DS vs RNY

Hello, new to the site. My surgery date is 1/27. When I went into the surgeons office I was already set on having the Rny...and then he also offered the DS to me. I have only heard of it at the seminar I attended before I had my surgical consult. He told me to think about it and I've been trying to research it online and while I see positive things like more weight loss..long term aid in keep it off..able to eat more...ect..there has also been things that concern me. I was wondering if you that have had the DS done could tell me how things have gone for you ..pluses and minuses. I'm leaning towards the RNY and have known many people who have had it (a few who had the sleeve) and have had great success. Any advice would be appreciated.

if you've not found it yet, be sure to check out DSFacts.com.  I'm 8 years out and very pleased with my results, life, and overall experience. Today I'm at a healthy weight and eat pretty much whatever I want (within reason, that is).  I never once felt deprived or like I was dieting.  I eat like a normal thin person - in that nobody would know that I had wls watching me eat.  The only thing that makes me stand out is my love of butter and shameless indulgence of it.  At breakfast in the hotel during my work week, people get a slice or two of bacon with a dab of eggs and fill the rest of their plate with fruit.  I, on the other hand, have 6 strips of bacon and a mound of eggs covered with cheese.along with an English muffin slathered with butter.  I do not live on protein shakes.  I keep some powder around for emergencies, but I can eat 100g of protein daily with no problem at all.  Now, to clear up the minuses, I think I'm part of the norm here for bathroom habits.  I wake up early in the morning for a giant poo, and that's it for the day.  My complaint is that my body has no respect for weekends or holidays, and daylight savings time really throws me for a loop.  The stool is loose in consistency, but not uncontrollable diarrhea or anything.  I'm in complete control and quite satisfied afterwards.  The rest of the day,  I'm a-okay.  I only get horrible gas when I eat something that gives it to me, like pasta or some breads.  This part varies by person , so the further out you are, the better you know through past trial and error.  I work as a corporate trainer and am often presenting in front of groups, and I can tell you that I've always been in control and have not had any embarrassing moments.  I eat carefully during the work day.  I save my experimental eating for those who love me unconditionally.  Another observation I have is that DSers and RNY's alike tend to get their intestinal bacteria out of balance, which also causes gas and diarrhea.  To treat and/or avoid this, the use of probiotics, in the form of a pill or yogurt is usually necessary to add probiotics to the body.  Extreme cases can cause bacterial infections when the bad bacteria gets overpopulated, and antibiotics are used to treat it, followed by probiotics to repopulate the flora.  I count that as a very manageable minus, for yogurt packs in a lot of protein and it's all my body needs.  To compare the two, though, both DS and RNY require careful nutritional maintenance.  This requires some learning and also trial and error with regular blood work.  RNY uses a piece of stomach tissue with an artificial stoma to the intestine.  Food goes in and food goes out.  When the stoma stretches, there is little that can be done successfully to repair it, thus leaving the pouch empty and the person hungry all the time.  They eat more - they regain weight.  The DS has a fully functioning (albeit tiny) stomach with all natural working parts.  The plyoric valve controls food leaving the stomach as designed.  The stomach starts out unmanageably small, but stretches over time to fit a reasonable amount of food.  It will never reach the size it started as.  To put it in perspective...The average stomach is the size of a football.  My post op stomach started at 2.5 ounces.  I was full after only a couple bites of food.  Today, 8 years later, I can eat 8-10oz at a time.  By a normal person's standards, a fairly normal small portion size.  At restaurants, I can usually eat half of my meal with their large portions.  Both RNY and DS get horrible gas from simple carbs like breads, sugars, and pasta (I do miss pasta sometimes).  This varies by individual, but both are prone to this.  About half of the RNY patients experience dumping syndrome when they eat an improper amount of fat or sugar.  Some like it as a form of discipline, while others dump from even good foods, and have trouble eating even healthy things, so it can be a double-edged sword.  Both DS and RNY require some form of accountability.  Both require high protein and lower carb eating to lose weight.  DS can have a higher concentration of fat with that protein.  This makes things much easier with protein consumption.  In fact, we need to eat more fat for our digestive system to function and to keep our skin supple (hence my love of butter).  To an outsider, it makes DSers look like we eat with reckless abandon, while we are actually eating strategically.  For me, a person who loves food - I miss very little as a DSer.  I've kept 90% of the weight I lost, and according to my mom, I've lost my 'scarecrow' appearance and gained back some boobage.  I'm quite content.  I hope this helps!

It does thank you. I was thinking that the DS was relatively new but to see that you had it done 8 yrs ago is great. My good friend had the rny last october and has lost 200lbs. She eats what she wants and has never had dumping issues. I know everyone is different though. Others I know have had it or the sleeve..I've never known anyone who did the switch. Upon reading on the internet I heard a lot of negative but coming here I hear a lot more postive. I know there can be complications or issues with either choice.

The first DS was done in 1988, and unless he'd died in the last few months that very first patient is still alive and well and in his 80's.

I'll be ten years post-op on the 11th of this month, and I've never once regretted my decision. If there are specific things you're read that are troubling you, ask about them. You're find far more posts about negatives because it's when things go wrong that people post looking for help. Very rarely do people post to say "I had surgery and everything's fine! "

 (*grin*)

I know 5 people who had the RNY and all have regained significant amounts of weight. All but 2 of them have serious side effects because they do not get the right amount of vitamins in.(This would happen no matter what surgery they did). I chose the DS because it is the best surgery out there for long term weight loss. I am a revision from Lapband(crap band!) to the DS. I think the Lapband should be taken off the market. But that is personal opinion.

Anything specific you are worried about? Ask away!

It is my understanding that the DS has been around for about 20 years (even longer than the sleeve) and has the best statistics for excess weight loss and resolution of co-morbidities. 

I'm only 4 months out but I am so happy with my DS! During this phase, I've kept it extremely low-carb, so I haven't had any issues with diarrhea or gas at all. (It's usually the opposite so I take a probiotic and a stool softener every day). 

I plan to stay low-carb until I hit goal at which point I will reintroduce carbs in moderation. I plan on doing so in the comfort of my own home at first to see how I react. I can tell you that I've had one pumpkin chocolate chip cookie (LOL) and I didn't react to it at all. So I'm assuming that if you eat a small amount of sweets or carbs, it shouldn't be a problem. 

While most people do have success with the RNY, some people end up revising from RNY to DS. (Check out the revisions board here. You'll see people revising from the sleeve and RNY to DS). Some people start regaining their weight with RNY after about two years because that's when they lose their malabsorption. DSers malabsorb permanently. Also, some RNYers have developed reactive hypoglycemia because they no longer have their pyloric valve. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21184112/

On the negative side, DSers need more vitamins than RNYers. You need to take vitamins for life with both procedures, but more with the DS. 

Good luck with your decision! Keep posting questions here!

If you need NSAIDs you won't be able to have them post RNY.  Also, you can expect to lose more and keep it off with the DS.  Please see below for details:

RNY

EWL% at 1-2 years    48%-85%
EWL% at 3-6 years    53%-77%
EWL% at 7-10 years  25%-68%

DS

EWL% at 1-2 years     65%-83%
EWL% at 3-6 years     62%-81%
EWL% at 7-10 years   60%-80%

Plus there's DS and RNY comparison info here too: http://www.dsfacts.com/Comparison-of-DS-and-RNY.html#.UqSqCf RdX10

Thank you for all the advice. I honestly don't know what to do. I think I'm leaning one way..and then I lean back towards the other. It's comforting to know that the DS isn't a new procedure like I originally thought. I am 420lbs and I want to lose the most possible but I  want to be smart about my decision and not regret it either way. I'm sure with either I'll lose..and there's things about both procedures that I like. I have until the 17th to decide. I go to my nutritional class and they tailor it towards to which procedure your getting.

My highest weight was 393 and I'm 372 right now with surgery scheduled for 12/16.  I opted for the DS - primarily because it's the surgery that will give me the biggest help in losing all the excess weight I want to lose AND keeping it off!  I've known so many people who have gotten the RNY and lose weight just great - but then after 3 years or so that weight creeps right back on again.  The DS - because of the malabsorption component - makes it easier to maintain the lower weight once you get there.

I sure didn't want to go to all the effort to get approved for and then have WLS, and then not be able to get to where I really want to go! And stay there! :)

Hope that helps,

Deborah

My highest weight was 405 pre-op.  Surgery daym 2/25/2009, my weight was 397.  My current weight (as of today) is 171.0  My goal weight is 160. I hit goal once, then gained about 10 pounds, since my PCP thought I looked emaciated.

I feel healthier than I've ever felt in my life...thanks to better nutrition ,my vitamin regimen and all that weight gone!

The DS cured my high blood pressure and sleep apnea.  In Europe, they are performing the DS on non-weight loss patients, because it cures Type 2 diabetes.

Check out www.dsfacts.com and keep coming here to ask questions.