Thinking of getting the SWITCH

I am in the research stages and meeting with my Dr next week. I had lapband in 2008 and had to have it removed in 2010. Is there reasons why you all picked the switch over the bypass?  Can you recommend some reading for me?  Questions to ask my doctor?  I want to be well informed. Sorry if I sound naive.

Welcome!  I picked the DS due to its long term success rate at helping us keep the weight off, the DS matched my own eating style, and the self-knowledge that I would always be a grazer and I needed a surgery strong enough to overcome my eating demons. Find a good DS surgeon to talk to. Most weight loss surgeons will only push the surgery they know how to perform and the DS is not usually one of them. They will use all kinds of scare tactics to push you towards the surgery they prefer not the one you need to be successful. One of the books I read early in my decision-making process was Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies...I kid you not. I bought mine through Amazon. Good luck with your research and decision.  

--gina

I am grateful for your honesty. I too have eating demons.  I am currently seeing a counselor to overcome those.  I have been doing a lot of research to make an informed decision. thank you for your response. :)

I'm a ds revision from the lap band. I picked the ds because I never wanted to have another wls again. The ds offered the best results for a revision patient and for long term as well. I will be 2 years post op ds revision and I've currently lost 163 pounds. 

Not one day of regret. Not one! 

I am so scared and nervous.  I am 5 foot 3 inches and weigh 265.  I want to do but it is such a major life changing decision.  I am trying to gather as much information as I can.  I know I want to come out on the other side as healthy as I possible can be.

Good for you for doing your research! I chose the DS because it has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. Weight regain is a major problem with other operations like sleeve and gastric bypass.

The DS also avoids some problems associated with gastric bypass - you can take NSAIDs safely, whereas they are contraindicated for the rest of your life with gastric bypass. The risk of dumping with the DS is almost zero, and dumping is NOT a weight loss mechanism, it is a potentially miserable side effect that some (not all) people have with gastric bypass. With the DS there is no laundry list of foods you can never eat again.

But as someone else already pointed out, surgeons will direct you towards the operations they do and away from those they don't do, because if you go elsewhere they lose a paying customer. Make sure your surgeon is someone who does the DS, otherwise you are wasting your time.

Larra

I did a ton of research too and did lots of leg work to get mine covered. I knew this was the ONLY surgery I would have done. There was no settling for me. I would have saved up and paid on my own. 

My surgery weight was 355. Today I am 191 

Also, this surgery lets me live the most normal life. Mlst people have no idea I had wls unless they really know me. I don't hide it and tell just about anyone who will listen. But if I didn't. Life and eating is so "normal" no one would have to know. 

My insurance will only cover the switch if your BMI is 50% or greater.  I am currently sitting at 46.7%.  I really don't want to gain the 20 pounds to put push  me over the mark, but the more I read the more research I do the more I believe this is the way I want to go.  I am hoping they taking into account that I had the band before and that this is my second surgery.  I of course have not met with the surgeon yet or my primary care doctor to start the process I mean its only 3.3%. 

You are shorter than you think.  Your excess weight causes you to slouch and have poor posture.

I got the DS because there is no better surgery with better statistics for weight lost and loss maintained.  Period.

Follow the money.  It is very common for doctors to say they do the DS when they don't.  They are gaming you and confident of their ability to talk you into whatever surgery they do.  Just remember how great that crapband was supposed to be.