Hello! and am I making the right choice?

[chubbsey1 126]

I have been lurking over a month and reading alot! I'm here because my cardiologist and my PCP recommended surgery. I'm a 39 yr old male with a history of dieting and a long love affair with food. Last year I had 2 stents put in my heart and was forced to retire from my job, besides stents I am diagnosed with sleep apnea,high blood pressure, high lipid counts yes all of them especially triglycerides (1500 range w/o meds). I decided i would like to be around for my boys ages 6 and 4 so here I am with the support of my doctors and a very apprehensive wife. I thought about the sleeve but it seems in the forum for that surgery that the complication rate is higher, this scares the you know what out me because right after my stents were put in a few months later I had an emergency appendectamy followed by an infection and leakage into my guts (a not so fun 9 days in the hospital). I have done my research on both surgeries and I am going with old faithful Rny. My question is this Does any one here wish they had the sleeve instead of Rny? just looking for reassurance. Thank you in advance.

[nads0802 1]

The reason that I chose the RNY over the sleeve is because with the sleeve you can still eat whatever food you want you are just limited to how much you can eat. My problem with that is I would probably eat the wrong foods hence I wouldn't lose weight. I am a big sweet eater so I needed something that would limit my sweet intake which is the RNY. With the sleeve if I wanted to eat a donut for Breakfast, lunch and dinner I could and with the RNY I cannot or I will pay the price later. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[chubbsey1 126]

Thanks that makes sense I love my sweets and carbs as well which is why I did so well with the low carb diets in the past only to fall off and get run over by the wagon.

[kristy3k 1,133]

welcome to the group. Glad you have decided to make such a life changing decision for your family and your self. You will find that it is such a life changing event. I too was going to go for the sleeve. When I told my surgeon that I was a grazer and a carb a holic he was ademant about doing rny on my. Now 14 months later and 185 pounds lighter... I am glad I went with what he said. I have been on these boards for a long while too and you can see so many revisions from lap band and sleeve to rny. It is the industry gold standard for a reason. With that being said... only you and your surgeon can make the best decision for you. Good Luck Buddy... and welcome to the boards.

[chubbsey1 126]

Thanks Kristy I forgot about my grazing Lol. Sounds like i'm headed in th right direction.

[Sunnybare 6]

I initially wanted to get the sleeve. I had a heart attack at 37 years old, After tons of research I discovered most people with health problems benefit much more from RNY. I have a 3 year old dtr and 14 year old son. I want to be the active parent and one day grandparent. I really feel that in my heart RNY is my only option to take away all the health p[robles. Good luck in your decision. It is scary and difficult.

[chubbsey1 126]

Sorry to hear about your heart attack Sunny I'm glad your okay. Have you had your surgery yet?

[padlrd 183]

I would talk to both your dr Bariatric and Cardiologist I went with RYN because of long history and not much on long time history on sleeve cause they haven't been doing that long and I see post and in research of people have sleeve switched so I want only one surgery that showed a long time success results cause I only wanted to do it once

[Sunnybare 6]

Thank you, sorry about yours too. It is scary. No I have not had surgery yet. Should be June/July. I am a Registered Nurse and I used to work on a floor in early 2000's when they first strted doing these surgeries in y hometown, the doc was a quack, lots of deaths and complications then. We would get pts when they stepped down from ICU. I swore I would never has RNY! I became an ER nurse at a larger hospital shortly thereafter and our hospital had paired with a large teaching hospital and the docs came and did the surgery at our hospital offering help to more rural obese pts. I would see an occassional pt come in and I started researching them and saw their mortality rate was very low. So in 2008 I started the process and found out I was pregnant. So last year I started the process again and was very interested with the sleeve. I found out the sleeve is done initially on pts that are extreme high risk for RNY. If your surgeon and cardiologist feel you need the sleeve it is in your best interest. After you lose weight with the sleeve and get healthier they typically go back in and convert it to RNY. But if you arecleared for RNY I feel it has a better success than just the sleeve alone. I am severely insulin resistant so RNY I feel and my surgeon agrees is my best chance for doing away with diabetes. There is also a duodenal switch which is a combination of RNY/sleeve. Research them all until you are sick and tired of it. Write down questions and concerns so you have them when you see your doc and can discuss them. Hats off to you for taking this HUGE step to be a better dad!

[chubbsey1 126]

Sunny thanks again for your input I have an appointment with my surgeon on Friday I guess I'll have a better idea of my choice then I am heavily leaning no pun intended towards rny.

[nursemissy 42]

Hi!

Welcome to the forums. I am still pre-op waiting for my surgery date.

You sound like a good candidate for RNY. Of course this decision is totally up to the doctor as well.

This isn't a diet, it's a life long commitment and lifestyle change. Like the others have said read everywhere and everything you can get your hands on about this change. There are two other sites that I know of besides this where you can find information. Nothing rocks like we do.

Thinnertimes and obesityhelp.

I am also ready a book called goodbye ED hello me. Its a series of books written by a woman with an eating disorder. Lol she is anorexic (spelling) but it talks about her approach to her disorder and how not to depend on food or her case no food for stress, boredom etc. I like it.

This is for YOU. You have to want it, you have to own it. Its not goIng to be easy. I am 44 with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, depression, pain daily, tried to overdose on medication because I just could not handle the pain and stress. I am tired of hurting every day and a knee replacement is in my near future. I am an L.P.N. and haven't worked for 3 years and I miss it so.

I have had a lifetime of junk food. Time to eat right so I can live again because now all I do is exist.

Hopes this helps. Good luck and welcome.

[padlrd 183]

Just thought I tell you more I had a blood clot in my LAD in 2000 they sucked it out and put in 2 stents I also had mild heart attack I have not had any problems since with my heart at that time I weighed 222 sounds good weight but that was kilos so its 488 well after I did Medfast and lost down to 250 keep most off but since 2005 I've went back to 398 Nov 2011 got insurance and went to dr to get help he did a lot of blood work especially on Thyroid and get my dosage up and put me on Metform cause my body didn't use insulin efferencently and in 10 months dropped to 369 and the pa is was seeing left so I decide to seek out on my own My Lymphedema the therapist had told my she was starting to work with a Bariatric dr a while back so called and asked who made my appointment but had to do simanars first I did and made my appointment I had already talked to my cardiac dr about this he is who I trust for guidance and he told me to do it he said talk to Bariatric dr and see what he suggested but he thought RYN cause of history so Feb 14 I did it everything with surgery went great no neausea little pain but the next day had some trouble went into A-fib el-regular heart beat So a few extra days but one morning my cardiac dr come and I guess knew I was feeling down as he was leaving my room he stopped turned around shone his finger at me and said I know what your think and to stop he said this was the best thing I had done for myself even with these problems and not to worry it was probley just stress from the surgery that caused it from worry or just being scared . There are more risk just getting in your car and driving I think the odds were 1000-1 so you need to be there for your kids and to be healthy so many do this and get rid of high blood pressure diabetes and many other problems and its much better then the other chance you leaving if you stay as you are So put it in GODS hands and he will lead your Dr down the healthy path for you and your family

[Sunnybare 6]

glad you are doing so well padlrd. That is quite a story and you are right, we all need to get healthier or we will not have a long life. God is in control and all knowing. A mottoI always have loved....have a little Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust!

[terry1118 1,274]

I have been lurking over a month and reading alot! I'm here because my cardiologist and my PCP recommended surgery. I'm a 39 yr old male with a history of dieting and a long love affair with food. Last year I had 2 stents put in my heart and was forced to retire from my job' date=' besides stents I am diagnosed with sleep apnea,high blood pressure, high lipid counts yes all of them especially triglycerides (1500 range w/o meds). I decided i would like to be around for my boys ages 6 and 4 so here I am with the support of my doctors and a very apprehensive wife. I thought about the sleeve but it seems in the forum for that surgery that the complication rate is higher, this scares the you know what out me because right after my stents were put in a few months later I had an emergency appendectamy followed by an infection and leakage into my guts (a not so fun 9 days in the hospital). I have done my research on both surgeries and I am going with old faithful Rny. My question is this Does any one here wish they had the sleeve instead of Rny? just looking for reassurance. Thank you in advance. [/quote']

When I began thinking of weight loss surgery I talked to a friend about it. She had considered it but her family health history made her reconsider. She advised me to research the HECK out of the subject so that's what I did. I watched YouTube videos, googled stories, and talked to several people who I learned had WL surgery. After hearing nothing but glowing stories I began to try to deliberately find people who were less than happy. It was hard to find anything negative but I did find a few. BUT those people who didn't do well had only themselves to blame. They made poor food choices and/or failed to follow their doctors instructions. Some people had complications, but of that group (small group) no one regretted their choice. Overall it seemed to be a life changing decision with amazing results. I discussed the possibility of WLS with two of my doctors. One said I would be a good candidate and arranged for me to go to an seminar. My other doctor HUGGED me and congratulated me on my choice. These reactions made me feel more comfortable about the idea. The seminar was very informative and further convinced me that it was the right choice for me.

If you haven't attended an informational seminar yet, you should. It's not a commitment and your wife may be less concerned if she has more information. Good luck!

[chubbsey1 126]

Thank you for your wonderful stories and resources I definitely check out those web sites, I have been to 2 info seminars and both were very informative I'm looking to attend a couple of support groups at the hospital which is mandatory by my insurance co. Anyway I am looking forward to this journey I have been reading everything and anything I can and also talking to friends and family and you guys. Thank you for the advice there is always some comfort in talking to people in the same boat.