kimbernada

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My date is July 24. It had been July 16 but was rescheduled because my surgeon is going to be out of town. I am keeping busy with work. We just went live with Epic at our Fargo hospitals on June 3 and then our clinics will be going live weekly. Then we have two more locations in Minnesota going live on July 1. I can't believe that it is already mid-June... and I'm on call 24/7 next week so I'll be super busy with that. I'm actually looking forward to the two weeks following my surgery for recuperating AND recharging.

I recently switched my upcoming surgery to the sleeve mainly because my hands have been reminding me that I have rheumatoid arthritis and I really need to take NSAIDs. (Aleve, Advil, etc.) It's been in remission for almost six years but work has been extremely stressful right now... My best friend had the RNY two years ago and lost 92 pounds -- she's the "poster child" for the perfect gastric bypass patient. Okay, not literally, but she followed all of the rules and continues to take her Vitamins four times a day. I was gung-ho about also getting the RNY. I went to the info seminar and found out about the sleeve. It actually threw me for a loop because my brain was already on gastric bypass overload from my own researching. What?! There's something ELSE out there? (Don't tell anyone, but I almost had a panic attack at the seminar.) When I met with the surgeon a week later, I was still thinking RNY. The fact that the "dumping" would keep me from sweets was kind of appealing AND it seems like all of the books out there are geared towards people with the gastric bypass. I am a details kind of person, so give me something to read and I will. Anyhow, in the back of my mind, I have had this nagging thought about the malabsorption thing... I am 43 and, right now, other than my back and knees hurting at times and having sleep apnea, I am fairly healthy (well, in my mind anyhow). I am very thankful that there are discussion forums dedicated to either surgery as well as other forums for both surgeries. This is my list of pros for both surgeries. Initially the RNY appealed to me because of the faster weight loss, but really, what's 24 months compared to 12-18 months? (This is the question that I ask myself to keep me in focus.) My only real concern with the sleeve is that there really isn't any long term study results available since the sleeve is still fairly new. Gastric Bypass Pros: Faster weight loss Dumping (if you are a sugar fiend) - not that not dumping is also on my list as a pro for the sleeve Sleeve Pros: No rerouting of the intestines (this kind of scares me) Can take NSAIDs - Tylenol doesn't really do much for me and I get bad headaches in addition to RA Weight loss is almost equal to the RNY at about the two year mark Virtually no malabsorption issues No dumping (although some people experience this) No leftover stomach to get potential ulcers that are hard to scope Sleeve isn't as stretchable as the pouch Good luck with your decision!! I think it is wonderful that we have choices.