Should EVERYONE have the DS?

Thanks, Roz. The average food stamp recipient gets $3 per day for food, according to this report to Congress. http://www.frac.org/pdf/FSC_Toolkit.pdf Could I feed myself enough protein for $1 per meal? I'm not sure I'd want to try, but I think I could. A pot of chili, chicken thighs, a pot of beans, a can of peanut butter, and some tuna. I'm sure the people here could easily teach us a few tricks. The point is that the choices that you and I might make with that amount are not necessarily those that others would make, if they didn't know what they needed to know about nutrition. I'm actually shocked that it's only $3/day. I guess I'm in an insulated bubble.

I read the first couple of lines of your reply last night, but wanted to think more before I answered.  Your figures were the last thoughts I had last night, and the first I had this morning. My first google of the day was to learn the US poverty level, and  threshold, for a family of 4. Those numbers are too humbling for words.  As I look at my children, my home, my amply filled cupboards and refrigerator, I am shamed by abundance.  Family of 4 poverty level: $21,200 Single individual:  $10,400.   On $863 a month, plus $120 from food stamps, I don't know how a person can afford to breathe, let alone eat.   To think that people could work a 40 hour week and only earn this much . . . .  Makes you wonder why the US can't get it together to offer universal health care.  As to the DS and poverty, I just don't know what to say.  Would it be any different with the RnY?  They need a high level of protein, too.  I do think with a great deal of effort a person could "possibly" get in 120gr/pro/day, but it would take time and dedication, commodities that an overworked, underpaid mother of 4 would be challenged to find.   I think I wanted to ignore the horror of poverty's impact on life saving technology.  However, I'd like to know which WLS would be the one of choice for a poverty level individual.  In the end it would seem that even only a 50% EWL would be better than none. 

We are lucky in more ways than one. The irony is that as thinner, she might get a better job. But as unhealthier (if she doesn't get the protein), she might end up more disabled. Quite a world we live in!

I agree.  I never thought the DS was for everyone and neither did my surgeons. As you stated: *cost of vits/minerals *cost of protein *compliance Those were the big 3 I had to promise to adhere to and it's just not possible or probable that everyone will.

I'm taking exactly what my physican recommended, in accordance with my labs.  I eat a balanced diet.  I also went into DS in perfect health, perfect health except for weiging 254 lbs.  Every pre-op test I took was normal. 

"She felt a compulsive personality was a desirable trait for this surgery. People who are more easygoing don't do as well as those who set up their pills in careful order and plan ahead to keep a supply." My BS meter just went off. I am not an anal person and am more of an easy going "free spirit". That would have eliminated me from having this surgery. BSBS. I am faithful about my supplements, my blood work and my health in general. So..that reason is OUT.  I am rebellious - otherwise, I would have had the RnY like a good little patient instead of questioning the surgeons "wisdom". I AM special because I did that...but I follow the nutrition rules I read HERE more than the ones a doctor gives me.  I've not noticed an increase in groceries because I eat LESS. But...I do like my steaks now!  The DS is not for everyone but people should be educated about WLS BEFORE they have it...not afterwards. They should be aware of the surgery types and the "after" life. I chose a happy after.... Dianne from FL

My BS meter went off on this, too.  But I think the issue is with the word, "compulsive".  I am not compulsive, but have always been good about taking my meds. With my co-morbidities, ignoring meds could prove fatal. Maybe instead of saying DSers need to be "compulsive" about their meds, we should say they should be diligent.

She didn't say they need to be compulsive. She said it was "a desirable trait." I think this part of the discussion here  is parsing the word 'compulsive' and not the thought, which is that people who plan ahead, have a supply of vitamins in advance of needing them, keep track of what pills they have taken and what they need to take...those are desirable traits for DS patients.  For me that's been a way of life since I have chronic diseases that require daily medicines. You only have to know that prescription drug compliance, even for people with potentially fatal diseases, is only 50% over a prolonged period of time.  If you're taking 95% of your vitamins 95% of the time, you may not realize how rare you are.

Well, I take 100% of vitamins 100% of the time. (And still learning what I need in that area.) I have a pill box that divides my pills into semi-daily doses.  I fill it once a week.  I do that because I am lazy and don't like sorting pills twice a day everyday. I'd rather do it once for the week and be done with it.  But I am not compulsive. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but to say "being compulsive is a desireable trait" for a DSer implies that those who are not compulsive are not good candidates for DS.

The only people who should not have the DS: Vegans: too much difficulty ensuring adequate daily protein levels Substance abusers: they will likely blow off the rules that keep them healthy &, if alcoholic, will regain or not lose by taking in liquid calories Those with sub-average intelligence: they will not be proactive in their health care from day one. Short of that, hands down, the DS is the best surgery for everyone. The food and vitamin costs are a non-issue. In my blog I have two entries, one giving a link to a thread where everyone discussed how to manage the DS on a budget and another with a list of high protein foods. No, maybe you can't eat enough steak to maintain a 300 pound frame. But, that's kind of the point, isn't it? Between the reduction in prescription bills and the reduction in grocery bills (from the dramatic departure of sheer volume), at the very least you'll break even. I've yet to see someone post actual figures showing that post-op they are paying MORE.