Trying to decide--Bypass or Sleeve?

[PdxMan 4,292]

I attended the information session and found that all they wanted to do was discuss the bypass leaving me with the impression that people serious about loosing weight get the bypass and less committed folks go with the sleeve.

After researching both surgeries I feel the sleeve is best for me as the idea of being chemically depended on tablets to meet my nutritional needs for the rest of my life just doesn't sit well with me.

With the sleeve you will still need Vitamins the rest of your life.

YES! With either surgery you need Vitamins for the rest of your life otherwise you will feel crappy and get sick!!

So ... I just gotta throw my two cents in here ...

I am a sleeve patient, so I cannot speak to the other bariatric procedures.

It is possible to get all of your nutritional needs in through eating balanced meals and not have to take vitamins the rest of your life. Some folks who get WLS do begin a route of being very conscience of nutrition. They understand what they are putting in their bodies and feed their bodies what it needs. I am a work in progress and at this point am only doing the Vitamin B12 shots. I was doing a sublingual, but my blood tests revealed I could not get my levels up even taking them daily. But I had B12 issues even before my surgery, so ...

I guess the bottom line is we are all different in our approach. Early out, it is impossible to meet your body's nutritional needs and Vitamin supplementation will be required. But once you are able to eat the "normal" sleeve life and have the desire to not be on vitamins, you can get what you need through a good, balanced diet.

Some folks get the sleeve just so they can lose a bunch of weight and get the restriction it offers. Eat the same way they did pre-op occasionally consuming nutritionally irrelevant foods, just less of them. Which is totally fine, but these folks would most likely need vitamin supplementation.

So, for all the noobs and researchers reading this, your program will determine your need for vitamin supplementation, not the sleeve procedure.

[CowgirlJane 14,260]

I had the lapband for 10 years and then revised to the sleeve. I know very little about the bypass except for some (probably irrational) reason I just didn't want that procedure.

I think making pros and cons and listening to your surgeon's recommendations for you is a good idea. First surgeon I went to told me to not even consider the sleeve since my BMI was so high and I had already failed with the lapband. I went to the support groups and noticed that he pretty much did just bypass procedures... so it is clear there is quite a bit of bias even among surgeons.

I went to a surgeon who recommends sleeve first, but certainly does bypass and even bands for some cases. I am very very happy with my sleeve, but only time will tell if it was really the best thing, right?

In the end, all weight loss surgeries require commitment from YOU as the number one success factor. Longer term, complications, regain etc can happen with any procedure.

Oh, and I still need Vitamins. Problem is that I still have to eat so little to keep my weight at a normal BMI that it is pretty hard to meet all nutritional needs that way. Maybe younger/higher metabolism people it is different... but even in maintenance I am a "small eater"

Good luck!

[itsmekarenlee 129]

I was all set to get the sleeve until my surgeon told me that the sleeve could make my reflux worse . I think they are both great options. Good Luck

Ditto.

Now my husband is set to have the sleeve and I'm wondering if it's the right choice or GB too. And then there's the Duodenal Switch that has awesome percentages compared to sleeve and GB but our Dr won't/doesn't do DS's.

:::::sigh::::

[cutiepieinchi 158]

Ditto.

Now my husband is set to have the sleeve and I'm wondering if it's the right choice or GB too. And then there's the Duodenal Switch that has awesome percentages compared to sleeve and GB but our Dr won't/doesn't do DS's.

:::::sigh::::

I thought about ds,my insurance will only cover if you have a bmi over 50 and mine is 47.

[itsmekarenlee 129]

Then I may have misunderstood our surgeon then if that's the case. He could have just meant for us since our bmi's don't warrant it.

[iamsoworthit 430]

I am also 28. I need to lose about 125 pounds or so. I'm a bit confused because my surgeon did not tell me that bypass was for 200+ pounds people.

Bypass isn't just for super morbidly obese. I was 220 when I had it on june 2013, and am now 135. I am healthy without any of my co-morbitities and feel like a teenager. I have dumped 3 times in the last 11 months but never severely. Don't let fear of dumping scare you. Some people don't dump. I had reflux and now it is gone. Consider all your choices and use your medical profesdionals for the best advice for you. Good luck!!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

@@Ginger Snaps thanks for the explanation. That helps me to understand the reasoning behind the procedure to fix the issue.

[Linds14 3]

Hi everyone. I am new to this journey and have been looking for a forum just like this. At first I was leaning towards sleeve but the more I think about it I think I may want gastric bypass. I don't really know. I've had a consult earlier this month and I have another appt set in June. This is just the beginning but I am SO excited!!! I just hope I can stick with everything. :) I'm sure I can with the right support! What is everyone else leaning towards, sleeve or bypass, and why? Thanks guys!

[kimba6999 125]

Hi everyone. I am new to this journey and have been looking for a forum just like this. At first I was leaning towards sleeve but the more I think about it I think I may want gastric bypass. I don't really know. I've had a consult earlier this month and I have another appt set in June. This is just the beginning but I am SO excited!!! I just hope I can stick with everything. :) I'm sure I can with the right support! What is everyone else leaning towards, sleeve or bypass, and why? Thanks guys!

When i first was considering the process i did a whole lot of research and talked to a lot of people who have had WLS in the past. I attended a couple of seminars advocating for each and ultimately i chose the sleeve. The main reason i chose it was that the sleeve does not bypass any of ur digestive system and u still get to keep some gastric juice in ur stomach. It doesnt mess with ur insides. Whereas the bypass does. It just clamps off part of ur stomach and then bypasses the whole beginning of ur digestive system and u have to take suppliments the rest of ur life to combat the malabsorption from lack of digesting. The sleeve is less invasive and healing time is better. The sleeve is however irreversable so ur stomach will forever be tiny which is fine with me. My doc said it would never really stretch back to what is was. After some time it will relax a bit and u may be able to take in a couple mote ounces than now but what i eat now is plenty. I just eat Protein rich meals and if u are eating healthy then carbs and fats and sugars wont be an issue. At this point i am just 5 months post and down 97lbs. I started at 356 and am now 259. My weight loss is beginning to slow up just a bit but still losing about 2 lbs on avg. Some weeks more but so far never less than 2lbs. I feel for me it has been the best decision and the least amount of massive change to the way we were made. We need that digestion for our bodies to work properly. I personally havent had any complications since day one. I also had a hiatel hernia i had to have repaired and it has made a world of difference. Never knew i had it but for 2 yrs prior i had trouble eating. food was always getting stuck in my throat when i ate and would have to throw it up when it wouldnt go down. I also had horrible reflux at night if i ate too late. I would wake up so often choking on the acid that came up. I felt like i was drowning sometimes. Not anymore!! The sleeve has been the best decision i have ever made. I would so encourage u to do the research amd talk to as many people as u can. Make tye best choice for u. Good luck and keep us informed.