RNY vs. Sleeve

[jessicabell620 2]

OK went in for my consultation and was really going for the sleeve, but now I'm contemplating RNY.. What are your thoughts

[James Marusek 5,244]

Generally if you have severe acid reflux (GERD), RNY is the recommended surgery. With RNY, weight loss is generally very quick and short. With sleeve weight loss is slower but the weight loss phase lasts longer. I believe, RNY has been around longer so it has a more defined track record. Sleeve is a newer procedure. With RNY, your body no longer manufactures many Vitamins from food, thus one needs to take a regiment of Vitamins for the remainder of one's life. With sleeve this is not the case. I had RNY and I am more familiar with that procedure than the sleeve. So take my comments about the sleeve with a grain of salt.

[jessicabell620 2]

Was it a fast recovery? And I read that you can't have sweets with RNY

[catwoman7 11,215]

most people can have an occasional sweet, but too much and some people dump. I don't dump, but more than a bite or two bothers my stomach.

[catwoman7 11,215]

btw - sleevers also have to take Vitamins for life, but not as many

[jessicabell620 2]

Thanks.. Was it a long recovery?

[catwoman7 11,215]

no - not at all. I had almost no pain and never even used the pain medication they sent me home from the hospital with. I slept a lot the first few days and my abs were pretty sore, making it a challenge to sit up and get out of bed, but after the first week (if that) I felt pretty normal. I took three weeks off work, but probably could have gone back after two (or even sooner - other than the fact that I was napping a lot the first couple of weeks - I was still exhausted from the surgery!). But no - it was a surprisingly easy and quick recovery

[jessicabell620 2]

My son is autistic so I would love a fast recovery.. How long was your hospital stay? Thanks for answering

[Twinmomma422 54]

I have a 10 year old son with Cerebral Palsy and I had the sleeve. He was the main reason I chose sleeve over rny. I had surgery on a Wednesday and came home Friday. I know that rny you have to be in another day or two. I was up and walking 4 hours after surgery also. I'm now almost 9 weeks out and have lost 50lbs

I haven't had any issues at all, but I also haven't tried any sweets lol. I haven't had any issues with other foods either. I take it slow and eat a low fat, low cal, low carb, no sugar diet and do great.

[catwoman7 11,215]

I was in the hospital for two nights as well (RNY). I think that's pretty standard unless you have complications.

[jessicabell620 2]

Thanks! I can't wait

[SweetPotato 142]

i had the sleeve and only stayed overnight. Went back to work on day 7 and feeling pretty awesome...

[winklie 518]

RNY has been around since the 1960's, it has been through numerous modifications over the years, but it's track record is unparalleled. Remember 6 or 7 years ago when everyone was going on and on about the band? Look how that disaster turned out. The Sleeve, to me falls in the same camp, there is not enough long term data for me to make an informed decision. That and I suffer from extreme GERD making the sleeve a no go for me. There is a reason most Surgeons refer the the RNY as "The Golden Standard".

[beachgal2935 596]

@@jessicabell620 I agree with winklie 110%! I had surgery at mayo and went in wanting the sleeve and after hearing both sides of the story, opted for RNY. I didn't have GERD but had been a type II diabetic for 10+ years. I was told RNY would give me an 85% chance of sending my diabetes into remission. That's the route I chose and off the all my meds I came immediately after surgery. That included my high blood pressure meds as well. Mayo doesn't even do the band surgery anymore because their research found that merely restricting calories did not prove to last long term. While they do perform the sleeve procedure, they fear it may have the same results. I was just in my aftercare meeting last night and it broke my heart to hear one of the men, who had the sleeve only 2 months ago, say that he told his fellow firefighters to just cook like they always do and he'd just eat smaller portions. Last month he even stated he ate half of a Subway sandwich and felt no discomfort. Was so proud he only eaten half. I winced. This surgery is a tool to give us a once in a lifetime chance to change our food choices, not to just eat less of the crap we ate before we had it. They remind us each month at our meetings "This isn't brain surgery, it's gut surgery!" Once our cravings come back, in a year or so, then what?! If you haven't made those life changing choices, you'll gradually increase your portions, begin snacking and you will regain the weight. So many people do!!!! I encourage you to do as much research as you possibly can and make the best choice for yourself. I see so many people, on here especially, do a "revision" from band to RYN or "sleeve" to RNY and for me I wanted it to be One and Done! FYI - I had RNY at 8 a.m. on a Tuesday and was home at 6 p.m. the next day. Took 2 pain pills as a precaution the day after and then I was done. Felt wonderful from that point on. Best of Luck to you

[James Marusek 5,244]

Was it a fast recovery? And I read that you can't have sweets with RNY

In RNY that part of your stomach that processes fats and sugars is cut away. Therefore fats and sugars pass into your intestines. This leads to dumping syndrome. So no, you can't have fats and sugars for about a year after the operation. Then your intestines change and they evolve to absorb fats and sugars. At this point you will be able to eat fats and sugars.

My recovery was quick. In the 2 days I was in the hospital, I walked 100 laps around the corridor, the normal walking track.