Veterans: Ever Wish You'd Gotten A Diff Surgery?

[amytug 996]

this is my one last thread that i want to start, to make ABSOULUTELY POSITIVELY SURE that I want the sleeve, and not something else. there is one other technique that i'm interested in, but id like to hear from to veteran sleevers (or whoever really) to see if anyone ever wishes they'd gotten a different surgery.

It's the DS that has peaked my interest.

[euphoria.azul 10]

I got my surgery 05/04/2012 at first I was considering the band... and 1week before my surgery I changed my mind.

I did alot of research..and decided for the sleeve.

ONE of the reasons I changed my mind...was ... I read alot of peoples comments and blogs in different weight loss websites..and honestly like 90% of the people that got the band 6months later they took it off and got the sleeve...idk that convinced me...

[Liberated Sleeve 148]

I am 60+ days out and very happy with my decision.

[AmberK1026 9]

I dont have any experience with the DS but I got my band nearly 2 years ago and I wish that I had done the sleeve and not even messed with the band.

[Doreykn 113]

I was considering the bypass until my surgeon totally explained the differences in a way I could fully understand. It was the best choice for me. I'm just over 6 months out & have lost 82 lbs. I couldn't be happier!

[Foxbins 625]

I am 16 months post-op and have never regretted my choice. I thought bypass and DS were too drastic for someone with less than 100 lbs to lose, and the Lap-band had terrible complication and reoperation statistics. I am so happy I chose VSG.

[Lissa 2,631]

From my reading, the DS requires a ton more attention to diet and Vitamin levels than the sleeve requires. DS patients must carefully monitor their Vitamin levels because they have BIG problems with malabsorption from food. DS also requires rerouting the digestive tract and that's not something I really wanted to have done.

IMO, the sleeve is the best option because we get to keep our normal digestive system, including the pyloric valve at the bottom of the stomach. We also still absorb most Vitamins normally. I believe B12 is the major exception to this. Literally, we still have all of the same parts in the same places, with restriction on the amount we can eat, which, IMO, leads to fewer complications.

I decided that reduced stomach capacity, with the ability to absorb nutrients from my food was a better idea for me than having a foreign body implanted and, if I read everything correctly, you CAN still opt for a DS if the sleeve doesn't work for you. But, from the results I see around here, the sleeve WORKS!!! I'm definitely a testament to the sleeve working, and working very well, thank you!

[BenisaMartim4 369]

I am out 3 months and have already lost 73#. That is 50% of my excess body weight. Docs don't even tell by-pass pt. to expect that in less that 12 months. So I am happy with mine. I for sure wouldn't want anything more drastic! This is hard enough to learn to live with.

[fitforlife 18]

I sometimes think it may have been better for me to have had the bipass. The reason is because I can am still hungry and I can tolerate sweets---actually they are my sliders. with the bipass I wouldn't have been able to eat sweets, they make you sick. so I still have to work on self control with the sleeve....

[Jill279 65]

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. I am only 16 days post op so my experience is very short. In the beginning I was debating between the 2 surgeries also. I knew a lot of people that got the bypass done so I talked to a lot of them. Here is what i learned. I know 6 people who are 3 to 12 years post op bypass. 5 of the 6 people gained at least 60% of the weight back. 3 regretted doing it the other 2 said they wish they would have followed the doc diet guidelines. Then 1 person loves it and is very successful she will tell u she does everything her doctor says otherwise she would not b successful. The bypass is not full proof nore is the sleeve. Everyone has different results just like no pregnancy is the same. Make sure you are educated the best you can b for the surgery and ask ask ask as many people as u can about them all....good luck!

[Miriam 50]

I started my bariatric journey absolutely sure that I was going to do the DS. (We had friends who had done it - as in the whole family, parents and kids - and were thrilled with the results, and that's what even got me to consider bariatric surgery.) But my surgeon (pretty much the only one in my area who had experience with DS and could accept my insurance) refused to allow me to do DS - said it was too extreme for someone with my BMI (around 40 at the time), and offered me the choice of either band or sleeve. I knew that lots of people were unhappy with the band, so decided to go with the sleeve. Truthfully, now I'm so happy that I did that and not DS. My weight loss is going really well, and the idea of having to swallow all those pills (I can't even get in my Multivitamin every day) - ugh! Despite certain issues with my sleeve (very restrictive, quite a bit of throwing up), I still LOVE it.