What are the most common weight loss surgeries?

Here is an ABC News report on a study of the effectiveness and safety of weight loss surgery.

I know three people who have had an RNY. This is where they cut the stomach and the first several (18, I think?) inches of the small intestine. They attach the remaining small intestine to the bottom of the stomach that is left. The stomach and small intestines that were cut out are reattached toward the bottom of the intestines. They are essentially unused, but there if you ever need them. If you overeat, food will back up into that section, though. Those are the basics and it has been over a decade since I learned all of this, so I could be off a bit.

Two have kept the weight off for over ten years. The other one gained her weight back twice. (I’m not sure how she lost it the second time – there is speculation that she had the surgery redone. idk)

www.obesityhelp.com is a great resource for researching all types of surgical weight loss options.

What @Supacase is referring to is often called the Roux En Y or the Gastric Bypass.

I am currently researching this and going through the clearances for surgery myself.

There are four common types, the Gastric Bypass, the Gastric Bypass with Duedenal Switch (GBDS), the Lap Band and the Sleeve Gastrectomy. The one I have chosen is the Sleeve. From what my surgeon told me, one that’s not good to have is the GBDS. The first thing you need to do is find a place that does it and they usually have a seminar that explains the types, and gives you stats on weight loss and is strictly informative and Q&A. The hospital and surgeons I chose are graded as “Excellent” by Health Grades as a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery. The surgeons told us “no matter where you go, even if you don’t choose us, choose a place that is a Health Grades Center of Excellence. Make sure they do hundreds of these a year, don’t choose a place that only does a few.”

Oh by the way, to answer your question, all surgeries have risks and the one you choose depends on your lifestyle. The surgeon may offer suggestions, but the choice is yours.

I have had the lap band(bariatric laproscopic banding procedure) and have lost weight and had very little of the sticking and pain that some experience. I had looked at the bypass procedure and was very reticent to endure it knowing my lifestyle wouldnt fit in with the demands the bypass puts on your body and habits I had and still have to fight with the banding. I have lost about 190lbs and i expect i am about done with losing since I have been at the same weight for about 7 months, but I feel great and I do not regret my choice. Yes make sure your doctor and practice is skilled in the area and if you have any problems make sure to contact them and not an emergency room or private practice 1st-it could very well save your life because most private practice docs and emergency rooms don`t know didley about banding or bypass complications and may not treat you correctly. It takes a good while before they will let you get the procedure because if your not mentally ready you will fail, and you`ll wish you hadnt done it. But when you are mentally prepared you will succeed and you will lose weight and feel better, live longer, be able to play with your grandkids etc. It still takes time and patience but it will happen faster and it will stick because you won`t be hungry, What a feeling to push your plate back with food still on it, I hadnt done that in my whole life till about 2 years ago-now? I have to make sure i only take as much as I will eat not what fills the plate. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

RNY and Lap-Band are the most common, and the worst surgeries to have because tremendous regain is so common. The Sleeve has fewer complications and nutritional difficulties, but the long term results are not yet proven because it is such a new procedure. The Duodenal Switch gets the best long-term results of any of the surgeries by far, but you must commit to a lifetime of diligent supplementation. Surgeons who do not perform the DS are notorious for telling people that it’s much more dangerous than it is. It’s best to research all the surgeries and decide which one is best for you, THEN choose a surgeon based on your chosen surgery type. A Lexus dealer will not recommend that you purchase a Ford, and an RNY surgeon will not recommend a DS. For the super morbidly obese, and those who suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, DS is absolutely the best choice as long as the patient is capable of being compliant with supplementation.