Should EVERYONE have the DS?

Very smooth writing for a very edgy thought. ;>) 

Yeh, well, cream is smooooth that way, doncha know?!  haha!

I agree on many of the points. It brings to mind what a DS surgeon told me when I asked him a similar question. He said that he screens DSers more carefully because he "will not do a DS on a dummy!" I agree with him.  Its for their own protection. For this reason if I see a person seeking WLS I will mention DS to them and that way they know its another option and if they care theyll do what I did and research it. Gosh, with all that is on the net all you have to do is a google search and you have it all. If you cant do that much then go ahead- go along with the herd and get the other surgery ....if someone decides that they dont want DS, its all good but they did get a chance know it was out there.  What about the Dr in Arizona that stoped doing DS because pts were non compliant and becoming malnourished? Or the Drs that are making the sleeve bigger or the ccs longer to save pts from malnourishment due to non compliance? And some surgeons feeling more comfortable doing the sleeve only for similar reasons. Not everyone is right for the DS because not everyone can handle it. There can be no DS for Dummies book because you cant be a dummy if you want a successful DS- youll get yourself sick and you may not get even near goal or you may get too thin. In my few days back here I have sighted such people and it is sad. But there is no talking to them. Maybe the weight loss put there meds out of whack or something... What I say to them is that I am almost 4 years out and my window is still open. If I dont overdo on sugar and carbs the DS works like a charm and the lbs fall off again! I love my DS!

She made me think on that one, too. I didn't start out thinking that way. There is something to be said about the fact that those who get the DS had to go out of their way to find it, get approved for it...  and those are the traits that will help them survive

Very interesting points!  I think this person's got a lot of insight here.  While the DS is probably the broadest spectrum approach to wls, not everyone can handle it, it's true.

I must say that $1000 is a little steep.  Like Hayley, I probably spend $200-300 per year on vitamins.  As for meat, now that my taste buds are more grounded, I'm finding some very good sources of protein that aren't too expensive at all.  One needs to pay attention to labels and know their basic protein staple numbers, but I DO believe that protein can be achieved on a budget.

Amen to those who don't think they need the nutrition rules.  These are non-negotiable.  A good DSer is a take charge kind of person - borderlining on control freak, perhaps?  It's the only way we can make sure we get what we need.

 

Someone who is habitually out of control on sweets may be a better candidate for the RNY than the DS, due to the negative reinforcement of the dumping syndrome.  A habitual grazer, like myself, does better with the DS.  Not just MHO -- it is my doctor's as well.

I think the problem with people who are sweets addicts getting the RNY, is that there are no guarantees that a person will dump after the surgery.  Without negative reinforcement, what then?  Do the sweet eaters just get cured instantaneously?  This was a big decision for me going into WLS.  My surgeon said the DS was for people who like to graze and are a meat and potatoes kind of person.  She said the RNY was for people with a sugar addiction because it would make them dump.  As I sat in that seminar I knew even as a sugar addict that I would HAVE to have the DS because I love my sugar, but I can't imagine my life without meat!  (She had mentioned that RNY's had problems eating certain kinds of meats, some people could never eat certain meats again post-op.) So, I was a definite sugar addict.  I was also a big grazer and a meat lover!  I would say that was in order of importance to me too.  The DS has worked out fabulously for me.  I still have sugar from time to time, and sometimes even everyday....but the DS is the perfect fit for my life even in light of my pre-op habitual sugar addiction. Sorry I rambled on...just some of my thoughts.

$1000/yr on supplements?  Are you kidding me? Calcium citrates from Costco:  About $10/300 tablets.  I only take 4/day, but I would guess the average person might want to take 8.  8 x 365 = 2920 -- call it 3000 tablets/year or $100. Prenatal vitamins: I get mine through insurance for about $15/mo or $180 (call it $200) per year.  I assume Centrum or some other brand would be about the same. ADEKs:  I have no idea, since I don't need or take them.  Let's assume $25/month if you need them.  Another $300. Zinc: I'll count this, since I'm taking one a day.  300 tablets for $6.  Call it $10/year. Probiotics:  I take 2 Trader Joe's (or Trader Darwin's, actually) Acidophilus/day.  100 caplets at $4/bottle x 750 pills/year = $30/yr. That adds up to $640, minus $300 if you don't take ADEKs.   For me personally, it is ($50 + $180 + $10 + $30) = $270. As for not being able to get enough protein?  That's just ridiculous if you know what you are doing.  Chicken thighs in the family size; Costco canned chicken breast; tuna; hamburger (you can buy the cheap stuff too); eggs; cheese; frozen fish; chuck roast. However, I DO agree that DSers need to be proactive about their health care; willing to commit to a lifetime of follow up care NO MATTER WHAT; willing to advocate and argue if necessary with their doctors (meaning generally their non-DS-surgeons) to explain the DS and insist on proper testing and consideration of your non-standard anatomy; and overall to be smarter than the average bear.

The $1000/year is what they MIGHT have to spend on vitamins. In fact, I spend $1200/year on vitamins/probiotics/lactose treatment/sdevrom/gasx/ calcium capsules that agree with my stomach (can't take the Costco brand), etc. I'm on mega doses of D, B complex, A&Ds.... Not everyone has to do that, but it happens. As for the protein, I don't know what it's like to walk in the shoes of someone who is stretching public assistance to feed and clothe a family of four. All I know is that she said it ended in "disaster".  Perhaps the person wasn't as resilient as you or I might be in the cir****tances, or she didn't have a car to get to Costco, or $65 for a membership.

Im up there at 1200 with you Nancy. Ok so since the topic came up about vitamins and their cost I thought Id post this. I am deff spending a lot more than some of you but I am doing what I do based on my bloodwork as I am certain most of you are as well.  I am having new bloodwork in a few weeks so it may again be adjusted. I know that people said that they dont think that you need to be obsessive to be a DSer but it sure has helped me! LOL As a matter of fact, I think it made me this way! LOL Also it was said here today that all WLS require supplementation, but know that the DS does require even more vigilance. Are there a number of  RNYers or lapbanders that are supplementing in this way? I believe their needs would be different. Please do feel free to correct me if I am wrong. My cousin had RNY and he is appauled when he hears about my vitamins and does nothing like this himself. Its like the AGGRESSIVE SUPPLEMENTATION that Ray Kurzweil wrote about in the book titaled something like Live Long Enough to Live Forever...he takes like 200 vita a day! Hes 50 something with the body of a 30 something. . . extreme I know and he doesn't even have a compromised absorbtive condition as we do. Anyway this is the stuff I am taking now..I switch up on brands sometimes because I feel like it is giving you a different strain or whatever of the vitamin..maybe not but its my idea and it couldn't hurt LOL Im sure some of you must be doing what I am?   Centrum Silver x2 Solgar Vit C 1500 mg x2 Solgar Vit K 100 mcg  x2 Twinlab Zinc caps 50 mg Natures Plus Mega Zinc 150 mg Vitamin Shoppe Copper 2 mg x2 Vitamin Shoppe B Complex 125 Vitamin Shoppe Dry Vit A Bio Tech Vit D 50,000 IU x2 Repliva Rx Iron $35 month not covered by ins.   As for the calcium which I hate I get it from a few sources so I can switch it up and get it all in.. I keep these on hand: Citrical w/ Vitamin D 500 mg in 2 pills Citrical Creamy Bites 500 mg in 2 pills Country Life Chewable Cal-Snack with Vit D & Magnesium (orange/vanilla flavor not too bad) Tums Cocoa Smoothie flavor Sour Gummies Calcium from Costco   And Probiotics I also switch off on different ones. What has worked best is the Reutieri and the Primal Defense, both quite pricey. I have tried many other probiotics, perhaps every one they carry in Whole Foods & Health Nuts and these 2 seem to have the best result for me.