gastric bypass vs. sleeve

[jennyksmith84 2]

hello I new to the group. I am scheduled to have my surgery nov 3rd. I was originally planning through this whole process to have the gastric. I met with my doctor this week and he told me the sleeve might be a good option too to consider. I just wanted to hear from people who had the surgery and see what you have to say. or maybe why you went with one over the other. thanks.

[MOTIVATED77 0]

The sleeve is GREAT not too much success with the band good luck

[thesuse2000 698]

gastric bypass is a bigger surgery, that involves rerouting of intestines. It has been done for much longer than the sleeve and so is a more proven method, but is more likely (from early comparisons) to lead to longterm complications than the sleeve. The "bypass" of intestines leads to not all of your calories being and nutrients being absorbed, so this is an additional way that it supports weight loss and maintenance vs the sleeve, but this can also lead to problems associated with malabsorption of nutrients.

One other benefit of the sleeve is that more of the part of your stomach that secretes ghrelin is removed. This is a hunger hormone, so removing it helps manage hunger.

I'm very happy with the sleeve. I would also ask your doctor to explain the relative risks and benefits of both. There may be reasons specific to your health/body that make the sleeve a better option for you.

[maggiemayuk 106]

It seems to me that different surgeons have different opinions. I discussed band vs sleeve initially. The surgeon said they'd had a lot of success with the sleeve and no longer considered it just an intermediate stage for very large people before they went on to have the bypass. I thought the sleeve sounded less drastic than the bypass because there's no re-routing involved and therefore there should be less malabsorption. Also re band vs sleeve the sleeve should help more with type 2 diabetes and with the sleeve the part of your stomach that produces ghrelin, the 'hunger hormone' is removed.

However, by the time my surgery was scheduled there was a new surgeon with very different opinions. I met him just before surgery when it was too late to change things without cancellation and long delays. Basically he said that the sleeve was just as drastic as the bypass with the disadvantage that it couldn't be reversed whereas the bypass can be. That scared me a bit because obviously with the bypass you still have 'spare stomach' inside you whereas with the sleeve he was going to take away 90% of my stomach and that would be gone forever.

It seemed to me that he had taken over the other surgeon's list and didn't necessarily agree with the choices made. However, to be honest I've never heard of a bypass being reversed - I don't know whether anyone else here has?

I went ahead with the sleeve and am 4 weeks out now and don't regret it so far. I'm certainly never hungry and that's a bonus although I realise that this will probably change the farther out from surgery I get.

Good luck with everything whichever choice you make.

[GummyTummy 154]

Sleeve was actually the first surgery they did for WLS. It was called stomach stapling back then. They improved upon the reversibility of the stapling by innovating further and removing the stomach muscle, for a reason. People that truly need WLS have usually suffered their entire lives with obesity and it used to be reserved for people with dangerously high BMI. WLS is not something I would ever suggest having undone, because honestly most of us would find ourselves right back in the same boat we were in the first first place. Sleeve and Bypass are weight loss tools, not temporary solutions.

Disadvantage to bypass - More dumping syndrome, major mal-absorption of nutrients, multiple areas of internal incisions and rerouting of the plumbing.

Sounds hypocritical to say, but I think nature got the routing right, I just got the use of it wrong. I stretched my stomach by eating too much so trimming it down with sleeve was the best option for me.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

saw my doctor - told me the sleeve might be a good option too

@@jennyksmith84

hi back at ya

welcome welcome to the group

won't repeat all the good/correct info from above posts

i can see you are a smart cookie and will wisely choose the sleeve

for ME the sleeve was the only way to go

of course i'm biased since i live in sleeveland

I "VOTE" for the sleeve

no ifs, ands, or butttts

good luck with your decision

hope to see you around my neighborhood

good vibes being sent your way for November 3rd

speedy recovery

kathy

[Rovobay 920]

sleeve.... all reasons posted above are great. I am 5 weeks out and love my sleeve! research all you can. good luck

[kidrn72 85]

I'm 20 mo post sleeve and am very happy with my decision:) I lost 125# and am maintaining well. I felt that the sleeve was a better option because I was always hungry and since the sleeve decreased the amount of hunger hormone that would be more helpful along with having to eat less. I didn't like the malabsorption issues with the bypass or the dumping. It's s personal choice.

[Babbs 14,681]

Personally? I now wish I would have gone with the bypass instead of the sleeve. I am having problems with GERD (which the doctor didn't bother to tell me got worse with the sleeve) and I find my weight loss is not as quick and as easy as I thought it would be with the sleeve. My husband had a Bypass 8 years ago, and he lost the weight almost effortless and has kept most of it off for 8 years. I do like the fact that there is less malabsorbtion and "dumping" with the sleeve. Like I said, that's my personal opinion. It's a very personal decision and up to you to get the facts and weigh the pros and cons Good Luck and good health!

Edited October 16, 2014 by Babbs

[tak81 4]

I to am not sure which procedure to have. I had my mind set on sleeve but just found out from my Dr today that with will likely not elevate my heartburn/GERD. I'm very concerned with the malabsorption and the bypass. From what I have heard that is what causes the Hair loss and makes you look older. I know I shouldn't be concerned with the cosmetic aspect, but I'm doing this not only to be healthier but to feel better about myself as well. Any advice is appreciated!

[Miss Mac 6,262]

After 9 1/2 months, I still am quite pleased with my sleeve. I did not want to get my plumbing re-routed, and I did not want an abdominal port for the rest of my life.

[GummyTummy 154]

Ah. I forgot to mention. I had severe chronic pain from heartburn preop, to the point that I figured they might not do my surgery once we determined if there was damage to the esophagus. My surgeon explained that I likely had a hiatal hernia in my esophagus as most obese people typically do. He explained he would push the hernia down and stitch up my diaphragm around the area to fix it, if indeed it was needed, at no cost to me. I haven't had heartburn since the day of surgery. First time in 15 years I have to force myself to remember to take a ppi, because I don't have pain reminding me to take the medicine all the time.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Do a search on this topic - someone else asked a similar question last week and there were pages of responses.

But, to answer your question, I also considered both. I wanted the sleeve, but then the doc said I'd lose more with the RNY, so I signed up for that even though he said I could do either. A couple days before surgery, I changed my mind and went with the sleeve. I've been happy with it, and I am totally without any sort of symptoms (dumping, GERD,vomiting, etc). I love that. Sometimes I think I could lose the last few pounds easier if I had the bypass, but really, I'm happy with my decision.

[HilaryInRC 116]

I had the lap band and then a revision to bypass. The band was hell on earth. Bypass has been such a blessing. Barely eat a thing and the weight just falls off. It is almost effortless. However, I am having some problems with malabsorption of my bipolar meds. So if you need lifelong meds unrelated to obesity, that is something to consider. People ask what my goal weight is and I say, I'm not sure. I guess whenever the weight loss stops. If I was happy with my weight now, hypothetically, and didn't want to lose more weight, I'd still lose it anyway bc I have no control over the weight loss. I'm at 176 now and it is still coming off 15 lbs a month effortlessly. I'm actually hoping the weight loss slows down some as I get smaller. Btw. I have no dumping. Perhaps if I ate cake or icecream or something it would happen. But, the only sweets I even care about now are hard ginger candy (3 before bed) and sugar free Popsicles. I can easily turn down cakes, Cookies, and other sweets.

[Amyllf2 206]

Find a surgeon you like and trust. Then discuss the options. I walked into the office 100% sleeve. 2 months later I walked out of the hospital with the bypass. My surgeon was great explaining the pros/cons with both. For me the main issues with reflux/gerd. If you have it prior to WLS, the sleeve is not a good option unless you plan on taking medicine forever. That was a big factor in my decision. The other factor was freedom. I got obese from eating crap. The sleeve does not restrict you from eating crap. It only restricts you from eating as much food. So that pumpkin pie that is calling my name would certainly be consumed had I had the sleeve. But at 6 months post-op bypass, no way. Yesterday I decided I was going to eat like a "normal" person. I had 2 pieces of sesame chicken, a chicken wing, 4 fresh tortilla chips and cheese queso dip. Stupid idea and I paid the price. I had a big episode of dumping and threw up foamies 4 times over the next hour. My bypass keeps me in check. I have only dumped 4 times in 6+ months because I make good choices.

My last issue for ditching the sleeve idea was strictly a mind thing. In the end I got too wrapped up in the what if game in my own mind. When I sleeve is done they remove your left over stomach. Gone. Out of the there. So what if something happens? I know that doesn't even cross people's mind but for me it was too much.