Needing Info for Spouse
Hello!
My husband just found out he is diabetic. He says he cannot control his eating. A friend of his had the DS and that is what he wants. I actually have the lap band (which was awful and I need a revision to RNY) but I wanted to get more info for him on the DS. His BMI is around 42 I think. He specifically wants the DS because he believes he can eat whatever he wants. I don't know if he is thinking about this realistically. He has never addressed why he can't stop eating with a therapist. Anyway, if you have any info to share that I could pass along to him that would be great. We live about two hours outside of Boston and NYC (in between). There are no DS doctors anywhere close to us so if he is going to pursue this I want him to see the very best doctor we can find as it is a risky surgery.
Thanks so much for your help!
Val has already recommended dsfacts, which I second - lots of good info there.
The DS is actually not higher risk than RNY as far as surgical risk is concerned. In the past, the DS was reserved for the heaviest and sickest patients, who of course had more complications than people who were lighter and less sick. If you compare similar patients, having surgery with experienced DS surgeons, the surgical complication rate is actually the same as for RNY There is an excellent study documenting this, but the bariatric surgery world is still filled with old, outdated beliefs about it.
As far as eating goes, the DS has the most normal diet of any bariatric surgery because we can eat protein and fat freely. No, it's not a free for all, but still far more normal than any other operaiton, where people must eat low calorie, lot fat and low carb for life. Dumping (which is NOT a weight loss tool, but really just a very nasty side effect of RNY) is very rare with DS. Food doesn't get stuck. We can eat liquids with meals. There is no list of foods we are never supposed to eat again. We can eat small but otherwise normal meals. We can eat either lean or fatty meats, use any method of cooking.
And as far as your husband goes, the DS also has the highest rate of permanent resolution of type 2 diabetes of any bariatric surgery. While statistics for RNY look good the first few years, the diabetes often comes back after a few years. This is rare with the DS.
So, while your husband's reasons aren't totally accurate, and he definitely needs to learn more, he is making the best possible choice for a type 2 diabetic. As far as surgeons go, your best bet is Dr. Mitchell Roslin in NYC - very experienced with the DS. Check out the list of DS surgeons at dsfacts for more options.
Larra
Yes, we really can, and do, drink liquids with meals. The 30 minute before and one hour after stuff is for RNY. You are also not supposed to drink any liquids with meals with RNY. As I understand it, this is because with RNY you do not have any valve to keep food in the pouch. The restriction of RNY is created by having a very small opening (stoma) between the pouch and the small intestine. If you drink with or right after eating, it will wash food right out of your pouch, leaving your pouch empty and you with hunger and the ability to eat more, or eat more frequently. This destroys the restriction.
With the DS, we have a smaller but otherwise normal stomach, not a pouch, and we retain the use of the pyloric valve, so emptying of the stomach is controlled by the pyloric valve. Totally different from RNY, and much more normal stomach function.
Keep doing your research, and definitely check out dsfacts - lots of good info there.
Larra
Your poor husband!
I'm glad you are both doing your research, and part of that research is determining what you can live with and succeed with and what you can't. For me, the very limited diet necessary for success with RNY - meaning low calorie, low carb, low fat for LIFE - along with all the potential side effects - was a deal breaker. The DS not only is much easier to live with, it has the highest percentage excess weight loss, best maintenance of that weight loss, and highest rates of resolution of almost all comorbidities of any bariatric surgery available. IMHO how you live your life is important, and I believe that the relative ease of living with the DS is one of the reasons it is more successful than any other bariatric surgery, though certainly not the only reason. And I don't see anything wrong with quality of life being one reason for a person's choice of surgery.
Keep doing your research. You will find the answer that is right for you.
Larra
