Being Told By Everyone How Much Better Gastric Bypass Is ...

[Catracks 865]

Circa, what a nightmare for your friend. There is something really nasty and aggressive going on there. I am so lucky to have a supportive family.

[Estella 11]

than sleeve gastrectomy. I got this from my surgical coordinator when I told her why I choose the sleeve: "Well, gastric bypass is the Cadillac of WLS and there are no long term studies for the sleeve ..." and then she went on about the pros of bypass. Also from family - they thought bypass sounded better because it's reversible (who does that? Reverse a bypass I mean?). To me the sleeve is far superior because you keep your own stomach, can take steroids, keep your stomach and valves, less chance of dumping, don't have a blob of unused stomach in your body, is restrictive and does not cause mal-absorbtion of nutrients, etc., etc. I guess the weight loss is slower, but all the better for my skin. What is it with all the negativity?

Keep in mind that an unsuccessful sleeve can be converted to a bypass later, if needed. btw, I wouldn't call sleeve weight loss "slower" - most of the loss happens during the first months.

[cscake 8]

My daughter had the bypass surgery. She lost 100 pounds in 6 months. However, she did have a dumping problem and unknown to her she had ulcers in the part of her stomach that was bypassed. This is a real issue for people who have a tendency to have stomach ulcers. Her ulcer went undiagnosed. They thought the horrible pain was a gall bladder attach. She had her gall bladder removed on a Thursday and died on the following Saturday of a perforated ulcer in that part of her stomach. So, for my husband (who had the sleeve done in August) and myself, having the sleeve on January 16th, there was no problem deciding. We went with the sleeve.

Not everyone has this problem, but if you have severe pain, even years after, it is imperative that you get to an emergency room and have them call your bariatric surgeon. It could save your life.

[mommy794 119]

So sorry about your daughter

[cscake 8]

It will be four years on January 15. Thank you. I guess my point is that, in my opinion, and I am not a doctor, I think that for most people it is the safest procedure, especially if you have a history of ulcers or your family does. Bariatric surgery is a wonderful thing and a life saver for many people. But, you should be able to decide which procedure you want, based on your physician's recommendation and your own research. If you have a conflict with your physician about the procedure maybe you need a second opinion to help you decide.

Good Luck

[Catracks 865]

So sorry about your daughter. That's another reason I went with the sleeve. Once that bypass that stomach, there is now way to get an endoscope in there to look for ulcers or cancer.

[happy1957 138]

Cscake.....I am truly sorry for your loss, I'm sure that it was a horrific time for you. I had a friend in a gastric bypass complication situation on the day I was sleeved which was Dec. 28th. It was a very difficult choice that I had to make in continuing on with my journey. Unfortunately she too passed on Jan 3rd. I am happy that you could get past your daughters death and continue to get healthier I wish you the best of luck with your weight loss

[Indymom 132]

I'm sorry to both of you who had losses due to GB complications. That's so sad.

I knew from the outset that I didn't want RNY because I have ulcerative colitis and did not want my intestines impacted in any way. I also did not want to deal with dumping, malabsorption, etc. I thought lap band was the best option for me but my surgeon recommended the sleeve because of my colitis as well (more risk of colitis issues with a foreign body banding my stomach).

For what it's worth, my surgeon has been doing bariatric surgery for years and has done TONS of RNY surgeries. He told me at my last follow-up appointment that his sleeve patients are doing phenomenally and once there are longer-term studies, he thinks that VSG will become the gold standard rather than the RNY. I love my surgeon.

[Flagstaffian 31]

I choose the sleeve (still pre op) because I didn't want my organs rearranged with the bypass and didn't want dumping syndrome. I originally went with lapband but that was before I knew about the sleeve. So many surgeons tried to shove gastric bypass down my throat, I actually walked out of an appointment and never went back because the PA put gastric instead of lapband because it'd be better for me. Ugh! The new surgeon I'm with didnt shove anything down my throat, he educated me on my options. Told me most people go with lapband because they don't want the gastric but don't know about the sleeve which is in between the two.So... Made my decision, sleeve it is! People used to tell me gastric because I'm over 300lbs but now that I'm doing sleeve and not lapband anymore people have been much more supportive and don't mention gastric anyone.

GIRL!! I have the exact same feelings as you about bypass!! It's like you read my mind. Plus, my mom died 1 yr after a bypass due to complications (but that was 10 years ago, and I know there have been improvements since then, but still...). I'm not sleeved yet, but I am about halfway thorough the pre-op hoops & I feel more sure every day that it is the right thing. hey- we even have the same ticker!! I am looking at a possible surgery date of 03/30/12- not officially scheduled yet...when's yours?

(((HUGS)))

Sarah Flag

[Flagstaffian 31]

My dad is a Doc so he went to my first appointment with me, the Surgeon wanted me to do the bypass because I so heavy, I said no thank you I want the sleeve. The funny thing is that my dad is like 'Paola, he's the doctor, he knows best', I just refuse to have my organs moved around more than necessary. So the Surgeon said he couldn't force me and that was that. I am very afraid of all the malabsorption, and the dumping. In my opinion the most important part of both surgeries is that your stomach will be much smaller and you will eat less; therefore, why not go for the one that is a little easier on you and your body?

Paola, you are so right. Why do extra damage if VSG gives you very similar results? And how interesting that your dad is a doctor! I hope he was supportive of your decision in the end (to be sleeved). You are a beautiful girl and I wish you all the luck in the world next week for recovery!!

Sarah Flag

[retired-loser 13]

A couple of observations......First, I was told by one surgeon that is someone has had several previous abdominal surgeries, the sleeve is the surgery of choice. I also felt better not having my intestions re-arranged. Second observation.......this is one of the reasons I have told only a couple of people I am having this surgery done.......'well meaning' advice & judgements I can do without!

[Paola 62]

Paola, you are so right. Why do extra damage if VSG gives you very similar results? And how interesting that your dad is a doctor! I hope he was supportive of your decision in the end (to be sleeved). You are a beautiful girl and I wish you all the luck in the world next week for recovery!!

Sarah Flag

My dad was supportive, he wanted me to have any type of surgery done since December 2010, I was the one who didn't want surgery. Thank you for the recovery wishes =)

[circa 333]

Paola! I see you have surgery tomorrow! I'll be praying for a quick recovery for you! You've already lost so much preop, you'll be a rockstar postop! Congrats!!!!

[Ducker 59]

I am so sorry for your loss. I said a prayer for your daughter and for you and your husband. Many of us (including myself) get so thrilled about the weight loss after struggling with obesity for so long, that I am sure it would be very easy to overlook any symptoms because we may feel any discomfort is a small price to pay to be thinner. Thank you so much for passing along the very crucial advice of contacting our doctors if we suspect anything is off kilter. You are so very right. It could very well save our lives. God bless you.

Ducker

[happy1957 138]

Indymom, thank you for your condolences. I wanted to share with you that my surgeon also believes that VSG will one day be the Gold standard. Her success rate so far exceeds RYN. Of course they are selective and will not do this surgery on anyone with a BMI of 50 or higher. So therefore the success rate would be great. I too decided a long time ago that RYN was too dangerous for my liking and actually went to my first meeting to look into Lap Band, but the speaker spoke so positively about VSG which I had never heard of and after investigation, I never gave thought to anything else. So far, I am day 13 and feel terrific with the exception of not sleeping enough. Not sure , but I think I'm on a Protein HIGH! I had tried low carb diets in the past and had the same issues.. :-(