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RNY and sleeve both have their advantages and disadvantages. Some factors to consider: Sleeve is still relatively new - about 15 years. RNY has been done in various forms since the 1950's. RNY is by far the most common bariatric surgery. Approximately 80% of all bariatric surgeries worldwide are RNY. Becuse of the two factors above, there is a great deal more experience and long term statistical information on the outcomes of RNY surgeries compared to sleeve. This may be part of the reason that some insurance companies are still hesitant to cover the sleeve. RNY is more invasive than sleeve but average weight loss for RNY patients is substantially higher than it is for sleeve patients. That may change as more experience is gained with sleeve and better procedures and techniques are developed. RNY is widely acknowledged as the single most effective "treatment" for type 2 diabetes currently available to medical science. RNY has a greater risk of malnutrition than sleeve because RNY involves both restriction and malabsorption while sleeve is restrictive only. Both surgeries appear to be equally safe as far as mortality goes. However, non life-threatening post-op complications such as infections are more common for the more invasive RNY than they are for sleeve.

I was also only one night. My night in the hosptial was bad as my room was right outside of the nurses desk and they forgot to turn up the heat when I got to my room, so I was cold all night. But I walked almost every hour. I don't think there was another sleeve patieint so I had the hallways to myself. I was released by 10 am the next morning, My DH and I went directly to walmart to fill my prescriptions. I went home and took a nap then we went to a park and did a small walk. Since I had no complications-no gas/nausea-One day was fine for me. I also had a hiatal hernia repair.

Hello to all, I just recently had my VGS done this past wednesday and was out by Friday. I am fortunate in that I heal fast. I notice that I find myself becoming more concerned about the complications after all is said and done. My surgeon said after 6-8 weeks the stomach has absorbed the staples and sutures. What i find that I am having trouble understanding is how this is called an irreversible procedure yet many have said the stomach can stretch out again. Does this mean it can grow back to the size it was previously or that it can stretch to a bigger holding capacity and that is it? Another part of me questions what I have done. I was around 354lbs,but i always worked out but found out my metabolism had stalled,my sleep apnea was at a superbad level. Yet no matter how hard i worked and even with just Protein shakes and a regular meal of broiled chiken or lean meat,i still could not drop weight. Now a day before surgery im 350,i check myself today. and im 337. To me though it's more a component of being on a liquid diet rather than anything else. Im just wondering if i gave up good times with my family eating out at restaurants and not being able to finish a plate that has 2 sides and one main dish. Not that i do that all the time,just I don't want to enjoy 1/4 a plate then get full and the smell would still be tempting me even though i feel full. Am I only the only one to have these feelings of uncertainty? I am not an emotional eater or a stress eater. I eat because I enjoy it. I even love to cook. I know i did this for my health. I just feel unsure.

Surgery date 5/31/11 1. Band came overfilled and stomach swelled shut - all Fluid was taken out next day in office. No restriction at all now. 2. Allergic to pain medicine 3. Allergic to whey Protein - lived off egg drop Soup and Boost for over a week. Already on mushy foods but have not lost any weight since surgery and regain of dehydration. Do you think the MD will fill my band at post op appt? Is no weight loss normal with no restriction after surgery??? I had lost 100lbs on my own but my body wouldn't lose anymore so my body is already used to eating 1200 calories or less a day... just curious if anyone else experienced similar issues and what happened and if sometime soon I’ll actually lose weight? Feeling discouraged.

Below is an email from my Dr's office... Do you think Allergan will cover this type o complication? basically my band has a bubble, aneurysm, blister (whatever you want to call it) in it and when they fill it the fluid is all going in to this bubble. Below you can see what Allergan wants to see from my Dr as he is appraoaching them to replace it... just want to know what you all think??? Ok, I finally have some information for you. Dr B let me know that we need to do a fill under fluoroscopy to show Allergan where the dye is going. So we will adjust your band while we are shooting an xray which will show Allergan the fluid is not leaking out of the band. I am having Becky work on dates for next week to get you in to do that. I will let you know once we have a better idea. We are getting closer. No, it is all accumulating in a bubble. Think of your band as having a blister except the fluid goes in but can't come out. Jessica Thorpe, RN, BSN, CBN

My surgery was on May 9th and let me start by saying that all the pain that I went through and the discomfort I am going through right now, is well worth it! I have lost 21 pounds from my HW of 258 bs. Looking forward to many more! Bad news first: I have super tiny veins, very hard to find. Before surgery, the nurse could not find one so the Anesthesiologist came to try to start an IV. The stupid doctor inserted the IV inside of my left wrist. Within minutes, it had infiltrated and had started to swell up. Another Anesthesiologist came with an ultrasound machine and found one vein in my right arm where the IV went. During my stay, the blood draws were a nightmare since many techs poked me several times to find a vein. As a result, my whole arm is black and blue. I could live with that but since yesterday, there is bad tingling in my left hand and my range of motion is almost negligible. it feels like I am holding a live electric wire in my hand, Every time I extend my foreman, an electric shock runs through it. The more I researched this, I found out that this is caused by nerve injury and that the IV in wrist is a no-no. I went to my surgeon today who was shocked to hear that the other doctor tried to put an IV there. So, tomorrow I am going to an ortho hand surgeon for a consult. I am so upset at that stupid doctor and hoping that is just an inflammation that pinched a nerve. I don't want another surgery. Now to a couple of questions: How long before the incisions healed and the pain got better? I cannot sleep on either one of my sides. How long before you were able to eat more than 200 calories? I have found ways to sneek in Protein and had around 30 grams today. I know I need a lot more but that is a start. I am trying to stay hydrated too. Sipping Water all day, drinking some gatorade and even had a sugar free popsicles but calories were not enough to survive. Thank you for all your support during this process! This website rocks!

hi and thank you, what are wls? I went back to work because it was a new job and I wasn't supposed to ask for time off until I'm off probation and I told her that ppl had said they were good in a couple of days. my job is a lot of walking and sitting and standing so I thought it would be good for me too It was painful but I got through it, I chose the lap band because its reversible ( if I have complications) and it seemed less evasive than by pass or the sleeve. what are you having done? or have had done?

nytrink- that is exactly the case. he knows that he doesn't want his son treating his wife that way. he also knows that he doesn't want to treat me that way. sometimes, it just happens. we are both stressed and we don't deal with it well sometimes. majority of the time it is me. he is an easy going, always laughing kind of guy. i on the other hand am wound tighter than a spool of thread. i worry, nag, and complain constantly. i'm not downing myself, i'm being honest. the longer i am with him, the easier i find it to let go and laugh sometimes, and not be so serious all of the time. but, occasionally, i get to him, and he reacts by saying things that he doesn't mean. not to mention he isn't an emotional speaker. he's not very good at communicating effectively how he feels about things. he does communicate it, but i have to read between the lines. as someone else has mentioned, he is worried. he is scared that i will leave him after i lose weight. his is scared that this isn't going to work, and it will be an expensive "trial". he is worried that i will have complications and we will have to pay for it. he is worried that i will lose my job the beginning of the year due to absences having to do with my comorbidities. he is worried that i will not feel better even after i lose weight. he is worried that i will not follow program, and that i will not exercise. the last two worries are the ones that cause him to say dumb stuff. he loves to exercise. he loves it and it makes him feel better. so, he doesn't understand why i don't. it worries him that i never will, and he wants me to understand how healthy it is and how much better it makes you feel. so he will say things like, "you do nothing for your body"... anyways. i don't know what i expected when i posted this. it was more or less, i need to vent, and i need someone to be on my side. but then when people get on my side, i realize how i painted this horrible monster of a person that just really doesn't exist. thank you all for your posts. we obviously need to work on our communication, lately, and we are both aware of that. i know he is worried about my health and my self esteem, and so am i. kacee- "You guys desperately need to talk TO each other, not AT each other." Amen to that!!! and i am just as guilty as he is. it is so easy to forget how important it is to be your partner's friend. sometimes we just take advantage of the fact that they are there, and forget that they really are there. we've just had a bad month. we've been doing a lot of at'ing to each other, and i've been an emotional nightmare (with dealing with having my food friend taken from me all of a sudden).

I have apap. There are two schools of thought on post op care both raise some valid points. However, the apnea patients with a machine that can actually take a breath for them should definitely have their equipment in my opinion. There is some concern post op about pap use and Extra air going into the pouch that can cause complications. Apnea patients are more high risk and need extra care and not the one size fits all for every apnea patient. Recovery has its own protocols usually and most doctors are just borrowing time in a hospitals surgery room for the procedure so hospital policy trumps im going to take my pap with me and hope it works out. Of all the things that couldve went wrong you came out golden cause sleep apnea is high risk for surgery complication so take some comfort in that

God its so complicated!!!!! For us its... get a referral from your doctor. .. meet surgeon... decide on surgery.. get a date... meet with nut/psych... get chopped up. .. simple! It took me 3 weeks from start to finish and thats including my pre op diet!!

This sounds like me. I am way more nervous about the bypass than I was with my sleeve. I had no complications with my sleeve and wondering g if I will be as lucky with rny. I do have an excellent surgeon so that is comforting. I understand exactly what you mean. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers today. Please update us when you are able

I had my revision on 12/17/19. I too had complications of GERD from my sleeve that I had almost 13 years ago. Since surgery no GERD. I've been on a liquid diet until yesterday and I was able to start protein shakes with no problem. Prior to the surgery everything including water at times would come up. I lost over one hundred pounds with the sleeve and I did keep it off. I'm currently a bit underweight, but soon I will be able to eat healthier and hopefully live a better life. I must admit the conversion was a bit more painful, but I'm also a lot older too and my body has been traumatized a lot for the last two years. I had my surgery at the # 1 hospital in the country. I won't give the name because I don't want to put something they told me without their permission. Prior to the sleeve I had no problems with GERD. The surgeon told me they no longer do the sleeve there because they have had so many patients come to them for revisions after the sleeve due to GERD. I hope your surgery went as well as mine and you are on the road to recovery.

Each doctor can perform the sleeve differently. With different sizes and capacities for the outcome. And with the varying out come of the "size" or capacity of sleeves out there you will also see varying post op diets. It is best to follow what your doctor has prescribed for the best outcome for your sleeve. It is ok to stay in a lower stage but to rush the other stages has the possibility of leading to a complication.

Considering surgery in Mexico if UHC 100% denies me and I can't get it cheap enough here in Texas. Which Mexico surgeon/facility did you use? Any complications/infections? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The bougie is just a guide. The size of the sleeve can be different for other reasons as well, how long your stomach is, how tight the stomach is pulled in to the bougie... My surgeon mad the bottom half a little bit wider than the top... that is normal and helps keep complications down. Let your surgeon do his/her job, with good previous results, Im sure you will do great!... larger bougies tend to get less reflux and eating problems... (not giant, just 36-40)

Well hugs girl. I'm glad your on your way to getting back on track, complication-free & where you want to be. Good thing Ins. is covering it. Whew

When I started with my first consultation back in January 2013 I was certain I wanted the bypass. As I read and did more research, I realized that the part of the process that concerned me the most was not the surgery itself but the re-routing of the intestines, the malabsorption part of it, and the possible complications from those two things. That is not to say there are not possible complications with the Sleeve, but for me, those were my main concerns. I realized because of that that the sleeve was a better option for me, even though I may be able to lose more weight with the bypass. I feel like whichever surgery I had would be an awesome tool. if the difference between what I would lose with the 2 surgeries would be 20 pounds more with the bypass, than I would do the sleeve -which I was more comfortable with -and WORK IT to get those extra 20 pounds or so off. Know what I mean? That's how I came to my decision and haven't regretted it! I would say though, don't depend on anyone's experience....read up, do as much research as you can, and make the most informed decision possible that you feel the most comfortable with.

I just found out that patients have to wait 1-2 years before surgery at the clinic I attend. I've been waiting 10 months now and have all my requirements done. I have no doubt in my mind that I'm ready and all the prep is almost to the point of overkill. I think someone would be less anxious if they have had any other type of major surgery before. There are relaxation techniques that are quite useful during high anxiety moments, such as major surgery. I had a major surgery where there were numerous unexpected complications. I had brought my favorite painting and had it placed in view so that I could concentrate on it and drown out voices, sounds of surgical tools, and pain. I also thought about the young children at St. Jude that had to go through so much more than I was temporarily enduring. Everyone is different, but I think a little mental preparation will keep you from backing out at the last moment. The newer requirements that make bariatric patients wait so long before surgery are put in place so that we are more than ready and less likely to fail.

Ok...first, be glad for the posts that talk about the negatives. When I was doing my research, nobody was talking about these things so I went into surgery with a whole different perspective. Knowing then what I know now...I might (stressing might) have made a different decision but at least I would have had the full story. I read an article (I swear I need to print these off or bookmark them) that said only 4 out of 10 banders are successful...success being determined as only losing 50% of their excess weight and that's only of the percentage who don't end up losing their band from erosion or other medical complications and I can't remember whether these problems were 60% or 40%...sorry. I had my band out two weeks ago due to chronic phrenic nerve pain. My insurance did not have to give prior approval since it wasn't elective...it was due to a 'complication'. I'd guess most insurance companies work that way. My surgeon wanted to do a revision to the sleeve. I would have had to go through the whole approval process (psych eval mainly) again for that one. My insurance company had no problem in approving the sleeve (I didn't get it by the way) because the band was being removed because of a complication...not because it didn't work. Even then, the surgeon said they know how to word the paperwork so insurance companies will approve. Oh, and according to my surgeon, the band is not considered 'restrictive' but the sleeve is so again perhaps it's just in the wording? You can read about the experiences of others...good and bad...but it still won't tell you how you'll do. Ask yourself this...if you don't get the band, then what will you do? Yes, there's a risk you'll be one of those who fail at the band *or* are failed by the band (and it happens more than the manufacturers would like to admit)...but you could also be one of those who are successful. Personally, I wouldn't give up without trying. .

Well I'm worried bc I just found out today that I have a big infection in 2 teeth on my left side and the dentist put me on 2 antibiotics today and pain meds bc I'm going to need a root canal or possibly 2 !!! AND I'm suppose to have surgery on Monday the 26th so there's a possibility I will have to reschedule my surgery due to the fact that I'm in pain n need to have this fixed and I'm taking antibiotics a week before surgery... I'm worried about my approval time running out (might sounds silly) but does anyone know if once you get approved by your insurance if there is a time frame in which you must do surgery by?? anyone ever had to reschedule their surgery bc od something similar?? so annoyed !! I'm in my last week of the liquid pre-op which has been hell and to think that I would have to do it all over again...aaaahhhh..and that's another thing with these strong meds I'm taking and nothing but Water and shakes..my stomach is a mess. Just upset over this complication :frown1:

I know it's frustrating to have to reschedule but it's better to not have a complication after surgery because of the infection. Keep up the good work with the exercising and the time will fly by. Keep us posted.

So I will be 5 months out on the 21st. I am down 70lbs from the day of surgery and at another stall.. 2nd one in the past 2 months.. I know they happen, and I know the scale will move again, I just wish it would start moving NOW!! I am able to eat more then I was a month ago "way more" However I am still getting in around 900-1000 calories a day. I still start with my meat first and if I am able to eat it all with out my full signal I move on to my greens. Usually after a couple of bites I am finished.. Where as a month ago I was barely able to get down 1/4 of a chicken breast.. I did have complications "leak, pneumonia, etc." and that did put me behind where I should have been at. So maybe eating as much as I'm eating now is normal who knows.. I just know this stall thing stinks!!! Loosing another pants size is a plus!! I just want to see the sale move again!!

I also went to her seminar but I chose her specifically because about 7 women at my job have all either gotten banded with her or after getting banded with a different doctor, LEFT their doctor to go to her. All I hear are fantastic things about her from the way she cares before, during, and after (as long as you need after as a mater of fact). Those who did not go to her said they had complications or were having trouble losing weight with their other doctor. They changed to her practice and she made some adjustments, some recommendations, and now no more complications - and they are ALL losing much better than they were before. I hear she is very determined and agressive at seeing success with her patients but always puts safety first. I made my choice on doctor....now im just waiting on insurance. (Her team is keeping me well informed every step of the way) )

Hi everyone Its my first post and would like to let everyone know how appreciative I am that this community is out there. Im writing also because I'm conflicted on which surgery is best for me and I know its ultimately my surgeon and my decision but still very scared. Just a little history of me I'm a working mom of almost 3 year old twins, I work at a fast pace medical office so Im pretty much on my feet 8-12 hours a day. I've been overweight all my life but since my pregnancy I have not been able to loose weight and have high blood pressure with high cholesterol levels. My father had passed away from a massive heart attack at 43 yrs old and I just turned 40. My BMI is between 36-37. My first initial visit 6 months ago was to get gastric sleeve but since I've been feeling in my heart I want bypass. On my endoscopy it shown some inflammation due to acid reflux and I've suffered most of my pregnancy with it and definitely do not want GERD. I know theres more vitamin deficiencies and more complications but I feel like theres more long term benefits with bypass. Again I really can't thank you all Ive been reading most of your posts and I feel so much more informed then I was when I started this journey. BTW my pre-op appointment with my surgeon is this week and Im a ball of nerves

Prayers ⬆ No more complications. This should resolve a few. 💙CONGRATULATIONS💙