Aside from your surgeon’s recommendation for you………….

Which procedure YOU felt was best for you & why?

I feel like since I am a foodie-I LOVE real food , I was an emotional eater , I have heart burn often, im over 100lbs overweight, I am over the age of 30( losing weight seems like an impossible task nowadays ), my metabolism is low, I plan on getting pregnant at least once in the future and portion control has been a major issue= Gastric bypass is best for me.

I have GERD/Barrett’s esophagus. RNY is for me. Though I do have a fear of dumping and also concerns about not being able to tolerate certain foods.

I had a friend who’d had a sleeve & I picked her brain plus I did a lot of research. Originally I had thought I’d just do the band because it was reversible but after the research I was leaning towards a sleeve.

I had 31kg I wanted to lose, was almost 54 yrs. Most of my weight was gained when I reached menopause when I put on most of that weight in a year & couldn't shift it. Prior to that I bounced around 60-75kg most of my adult life. My metabolism was really slow too. I killed it from years of skipping meals. (I did that 500 calorie diet for 6 weeks the year before my surgery & barely lost 3kgs.) I had some reflux but had managed it quite successfully for years with dietary changes & only very occasionally needed medication.

I enjoyed real food too. Wasn’t a fast food person, not one for pre prepared mass produced meals, only occasionally had a takeaway (no creamy sauces, no deep fried, steamed, grilled, lots of vegetables). My portion sizes were ok - way less than a lot of my friends who often finished my meal. Sure I enjoyed something sweet at night but it would be a couple of sweet biscuits or a cup cake. My biggest battle seemed to be a slow metabolism & then damn hormonal changes.

After questioning me about my eating habits, weight gain/loss history & my lifestyle, my surgeon went through each of the surgeries with me, identifying their pros & cons & how they might impact my life. He also wanted to know what I was thinking. He agreed with my choice of the sleeve because I had been managing my reflux with diet already, my lifestyle & history.

I’m happy with my sleeve. It was the right choice for me.

Good luck with your decision.

1) I had GERD prior to surgery. I did not want to take the risk of it getting worse, which it sometimes does with sleeve

2) when I had surgery six years ago, sleeve was still pretty new. I had a fear of it becoming "lapband 2". However, at this point, it's been around long enough and has proven itself, so I wouldn't have this particular concern anymore if I were making the decision today. But because of my GERD, I'd still go with RNY/bypass.

My surgeon and I decided the sleeve was best for me. I was concerned about the potential for long term nutrition deficiencies with RNY. I also get headaches that respond well to ibuprofen but not Tylenol, and with RNY they say you can’t take NSAIDS. I also didn’t have problems with GERD so no concerns there. I’m glad I went with VSG, it’s worked well for me. I’d definitely work with your doc through, and consider which will be best for your particular medical history!

I wanted bypass originally but then changed my mind to sleeve before I met with the surgeon. Then, when I met with him, he suggested sleeve due to my medical history with me being anemic. So that just made me feel better about my decision.

I had gastric sleeve about 2 weeks ago. My stats are similar to yours: I have a lot of weight to lose, I am middle age, I had heartburn, etc. I chose sleeve because it was a safer procedure with less manipulation of the abdominal region. I had 3 cesareans and a hernia repaired over the last several years and I knew I had a lot of scar tissue. Given all of this, I thought that gastric sleeve would be the lesser risk and my surgeon agreed. I am a bit worried about the heartburn returning, but I have post-op pills for it and I also read that the more weight you lose you less of a chance for GERD, so I am hoping for the best.

Good luck in your decision!

Thank you ALL for sharing your story and input! XOXO ??

I chose the Loop DS because my BMI was so high (69.9), and my surgeon said it was the most powerful operation. I was paying out of packet, so I knew this was my only shot and I wanted to give myself the best chance to lose as much weight as possible.
I'm very happy I chose this surgery!