Bariatric weightloss surgery decision - Bypass/Sleeve??

verityjane87

Hi

I recently had a gastric band removed after 4 years due to band failure. I am back to square 1 and my surgeon has offered revision to either bypass or sleeve. I have until Thursday to make my decision and no matter how much research I have done I cannot come to a decision.

I am 27 years old I weigh 290lbs, I have type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and PCOS as well as sleep apnea. I have lost 50lbs through diet alone in the past 2 years but has been at a standstill for months.

I know I want this surgery mainly for my future I have been married for 7 years and we would love a child but my weight and pcos is stopping this.

Help I have 4 days to decide !! X x thankyou in advance x x

I would love some personal story's or opinions from you lovely people please xx

yarwell

If you can do the diet without the constraint of the surgery, why not just do the diet ?

There's probably a group for WLS patients, try http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?utf8=✓&phrase=WLS or http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?utf8=✓&phrase=gastric

FFfitgirl

Either one will work as long as you work at it. It's not a miracle fix as you know.

amyk0202

I chose the sleeve & have never regretted my decision. When I first started looking into WLS, I was interested in the band because it seemed less invasive to me & could be reversed. My surgeon told me he was not doing the band procedure anymore because he was seeing too many complications. I was left with the choice between a sleeve & a bypass. My sister had a sleeve about a year before I started looking into things for myself & she lost 150 lbs & was very happy.

I chose the sleeve because it is restrictive only. I was worried about the malabsorbtive piece of the bypass. I was worried about malnutrition--not being able to meet my needs with food alone & relying on supplements. I also considered dumping. On the one hand, it would definitely be a deterrent for me making bad food choices, but from my research it seemed like it was kind of hit or miss on what would make a person start vomiting--not always just "junk" foods. With the sleeve, I can eat anything I want without vomiting or diarrhea. I'm just not able to eat more than about 1 cup at a time. I still have to follow my diet & will always have to track my food in order to keep losing or maintain, but I am not constantly hungry & that has made all the difference. My quality of life is so much better now that I'm not always waiting for my next meal.

Missjulesdid

I chose the sleeve because I didn't want to deal with "dumping"
I also didn't didn't want to deal with malabsorption from having intestines re routed since the reduction of CALORIES absorbed is temporary but the reductions of NUTRIENTS absorbed is permanent. It seems extreme to re-route intestines and live with a life time of malabsorbed nutrients if the caloric reduction benefit is temporary.
I didn't want to have to rely on special bariatric vitamins for the rest of my life.
I didn't want the possibility of a blind ulcer.
I didn't want to lose my plyorus valve and risk needing a revision due to the created connection of the bypass stretching allowing food to collect in the intestine instead of the small stomach pouch.
I wanted the entire fundus gone in order to reduce ghrellin production.
The overall weight lost with the sleeve is very close to the bypass.
Not all doctors agree, but at least my doctor said That I can continue to enjoy soda and beer if I chose to and it would not affect the sleeve other than the bubbles could cause discomfort. Other doctors give different instructions to their patients however.
The amount of food that can be eaten at a meal with the sleeve at 1 year+ out seemed very sensible to me. (1 to 1.5 cups of food at a meal)
VSG was less expensive
VSG surgery took less time and had an easier recovery.

Reasons to choose bypass:
If you have severe reflux.. For some patients with severe reflux, the bypass could be better because there is not as much pressure in the stomach pouch as there is in the sleeve.

If you have a SERIOUS struggle with eating sweets and you actually feel you NEED the horrid repercussions of eating sweets in the form of "dumping".

Bypass is reversible though there is no guarantee that EVERY bypass operation will be able to be reversed, in many cases it CAN be reversed if you want. The sleeve is NOT reversible since a portion of the stomach is removed and thrown away.

I am really happy with my decision to have VSG. I can eat a reasonable satisfying amount of food and never have a problem with getting adequate nutrition. I still get hungry sometimes but it's not the mad-crazy-hunger that I used to experience pre-surgery. Love my sleeve.

radcas11

I had RNY 8/13/13, and I have not regretted my decision at all. Yeah, you do have to take vitamins to supplement what you're not getting, but everything I was eating was horrible anyway so I know I wasn't getting the proper vitamins from my food. I've really only experienced the dumping syndrome 3 or 4 times in the past year. I know that I have to stay away from sugary treats anyway because that was my weakness before the surgery so why would I go back? Some people don't even experience dumping at all. I was back at work in 3 weeks so my recovery wasn't bad at all.

Kalikel

Are you trying to decide between the two surgeries or between surgery and natural weight loss?

I'm thinking it's between the two surgeries, right?

TMM211073

Hi,

I was on the waiting list for the bypass (in the UK) and back in January 2013 I had to make the decision whether to go ahead and have surgery or do it naturally.... I went for natural weight loss and my ticker speaks for itself....

Personally I wouldn't go for surgery - see how far you can go doing it naturally, if you still can't do it, then fine, go for one or the other, but why not try doing yourself first - your body will thank you for it and your long term health will benefit too.

xXx

RodaRose

Why do you have four days to decide?
Is this guy rushing you?
This is your decision and you are in control of what happens to your body.