Bypass or sleeve? Help me decide pls

[sundown]

I'm also trying to cut out sugar from my diet and using xylitol in my hot drinks - bit different but not as chemical tasting as other sweetners!!!

IMO if you want to bust the sugar habit, going on to sweeteners won't do it. The issue if you're addicted to sweetness is that you're simply replacing one very high calorie 'sweet' with another, artificial, low calorie 'sweet'. That doesn't train your taste-buds away from the sweetness.

Many years ago I got ME and one of the oddities about it was that I felt nauseous when eating a lot of things - I pinned the culprits down to things with sugar in them (chocolate etc), alcohol (high sugar) and starchy carbs (spuds, pasta etc that all turn very quickly to sugar). I cut the whole lot out completely and that particular ME symptom went. When I got over ME I found my tastes had totally altered - you'll not find chocolate, cakes, sweetsb in my cupboards...not because I'm a fat mare...but because they all taste disgustingly sweet to me. And goes doubly so for stuff with artificial sweetener in - it's actually sweeter than the real stuff! Anyway, since then I've met a number of people who've done hard-core 'sugar detox' diets for a week or so and found most of them never regained the taste either.

IMO sugar is more addictive, more toxic and more dangerous to us humans than alcohol or tobacco.

 

[purplepansyem]

As far as kicking the sugar is concerned, you need to go cold turkey and if you can managed that for a few days, your taste buds will change and you will notice that foods will actually start to taste sweeter in their natural state and you won't be craving the sweet stuff like before but be prepared to go through a form of withdrawal!

As for the surgery, the sleeve is a more drastic surgery as you will have around 6" of staples in your stomach and also, the weight loss is generally less than with a bypass - having said that, it depends on the individual and only you can decide.

 

[mrsmccalla]

Twothirdsamidwife thanks for asking this question .... I have the same dilemma! When I met Dr Koak at Homerton he asked me what my preference was and I said gastric sleeve but now I'm not sure. He said a sleeve was suitable.

I need to lose 15 stone to get to a healthy BMI, so now I'm thinking i might need a more drastic tool!

I wanted the sleeve because:
It's less time under anaesthetic/quicker procedure
I can eat more variety but just smaller portions
I have a BMI over 60 so potentially could revert to duodenal switch if necessary

I am contemplating bypass because
I need to lose 15 stone and I'm not sure if sleeve can get me to this goal
I don't want to have a duodenal switch or further surgery later
I'm scared that I won't give up the junk and sugary food completely and eat small amounts of it which will slow down my weight loss.

Based on the above any advice, to help me choose?

 

[Twothirdsamidwife]

Hi mrs McAlla

I'm frightened of the same things as you - being able to eat the same crap, just smaller portions. I'm choosing the bypass, after speaking to the dietician and reading diaries on here, I think it will be the best op for me.

Good luck

 

[violetangel]

Twothirdsamidwife thanks for asking this question .... I have the same dilemma! When I met Dr Koak at Homerton he asked me what my preference was and I said gastric sleeve but now I'm not sure. He said a sleeve was suitable. I need to lose 15 stone to get to a healthy BMI, so now I'm thinking i might need a more drastic tool! I wanted the sleeve because: It's less time under anaesthetic/quicker procedure I can eat more variety but just smaller portions I have a BMI over 60 so potentially could revert to duodenal switch if necessary I am contemplating bypass because I need to lose 15 stone and I'm not sure if sleeve can get me to this goal I don't want to have a duodenal switch or further surgery later I'm scared that I won't give up the junk and sugary food completely and eat small amounts of it which will slow down my weight loss. Based on the above any advice, to help me choose?

Hi guys

Just wondered what a duodenal switch is? I am having a sleeve in three weeks. Xxx

Sent from my iPhone using WLSurgery

 

[mrsmccalla]

Hi violet angel, the duodenal switch is a gastric sleeve followed by a gastric bypass! So some of your stomach is removed and then they reduce it further by conducting a bypass. Homerton said for people with a bmi of over 60 this is offered!

Today I have been reading about how much people lose on the sleeve and one woman in the U.S. that I'm following on Instagram lost 278lbs with a sleeve.

 

[violetangel]

Hi violet angel, the duodenal switch is a gastric sleeve followed by a gastric bypass! So some of your stomach is removed and then they reduce it further by conducting a bypass. Homerton said for people with a bmi of over 60 this is offered! Today I have been reading about how much people lose on the sleeve and one woman in the U.S. that I'm following on Instagram lost 278lbs with a sleeve.

mrsmccalla thank you so much for explaining the duodenal switch so well. You really do live and learn on this site and I think it's the members that make it so fabulous.

I have heard about lots of amazing results with the sleeve and bypass. I can't wait to start to reap the benefits of my sleeve, both weight loss and health wise.



Sent from my iPhone using WLSurgery

 

[~Alison~]

Speaking to laura the dietician about this and she said with me having cpap the surgeons prefer to do the bypass, because the cpap can push air into your stomach, which I imagine can stretch the stomach??

I've booked an appointment with a cbt therapist for Tuesday morning - anyone been down this route? No idea what to expect!!

I'm also looking at getting a blender for when on the soups/liquids and purée diet - do people add seeds? Anyone with experience of a Fitbit?? Does it encourage you to do more exercise??

I have had a course of CBT which I did find very useful at the time and it help me get over some real issues. I did it when I had lost a lot of weight at slimming world to try to stop me putting it back on but I still did.

A stick blender would be useful for blending your food when first post op. I have had a fitbit charge and now have a zip. I prefer the zip as I can wear it on my bra not my wrist as I have to be 'bear below the elbow' for work. I miss the sleep bit but the zip is really good.

 

[LadyLumps]

Any more news Twothirdsamidwife? I use a CPAP machine and it's really weird at first but it has changed my life. Was so tired until I got one.
Hope all is going well. Have you got your surgery date yet?

 

[Twothirdsamidwife]

Hi lady lumps
At the beginning of June I had an appt with the cpap team and the fitted me with a better mask, still not 100% comfortable with it but hey ho I'll get used to it. I got my date through yesterday - 6th August which is 38 days away ?????

From tomorrow me and hubbie are going to start a vlcd with 3/4 shakes a day and a simple meal of fish & veg if we need it, this will help prepare for LSD. I am soooo relieved to have a date!!!

How's things with you?

 

[Twothirdsamidwife]

I have had a course of CBT which I did find very useful at the time and it help me get over some real issues. I did it when I had lost a lot of weight at slimming world to try to stop me putting it back on but I still did. A stick blender would be useful for blending your food when first post op. I have had a fitbit charge and now have a zip. I prefer the zip as I can wear it on my bra not my wrist as I have to be 'bear below the elbow' for work. I miss the sleep bit but the zip is really good.

I'm trying to find the cbt book on weight problems that Drs can prescribe but not sure where to look. I'm hoping to get a nutribullet or something of similar power, I have a stick one to blend soups but is nowt special.

Zip sounds good as I need it to go in pocket or on bra - what do you do?

 

[LadyLumps]

Woohooooo! 6th August is in no time at all! Brilliant Good luck with the vlcd. Every step takes you nearer to your new life.

Only just getting started here, and haven't even asked about timescales yet (too scared I won't like the answer!) But am feeling really positive so that's good.

 

[Debs!]

The issue about asking people about sleeve v bypass is that we will all have an opinion which probably is closely linked to the surgery we selected for ourselves! So I am unsure we can be objective as something tipped each of us to make a choice and thus we will most likely support the choice we made?

I chose to have a sleeve - my reason for this was that my BMI was 41 - and I needed to lose 6-7 stone. I felt the sleeve was capable of achieving this.

I heavily over eat - the sleeve provides good restriction and ought to help with this. My demon foods were not sweet things - so dumping wasn't going to hit me as I waded through a washing up sized bowl of nachos and cheese and all the works!! Therefore dumping did not seem a useful control method for my eating patterns. Something that stopped me eating a washing up bowl sized portion would be good!

In truth I worried about the issue of malabsorbtion. With the shorter bowel, food and nutrients move through the body at a greater speed and thus less goodness is removed. Whilst sleevers had a recommendation of a multi vit for life - the post op medicine for bypass to maintain healthy nutrients was a worry - also the issue of taking meds in the future for long term conditions - so whilst it affords super weight loss - I also weighed up the malabsorbtion issue. Blood tests are needed with bypassers on a slightly more frequent basis and this was an issue to bear in mind for me.

The operation for a bypass is a longer process and as it involves the stomach and the intestines - I figured that was two areas to worry about.

So in my deluded manner of evaluating my lifestyle and my options and my irrational post op fears - I went for the sleeve.

I am only 18 days out - I am pleased with my recovery and I am having moderate but consistent weight loss.

As I said - I think whatever a person chooses for themselves based on their own knowledge of themselves - is the only way to go.

I am pro either choice

 

[Mazza]

I agree Debs! your choice of surgery should be based on you and you alone, with the help of the surgeon too.

I also wanted to add that 'usualy' the sleeve is converted to a bypass for patients who don't lose all of their weight with a sleeve - to add the malabsorptive element.

I found this useful comparison chart to explain what happens with each for info xx