Specific questions on the ds
The bougie is related to the size of the stomach. The CC is the cm of small bowel left that absorbs what you eat.
I had mine done ages ago and my CC is 75. If I had to do it over again, I would want shorter. Measuring intestines is a bit like doing earthworms. They are motile and shrink and expand on their own. I have my doubts that my CC is really 75 because I never got really thin and I have never had any deficiencies.
Some docs just measure a standard CC. Others use the Hess Method which involves measuring the whole small bowel and making the CC a percentage of the total length. Some people think this makes a big difference and others don't.
Good for you on doing your research. Learn as much as possible.
I am still fat but overall I love my DS. If I had done nothing, I would probably have weighed 500lbs by now or worse, dead. I never had any 'easy' weightloss postop and almost 15 years postop, I still weigh about 200lbs. Still fat, darn it! I wanted to be one of those people wearing size 0... But that's female vanity. I am actually healthy as a horse.
Most people have a different story to tell and they reach their goals. I wasn't one of the lucky ones. DS results are a Bell Curve and chances are you will end up in the middle 'good' range. But there is no surgery I could have had that would have given me better results.
I originally wanted a 50cm CC and my surgeon refused. He wanted 100. So we compromised on 75. That's still a short CC, relatively. But I still obviously absorb more than enough! And I wasn't there to watch him measure. So who knows.
I am one of those superabsorbers. I got my first diet when I was 6 weeks old. My whole life was a starvation diet. I needed the malabsorbtion more than anything else.
I am still fat but overall I love my DS. If I had done nothing, I would probably have weighed 500lbs by now or worse, dead. I never had any 'easy' weightloss postop and almost 15 years postop, I still weigh about 200lbs. Still fat, darn it! I wanted to be one of those people wearing size 0... But that's female vanity. I am actually healthy as a horse.
Most people have a different story to tell and they reach their goals. I wasn't one of the lucky ones. DS results are a Bell Curve and chances are you will end up in the middle 'good' range. But there is no surgery I could have had that would have given me better results.
I originally wanted a 50cm CC and my surgeon refused. He wanted 100. So we compromised on 75. That's still a short CC, relatively. But I still obviously absorb more than enough! And I wasn't there to watch him measure. So who knows.
I am one of those superabsorbers. I got my first diet when I was 6 weeks old. My whole life was a starvation diet. I needed the malabsorbtion more than anything else.
Well congratulations, it seems you are at peace and happy! Thanks again!
The smaller the stomach - the less you can consume at a time.
The shorter the common channel - the less you absorb.
Most docs have their own preferences (my doc did 100cc size stomach and 100cm common channel), and some are negotiable if the patient proves they are knowledgeable to have an intelligent negotiation. You will lose your initial weight by way of eating less, but sustain that loss over time with the aid of malabsorption. The key is that perfect balance of being able to maintain the majority of your loss and control your nutritional health, too.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
I AM SO GLAD I HAD AN OLD STYLE DS though. I could never have made it with a longer common channel. I eat a lot...and I like to eat a lot. I lost 300 lbs and the weight has stayed off. My common channel is 75 CM. My VSG was not measured (as far as I know).
Scott
