Please help

I am considering having DS done.  My husband is ot completely on board so I dont know what to do.  I currently weigh 217 pounds and I am 5'4".  I keep yo-yoing.  My lowest weight since kids (oldest is 14) has been 178 pounds.  In order to get there I have to starve myself and then eventually my weight loss stops, I give up and end up getting back to 200 pounds again.  I am afraid of side effects.  I have IBS now and don't want more stomach issues.  Can you please share with me your thoughts and what has happened for you.

These are tough decisions and sometimes it's hard to get family on board, either because they are scared of you having major surgery, or, in some cases, because for personal reasons and/or insecurities, they don't want you to lose weight. Let's hope it's that your husband is sincerely concerned. If so, it might help to bring him with you when you consult with a surgeon. He will learn that while the risks are real, they are not as bad as people often think. There are so many people having bariatric surgery these days, and also obese people having other types of surgeries, that surgeons and anesthesiologists have a lot of experience caring for obese and MO patients.

I suspect that your metabolism is totally screwed up with your history of starvation dieting and still not being able to get to a normal weight, or sustain the weight loss you do manage. Given this, you need an operation that will alter your metabolism, and the DS does this. However, your bmi is only 37 or so, and insurance won't pay for your surgery unless you also have some comorbidity, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, etc. You may need to consider self-pay, and I'll send you a pm with a little more info about that.

As far as the IBS goes, I have no personal experience with that, but I've seen other people post that the DS did not make their IBS worse, and some people even say that their symptoms improved, BUT there is certainly no guarantee that that would happen for you.

Larra

Are you sure, as in positive you are 5'4"?  I am very sure you are shorter.  Make it so!

You are alight weight! I'm a fan of the DS...i had it 10 years ago...and it worked for me! HOWEVER, 1 size does not fit all.....I'd recommend that you consult with a DS surgeon to find out if it's a good option for you.

Scott

I was a "lightweight" when I had the DS and I was a terrible yo-yo dieter too. You may have to shop around to find a DS surgeon willing to listen to you and your issues to determine if the DS is a good option. My surgeon was sold when he understood I was a grazer and got about 80% of my daily calories in snacks. He also understood I had a strong support system and could follow a strict vitamin regimen. Also, you may be able to discuss having a slightly longer common channel if the surgeon is concerned the DS is too "extreme" for a lightweight. Good luck!

--gina

I have found a surgeon that is willing to do it.  I have sleep apnea so I qualify with my insurance as well.  The case manager did mention that my channel would be 200 which I have read in some places that is not good. I just don't want more health issues than I already have now.  I also have high blood pressure.  I have pcos.  Although I am not diabetic yet I feel that is the road I am headed down.  

It sounds like you have good reasons to go forward with surgery. I would only suggest either convincing this surgeon that you want a standard DS and not such a long common channel, or finding another DS surgeon. Just be very careful to make sure your surgeon, whoever he or she may be, is doing a standard DS with 2 anastamoses and not the experimental, non-standard SIPS/aka SADI/aka loop DS,.

Larra

200 is too long!

I have had great success for 7 yrs with DS/BPD and my Common Channel is 250cm. For me that is great in that I just eat food and don't need as much protein or vitamins. That said I watch the scale and have a range from 175 -195lbs. Results are not always typical and men and women would see different results. Also a friend who is much older had different results as well. I am very happy and would recommend the DS over the other WLS's.