Which surgery?

[JacksdadShane 65]

I have been heavy my whole life. I have dieted and yo yoed back and forth. I made the decision to so something about it. My mind is in the right place and I am ready for all the hard work, my problem lies in selecting which surgery to have.

Initially I decided on the band because it is the least invasive. I was concerned with a major organ in my body being partially removed or having my diagestive system re-routed. Recently I have been researching and it seems like there are many complications with the band and very few bands are done anymore. I am now thinking the sleeve is the way to go but there are no is no long term data on how it effects the body. I know which ever method I chose is going to be a long hard road, but I am worried about the safety of the procedures.

I could use any advice that anyone can offer up.

[CanyonBaby 1,852]

If there is one, there are a million responses to this. I personally chose the sleeve to get rid of my diabetes. And I did. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and wish I had known about it sooner, to alleviate some of the complications I endure from the diabetes. But now, if I follow the rules, I shouldn't ever have any other issues with diabetes. All worth it. And it was the easiest and least painful of my 22 surgeries. Yes, there will always be the chance of complications, but for me, having the sleeve was the way to go because I wanted it to be permanent, without the option of reversing it. It was an "all or nothing" kind of deal. Good luck in your decision making, and for your surgery!

[NotSoBigMike 13]

When I began the process of WLS, I too was thinking LapBand, and like you after doing lots of research on the Band and some of the complications I decided On the VSG. I was sleeved on 2/17 and have been doing great. Since my 2 week liquid pre-op which began on 2/3 I am down 40 lbs. One of the other factors for me was the need to follow up for fills to find the right restriction, with my crazy life between work and shuttling around 2 teenage children I was worried that keeping appointments would be difficult. I personally know people who have been successful with both surgeries. It is a personal choice. Although I am a newbie I am glad I chose the sleeve.

Good Luck with your decision!

[joatsaint 2,814]

I had the Sleeve, and 3 of my co-workers have had Gastric Bypass. We range from 1 year post-op to 10 years post-op. We are all happy with our choices and results. I don't think you can really go wrong with either surgery. You are going to lose weight, the difference may be in how much mental effort is required.

I lost 170lbs in 2 years with the Sleeve. But from seeing the results my co-workers achieved, I do believe the Gastric Bypass is a little more effective, because of the initial and long-term limitations in the kinds of foods their pouch would tolerate. So even if they wanted to go back to old food habits, they couldn't or were very limited. But the tradeoff is having to stay on Vitamin supplements for life and the rerouting of your intestines.

But I would suggest talking with a WLS surgeon and get his advice on which surgery to choose. He'd be in a much better position to discuss the long term results you're likely to achieve with each surgery.

[4me4them 381]

Welcome to the forums! You will find lots of different perspectives here which is why I found it so valuable when I was starting out. I chose the sleeve because it seemed like the most natural to me. I didn't want a permanent device in my body (so no band) and I didn't like the replumbing associated with the bypass.

[CanyonBaby 1,852]

Thought I'd add that with the sleeve you should still be able to take N-Saids, especially if, like me, you have arthritis which needs an anti-inflammatory. I understand with the RNY it (N-Saids) can cause ulcers more so than with the sleeve. And since I'm only in my 50's, with a long, painful run ahead of me, I want to be able to take pain meds. Have a good evening!

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi Shane, way to go on choosing yourself and your healthy future -- that's the important thing. To me, weight loss surgery was about reclaiming my life and I am so glad I did it. I chose the Lapband because it is minimally-invasive and reversible. If something ever does go wrong, it can easily be removed. Now that is a complication I can wrap my head around. I was not prepared to do anything more drastic but that's just me. I would never choose plastic surgery, for example, whereas there are lots of people here who end up going that route. I don't even like going to the dentist. It's really a matter of figuring out what you feel comfortable with. Lapband requires a lot of followup in the first year. I was on board with that because it gave me accountability. I went back for all of my appointments and I've been very successful. It was 11 appointments with my surgeon. People who don't do the followup are not as successful or have complications, no question about it. Not all surgeons want to spend that much face time with a patient, so Lapband is not as popular as it used to be.

You will get a lot of responses to a post about which kind of surgery to elect. These days since the forum has combined under the Bariatric Pal umbrella Lapband is in the minority. Many successful banders have moved on because of negativity and I'm sorry that there are not more positive posts about WLS in general. People like to promote their own surgical choice because it helps reinforce the decision they made, but we are all different. It's great if you have medical professionals who you like and trust to present all of the options.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@JacksdadShane, I would suggest meeting with your bariatric team and go over your health issues. The reason I say this is you may get your heart set on one surgery only to find out another will actually solve your issues better.

For example, if you suffer from reflux/Gerd, the sleeve can make this problem worse where as RNY can cure it.

It is so important to take your personal health issues into consideration with your surgical team before deciding.

Also I would not get overly concerned about the rerouting issues that everyone talks about or in the case of sleeve where they remove part of your stomach. They have these surgeries pretty well figured out by now. That is one of thee reasons you see less bands being performed. I have seen quite a few bands have to be revised to bypass or sleeve on this site.

Keep doing your research because it is important that you are fully informed and comfortable with your decision. I had planned to do the sleeve and after research on line and meeting with 3 different doctors I was switched to bypass and have not ever regretted it. I wish I would have done it 20 years ago.

Good luck on your decision and certainly keep us posted.