Long term DS question

I am SO impressed with everyone's answers! You all make so much sense and there is so much that didn't even dawn on me. I didn't think about having to deal with comorbities along with anything other condition that might creep up.
i have often read on this site that we must be our own health advocates. Thanks to your responses, i think i am finally grasping what that actually means.
Thank you all for your wisdom and honesty.

I don't know if you are on the OH DS facebook page but someone recelty posted on there that had cancer treatment.  Perhaps you can check out this facebook page for further info. https://www.facebook.com/groups/174102532625545/

I'm so glad you asked this question because it was on my mind also. I wonder if there are any folks out there 20 years out. I wish they were on this board also but we do have some folks 10 years and that's great to hear they are doing well. I think we will always have to advocate for ourselves and when we are not well our family may have to do the advocating for us. I have heard of folks keeping a diagram of the configuration of their surgery in their wallet along with al list of all their vitamin/protein needs. This way if they ever get admitted to the hospital they can show the docs their configuration. 

I have been going back and forth between either getting the sleeve or DS.  I ruled out the FNY because I do not believe you can take ansaids with that surgery and I have seen many folks gain their weight back-yet many others who were quite successful with it also so. It varies. I have looked at the revision boards and many folks revise to a DS or a sleeve and I think that says something.

For me, it's not a tough decision to have surgery but it has been tough to choose between the sleeve and DS. I think the thing that tipped me over to DS was when some sleeve folks messaged me and said that they wish they had just went with the DS because it was difficult for them to maintain their weight long term. I thought of getting the sleeve first and then getting the DS later if I needed it but what I'm learning is that folks that do a two part don't always do as well. I wish you the best with your decision. I'm in the same boat as you and am open to hearing your thoughts also. All this unknown stuff can be overwhelming at times. Thanks for asking the question and good luck!

Hess did the first modern DS, I believe.  There was a pic of the patient on his site for a long time.  The man would be over 80 now.  I know he was still doing well in his 70's.  No matter what happens as we age, we are still better off fighting it as normal size people with normal mobility.

I work in a casino with a huge RV park that attracts older people.  There are days when I swear I see 100 people on mobility scooters and the vast majority of them are MO.  Now I know their disabilities may have nothing to do with their weight but every time I see these folks I can't help but think their problems would be more easily managed if they were not heavy.  Fat is just another prison that becomes harder to deal with as we age. 

You long-timers were/ are really courageous, trying this new surgery, basically paving the way for the rest of us caught in this prison of fat.
I'm not sure if i'm considered a lightweight with a little over a hundred pounds to lose, but the scale continues to climb. I find the sleeve too much like fad diet in that i honestly don't think i will be able to follow through for ever with the low fat, low carb. i find the ds to be much more forgiving, even though we still have to watch carbs and sugars. On the other hand, that little voice inside my head keeps saying, you're going to rearrange your guts as a lightweight? I just don't want to become a heavyweight and that's where i'm headed!
I will hopefully be having my first information in december, maybe january cuz of the holidays and then meet with the surgeon 3-4 months after that. I want to meet with him and be certain of what i want, but obviously, i will listen to what he has to say.
Thanks again for your replies. This discussion is so helpful!

There are a quite a few of us that started as lightweights and have the DS. We had the comorbidities that are best resolved with a DS. Some of us had to search for a DS surgeon who could actually think beyond a lower BMI and agree to give us a DS.

--gina

I was a lightweight and have double guessed myself at two years out from my DS surgery.  Should I have just gotten the sleeve?    Would I have to force myself to eat all that protein if I would have just had the sleeve?  Being hungry really isnt an issue for me.

What is becoming a bigger issue for me, is my sweet tooth, which was nonexistent after surgery.  High calorie food, no nutritional value.  Who knows how much I would be regaining with just the sleeve?

My common channel is 95.  Hindsight, I wish I would have went longer, to 150.  I would still have the added benefits of malabsorption with my weight and have the benefits of a lower incidence of diabetes, improved cholesterol, etc.

If you are serious about losing weight, keeping it off, and improving your health, than the DS is truly the only way to go.  I would spend a little time talking to your doctor and getting data on common channel lengths and outcomes, and total pounds loss.  Typically, the more you have to lose, the shorter the channel.  You could probably perform a search on this site of "common channel lengths and DS" and get a good start on your research.

The size of the sleeve will also vary among surgeons, but I don't hear people comment as much about that being a large factor.  Most would agree that the sleeve stretches over time, so that may be why the length of the common channel is discussed more.

My response is that of a philosophical outlook. Not very scientific yet just the same pertinent. QUALITY OF LIFE!!!!! The rewards and benefits I have reaped post DS outweigh any possible medical issues that may or may not happen in the future. I take it one step at a time and savour all of the happiness that has come with my DS. The happiness that engulfs you will permeate every other aspect of your life and have a positive influence on your overall health. Your concerns are very legitimate but I think if we bear a positive outlook, the rest will follow. In addition, you as I, are from Montreal, Quebec where we have wonderful DS knowledgable surgeons and hospitals; one of which are among the pioneers in Quebec city. Take the plunge!

Thanks Starlightlu!
You're so right. So much wisdom on this thread!
I guess it's up to the surgeon now. I will keep you updated.

10 1/2 years post op here.  Your absorption will improve, although vitamin supplementation will always be necessary.  Our bodies do adapt over time.   Ditto on being more worried about the medical community understanding the procedure than anything else.