Deborah,
The sleeve surgery isn't any safer then the rny but in the long run there is a possibility of less complications due to no intestinal bypass. The surgeon will remove 60-85% of your stomach and totally take it out, the remainder of your stomach is like a sleeve or banana. You absorb your vitamins from food and you lose weight by restriction of food intake due to the small stomach, there is no malabsorbtion. In the past this surgery was used for patients that were too high risk to have the rny due to too high of bmi. This sleeve was the first process and after the patients reached a safer weight then the patient could have the second weightloss surgery like the rny or band or duodenal switch. Now, the doctors are finding that this surgery can work as the main weightloss surgery with close to the same results as the rny. In the future if I feel I haven't lost enough weight or if I start to gain weight I can still resort to have the rny or lapband. This surgery isn't reversible like the rny or lapband. I hope this has answered your question. Lisa
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