Im having a really hard time with this... I have had my mind set on going with the gastric sleeve for months. Now the past month right before surgery Im thinking more going bypass as Im seeing bigger weight loss.... I need to loose 200-230 lbs. I know they are both tools and will give me what I put into it but I dont want to get a life changing surgery if I am only going to loose some of what I need to. On top of that im really scared of the bypass for some reason....

9 minutes ago, Veritas34 said:

Im having a really hard time with this... I have had my mind set on going with the gastric sleeve for months. Now the past month right before surgery Im thinking more going bypass as Im seeing bigger weight loss.... I need to loose 200-230 lbs. I know they are both tools and will give me what I put into it but I dont want to get a life changing surgery if I am only going to loose some of what I need to. On top of that im really scared of the bypass for some reason....

Why are you afraid of Bypass?

Hi!

I had my heart set on the sleeve as well. However, my gerd started getting worse and worse, and I thought...I can't logically get the sleeve and have my Gerd worse. I was afraid that getting my intestines all re-routed....and I was super afraid of the malabsorption.

I'm really happy with my Bypass. I have had no complications, and I am still losing...and I am a bit over a year. I did some research on the malabsorption aspect of the bypass, and it sounds like it's not really a malabsorption in the truest medical sense. There are tons of great scholarly articles on the internet that can help with some of the myths of WLS. Have you met with a surgeon yet? They would also be able to help with some of your questions and fears on the medical side of it. Is there something is particular that makes you feel uneasy with Bypass?

10 minutes ago, Veritas34 said:

Im having a really hard time with this... I have had my mind set on going with the gastric sleeve for months. Now the past month right before surgery Im thinking more going bypass as Im seeing bigger weight loss.... I need to loose 200-230 lbs. I know they are both tools and will give me what I put into it but I dont want to get a life changing surgery if I am only going to loose some of what I need to. On top of that im really scared of the bypass for some reason....

Doing this is a really big step. Have you had your first appointment with your surgeon? They are the one who know what is likely to suit your body. It would be a discussion to have with them.

Thanks for the quick responses...

1. I dont know why im nervous about the bypass I think im just nervous in general and psyching myself out...

2. I dont have GERD of any acid reflux

3. My doctor was okay with either choice... He stated that for a bigger weight loss they used to always recommend bypass but sleeves are getting similar results....

3 minutes ago, Veritas34 said:

Im having a really hard time with this... I have had my mind set on going with the gastric sleeve for months. Now the past month right before surgery Im thinking more going bypass as Im seeing bigger weight loss.... I need to loose 200-230 lbs. I know they are both tools and will give me what I put into it but I dont want to get a life changing surgery if I am only going to loose some of what I need to. On top of that im really scared of the bypass for some reason....

Have you talked to your Dr about your fears? I know there is a tool the Drs can use that will show which the pros and cons of each procedure and even compare them for you.

My Dr did that and turns out the sleeve is best for me. I told the Dr I was willing to do either procedure but that bypass scared me as it ultimately was the root cause of my father's death. (I don't want to scare anyone ..he won the unlucky lottery and got a internal hernia which is very very rare and even rarer to die from) When looking at the comparison tool the sleeve and bypass were identical in results for me with only a few lbs difference.

4 minutes ago, Veritas34 said:

Thanks for the quick responses...

1. I dont know why im nervous about the bypass I think im just nervous in general and psyching myself out...

2. I dont have GERD of any acid reflux

3. My doctor was okay with either choice... He stated that for a bigger weight loss they used to always recommend bypass but sleeves are getting similar results....

When I started my wls journey years ago, I went with the Lap Band, for a few reasons, but I feared Bypass because I thought it was too invasive and too permanent. Fast forward 7 years and I developed GERD and had my Band removed. Now I'm revising to Bypass due to GERD complications. After recently doing research on the Bypass for revision, I watched a YouTube video, and realized that my fear of Bypass was due to Lap Band marketing. So what I will say is, if you start out with Sleeve and have to be revised due to complications or other reasons, you might be "forced" into Bypass the same way I was. Now, no one knows what path their weight loss surgery journey takes us, but it's a theoretical "what if."

I never thought I would end up with Bypass. But now I have no other options as far as weight loss and fixing GERD goes. And I've realized I probably could've made a better choice than Lap Band 9 years ago.

When you actually research Bypass thoroughly, you'll find that although your disgestive tract is rerouted, it's reversible just like the Lap Band. Sleeve is revisable but not reversible.

This video is quite informative and at around the 15 minute mark it discusses the marketing tactic that Lap Band used against Bypass.

Best wishes on your journey!

13 minutes ago, Tatt said:

Have you talked to your Dr about your fears? I know there is a tool the Drs can use that will show which the pros and cons of each procedure and even compare them for you.

My Dr did that and turns out the sleeve is best for me. I told the Dr I was willing to do either procedure but that bypass scared me as it ultimately was the root cause of my father's death. (I don't want to scare anyone ..he won the unlucky lottery and got a internal hernia which is very very rare and even rarer to die from) When looking at the comparison tool the sleeve and bypass were identical in results for me with only a few lbs difference.

im sorry to hear about your father.... I have been focused on the sleeve for months. I just need a significant weight-loss.. That is the only reason I have been thinking of changing to bypass.

16 minutes ago, Tatt said:

Have you talked to your Dr about your fears? I know there is a tool the Drs can use that will show which the pros and cons of each procedure and even compare them for you.

My Dr did that and turns out the sleeve is best for me. I told the Dr I was willing to do either procedure but that bypass scared me as it ultimately was the root cause of my father's death. (I don't want to scare anyone ..he won the unlucky lottery and got a internal hernia which is very very rare and even rarer to die from) When looking at the comparison tool the sleeve and bypass were identical in results for me with only a few lbs difference.

I'm sorry to read about your father. ☹️

It’s really just a personal decision if there is not a glaring medical reason to choose one over the other. I am on medications and worried about absorption issues of bypass affecting them so I went with sleeve but I knew that I was possibly going to lose a few less pounds than I would with bypass. I think from my research the difference in weight loss between the two surgeries was only like 5-10% of excess weight which for me ended up being just a few pounds but I was lower BMI to start. If you eat a lot of sweets however the bypass could be even better for loss because you may dump on sugar which will help you stay away from them. But not everyone dumps from sugar so that’s not guaranteed.

4 hours ago, BypassingMyPhatAss♡ said:

This video is quite informative and at around the 15 minute mark it discusses the marketing tactic that Lap Band used against Bypass.

Love me some Dr. Pilcher. He has some other great videos on YouTube, too.

I need to lose about 190 pounds. My doctor told me that I was ok to do either surgery, so I chose the sleeve. I really didn't like the idea of my innards being rearranged and the possible malabsorption. But honestly, it's a personal choice. Both are very effective surgeries, and both will give great results (if used properly), so you can't go wrong either way.

15 hours ago, Veritas34 said:

1. I dont know why im nervous about the bypass I think im just nervous in general and psyching myself out...

2. I dont have GERD of any acid reflux

3. My doctor was okay with either choice... He stated that for a bigger weight loss they used to always recommend bypass but sleeves are getting similar results....

I believe the average weight loss for bypass is 65% & sleeve is 60% of the weight you were to lose at the 3year mark. Which is a pretty negligible difference. Bypassers tend to lose more quickly at the beginning but that is no guarantee of how fast you will lose at first as we all lose at our own rate & everyone’s rate of loss slows as you get closer to your goal. You can have a bypass & still be a slow loser & vice versa.

My surgeon went through each surgery, pros & cons, but recommended the sleeve based upon my weight loss & gain history, my basic diet & eating habits, & general health which is where I was leaning anyway.

You’ll lose weight regardless of the surgery you chose if you work the program. I exceeded my goal with a sleeve but there are factors beyond your control, like genetics, which play a big part in where you’ll end up. Like you will lose more & faster simply because of your gender.

22 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

It’s really just a personal decision if there is not a glaring medical reason to choose one over the other. I am on medications and worried about absorption issues of bypass affecting them so I went with sleeve but I knew that I was possibly going to lose a few less pounds than I would with bypass. I think from my research the difference in weight loss between the two surgeries was only like 5-10% of excess weight which for me ended up being just a few pounds but I was lower BMI to start. If you eat a lot of sweets however the bypass could be even better for loss because you may dump on sugar which will help you stay away from them. But not everyone dumps from sugar so that’s not guaranteed.

This was my reasoning for choosing the sleeve as well, even though I have significant GERD and am aware the sleeve can make this worse. I take several medications that are extended release formulations and my doctor said that the pouch formed with the RNY really couldn't metabolize XR formulations correctly, and these aren't medicines I'm likely to stop taking with weight loss. So it was simple in that regard.

Sometimes making a pros and cons list helps @Veritas34! It sounds simple but that also helped me see that the slightly higher weight loss percentage wasn't enough of a reason for me to go ahead with the RNY. But everyone's reasons will be different. Listing may help you come up with some questions for your surgeon! Best of luck!

Im having a really hard time with this... I have had my mind set on going with the gastric sleeve for months. Now the past month right before surgery Im thinking more going bypass as Im seeing bigger weight loss.... I need to loose 200-230 lbs. I know they are both tools and will give me what I put into it but I dont want to get a life changing surgery if I am only going to loose some of what I need to. On top of that im really scared of the bypass for some reason....

I think it also depends on what your issue is. I had the bypass because eating too much at a time wasn't really my issue. I did have to up the dose of some of my medications because they weren't having the same effect. I would also think why you wanted the sleeve instead of the bypass in the first place. Then why you are starting to reconsider and go with the bypass now. Also I'm a big believer in going with your gut and there is a reason why you are starting to reconsider now I'd go with it.

I'm doing the bypass mostly because I have severe heartburn and getting a sleeve gives you really bad heartburn so why add to it? I don't want to burn out my esophagus.