QUESTION: What made you decide to be sleeved OVER gastric bypass?

[READY4CHANGE2013 88]

I recently had my first dr's appt and the nurse suggested the bypass over the sleeve for me because of my co-morbidites. I'm not too sure how I feel about that. I am a little nervous with doing the bypass due to the whole re-routing thing so I'm curious with your weightloss being more than 200lbs what your deciding factor was.

[Takingcontrol 467]

For me the "dumping syndrome" associated with the bypass was something I wanted to avoid! My sister had the bypass, she had DS bad...& a yr & 1/2 later still does!

[Lander 74]

My weight loss goal was only 140, but I can still tell you I didn't want to reroute everything, I didn't want to be as limited in what I could eat (dumping syndrome) and my PCP told me that if I had the bypass I would have diarrhea for the rest of my life and that it would be the unpredictable kind. I really didn't want that. As it turned out, when I went to the seminar, the surgeon said that bypass patients can't take time release medications and I was taking a few of those and on those grounds my PCP pushed for me to have the sleeve.

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

I am scheduled for my surgery in 6 weeks. My highest weight was 360.. which is around 200 pound above my "healthy weight" I started looking into surgery when I was 330 pounds.

I chose VSG because I knew I didn't want by-pass. I didn't like the fact that the benefits of the malapsorptave component were only temporary while the malabsorption of Vitamins was permanent. Based on the statistics, the results are very similar.

Now, I hope that the sleeve will be a powerful enough tool for me, and I THINK it will be... but if it is not, then, I can still consider the Duadenal switch at some point in the future which is a more powerful surgery than vsg or or Bypass although I really REALLY don't want to go down that road would only do so if I developed co-morbidities that required further weight reduction.

[popsicle_20721 27]

I recently underwent a revision from band to sleeve. Initially I was bound and determined since I was doing a revision I wanted to have the procedure that would produce the most optimum and proven results - which I didn't have with the band. Clearly that was the by-pass. However, when I heard and read about the dumping syndrome, inabilty to tolerate anything that had sugar and all the pills I would have to take for the rest of my life, I started to reconsider. The final straw was when my physician who I think is a really nice, personable sort of fellow (most docs to me are not) told me that he only does sleeves and bands, his partner did the by-passes I really started thinking. Then I met his partner, another doctor with no personality - I decided to do the sleeve. It was important to me this time to have a physician that I felt I could talk to this time around. Lot's of stuff to consider. My DIL had the sleeve and her highest weight was a little bit more than mine e.g. over 220lbs and 2 years later she looks great and says it's the best decision she ever made. Oh yeah, when I got the band 4 years ago, I was going to do the by-pass then. I asked my doc, which surgery do he think I should have and he said I didn't have that much weight to lose, so he recommended the band vs. bypass; sleeve was not really as available then or maybe insurance companies weren't approving it. He was wrong, but in a way I'm glad I didn't do the by-pass then, because this time I was much more informed regarding the things I needed to consider.

[Rycherchick 147]

I am still Pre surgery and I have my date with Dr Small on Wed. I have a lower BMI and I jusknew I didn want the lap band. I only want to lose 70-80 pounds. I resersched all of the surgeries and I also thankfully hve no co morbidities,I just knew I didnt want to loose my hair and take compounded Vitamins ( expensive) for the rest of my life. Forget whathe nurse says what does he Doctor say?Research them all and you will find the one thatis right for you. Years ago I knew a woman who was 435 and she had Gastric bypass in 2001 and lost 200 pounds. We were roughly the same weight except that she was happy where she was and I wasnt. Good luck toyou!

[Takingcontrol 467]

My surgeon said he no longer does the bypass...only the sleeve. He said there were too many complications & therefore it was Safer for him, & his patients....& the end results were the same.

[Geminidrive 389]

I only entertained the sleeve and Band, when I initially decided on surgery I thought I would do the band, but after my due diligence, the sleeve was the best choice. Thus far, no pain, no nausea, and no regrets.

[Obsidian 26]

The main reason I chose the sleeve over the bypass despite needing to drop a massive amount of weight was something that has been touched on by SerendipityHappens. The problems with the Vitamin deficiencies with the bypass was a larger list and more of a problem. It seemed to me that post-op the VSG would end up being far easier to manage since the stomach still functioned the same and your intestines were still fully utilized. Plus, I did not want to spend my entire life from surgery on thinking about and planning my next meals because I wasn't absorbing enough of whatever Vitamin. The goal was to STOP obsessing over food constantly for comfort OR because of guilt.

That being said I also did not want to deprive myself of EVERYTHING for the rest of my life. I didn't need the added stress of "I'll never ever ever have (fill in the blank) because my new stomach just won't handle it." I wanted to reduce portions and learn a new way of viewing my food (instead of being for comfort).

Plus I had a little insider observation. My friend had the bypass and even a year out has to watch everything she eats to avoid dumping syndrome. She's also been to the emergency room since her surgery more times than I can count for a variety of things, most related to the surgery. Now don't get freaked out! Most of it wasn't serious and was generally her own fault, a few trips for IV liquids, a possible blockage, as well as overall non-stop stomach pain because she just can't seem to figure out how to NOT eat things that upset her stomach. She also suffers major deficiencies and now has holes in her teeth and her hair is falling out.

Don't get me wrong, some people who have the bypass do FINE and she is an example of someone who probably would have been better off having the sleeve. At least then, if she learned to eat around it, she wouldn't suffer so many of the other problems. But who knows maybe it'll work out for her in the end, maybe one day she'll get it together.

By watching her, I knew that for ME I was making the right choice to get the sleeve.

[dollbaby1969 7]

Hi,

I researched the band, bypass and the sleeve. After reading and researching and attending the seminars, I chose sleeve because I would not be rerouting. I wouldn't have the issue of malabsorption. Another determining factor was that I was told in the seminar that bypass patients who were diabetics had their diabetes instantly resolved. I am not diabetic so that was the final factor in my decision.

[READY4CHANGE2013 88]

Thanks you guys!! I see we all share that common concern of the Vitamin deficiency and dump syndrom. I think I'm going to go with my ORIGINAL decision and SLEEVE it.....you ALL were a great help!!

[Chris R 217]

I had 300 lbs to lose when I started my surgical 'program'. At that time, they told me that the surgeon probably would want me to get the bypass due to my diabetes, but I really didn't want to re-do all of my internal plumbing! 9 months and 60 lbs lost later, I met with the surgeon who told me it was my choice! I chose the sleeve and am very happy with that decision. I had also read about problems with absorption of not only Vitamins, but pain medication, and people who had bypasses being accused of drug seeking behavior because their bypass prevented them from absorbing their pain meds!

[desert19 93]

It was the malabsorption issue that really swung my decision over to having the sleeve.

[pottergirl 261]

i think we all had similar reasons for choosing sleeve over bypass....i knew you all would touch on them...so yes to of the above...my friend is having two issues with his gastric bypass....he's internal bleeding where the intestine hooks up to the pouch and he's getting shake y after a meal i believe is hypoglycemia.....on a brighter note....he's of f his diabetes meds....and he's slightly below goal.have guys noticed that some gastric bypass people look like skeletors