Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy or Gastric Bypass for 100+ weight loss

[cindyvirden.com 60]

I am meeting with surgeon in a couple weeks and we are discussing the sleeve verses bypass. I am 50 years old, no other health concerns except my knees are bad from my extra weight and the obvious.. I am overweight scratch that obese : )

So for those of you who have had bypass I was wondering if you would now have considered the sleeve or visa versa.

THANK YOU ahead of time as I am a newbie.

Losing weight Gaining Life,

Cindy Virden

www.cindyvirden.com

[green*eyed*girl 170]

Hi Cindy!

Honestly, I always wanted the sleeve, because it is less invasive, no malabsorption and with cutting out over 80% of the stomach they get rid of the ghrelin, so no hunger after surgery. I really liked that.

I did not like the bypass, the re-routing, malabsorption, Vitamins for life, and to my horror I was reading a topic about your gas and poo being extra super smelly after bypass, so I thought no way!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turned out I had GERD, so guess what??? I got the bypass!

I have learned a lot since my surgery, like 50% of the bypass patients will not develop any Vitamin deficiency, and success rate is higher with bypass. Turns out I can use the malabsorption part of the surgery because I can eat everything, I have no dumping and I get hungry every 3-4 hours, so the extra help comes handy . Honestly, I feel great. I am losing rather slow, but it is steady. I tolerate everything and I am in good spirits. Oh about the gas and poo: before the surgery I told my best friend about what I read, that it is going to smell really bad, and she looked at me like I lost my mind, and she asked me "But tell me, whos gas and poo smells good?? What difference does it really makes?" Turns out the smell is just as bad as it was before the bypass

Now, that I had a successful bypass surgery I would not change it for anything, but I think the sleeve is a great tool also. It is a very personal decision, but you have to listen to your doctor and have to be careful about the decision. Good luck to you!

[lisalisalisa 54]

Hi Cindy,

When I started this process I was dead set again bypass. I did not want my insides re-routed lol. Someone I met made me think about it and in the end, I did bypass. I am so so so so glad I did!!! Here's why I am:

1. Better success rates

2. If you eat too much sugar it really makes you regret that! I need that, sugar is my weakness

3. I knew I only had one shot and was afraid I'd always regret not going "all the way". One surgery, do it right!

4. It has been so much easier than I thought it would be provided I don't overeat! That's true with the sleeve too.

5. I've lost 85 pounds since August! Need I say more?

6. I still haven't fully gotten the hunger back and wow it's awesome while that sensation is gone!

I can only speak for myself but I know I'd have regretted going only 1/2 way (sleeve) for my one surgery shot. We all are different and have different issues/needs. Best move I ever made!

Lisa

[missbrown30 148]

Hey there, Cindy. I would say its a personal choice but you also need to check with your surgeon. I was scared to death of the having the bypass and put off having wls for over 3 years because of my fear. Then I hit rock bottom and realized that the only way I was going to lose weight and keep it off was to have wls. When I went to my first appointment with the surgeon (it was the same surgeon when I thought about having wls 3 years prior) he told me about the gastric sleeve. He felt the sleeve was better for me due to my history of noncompliance with medication (I didn't take any meds on a daily basis including my blood pressure meds). I had gastric sleeve/gall bladder surgery on 4/8/14 and I have lost almost 40 pounds (average of 4lbs a week). Some days I think I would have lost more weight if I had the bypass but I see there are some people who lose just as slowly with the bypass and some people who were sleeved and have lost significant amounts of weight in little time. I think you should peruse both forums and also take into consideration the pros and cons of each as it relates to your health history. Good luck!

[Racewalker48 41]

I had bypass 4 months ago and would not have considered the sleeve as I had GERD. I chose bypass as I considered it the gold standard for WLS, with the most data on success and complications. The sleeve is now becoming more and more popular and I understand why. It also allows for successful weight loss and is less invasive.

I wanted to give myself the best chance of weight loss and maintenance and to relieve my GERD, so RNY was for me. I also liked that fact that RNY gives you both restriction with the pouch and malabsorption with the intestinal bypass. The malabsorption is a benefit, but can also be a problem if you don't take your Vitamins consistently. So, I take my Vitamins without fail and do my best to maintain good nutrition. So, far, so good, and I am far from perfect. My surgeon told me that this would be the hardest diet I would ever do. He was right.

There are pros and cons to either procedure, hopefully your surgeon will thoroughly go over both procedures so that you can make the best decision for you. One other thing to consider, surgery changes your anatomy, but not your mind, and is a tool for your weight loss journey. I believe that appropriate use of the tool gives you the best change of long term success, regardless of the tool employed. Good luck to you!