Bypass vs. Sleeve

[LMSWNYC 119]

I recently had gastric sleeve surgery two weeks ago. I was also undecided until about a month before the surgery. One of the things that helped me decide was attending support groups and meeting different people who had the sleeve and the bypass. I learned that in both surgeries it the weight loss success varied from person to person regardless of what surgery they chose. Some sleevers lost 100+ pounds and some had slower progress. I also met folks who had bypass and lost 60 pounds or 125. It really depended on how each person was following the diet and exercise plan. I also plan to have a baby as soon as I can and I felt more comfortable with a restrictive procedure rather than a restrictive and mal-absorptive one. My goal is overall health.

I would also ask write down questions to ask my doctor before my appointment which helped me make my decision.

In the end it is your body and you have to feel it is the right decision for you.

Best of luck in your decision!

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[aelovelady 243]

I was a size 20 and am now a 4. I had always been big too! You CAN do this with the aid of this incredible tool! Go you!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Again...I would like to say that I have nothing against the gastric bypass and I'm sure it's better for some. I will however once again say... do as much research as possible. ...the sleeve has become so popular and

Is as successful that many are calling it the new golden standard. Also, I never said that you don't have to take Vitamins on sleeve....but you have to take more on gastric. One other factor is weight....from what I understand, bypass is highly recommended for people who are morbidly obese.

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I started super morbidly obese and I got the sleeve. I couldn't be happier with my experience, my recovery, and my progress.

It really comes down to what is best for you.

Learn as much as you can about all the options but ultimately talk with your surgeon about what is right for you,

Best of luck.

[rte837 141]

With the bypass procedure they also do something with the nerves that make you hungry, but I do not know the specifics. I did not have an actual hunger feeling for over eight weeks after having the bypass. I am almost nine months post op and have lost 99 pounds. As for the absorption rate, I take one multi Vitamin and Calcium on a daily basis and that is it. People make it sound like it is so terrible and you are going to have to take 15+ pills for the rest of your life. No matter which procedure you will have to take a Vitamin and calcium and the bypass has a higher success rate. Best of luck to you.

They do something that MAKES YOU HUNGRY???? REALLY???

no! Don't know where you got that information.

[caligirltt 60]

With the bypass procedure they also do something with the nerves that make you hungry, but I do not know the specifics. I did not have an actual hunger feeling for over eight weeks after having the bypass. I am almost nine months post op and have lost 99 pounds. As for the absorption rate, I take one multi Vitamin and Calcium on a daily basis and that is it. People make it sound like it is so terrible and you are going to have to take 15+ pills for the rest of your life. No matter which procedure you will have to take a Vitamin and calcium and the bypass has a higher success rate. Best of luck to you.

They do something that MAKES YOU HUNGRY???? REALLY???

no! Don't know where you got that information.

@spicyfrog had typed that ^^^^^ up there. I'm wondering what Spicyfrog means...

[eclecticwingtips 130]

I was leaning towards the bypass, however my surgeon recommended a sleeve due to the high risk of having me under longer due to my high bmi. So im having a sleeve

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[LoveMyBypass 251]

With the bypass procedure they also do something with the nerves that make you hungry, but I do not know the specifics. I did not have an actual hunger feeling for over eight weeks after having the bypass. I am almost nine months post op and have lost 99 pounds. As for the absorption rate, I take one multi Vitamin and Calcium on a daily basis and that is it. People make it sound like it is so terrible and you are going to have to take 15+ pills for the rest of your life. No matter which procedure you will have to take a Vitamin and Calcium and the bypass has a higher success rate. Best of luck to you.

They do something that MAKES YOU HUNGRY???? REALLY???

no! Don't know where you got that information.

@spicyfrog had typed that ^^^^^ up there. I'm wondering what Spicyfrog means...

No no no, what she said was, they move around your nerves so you don't feel hungry. She said it differently, but that's what she meant. I don't know how true that is, BTW. I'm just clarifying the misunderstanding.

[JapGirl 229]

So the sleeve was "invented" for super high bmi patients as a precursor to having the bypass..... kind of like a "step 1" if you will.

The pouch with bypass is smaller I believe (I may be wrong) but they still removed the same portion of your stomach that contributes to the "hunger" hormone named Ghrelin. But don't let this he a deciding factor. This is where a large portion of the hormone is currently made, but it is not the ONLY place it is made. You're hunger will eventually return.

But going with the sleeve doesn't mean you can't get a bypass revision done later on, like I said the sleeve was originally performed on super high bmi patients as a first step. This was done to get their weight down enough to lower the risks of doing a bypass procedure. The lower your weight at surgery the less your risk of complications. So to spur weightloss to be able to more safely perform a bypass, doctors started doing the sleeve first then revising later on.

The biggest thing to help decide this is.....Do you want to deal with the malnutrition issues that can plague bypass patients? How high is your bmi? Are you willing do deal with dumping syndrome? I should note that not all gastric by pass patients dump, and some sleevers do. It's kind of a toss up. Are you willing to take the higher risk of the bypass? Bypass means being under for longer and is a longer procedure, can your health risk it?

This and many more are things you want to consider. Do your research and have a real "come to jesus" talk with yourself and be honest with what you are willing to handle. Both are good options..... but they are both permanent.

[caligirltt 60]

Thank you for clarifying. My surgeon has said I can choose either surgery and I have been under for 8+ hour surgeries where they stop my heart. So I'm not real concerned about the surgery. They are more concerned with recovery and blood clots because of a blood clotting disorder but I'll be on blood thinners for a while after with either one. I am loving all the input!

[sallo 56]

Hiya,

I only had bypass done at the start of February & started at 250 lbs. I too have a heart condition (Dilated Cardiomyopathy) and was given the all clear from my Cardiologist. I queried whether bypass would hinder absorption of medications and he said no. There's still a tiny bit in my brain that worries that it will and I will end up sick again. All I can do is remain positive. I also worry about malnutrition, but I already was malnourished with the garbage I ate.

My surgeon suggested bypass to me because I'm more of a 'sweet eater' than a general 'grazer'. I agreed because it has the operation has a long history and there's no way I'm letting anyone remove most of my stomach!! He said stomach tissue is important for grafts in the case of Esophageal cancer. Not saying it's going to happen- but I like the option.

Just my 2 cents (from a noob).

[judy1234 27]

I think almost everything's been said, but I just want to add my two cents because my doctor also totally left it up to me. I took a look at the comorbidities I had -- GERD, long-standing diabetes, severe sleep apnea, high blood pressure, obesity-related asthma -- and Googled which procedure had the best success rate at curing these conditions or putting them into remission. I tried to pay attention to research studies or abstracts where I could access them rather than peoples' experience, though I looked at some of that too. I ultimately decided on the bypass because it had the better result with overcoming diabetes. I am in my mid fifties and having a hot body was not on my list of priorities -- health was really my only focus. So that is one method that might help you decide -- you won't get most peer reviewed journal articles on the web, but you can find a surprising number of abstracts.

Good luck and whatever you choose, give it your all and don't look back! Either procedure can help you get to your goal.

Edited March 6, 2016 by judy1234

[cbruce125 114]

For me, it was more of a psychological decision.

I didn't want any re-routing of my body parts.

Just give me a smaller stomach .

That made the most sense.

I am 6 months out and am getting enough Vitamins and nutrients from food, so all I take is one chewable multi a day.

My blood work is terrific.

I started at 265 and am at 192.

So almost 75 pounds down, and I feel completely normal, eating about 1200 calories a day.

Best of luck with your decision.

For me, it was an was easy one.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I was leaning towards the bypass, however my surgeon recommended a sleeve due to the high risk of having me under longer due to my high bmi. So im having a sleeve

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I understand from everything I have learned that this is actually why the sleeve was developed -- to help patients lose enough weight to have a bypass. But, when they found how successful it was, they quit doing the second phase of a bypass and started doing more sleeves for everyone.

The BIGGEST risks for surgery are blood clots and pneumonia -- both of those risk go way up the longer you are on the table and under anesthesia.

[lifeofblair 308]

I had a surgeon explain the difference between the two very effectively and I was set on having the sleeve, then I met with the surgeon (I moved) that actually did my surgery and he recommended the bypass due to some of my medical conditions.

[QueenLoser 20]

Again...I would like to say that I have nothing against the gastric bypass and I'm sure it's better for some. I will however once again say... do as much research as possible. ...the sleeve has become so popular and

Is as successful that many are calling it the new golden standard. Also, I never said that you don't have to take Vitamins on sleeve....but you have to take more on gastric. One other factor is weight....from what I understand, bypass is highly recommended for people who are morbidly obese.

Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

I started super morbidly obese and I got the sleeve. I couldn't be happier with my experience, my recovery, and my progress.

It really comes down to what is best for you.

Learn as much as you can about all the options but ultimately talk with your surgeon about what is right for you,

Best of luck.

I agree. I've also encountered many people who were super obese before and decided to to do the sleeve instead and had a lot of success. It's one of the reasons I decided to go with the sleeve. Although I'm not super obese, I figure if it works well for many super obese people...then there's no reason it can't work well for me. Although, I know everyone is different. I've also met people who weren't that big starting off and did the gastric bypass and that also worked for them. That's what makes deciding so difficult. My statement earlier was just an example for why gastric bypass might be a better choice for someone else... of course weight is only one element, and there are many other components that goes into the final personal decision.