:(

[LisaLisa]

Warning, I'm not very chipper right now.
Yesterday evening, I received notice that my insurance approved my surgery and could schedule a date. I was so excited!
Today I had my endoscopy and apparently I have stuff going on that I was unaware of. After the scope, i was a little out of it but I did catch the part that the sleeve may not be the best solution and I could end up with bypass. I really wasn't counting on a by pass and assume that the recovery is longer than two weeks seeing as your insides are rearranged. After all the years of knee pain, (read all the years of NSAIDs) my stomach has a couple of spots where ulcers are forming. Again, the only problem I've noticed are hiccups once in a while so this is all a bit of a shock.
I also have a headache and am expecting two new crowns tomorrow, so I'm in full pity party mode.

My question for all of you is, why did you choose the sleeve over by pass or vice versa. Also, is the recovery time longer for bypass?

 

[3momchaos]

Sorry about the bummer news. I originally wanted the sleeve, but I’m having the bypass because of the reflux issues. I have some now, and I know it’ll only get worse with the sleeve. Also, with the amount of weight I want/need to lose, bypass will help me reach that goal. I’m not sure about recovery yet since I’m still preop.

 

[dianeseattle]

My question for all of you is, why did you choose the sleeve over by pass or vice versa. Also, is the recovery time longer for bypass?

Lisa, I don't think this is such bad news. The sleeve was not offered to me when I had my surgery. I don't know exactly why but I had an amazing, world class surgeon who did such good work that he was actually interviewed on national TV for why RYGB cures diabetes.

I also had an open procedure instead of laparoscopic and when I read other people's stories here I feel like they have suffered a lot more than I did post-operatively. I just follow the doctor's orders and there were a couple of complications but the way people talk about surgery these days it sounds much worse than anything I experienced.

It sounds like they are going to go in laparoscopically and attempt the sleeve and if they can't do it, they'll switch over and do the RYGB, which they can also do laparoscopically these days.

Two negatives come to mind immediately when I think about the sleeve. One is the painful expulsion of the gas they pump into you, which hurts like a stabbing knife as it tries to get out through your skin. The other is that the sleeve does not cure GERD, and in fact I have heard people say their condition has worsened.

I have a third concern about the sleeve. In VSG, the entire stomach is removed and a pouch is formed. To me that is very scary because what if you need to reverse? What if you need your stomach tissue for some reason? How can your body digest food without help from stomach acid? To me the sleeve is like an amputation. I would never choose it. But I do not judge those who have because they have had great success with it.

The RYGB cuts out a portion of the stomach and stitches it into a pouch. The rest of the stomach is left behind, along with its stomach acid forming properties and other benefits it offers because it is still a live organ. Overall, I think my decision to have RYGB was the right one for me. It was not horrible to recover from and the results were amazing. I do believe that sleeve weight loss is not as rapid as RYGB.

If you are comparing laparoscopic surgery side by side, your recovery time should be exactly the same. Unless something goes wrong with the scalpel or the stapler, which almost never happens, you will not be feeling any pain from incisions inside your body.

You can do research here and read personal stories of recovery with the laparoscopic sleeve and the laparoscopic RYGB. You may have more difficulty taking in adequate fluids and necessary water after the sleeve. But I don't remember having any difficulty whatsoever.

I was perfectly compliant because that's the way I am--a very obedient person. I lost 35 lbs in my first month and 25 in my second. It took 14 months, but I lost 115 lb and I was only shooting for 100.

I prefer the bypass but I would not be worried about what will happen if you can't have the sleeve. Now I advise you to go do that search and read about the results of the sleeve and members of our group.

Smile. You have been approved for surgery and you are about to embark on the most exciting, fruitful journey of your life.

 

[sportsdad]

Warning, I'm not very chipper right now.
Yesterday evening, I received notice that my insurance approved my surgery and could schedule a date. I was so excited!
Today I had my endoscopy and apparently I have stuff going on that I was unaware of. After the scope, i was a little out of it but I did catch the part that the sleeve may not be the best solution and I could end up with bypass. I really wasn't counting on a by pass and assume that the recovery is longer than two weeks seeing as your insides are rearranged. After all the years of knee pain, (read all the years of NSAIDs) my stomach has a couple of spots where ulcers are forming. Again, the only problem I've noticed are hiccups once in a while so this is all a bit of a shock.
I also have a headache and am expecting two new crowns tomorrow, so I'm in full pity party mode.

My question for all of you is, why did you choose the sleeve over by pass or vice versa. Also, is the recovery time longer for bypass?

Hello Lisa,

I would be more worried about the crowns then I would the bypass. Mind you this is coming from a person who never had any dental work other than braces. Thankfully, I have never had a cavity but the thought of any extensive dental work would send me running for the hills. I personally was never given an option for the sleeve. The medical team for the practice that I went to recommended the bypass. I had a close friend that had the open surgery that Diane mentions. After seeing what he went thru with the open procedure with the recovery period I was thinking that there was no way I would get the surgery. Of course his open procedure was back in the 2005 timeframe (i could be off by a year or two) and the whole thing has changed since. Anyways, I had the bypass on June 29th, 2020 and the same night of the procedure I was up and walking and was back at work two days later (I work from home) and never went thru any pains or issues upon returning home and didn't need any pain medication.The same week I was also walking on a treadmill and after 3 weeks returned to normal physical activities like weight training etc. I know others here have discussed their experience post op has been painful or experienced discomfort. Looking back I am glad to have had the bypass since it is a tool that will allow me to drop the weight that I need to. Please forgive my ignorance over not knowing anything about the sleeve procedure but it is something I am going to read about now and educate myself. Good luck with your journey!

 

[dianeseattle]

You did a wonderful job of explaining everything. I could look it up but I would rather ask you: did you have laparoscopic surgery?

I wanted to mention for Lisa's sake that the people who sometimes complain about pain are really talking about their incisions that were made with the laparoscopic tools. If you've ever seen a liposuction surgery or laparoscopic sleeve surgery in a video, you will probably cringe. I think people suffer the laparoscopic post-op pain because the way the doctor just moves the tool around like he's trying to make the hole bigger or stretch your skin and it must really be painful on all the dermal layers.

Sportsdad, what was your friend's open procedure recovery like? I have mentioned mine several times but in brief, they made a 7-inch vertical incision from my navel to my sternum and then had a completely open field in which to work on my bypass. I had the Staples removed too soon but in general I can't say that the incision was intolerable. Of course I did get an abdominal binder from my doctor, so I could just keep those stitches snugly together after removing the staple. Then they did the little surgical tape thing and then those just fell off eventually. But I am not the least bit afraid of having an open procedure, even in my belly, because I just didn't find it that painful.

And by the way I am a huge fan of narcotic pain meds. I love them. They do me so much good and I do not believe people should ever have to suffer in pain. We are capable of palliative care so no one ever has to suffer, no matter how bad the injury or condition is.

I took a lot of pain meds after surgery and spend a lot of time sleeping because it takes time to sleep off the anesthesia and the pain meds make you even more sleepy. But I think because I chose that, I probably bypassed the pain that may have accompanied a 7 in incision.

Of course the bad thing about opiates is that they give you constipation. That is the one thing I would change if I could go back in time. I would start taking a fiber laxative at least two weeks before surgery so that my intestines got used to passing a nice, firm but soft stool without having to push so hard or end up in the ER being disimpacted. Take the laxatives. Take the painkillers. Drink a lot of water to assist in elimination. Get back up on your feet as soon as possible. I think my recovery was only about 2 weeks, maybe 3. Being conscientious about drinking the water prevented with dehydration issues and also accelerated my weight loss.

 

[LisaLisa]

Hello Lisa,

I would be more worried about the crowns then I would the bypass. Mind you this is coming from a person who never had any dental work other than braces. Thankfully, I have never had a cavity but the thought of any extensive dental work would send me running for the hills. I personally was never given an option for the sleeve. The medical team for the practice that I went to recommended the bypass. I had a close friend that had the open surgery that Diane mentions. After seeing what he went thru with the open procedure with the recovery period I was thinking that there was no way I would get the surgery. Of course his open procedure was back in the 2005 timeframe (i could be off by a year or two) and the whole thing has changed since. Anyways, I had the bypass on June 29th, 2020 and the same night of the procedure I was up and walking and was back at work two days later (I work from home) and never went thru any pains or issues upon returning home and didn't need any pain medication.The same week I was also walking on a treadmill and after 3 weeks returned to normal physical activities like weight training etc. I know others here have discussed their experience post op has been painful or experienced discomfort. Looking back I am glad to have had the bypass since it is a tool that will allow me to drop the weight that I need to. Please forgive my ignorance over not knowing anything about the sleeve procedure but it is something I am going to read about now and educate myself. Good luck with your journey!

Thank you for your information and I'm glad it's been a speedy recovery for you. I have yet to do much research on the bypass as I was looking at the sleeve as less intrusive ergo safer and easier to live with long term. I am 250 at 5'5" and could lose up to 100lbs but think 80lbs with the sleeve would be more practical. I'm still waiting on word from the surgeon on the outcome of the biopsies (his standard practice to biopsies).

Incidentally, I had my first crown/root canal two years ago because I cracked the tooth in my sleep--grinding! With life as it is, I managed to crack two more on the opposite side this summer. I blame it on watching Rachel Maddow before bed as she can scare me like no others! (only kind of kidding).

 

[LisaLisa]

Lisa, I don't think this is such bad news. The sleeve was not offered to me when I had my surgery. I don't know exactly why but I had an amazing, world class surgeon who did such good work that he was actually interviewed on national TV for why RYGB cures diabetes.

I also had an open procedure instead of laparoscopic and when I read other people's stories here I feel like they have suffered a lot more than I did post-operatively. I just follow the doctor's orders and there were a couple of complications but the way people talk about surgery these days it sounds much worse than anything I experienced.

It sounds like they are going to go in laparoscopically and attempt the sleeve and if they can't do it, they'll switch over and do the RYGB, which they can also do laparoscopically these days.

Two negatives come to mind immediately when I think about the sleeve. One is the painful expulsion of the gas they pump into you, which hurts like a stabbing knife as it tries to get out through your skin. The other is that the sleeve does not cure GERD, and in fact I have heard people say their condition has worsened.

I have a third concern about the sleeve. In VSG, the entire stomach is removed and a pouch is formed. To me that is very scary because what if you need to reverse? What if you need your stomach tissue for some reason? How can your body digest food without help from stomach acid? To me the sleeve is like an amputation. I would never choose it. But I do not judge those who have because they have had great success with it.

The RYGB cuts out a portion of the stomach and stitches it into a pouch. The rest of the stomach is left behind, along with its stomach acid forming properties and other benefits it offers because it is still a live organ. Overall, I think my decision to have RYGB was the right one for me. It was not horrible to recover from and the results were amazing. I do believe that sleeve weight loss is not as rapid as RYGB.

If you are comparing laparoscopic surgery side by side, your recovery time should be exactly the same. Unless something goes wrong with the scalpel or the stapler, which almost never happens, you will not be feeling any pain from incisions inside your body.

You can do research here and read personal stories of recovery with the laparoscopic sleeve and the laparoscopic RYGB. You may have more difficulty taking in adequate fluids and necessary water after the sleeve. But I don't remember having any difficulty whatsoever.

I was perfectly compliant because that's the way I am--a very obedient person. I lost 35 lbs in my first month and 25 in my second. It took 14 months, but I lost 115 lb and I was only shooting for 100.

I prefer the bypass but I would not be worried about what will happen if you can't have the sleeve. Now I advise you to go do that search and read about the results of the sleeve and members of our group.

Smile. You have been approved for surgery and you are about to embark on the most exciting, fruitful journey of your life.

thank you Diane. I really appreciate your perspective.

 

[canecorso81]

I had the bypass and couldn't be more happy with my decision! Had a pretty easy recovery! I'm sure you will do great!!❤

 

[WazzuCoug]

Warning, I'm not very chipper right now.
Yesterday evening, I received notice that my insurance approved my surgery and could schedule a date. I was so excited!
Today I had my endoscopy and apparently I have stuff going on that I was unaware of. After the scope, i was a little out of it but I did catch the part that the sleeve may not be the best solution and I could end up with bypass. I really wasn't counting on a by pass and assume that the recovery is longer than two weeks seeing as your insides are rearranged. After all the years of knee pain, (read all the years of NSAIDs) my stomach has a couple of spots where ulcers are forming. Again, the only problem I've noticed are hiccups once in a while so this is all a bit of a shock.
I also have a headache and am expecting two new crowns tomorrow, so I'm in full pity party mode.

My question for all of you is, why did you choose the sleeve over by pass or vice versa. Also, is the recovery time longer for bypass?

I chose the sleeve over bypass after a lot of research on both procedures and what felt right for me. Although statistically, the average weight loss is a little better for a bypass, either can help you reach your goals and stay there with a lifetime commitment.

The prevalence of reflux/GERD issues is higher for the sleeve, but I know patients have had the sleeve and that actually solved the issue and didn't make it worse. I have a good friend who is an RN who had the sleeve even though she had severe GERD. Her operation was just a couple of days before mine, and she is not having issues with it. That being said, the risk is higher, but just like the bypass, there is the possibility that it will minimize or reverse those issues. It's a bit of a gamble, I suppose. I did not have any issues with reflux, etc. so that wasn't a consideration for me.

My main reason for picking the sleeve was I felt better about not reorganizing my intestinal tract. It was a simple personal choice. The pathway and food processing that takes place is identical to what was there before, but it is obviously smaller. That appealed to me more than having more malabsorption issues, etc. That being said, I don't think either choice is a bad choice. You have to decide what is most important to you based upon all the information you can gather.

Both surgeries are usually laparoscopic and have about the same recovery and pain, which is almost always significantly easier and faster than open surgery. Both surgeries will involve inflating your abdomen with CO2 to have room to work safely, so gas pains will still be an issue. If the surgery is open, then there is no gas used.

The worst-case scenario by choosing the sleeve would be needing a revision surgery to a bypass down the road if your issues did not resolve or even got worse. That is a risk some people take (like my RN friend) and it works out fine, but the risk of needing a revision is real.

I think success is much more dependant on long term personal choices than which surgery is done. The changes that the surgeries both make to hormones, gut bacteria, and overall biology are nearly identical so I think the choice of which to choose isn't particularly significant.

Of course, maybe I'll be singing a different tune down the road. I'm learning too, so hell, I could look back at this post and realize I was completely full of shit! LOL.

I wouldn't be scared of the bypass, and if that is what most of the medical experts you talk with recommending, I would be strongly considering that option. In my opinion.

 

[eladams2015]

So, I have had both sleeve and bypass, and I can tell you that my recovery with bypass was SO much easier than the sleeve.

 

[pldisiz7]

I'm having the sleeve Sept 29th and the reason is I'm on medication that needs to be absorb into my system. I was disappointed but it is crucial for me to prioritize and the medication is priority.

 

[LisaLisa]

I chose the sleeve over bypass after a lot of research on both procedures and what felt right for me. Although statistically, the average weight loss is a little better for a bypass, either can help you reach your goals and stay there with a lifetime commitment.

The prevalence of reflux/GERD issues is higher for the sleeve, but I know patients have had the sleeve and that actually solved the issue and didn't make it worse. I have a good friend who is an RN who had the sleeve even though she had severe GERD. Her operation was just a couple of days before mine, and she is not having issues with it. That being said, the risk is higher, but just like the bypass, there is the possibility that it will minimize or reverse those issues. It's a bit of a gamble, I suppose. I did not have any issues with reflux, etc. so that wasn't a consideration for me.

My main reason for picking the sleeve was I felt better about not reorganizing my intestinal tract. It was a simple personal choice. The pathway and food processing that takes place is identical to what was there before, but it is obviously smaller. That appealed to me more than having more malabsorption issues, etc. That being said, I don't think either choice is a bad choice. You have to decide what is most important to you based upon all the information you can gather.

Both surgeries are usually laparoscopic and have about the same recovery and pain, which is almost always significantly easier and faster than open surgery. Both surgeries will involve inflating your abdomen with CO2 to have room to work safely, so gas pains will still be an issue. If the surgery is open, then there is no gas used.

The worst-case scenario by choosing the sleeve would be needing a revision surgery to a bypass down the road if your issues did not resolve or even got worse. That is a risk some people take (like my RN friend) and it works out fine, but the risk of needing a revision is real.

I think success is much more dependant on long term personal choices than which surgery is done. The changes that the surgeries both make to hormones, gut bacteria, and overall biology are nearly identical so I think the choice of which to choose isn't particularly significant.

Of course, maybe I'll be singing a different tune down the road. I'm learning too, so hell, I could look back at this post and realize I was completely full of shit! LOL.

I wouldn't be scared of the bypass, and if that is what most of the medical experts you talk with recommending, I would be strongly considering that option. In my opinion.

Again, Wazzu, thank you for all the information. I didn't even know I had reflux until the Dr. told me I did so it can't be that advanced or critical. Of course, I'll defer to his professional opinion. Like you I feel more comfortable not having my insides rearranged so much and like the sleeve concept so much more. I'm waiting on pathology to come back which will dictate everything. Right now they have me "penciled in" for 23 Sept!

 

[missyinacage]

Hi, Lisa. I am sorry that your plan is is disarray. It definitely makes things more stressful. I have severe reflux issues and never even considered the sleeve. I even went so far as to refuse to sign the consent to allow them to do a sleeve if, once they got inside, the bypass was not an option. I had the bypass in June and I have not had a single issue that was not my own fault. (Don't try to take that extra bite lol) I know it seems scary to have your insides rearranged. I know I can't eat as much. But as far as my intestines processing food differently? I can't tell but I know everyone is different. My cousin had the sleeve in December and was adamantly against the bypass surgery, because she believed it to be so much more dangerous. It isn't. But go ahead and do that research yourself. You'll feel better for it.

 

[sportsdad]

You did a wonderful job of explaining everything. I could look it up but I would rather ask you: did you have laparoscopic surgery?

I wanted to mention for Lisa's sake that the people who sometimes complain about pain are really talking about their incisions that were made with the laparoscopic tools. If you've ever seen a liposuction surgery or laparoscopic sleeve surgery in a video, you will probably cringe. I think people suffer the laparoscopic post-op pain because the way the doctor just moves the tool around like he's trying to make the hole bigger or stretch your skin and it must really be painful on all the dermal layers.

Sportsdad, what was your friend's open procedure recovery like? I have mentioned mine several times but in brief, they made a 7-inch vertical incision from my navel to my sternum and then had a completely open field in which to work on my bypass. I had the Staples removed too soon but in general I can't say that the incision was intolerable. Of course I did get an abdominal binder from my doctor, so I could just keep those stitches snugly together after removing the staple. Then they did the little surgical tape thing and then those just fell off eventually. But I am not the least bit afraid of having an open procedure, even in my belly, because I just didn't find it that painful.

And by the way I am a huge fan of narcotic pain meds. I love them. They do me so much good and I do not believe people should ever have to suffer in pain. We are capable of palliative care so no one ever has to suffer, no matter how bad the injury or condition is.

I took a lot of pain meds after surgery and spend a lot of time sleeping because it takes time to sleep off the anesthesia and the pain meds make you even more sleepy. But I think because I chose that, I probably bypassed the pain that may have accompanied a 7 in incision.

Of course the bad thing about opiates is that they give you constipation. That is the one thing I would change if I could go back in time. I would start taking a fiber laxative at least two weeks before surgery so that my intestines got used to passing a nice, firm but soft stool without having to push so hard or end up in the ER being disimpacted. Take the laxatives. Take the painkillers. Drink a lot of water to assist in elimination. Get back up on your feet as soon as possible. I think my recovery was only about 2 weeks, maybe 3. Being conscientious about drinking the water prevented with dehydration issues and also accelerated my weight loss.

Hi Diane, his recovery was pretty bad, thankfully things have changed a lot over the years. He was not able to walk up the stairs at his house until he went into his 2nd month of recovery and I can remember that he had issues trying to pick up or holding his baby. He had plenty of pain meds but nothing ever seemed strong enough. He did end having comfort around the 3 month mark. His scar today looks as if someone took a knife to his torso.

I am very glad that I was lucky and had no pain with my bypass. The day after my last college football game I went in to have my 13th surgery on both of my rotator cuffs and at the same time has a cast put for a broken wrist. I was in the hospital for a week and when I went to discharged I couldn't leave because I had become addicted to the morphine drip that they had given me. Who knew that you could become addicted like that while in the hospital under their care. Thankfully, they recognized the symptoms and got me off of the morphine.

 

[dianeseattle]

Wow, that is a real Horror Story. I only have a nice straight 7 in incision scar on my belly and it actually kind of makes it look like I have a six pack.

 

[Grandma Brenda]

I chose the bypass becuase I had always had indigestion. The sleeve, from what I understand, causes more gerd. I had the bypass 19 years ago and do not have indigestion anymore.
My niece had sleeve 2 years ago and has horrible Gerd now. She has to take omeprazole now for the gerd.

 

[Tokash]

I just want to say with the sleeve they do not cut out your whole stomach.

 

[Grandma Brenda]

They don't cut out your stomach, they bypass it. With the problems I was having this was my best remedy. It works for me. Sorry if I upset you about it. I got on this OPEN forum to be able to vent and have encouragement.

 

[tonigonzalez]

Hi guys this is Toni, I am new in the group. I don't have a date for surgery but it looks like by the end of Sept. I am very nervous, and scare, I was positive with Covid in April 2020, One of the main reasons that I scare is to be come sick again with the virus after surgery. another is that I don't have the support that I need from my husband. negatives thinks are coming from him all the times and that making me nervous about not to made it trough the surgery or after. I am not in any medication, the only thing the I take is vitamins allergy pill with nasal spray for the season. What should I do to feel positive a bout the surgery? Sorry for any mess writing or spelling English is my second language, I never been in school do to work, work and work. Thanks for any help o support.

 

[dianeseattle]

They don't cut out your stomach, they bypass it. With the problems I was having this was my best remedy. It works for me. Sorry if I upset you about it. I got on this OPEN forum to be able to vent and have encouragement.

I'm not sure who you are addressing here and in all of your postings, it sounds like you have been free to vent and have been offered a lot of encouragement.

I hope you don't feel unwelcome. We all vent from time to time and I think we try to maintain a very open dialogue.

RYGB worked for me too, and for many other members of this group.

And more and more, I am noticing people who are very pleased with the results of VSG surgery.

I have found members of this group wonderfully supportive. I hope you do too.