Thinking of getting the SWITCH

oh, how right you are. the CRAPBAND such a great name for it.  I am going to keep pushing. I have a meeting with my counselor on Monday. I need to make sure that emotionally that i am ready to make this type of decision. I do not want to think this will fix things that it wont.  If that makes sense.

I have been on the forums for a decade- I chose the DS because I wanted to eat normally, and not face the constant threat of regain. I would suggest just read the revision forum, the RNY forum, the graduate forum-most WLS patients lose weight and many that post here get somewhat close to goal. It's "easy" during the first 2 years. But what about the rest of your life? If I was able to maintain my weight, I wouldn't 't have needed WLS.

I am 11 years out in a couple of weeks. I've maintained a majority of my weight loss. Over 10 years 20 lbs had crept back onto me (I still maintained the other 280 lbs weight loss). Late last year, I went low carb and the weight came off almost as easy as the 20 lbs came off 10 years ago.

I have an "old style"or Hess method DS. The newer version usually has a much smaller VSG and a much longer common channel.

It's not popular on OH to say you just want to eat and not have to constantly think about regain-but really, who wants to spend their whole life measuring out every bite they eat? I couldn't do it

Thank you so much for your HONESTY.

I was about to follow many coworkers like a lemming to get RNY when I was offered a new job at my company for a different department.  I didn't want to start it with a request for a couple of months off, so I decided to pause my plans to show my value first.  During that six month pause, I learned of the DS.  The statistics of long term results sold me and a life ending diets finally was the cherry on top.  I'm now 11 years out, a size 10 and 165 lbs from my original 286.  I had none of the complications and problems that those RNY coworkers had, and as they were regaining a couple of years later, I stayed the same.

The more i read the more i believe this is the way i want to go.  no to start with the insurance hoops. i just hope i can get them to pay for it. the thing is i have seen the paper work that says the >50 bmi for the switch and i am right under that. Do you still have to get labs done every six months?

If you could gain to meet that 50 BMI easily enough it would be less of a hassle than an appeal, however many have gotten around such a provision with an appeal...especially since you weren't successful with wls the first time. For labs, I do them annually as part of my annual physical (labeled preventative, no copay or deductible that way) with my PCP.  I stopped seeing my surgeon after my 2yr checkup.

Hi Kim,
I am coming up on 7 yrs with the DS/BPD and am easily maintaining my goal weight with occasional bounces up or down. Today I am at 176 lbs but balloon up to 195 at which point I get serious abou****ching what I eat. I eat just about anything I want but in portions acceptable to my sleeve. I have modified what those foods are that I "want" to eat though and find thru labs that I get enough protein and vitamins from food. I do take an everyday vitamin. Results with DS are not always the same for everyone. a friend with lapband switched to DS and found his results different than mine ie...not as dramatic and easy.
Dr. Anthone recorded that my innards were a bit longer than typical and stomach as well was big. So he gave me a bit of a custom job that works well for me.
I made my decision for DS by talking with the different support groups that my lapband friend took me to. They seemed so much more happy and less stressed.
Some on this forum will take exception to my thoughts on this but I have learned to just smile. I don't need to obsess about protein or vitamins and that makes some who struggle mad.
That in mind you might struggle, I don't know how anyone will get along with their DS. What I can tell you is that the other surgeries seem to have unpleasant side effects for some...ie...dumping. All my co-morbs are gone and I feel great. Good Luck in your pick I truly hope it works well for you.

Thank you for being honest with me. I have a friend who I think follows your experience a little more than some of the others.  She said she considers herself lucky on the side affects side of things.  One can wish, but I know that the chances are slim to known of that happening.  All I can do is research and plan.  I do think I want to do this way with the DS.  I just have to make sure I get a good surgeon now. 

Dear Kim,
Thank you for your kind words. Most of us just wish to be healthy and live a long and full life and so why not use all the tools in the bag! I was made with a body to process food, my intestines were 755cm and my stomach according to Dr. Anthone was twice the size one would expect. Some of us are made this way. I carried my fat in my torso around my inner organs and it was killing me. Being mostly Scottish I had skinny legs though. I ate like I was still in sports mode and that didn't help. I mention this so you get an idea why DS/BPD worked for me. Dr. A chose to open me stem to stern so as to get a good look and measure of what I had inside and given my unusual portions I think it helped him to customize my surgery a bit. After surgery my son came to the room , I looked at him and exclaimed "I made a mistake" he still kids me about that. The Billio-pancreatic diversion part at first pushed my blood sugars low especially if my body thought I ate lots of carbs...it would dump insulin by the bucket....that has ceased to happen anymore. I had trouble eating meat because of the denseness and also bread, I knocked off eating cheese too. The cpap machine I had used faithfully for years is in a closet...Blood pressure is on the low side... I took my Vitamins and protein daily and with strong labs we adjusted them to the point where I take a multi vitamin just once a day and protein by food.
Now keep in mind my Common channel is 250cm so this allows for that. For me that indicates one size does not fit all. I do believe that women have a different experience with WLS and from what I read more difficult to maintain. I would never suggest to anyone they follow my example but follow the Doctor and their staff recommendations.
The one thing that sold me on DS was talking face to face with support groups and I sat with them all several times each. At this particular support group there were four tables for each group. The lapband group was totally defeated, no joy there. The RNY group seemed upset with the results from dumping and the attention it required to maintain. The VSG group were mostly happy but some had not lost as much weight as they wanted and like lapband some folks found ways to defeat the surgery and gained back. The DS group were so very pleased and happy they were talking and laughing and what was odd is they only talked about the DS if asked a question, Their support seemed to be about how was their day kind of things. When I finally went to a WLS seminar they offered the facts on all the WLS. My BMI was borderline so I asked many questions of the Doctors there.
What I found in asking was the sleeve would limit the amounts and the DS would mal-absorb the calories plus the BPD hooked up the pancreas so that it worked better.
The doctors also seemed to confirm what the support groups had talked about. I don't know if this rambling will help you but it helped me ...lol... Good Luck friend ...

I go btwn being scared and being excited.  I really cannot wait to meet with a surgeon.  I am patiently (not so patient) waiting on a referral from my insurance company. I hope that it happens soon.  I just hope that a.) my insurance goes along with me and my plans and b.) I make the right choices. Again I appreciate everyone's honesty and personal experiences good and bad.  I need to know what lies ahead of me.