Help! Last minute change of heart?!?!

Ok I posted earlier this morning that I had found out that my insurance (NCBCBS) just started covering the VSG procedure which was my first choice back when I started the WLS ball rolling. At the time I went for my first consult it was'nt covered so I opted to go with my second choice the RNY. I am currently scheduled for RNY surgery on 8/29, just a little over 5 weeks from now. So for the past 6 months I have been solely focused on reading the RNY forums and "schooling" myself for whats to come. I was comfortable and settled with the fact that its the right surgery for me. But now that I know VSG is an option it has completely thrown me for a loop and I am not so sure what I want to do now. My surgeon performs both the RNY and VSG so when I called his office today the nurse said it should'nt be a big deal if I want to change and to just talk to the surgeon about it when I come in for my pre-op on 8/10. She said I should still be able to keep my original surgery date as well so now I have just a few weeks to make up my mind. Ugh I almost wish I had not found out about the VSG now being covered under my insurance, it was so much easier when I thought I didn't have a choice. At my first consult my surgeon said he thought RNY would be best for me since I have PCOS & GERD and also need to lose 150lbs. Like I said I am ok with the RNY and the only reason VSG was first choice is because I don't want to have to avoid NSAIDs (I was recently informed by another OH member this is true for all WLS) and also you don't have to be as aggressive about taking vitamins. Not to mention less invasive with the rerouting of intestines. But if anyone could offer me any advice with this delimma I would greatly appreciate it, I know the final decision is ultimately up to me and what I can live with. Bottom line is  I like all the pros of the VSG better but I'm afraid I will fail without the malabsorption part of it. BTW I know people say it depends on what kind of eater you are also, well I'm a volume eater AND I love carbs/sugars....and now I'm torn between two surgeries...what to do what to do? I don't like this wishy-washy feeling....help!

You are right - this is your choice.  But 99% of us here on the VSG board love our choice and are going to recommend it.

I am a volume eater too and having my pyloric valve to hold food in my stomach after I eat means I don't eat much!  Frustrating, but exactly what I need to change my eating habits and get healthy/skinnier.  As for the sugar/carb part, I have suffered weird symptoms, not quite dumping but negative effects nonetheless, when I eat sugar.  So for me, I get the benefit of having negative consequences for the sugar stuff in addition to volume restriction.

I also like that I can take NSAIDs and pretty much any other med I need to long-term.

Good luck!

I am sorry for your dilemma, and I can't give you much help as I am only 8 days post-op from a VSG.  I don't know much about the RNY and if you feel comfortable with it then you do what you have to.  As for me I had doubts right up to surgery when they put me under hahaha - Good luck it's a tough decision maybe if you ask you doctor what the main differences are, and compare the two and ask him if a VSG is right for you.

I have only one word for you. Pray

Hi,
I was in the same shape you are in at one time. I studied up on all the WLS that was offered. At last I felt like the sleeve was for me, for a lot of different reasons. One was not messing around with being by- passed inside, just did not seem like a God given natural thing for me. I am about 4 1/2 months out. Did great with the surgery. Just follow Dr's orders that is a must, unless you want to be sicker than a dog.
God Bless and pray about it.
Evie

Thank you for that simple much needed reminder...that is EXACTLY what I need to do! I should have already done that..shame on me! 

Good luck with your decision - a couple of other people had this question earlier today and the threads may help you!  I know my choice was always the sleeve!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/4428059/Moment-of-pani c-help/#36602127

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4428022/The-surgeon-do esnt-want-to-sleeve-me/

I was bound and determined to get RNY because I thought I could lose more weight and it was a better 'cure' for diabetes down the road.  I didn't have comorbidities, but my blood pressure was increasing and I think I was headed to the pre-diabetic club.  

I literally changed my procedure from RNY to VSG when getting rolled into the operating room.  I have lost over 200 pounds and have no regrets whatsoever.   My husband had a sleeve as well and has lost over 260 pounds.  In comparing the 2 procedures and given the fact they are both covered by insurance, there is just no reason in my mind to not get a sleeve. 

Check out USFA Wife's explanation for the sleeve...it is spot on!! 

Of course this is your decision, and yours alone. I was going for RNY at first, and after lots of research I came to my decision. I am pretty healthy right now, but If I follow after most of my families health issues I might need to be able to take any kind of medication in the future. This was the major reason I decided on VSG. My advice is to read, read read. People on these specific boards are happy with their decisions with which surgery they have had, so of course they are going to be swayed. In the end you are an individual and need to figure out what will help your issues best. The stats are about the same percentage of weight loss is obtained with both RNY, and VSG. Good luck in your decision.

I don't know much about RNY after my research of which surgery was best for me. And I do not know much about DS, since I was never interested.

I say that to say, while VSG can not be reversed, it can be the first step of the DS. So if you find that you did not lose weight as you should have, you can turn your VSG in to a DS. When you have your pre-op appt, maybe you can discuss this with your surgeon.

Good Luck