What has been your experience with VSG?

Hello,

I am in the final stages of preparing for wls with my surgeon. We are actually getting ready to submit for approval from insurance. But today I had my checkup with my surgeon and he is kind of pushing for VSG instead of RNY. Since the beginning I was totally committed to RNY but now he has me thinking.

So my questions for you is:

How is our weight loss going? I weigh 365 and wondering if anyone has lost about what I need to. I always assumed RNY was better for someone with my BMI but my surgeon says that's not true.

Is the weight loss slower than someone who had RNY?

I have also wondered which surgery will likely be more successful for me..


That's all I can think of for now. Thanks so much in advance!

Misty

I'm down about 60 lbs., with about 25 lbs. coming before my surgery on Aug. 7. I felt pretty tough for a week or so after surgery, but I'm now so glad I did it.

 I initially was after the RNY but after all the classes I was torn btw the VSG and the RNY.  I chose the VSG b/c of the fact that I don't have to worry about taking pills for pain and arthritis later on.  If you need certain medications you need to take another pill if you have RNY to protect your new stomach.  With the VSG you don't.

Also, I think the weight loss really depends on you and how you work the program.  I've known many people that got the VSG and their weight loss is awesome.  From what my surgeon said there really isn't that much difference.  The more research they have on the VSG is continuing to be positive.  

I have no second thoughts on my VSG (ok, the 4 week liquid diet after surgery sucks!!).  It's all good.

Ultimately it's up to you.  Good luck!

Nicolle

I can only speak about my experience.   I have lost 62 pounds since my surgery June 4, 2012.  Some lost faster some loss slower.  

The VSG & RNY have very similar stats at 24mo out, that said- the RNY comes with more possible issues both long and short term that basically took it out of consideration from the get-go for me. The short term (18-24mo) of limited macronutrient malabsorption was a non-starter as well. I wouldn't want to deal with the possible long-term issues just to malabsorb some fats and protein for a year or two.. the micronutrient (vites/minerals) malabsorption however is permanent due to the bypassed area of intestine that is responsible to absorbing these. 

With a high BMI, please make sure you have fully researched all options- the DS specifically. The malabsorption is much stronger, and your body cannot adapt/overcome the majority of it- so you have life-long caloric malabsorption (fats, protein and some limited carbs as well.) Your Dr. doesn't appear to be on the list of DS surgeons in OH, so please take whatever he says about it with a huge grain of salt.. Drs that don't do the DS tend to not know much about it- and propagate some pretty out-there myths. Your Dr. in Ohio is John P. Maguire in Dayton. There are others in nearby states- and this is a surgery worth traveling for.. (learn everything you can about all three effective surgeries - DS, VSG and RNY and choose the one that fits you best.. the adage is think twice, cut once.. it fits.) If you are interested in learning more, please see DS FACTS online as a good place to start.. there are very active support boards for the DS, I would not recommend the one here on OH as most of the vets that are really knowledgeable have moved on to better sites.

Edited to add, I am a year and a half out- and have lost more than 100% of my excess weight.. I am very happy with my particular choice, but I can't answer your wondering on which would be most successful for you.. just by statistics alone- the DS is the most successful (long-term excess weight loss) of the three.. the VSG and RNY are statistically similar to one another.

Honestly,I thought higher BMI would do better with RNY.A very good friend of mine is now 2 years out after her RNY and she has regained 24 pounds.She is so disappointed and of course on a very strict diet now again.She said she stopped dumping about 6 months ago and she cannot do solid proteins as her stomach hurts when she eats anything but soft fish.So,she is back on the carbs and well the results seems to be the same than with the sleeve should we only eat carbs.o,and she is low on protein and some vitamins and she is often very very tired.She had only about 100 pounds to lose which she did in 4 months so it was faster than with the sleeve BUT the speed at which you lose has nothing to do with the success of the surgery,especially long term.

But another lady that I know (she's Canadian) was high BMI and she lost beautifully.However I tried to write her to ask how she was doing and she was quiet.I saw pics of her on facebook and she had regained quite a bit of weight.She had the sleeve in 2010 and is now going to do second stage of DS.

I have done well so far with the sleeve,of course I wanted to be thin yesterday which causes some frustration...lol

So,I dont know.The new eating patterns seems to be for sleeve and RNY and must be permanent for all of us.And if one can make it permanent you might not need the malabsorption anyway.NO SURGERIES WORKS WITHOUT OUR FULL CO-OPERATION it seems to me.We have to make the changes and we have to want to be thin really badly thus taking responsibility for our food choices,forever.

Good luck with your decision.Let us know how things go.

This is a transcript of a presentation from an ASMBS conference in the last year... you may want to read it- just skim past the band stuff.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4416773/quotDoes-the- Patient-Fail-the-Procedure-or-Does-the/

VSG was the only surgery I would consider. My husband had intenstinal surgery and I wasn't willing to go there.  I was 334 when I started my preop diet on December 1, 2011.  I had surgery Dec. 14 and I've now lost 140 lbs.  I'm still losing .  I think the RNY is a good procedure but the VSG was the one for me. Feel free to ask any other questions!

I started about 20 lbs lighter than you 5 months ago. I have lost 120 lbs so far. I was self pay and could have had any surgery but decided to go with the sleeve. It is a difficult decision and everyone must make up their own mind on what will be best for them. For me it was vsg. I could not be more tickled with the results.

My start weight is the same as yours.

I'm now 3 weeks out from surgery and losing well (58 pounds in US lingo, 22 was pre-op). The 2 year profile for weight loss is very similar according to my surgeons stats and he has had people lose 100kgs (220lbs) with a VSG. My goal is about 70kgs (150lbs)

I went to see my surgeon TOTALLY about RNY the same as you and he recommended VSG. I left the consult feeing quite disillusioned about the whole thing. Until I found this forum and saw the big numbers people were dropping, realised the benefits on not entirely rewriting my digestive system etc. I quickly realised that for me, VSG was absolutely the choice I was most comfortable with.

At the end of the day, I really believe that either surgery is what YOU make of it. People either embrace it and make every calorie/run/sit up count and have success. Or they sit back, dont learn about nutrition, dont exercise just and expect the surgery to do it all for them, which might work for a short time, but they will likely regain.

You just have to pick which group you want to be in, commit yourself fully and and make the most of the opportunity to shrink (But you dont have to be OTT about it - I choose to still eat normal cheese, not low fat, because I hate it...lol)

I'm really glad I chose VSG rather than RNY.