Surgery is around the corner

[jesdona 0]

I have a surgery date October 4th this year.. I'm getting gastric sleeve but lately I have been feeling like I should get the bypass. Im Affraid I won't loose enough weight with the sleeve. I have been talking to a few friends and I have gotten different opinions.Has anyone ever changed there mind this late. What are your thoughts on bypass instead of sleeve?

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[catwoman7 10,981]

I would think you'd still have time to change your mind...

[Arabesque 6,683]

I’d think you’d still have plenty of time. While you may lose more quickly at the beginning after a bypass, it slows just like with a sleeve. The stats around average weight loss at about three years for sleeve & bypass are both about 65% of the weight they had to lose. (You’re really just talking about a few pounds of difference.) Just like there are people who don’t meet their goals with a sleeve there are people who don’t with bypass. Same with meeting their goals or exceeding.

The amount of weight you lose is highly dependent upon where your basal metabolic rate resets as a result of the surgery. This is the weight your body is happy & settles at. Before surgery I could diet to 60kg but every time I would bounce back to 75kg & would sit there - that was where my base rate sat (until menopause began & it became 91kg). Then there are factors like age, gender, general health, medications, lifestyle, & the effort & breadth of changes you are willing to make & maintain to how & what you eat & activity you do.

Probably best to sit down with your surgeon & have a conversation as to what they advise based on their experiences & those of their patients & your needs & situation.

All the best which ever surgery you chose.

[KimA-GA 540]

i am going to be getting the sleeve in late sept or early october. i decided against bypass because of outcomes of people i know. 2 people i know had sleeves with no big complications (very minor issues like nausea directly after surgery) and two more that had the equivalent of a sleeve for ulcers with the same positive experiences … all four of them kept the weight off

but i also know 3 people who got bypass (different places/surgeons) and all three have had complications that keep sending them back to the hospital and have developed major nutritional problems and health issues from those too and, honestly, all three of them ate their way back to 3/4 of their original weight… (they are all from different areas of the country too!)

reading medical literature i know the sleeve is better for me because i feel it’s safer, less drastic and has less inherent problems…

but only you know what is right for you! there are successes and “failures” on both sides… educate yourself and make the best decision for you

[LookingForward22 320]

I went into my surgeons office expecting her to want me to choose bypass because of my hi bmi and the fact I’m already taking Pepcid for reflux.

She reviewed my medical history and asked me what I wanted. My reply to her was “after reviewing my medical history and your vast experience, what would you recommend for the most successful outcome for me”. She smiled and said I’m so glad you asked me that.

Given my high BMI, if my goal was weight-loss alone she would have recommended Duodenal Switch. Then she went over the reasons why she doesn’t recommend that at this time.

She then explained why she wouldn’t recommend a bypass for me.

And then explained why she would actually recommend the sleeve for me.

I was actually relieved because I really preferred the sleeve because of the lower risk and complications out of the three.

She told me if I wanted to convert to the DS later we could. But if I put the work in and used my new tool to it’s fullest advantage - I might find that to not be necessary.

My husband and I were both on board with what she was saying so that’s the direction we went in. She did a hiatal hernia repair at the same time as my sleeve so the hope is I will be able to transition off of the meds for reflux at some point, but if I can’t so be it. And down the road if I feel like we need to go with another option that’s open to me as well. I’m not really looking forward to another surgery - so I’m hoping this is it. Only time will tell.

You have time to decide. No two people have the exact same outcome - so the best anyone can tell you is look at all the information and make the best choice for you.

Best of luck.

[ShoppGirl 3,456]

I had the sleeve because I have bipolar disorder and was concerned about the absorption of medication with the bypass. The dr said he recommended the sleeve because of my lower BMI but would do bypass if I wanted it. The NP said she would go with sleeve because it’s the safer choice in terms of my medications. I did not lose as much weight as I had hoped to. In all fairness the NP did warn me that sometimes with Bipolar disorder that people do not lose quite as much as those without it but I only got down to 25.7 BMI which is still technically overweight and then I gained the bounce back weight. I sometimes wonder if I had just chosen the bypass if I would have lost more and had a little easier time keeping it off. The only thing is, who is to say that I wouldn’t be one of the people who lost less with bypass as well. What if it’s not the surgery choice at all. Don’t get me wrong. I am still happy to have lost what I did lose and if I can maintain this I will be happy enough. I just don’t have much wiggle room and do wonder if I had chosen bypass if it would be different. I think it’s only human to wonder if the grass would’ve been greener on the other side. You definitely do still have time to change your mind though. They told me I was in no rush to decide all along. If I had more time to research one question I would have asked is if their patients that revised sleeve to bypass lost more after the bypass (got to a lesser weight than they had with the sleeve). I know that doesn’t 100% mean people who get bypass first will lose more than they would have with sleeve but it seems like it would be the case. They are both excellent and relatively safe options so I don’t think there is a wrong choice really. My only real advice would be to take your time until you feel confident in your choice and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions until you are.