeve to bypass, but it's not the same as their is no stomach to convert to the "excluded stomach".

Mini bypasses are performed with only 1 reattachment instead of 2 and typically the adjusted limb is a tad shorter than with the typical bypass. "RNY" is just short for Roux-en-y, coined for the doctor that first outlined the surgery, César Roux. It's the same thing as saying "Bypass". The Duodenal switch is different, and is also know as "biliopancreatic diversion". The portion dealing with your stomach is almost the same as a sleeve, but then they detach the sleeve from the duodenum leaving your gall bladder and pancreas still attached to the duodenum and then they attach that sleeve lower into the small intestine. It's almost a hybrid of the 2 surgeries with a few subtle differences.

Hopefully that helps you some.

Thanks Mattz

I had my bypass a little over five months ago and I couldn't be happier. My 3-month labs came back great, and my visit to my endocrinologist yesterday showed an A1C of 5.1 (I stopped taking my metformin after my bypass). My blood pressure was 112/68 with no lisinopril. I can't remember being this healthy. And the weight is dropping off steadily with very little effort on my part.

You'll have a rocky start at first, perhaps, but hang in there and let your body heal and adjust. Taking supplements is no big deal once you know which ones to take (For example: calcium citrate, b12, iron, a good multivitamin with micronutrients such as copper, zinc, and selenium. I also take magnesium for leg cramps.)

I still use my C-Pap even though I'm not sure if I still have sleep apnea.

Listen to Matt. Here's wonderfully knowledgeable when it comes to this topic.

Matt, you know so much detail.. you should publish some books. I am always interested in what you have to contribute.. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.

Ok, first, everyone, thank you for all of your encouraging responses. I've had a rough day of it because of this. However, my surgeon called and she talked about all of my options and the bypass seems to make the most sense. It's a bit tough, though, because we are self pay and now we've got to come up with $8,000 MORE! Maybe I should set up a Go Fund Me account! [emoji16][emoji21][emoji2]