Why all the negativity?
I am doing my research, and while I have decided on the DS for my surgery, I still like to do as much research as I can. Anyway...I have stumbled on other weightloss groups, and have posted about the DS and asked questions and all I get is negativity. If I hadn't of done my own research I would be absolutely frightened and scared to even think of doing the DS. Unless I am on a DS specific board, and I honestly only know of this one and one other one than the DS gets nothing but negativity and everyone is full of horror stories.
I know that the DS is a risky procedure and needs to be done by a very experiences surgeon, and you also have to make the life long commitment to protein and vitamins, so I can see how it could easily get someone in trouble if they were slack on any of those, but the negativity I have seen has me confused. I don't get all the DS bashers out there. I was even told by one lady if I had it at my age(I am 27) I would dead from malabsorption by the time I was in my 40s? HUH?? Has anyone else experienced the DS bashing? It really makes it hard fro those of us trying to research this surgery.
On another note. I met with the surgeons staff and went through the first part of getting my surgery, next up is they require full lab work up, and a bunch of tests to make sure I am healthy enough for surgeon, and then from there they have a bunch more stuff for me to do, lol. I am happy to be started!
I know that the DS is a risky procedure and needs to be done by a very experiences surgeon, and you also have to make the life long commitment to protein and vitamins, so I can see how it could easily get someone in trouble if they were slack on any of those, but the negativity I have seen has me confused. I don't get all the DS bashers out there. I was even told by one lady if I had it at my age(I am 27) I would dead from malabsorption by the time I was in my 40s? HUH?? Has anyone else experienced the DS bashing? It really makes it hard fro those of us trying to research this surgery.
On another note. I met with the surgeons staff and went through the first part of getting my surgery, next up is they require full lab work up, and a bunch of tests to make sure I am healthy enough for surgeon, and then from there they have a bunch more stuff for me to do, lol. I am happy to be started!
On September 20, 2012 at 12:55 AM Pacific Time, ElijahsMama wrote:
I am doing my research, and while I have decided on the DS for my surgery, I still like to do as much research as I can. Anyway...I have stumbled on other weightloss groups, and have posted about the DS and asked questions and all I get is negativity. If I hadn't of done my own research I would be absolutely frightened and scared to even think of doing the DS. Unless I am on a DS specific board, and I honestly only know of this one and one other one than the DS gets nothing but negativity and everyone is full of horror stories. I know that the DS is a risky procedure and needs to be done by a very experiences surgeon, and you also have to make the life long commitment to protein and vitamins, so I can see how it could easily get someone in trouble if they were slack on any of those, but the negativity I have seen has me confused. I don't get all the DS bashers out there. I was even told by one lady if I had it at my age(I am 27) I would dead from malabsorption by the time I was in my 40s? HUH?? Has anyone else experienced the DS bashing? It really makes it hard fro those of us trying to research this surgery.
On another note. I met with the surgeons staff and went through the first part of getting my surgery, next up is they require full lab work up, and a bunch of tests to make sure I am healthy enough for surgeon, and then from there they have a bunch more stuff for me to do, lol. I am happy to be started!
Second---the DS is no more risky than the RNY, when you compare patients with equal health issues. In the past, the DS was 'reserved' for heavier, and therefore usually sicker, patients---so the risks were higher. But when patients with equal health risks are compared, the DS is no risker than the RNY.
Yes, the DS DOES need to be done by better surgeons. Sewing duodenal tissue has been comapred to sewing wet tissue paper. As a seamstress, this makes me REALLY impressed by surgeons who can do this.
Yes, the DS does require a life-long committment to treating yourself well, watching your vitamin and mineral levels, and eating protein first. So does the RNY and the VSG---except those lesser surgeries take longer to kill you if you don't. They'll still kill you---it just takes longer.
The DS gets bashed by people who don't understand it, and who therefore are afraid of it. (And many of whom really regret they didn't HAVE it.)
It's a common human failing to bash what we don't understand. Knowledge is power---I'm glad to see you're taking power in your own hands.
What was really nice was at my first appointment I met a lady who had the DS by my surgeon, and she was almost 4 yrs out. She had the same exact starting weight as I have, and she said the DS was the best desicion of her life. She would do it over in a heart beat. It felt so reassuring to actually talk to someone who had the DS by my surgeon. She said she has about 15 lbs left to lose, but it is extra skin, not fat and she is OK with it. She just uses spanx. She had all the same health issues as me, and is now completely healthy. She has her labs done every 3 months and has not had any problems. It was like a sign from God that I am finally making the right choice. It just made me feel like...if she can do it, so can I!
My family is scared of this surgery, they would rather me have by-pass...but I just feel like if I do...then in 5 yrs I am going to have to have a rvision to DS anyway. I want the weight off...and I want it off for good. I plan on following the paleo/primal lifestyle, and have started slowly going that direction for the last month. It is high protein, low carb diet. I am only going to be make exceptions for dairy...since I love it so much, just small portions. I have my follow-up appt on Oct 5th, and hope to lose at least some weight before my next appt to show I am commited to this. I hate dieting! But at my BMI(66) it is really good idea for me to lose weight so my surgery is less complicated.
Thanks everyone for hearing me out and letting me vent.
Sigh! Yeh...you'll get that a lot! To be fair when us Super morbidly obese or just morbidly obese people get to the point of needing bariatric surgery there is often a litany of non-compliance behind us. I'm making broad brush strokes here but from a medical perspective obesity is such a complex disease process that it has deep and profound adaptive and behavioral issues attached to it. In short surgeons expect us to **** it up. We couldn't stick with weigh****chers so why would we stick with correct DS diet and exercise? So how does this excuse RNY mill surgeons? That surgery is just as loaded for us fat folk, but somehow it can be forgiven because the malabsorbtion isn't so intense? At least when we **** that up we won't need TPN and iron infusions for life...oh wait some RNY patients do.....so what is with the cognitive dissonance? MARKETING.
So basically what you've come across is a good old smear campaign loosely fashioned on statistics from non-compliant patients who meet catastrophic results. They are not wrong...nor are they correct. They are just shooting at fish in a barrel. There are so many statistics supporting the DS that never get mentioned because they are terribly inconvienient.
The facts are:
-DS is the best surgery for weight loss. Taken on the statistical mean this is true.
-DS requires a strict adherence to a high fat, high protein diet with additional oral supplementation of malabsorbed vitamins such as AEDK, Copper,Selenium (good multi has Selenium covered), Calcium, Iron and C. Any non-compliance will result in life threatening consequences in time.
-The Ds makes you fart and creates gas that is capable of lingering in the environment if you eat white processed flour, or sugary carbohydrates, itols and other foods which you may develop sensitiviteis to such as lactose etc. It is for this very reason we avoid these. The end result is severe bloating, loud bowel sounds, diarrhea and terrible malodorous gas. The severity of this varies between person to person. This is the point of malabsorbtion......right? If you don't eat a donut you won't fart like a draft horse.
- The DS will leave you with loose skin in most cases after you lose around 90% of your excess weight. Some lose all of their excess weight and become underweight (me for a bit there). Both Kel and I have the BMI's of Bangladeshi women according to the BBC.
-The DS can create severe malabsorbtion where by a state of IBS is instilled in a previously healthy bowel. It happens (not to most of us but some...yes).
- Now any bowel surgery creates possible surgical risks such as adhesion's, volvulus, ileous, strictures etc. ANY BOWEL SURGERY.
So thems are the bare bones.
I am 3 years out in Jan 2012. I weigh 62kgs as of yesterday (12.6 meter seas and not eating much to be honest) or 136lbs...holy ****me......weighing that! I used to dream of reaching 80kgs. Well I took a DS express train right past that and barely noticed. I am a tedious person that had the easiest weight loss known to man (aside from my constant neurosis). I have eaten what I damn well liked and lost. To be fair what I want is mostly protein and M&M peanuts. I have my M&M peanut addiction firmly under control now :)
I am aware that I am at risk of developing severe osteoporosis as an elderly woman due to my calcium malabsorbtion. To compensate I do weight lifting and weight baring exercise. I wish I had started this before my arse slipped down my thighs but at least my bones are going no where. With my calcium supplementation I'm going to be a teenager skeletal wise well into my 60's! Any DSer that doesn't take up weight baring exercise in my opinion is being a fool. Hip and knee replacements really really suck, not to mention spinal cord compression!!! By placing your skeleton under pressure via weight lifting, yoga etc you send a message to the bones to firm up and become denser and the clever body sets about doing this. Greater bone desity ensues!
Final screed here...it took my surgeon 11.5hrs to operate on me (ok I was a ******g nightmare) and most here are in surgery for 5hrs some more some less. An RNY takes 1-2hrs on average with some deviation in relation to complexity of anatomy. I am generalising... What financial imputes is there to do two DS patients a day when I could do 4-5 RNY's and make a hefty profit on each one. The DS cost doesn't come close to paying me for the hefty profit margin I just made doing those extra two RNY's. And....you're a fatty so you'll probably **** this up so I'm not gonna give you a surgery that will REALLY **** you up if you don't do exactly what you are told.
You have to be able to cope with the DS initally, then you have to be able to live with the Ds, then you have to be able to maintain the DS. For me it has been a cake walk (well not the first two months...they sucked arse). My mind was the hardest obstical and will remain so for life. It is my monkey. It isn't the easy option but it is the best option for us who can do what is required.
I am ******g full of Win!
Worth considering the wider picture.
So basically what you've come across is a good old smear campaign loosely fashioned on statistics from non-compliant patients who meet catastrophic results. They are not wrong...nor are they correct. They are just shooting at fish in a barrel. There are so many statistics supporting the DS that never get mentioned because they are terribly inconvienient.
The facts are:
-DS is the best surgery for weight loss. Taken on the statistical mean this is true.
-DS requires a strict adherence to a high fat, high protein diet with additional oral supplementation of malabsorbed vitamins such as AEDK, Copper,Selenium (good multi has Selenium covered), Calcium, Iron and C. Any non-compliance will result in life threatening consequences in time.
-The Ds makes you fart and creates gas that is capable of lingering in the environment if you eat white processed flour, or sugary carbohydrates, itols and other foods which you may develop sensitiviteis to such as lactose etc. It is for this very reason we avoid these. The end result is severe bloating, loud bowel sounds, diarrhea and terrible malodorous gas. The severity of this varies between person to person. This is the point of malabsorbtion......right? If you don't eat a donut you won't fart like a draft horse.
- The DS will leave you with loose skin in most cases after you lose around 90% of your excess weight. Some lose all of their excess weight and become underweight (me for a bit there). Both Kel and I have the BMI's of Bangladeshi women according to the BBC.
-The DS can create severe malabsorbtion where by a state of IBS is instilled in a previously healthy bowel. It happens (not to most of us but some...yes).
- Now any bowel surgery creates possible surgical risks such as adhesion's, volvulus, ileous, strictures etc. ANY BOWEL SURGERY.
So thems are the bare bones.
I am 3 years out in Jan 2012. I weigh 62kgs as of yesterday (12.6 meter seas and not eating much to be honest) or 136lbs...holy ****me......weighing that! I used to dream of reaching 80kgs. Well I took a DS express train right past that and barely noticed. I am a tedious person that had the easiest weight loss known to man (aside from my constant neurosis). I have eaten what I damn well liked and lost. To be fair what I want is mostly protein and M&M peanuts. I have my M&M peanut addiction firmly under control now :)
I am aware that I am at risk of developing severe osteoporosis as an elderly woman due to my calcium malabsorbtion. To compensate I do weight lifting and weight baring exercise. I wish I had started this before my arse slipped down my thighs but at least my bones are going no where. With my calcium supplementation I'm going to be a teenager skeletal wise well into my 60's! Any DSer that doesn't take up weight baring exercise in my opinion is being a fool. Hip and knee replacements really really suck, not to mention spinal cord compression!!! By placing your skeleton under pressure via weight lifting, yoga etc you send a message to the bones to firm up and become denser and the clever body sets about doing this. Greater bone desity ensues!
Final screed here...it took my surgeon 11.5hrs to operate on me (ok I was a ******g nightmare) and most here are in surgery for 5hrs some more some less. An RNY takes 1-2hrs on average with some deviation in relation to complexity of anatomy. I am generalising... What financial imputes is there to do two DS patients a day when I could do 4-5 RNY's and make a hefty profit on each one. The DS cost doesn't come close to paying me for the hefty profit margin I just made doing those extra two RNY's. And....you're a fatty so you'll probably **** this up so I'm not gonna give you a surgery that will REALLY **** you up if you don't do exactly what you are told.
You have to be able to cope with the DS initally, then you have to be able to live with the Ds, then you have to be able to maintain the DS. For me it has been a cake walk (well not the first two months...they sucked arse). My mind was the hardest obstical and will remain so for life. It is my monkey. It isn't the easy option but it is the best option for us who can do what is required.
I am ******g full of Win!
Worth considering the wider picture.
RIP Mickie aka Happychick. You will be missed deeply.
LOL...you all made me laugh. I am so happy to have this board full of real information. I am very happy that I am stubborn and did the research myself so I know what the DS is and isn't. But I do feel for people who will read their negativity and be scared off a surgery that can potentially save their lives. I simply posted the comment that the board was full of misinformation, gave the link for dsfacts, and hope that others will think for themselves too.
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