Am I making the wrong choice?

[TiredOfMyself 141]

I finally after 16 months have finished all of the requirements by my insurance company. They are submitting my paperwork for insurance approval (hopefully) as soon as they get my drug/nicotine testing back. I'm not having 2nd thoughts.

I am 5'1" and weigh 270. My doctor originally recommended bypass but I am scared (had a friends husband die from bypass surgery, my grandmother had a bypass and was never right again, my mom had a bypass and never lost any weight.) These aren't just random people. They are all people close to me. It just hits too close to home.

I said I was more comfortable with the sleeve and my doc agreed. He said if it wasn't successful we could do a revision (which I do not want to do!) I want to do this and do it right.

So now that I am days away from working on insurance approval I am worried I am making the wrong decision. How do I know I am making the right choice?

Thanks

[chrystine 42]

You have to be honest with yourself. Only you know the reasons why you're hesitant. As tragic as any loss of.life is, your likelihood of passing away.from this surgery is far less likely than dying from heart disease,diabetes, high blood pressure, the list goes on. Think how many people die in auto accidents. I would say it's the rare person who stop dying from risks.many people fear dumping. I have never dumped and I do cheat and.candy sometimes. There foods iove but afaid because they make me feel nauseated, I don't dump though. Sleeve people lose less excess weight than gastric bypass. I wasn't a sleeve candidate because of severe.GERD. I would Have had run RNY regardless. 20 months post open, have lost around 125 l s and and regrets. It's not.easy, but my life wasn't easy being obese

Hope this helps! Wishing you the best!

Edited August 24, 2016 by chrystine

[gowalking 10,790]

tell your doctor of your concerns. have him/her go over your choices as many times as necessary for you to feel comfortable with your choice. remember...you are the consumer and like any other purchase, you want to be sure you are buying the right thing. good luck..keep us posted.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Sleeve people lose less excess weight than gastric bypass.

Why do gastric bypass people say this? It's so not true. Sigh...

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

My Sister had the Gastric bypass and has been extremely successful. I had the sleeve and am still not in good health. Her surgery went flawless. In either case there are good results and bad results.

Please have your surgeon go over all the information and stats as far as success rates go and make your choice with confidence that what ever you choose you can deal with it because this is what you want more then anything.

Remember you are not your close family members who had these problems but it is something to consider when making a life changing decision. And that is what it is.......

[volfan 78]

I made up my mind to do it, and once I said I was, I only concerned myself with choices I would be making after surgery. I think you can drive yourself crazy over thinking things, and I know this is a big decision. Most of my honest fears were losing my friends pizza, hamburgers, fries, wine, beer, liquor, chips, deli subs, all you can eat buffets etc. I decided they made me obese, if I can get healthy, I can honestly live without them, they have never done anything positive for me. I have zero regrets! I have no hunger at all so far, 6 weeks post op. I am totally off on for blood pressure, diabetes, and I sleep better.

[stacyrg2 350]

You have to be honest with yourself. Only you know the reasons why you're hesitant. As tragic as any loss of.life is, your likelihood of passing away.from this surgery is far less likely than dying from heart disease,diabetes, high blood pressure, the list goes on. Think how many people die in auto accidents. I would say it's the rare person who stop dying from risks.many people fear dumping. I have never dumped and I do cheat and.candy sometimes. There foods iove but afaid because they make me feel nauseated, I don't dump though. Sleeve people lose less excess weight than gastric bypass. I wasn't a sleeve candidate because of severe.GERD. I would Have had run RNY regardless. 20 months post open, have lost around 125 l s and and regrets. It's not.easy, but my life wasn't easy being obese

Hope this helps! Wishing you the best!

This is NOT true. Sleeve people can lose just as much excess weight as Rny'ers. I was sleeved 2 years 3 months ago and lost 130lbs. This is a fallacy that needs to stop.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@TiredOfMyself You can be successful with the sleeve! Both surgeries are tools to help you restrict portions and calories. Both surgeries require hard work on your part and lifestyle changes. Bypass has the "benefit" of dumping (if you consider that a benefit - I don't) but sleeve patients can dump too. Bypass is more appropriate for patients with diabetes. Sleeve had the restriction but not the malabsorption (which is either a pro or con depending on how you look at it). I don't want my intestines re-routed or malabsorption so I'm getting sleeved. I fully plan to be successful! ????

And I have similar stats as you - 5'2" and 278. My Dr recommended sleeve.

Edited August 24, 2016 by KristenLe

[ssflbelle 829]

If I am correct, another advantage to the sleeve is the hunger hormone is gone after surgery but it does come back. I don't think the hunger hormone goes away with the bypass. I was always hungry and never felt full, throughout my 60 years of life. Now am I not only full with a little bit but I am never hungry and I am 7 month post op. As of today I have lost 76 pounds since surgery and feeling great.

Do your research on this site and read the various books available and outcomes from all the surgeries. You and your Dr have to be sure you are comfortable with which ever surgery you decide on. I know I was and still am. The sleeve was the best surgery for me and I wish it was available to me many years ago. I may be a senior citizen but I am working the tool and will finally get to my ideal weight. Better late than never. Good luck and keep us posted as to what you decide and how your doing. You have waited 16 months don't back out now.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

@@TiredOfMyself

i chose the sleeve over the bypass for various reasons

main one being my gerd issue

the weight comes as it does with GP

get your facts straight

read, talk to many

Knowledge is power

after all is said and done....this is a big decision only YOU can make

good luck

quick hijack

@RJ'S/beginning @gowalking @RJ'S/beginning

peek a boo!!

@RJ'S/beginning

nice to see you two

it's been a while

hope all is well

ok, back to scheduled program already in progress

sleeve/bypass

decisions, decisions!!

[catwoman7 11,212]

did those people have bypass a long time ago? Years ago, it was pretty risky - but not anymore. Techniques have changed and they know a lot more about it now. The mortality rate now is something like 0.3% - lower than hip replacement surgery.

[borg/assimilated 576]

@RJ'S/beginning,

Happy to see you posting on this board again.

[Djmohr 6,965]

A couple of things to clear up:

- Both the bypass and the sleeve will handle massive weight loss

- Don't count on dumping as a benefit given only about 30% of RNYers get dumping syndrome and you really don't want that. It is really the on purpose malabsorption factor that differentiates RNY from the sleeve. That malabsorption is on purpose to help you lose weight and keep it off. This means that you have to have your blood checked annualy to ensure you are getting proper nutrients and you will have to take Vitamins for life. Sleevers also have to have their blood work checked and take Vitamins.

- RNY cures reflux/Gerd....the sleeve can make this condition worse and in some cases cause it.

- Both surgeries are safe these days and have a very very low death rate. 1 in 1000.

- In bypass the nerves to the hunger hormone Ghrelin are severed and hunger is gone for a temporary period of time. With the sleeve, the part of your stomach that houses Ghrelin is completely removed so you may or may not ever feel hunger again. Keep in mind, there are other hormones that control hunger and there is also head hunger with both surgeries that we learn to deal with.

This is just me but I would go back to my surgeon and ensure you are 100% comfortable with the decision you are making before moving forward. Both surgeries are aggressive, one removing 90% of your stomach the other rerouting your intestines to work differently.

I had bypass because I had severe gerd and I only wanted to have surgery for WL one time. I also had type 2 diabetes and RNY has the best chance of curing that. I also had other comorbitities and every single one of them has been in remission since right after surgery.

RNY was the absolute best thing I ever did for myself. That being said, I would have had the sleeve if not for the gerd issue and I am certain I would have been just as happy.

Best of luck to you!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

@@TiredOfMyself

Off topic.

Forgive me if I'm being too personal or misguided but your username makes me sad. Tired of your weight? Yes!! Tired of sweating/aching/exhaustion/cravings/etc., absolutely!

Tired of YOURSELF? No!!! You are too important. You are not your weight. You are NOT tiresome.

[TiredOfMyself 141]

You guys are awesome. I needed to hear all of that. I am sticking with the sleeve. You all helped me so much. I have made up my mind, I am comfortable with my decision. I just needed a kick in the butt to stop panicking!