How come no one ever shows us newbies this?

TY to the person who has shown me where to find EVERY forum on the board. I can't believe how big this place is lol. SO many forums! Have a happy day, Brenda Lee.

Brenda- Since it is the DS that you wish to have you should go to the DS board and post your concerns there. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people that post on that board. Some who have had complications and will discuss them with you openly and honestly. In the last couple of weeks there have been many posts on the passing of a couple of members on the main board. There have also been messages on this board within the last month or so about the death of Angel Angela down in South Florida. A lovely young woman with I believe it was two young children. The information about the tragic side of WLS is never hidden on this web site. I give them credit for that. I would also encourage you to post/read the messages on the Main Board. You will find a lot of the posts are about complications mostly about the RNY. However, the RNY and the DS are very different procedures. For information about the DS I would suggest duodenalswitch.com. This website is completely free of commercial advertising and is loaded with good information. There is also a message board there, including one exclusively for the post-op experiece. There are also many yahoo message boards dedicated solely to the DS, including complications. At the following link you will find probably better than one hundred links to various message groups most of which are dealing with the DS. Some are surgeons groups some are DS general interests groups. http://www.duodenalswitch.com/related_links/dslists/dslists.html I also encourage you to go to the websites of surgeons other than your own, particularly those that have message boards. You can gain perspective and gain insight from a different point of view this way. You will learn how other surgeons view post op care, nutrition, supplements, diet, etc. In this way you will have access to cutting edge science and the research and papers of the leaders and pioneers in the WLS field. This will help you in the event you do decide to have surgery to be more pro-active in your care and overall health. This will also either make you more comfortable with your decision about who is doing your surgery or make you run for the hills screaming. We all have a tendency to have tunnel vision when it comes to our surgeon. That is only natural. If we did not think he/she was the absolute best, how in the world could we ever let them operate on us. At the end of the day, it is your decision. No one should try to influence it one way or the other. I hope you understand I am not trying to influence your decision. I only want to be sure you have the tools you need to make an informed decision. The information is out there. It is not hidden. Again, I wish you luck and I wish you peace in your heart. Red

Wow! TY Red , Now that was an informative post and very helpful and empathetic to one who is really having a tough time knowing if this is the right thing for them. It is non judgemental and VERY appreciated . I know it isn't hidden but on the DS board ( I have been there most of the day) there are more than a few looking for the memorial page since the upgrade of the site. So it isn't just me who thought they hid it or something. I know it isnt' the first thing many people want to see or want you to see when researching this but it would have been better to be able to see there was one then to have it emailed to you and have the shock effect like right in your face. Know what I mean?. I have gotten some really good advice but your post has really made me feel you care how I feel and that my choice matters to not only me but to you as a WLS friend. TY for that. Have a happy day, Brenda Lee.

Brenda- Here is the link to the DS board on this site. I spend several hours a day there since this is the surgery I want to have if I ever get my insurance approval. You mentioned there were several people on the DS board looking for the memorial page, I believe you must mean the main board, since I see no reference to the memorial page on the DS board. When I first started reading messages on this site I read a post similar to the one you posted. A young woman was having second thoughts and everyone -- was telling her it was just nerves, cold feet, etc. They were telling her she should certainly go ahead with the surgery. When I read her message my reaction was entirely different. I thought she should wait until she was sure. She too had just read the memorial page. I know about being scared, everyone gets scared. But there is a difference between being a little scared, being nervous, and being terrified or in having that little voice inside your head telling you to wait. If you are terrified you need to wait. I also believe one should listen to the little voice in your head that tells you something is not right and you should wait. Provided you have made sure that the little voice has all of the information and is not acting out of some irrational fear. I have faith you will make the decision that is right for you. Red http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/posts.html

I'm sorry you feel like the Memorial Board is "hidden", but this whole site is a bit tough to navigate in my own experience, and even the messageboard is hard to use! I read the Memorial board prior to my surgery, but I also put it in perspective. The sheer numbers of dead patients vs. successful patients speaks volumes to me and although the national average statistic is 1:200 that a patient will die, my surgeon's record is 1:2,000!!! I researched the surgery and made the decision that was right for ME. I know you will reach your own conclusion that's right for YOU. I wouldn't recommend this surgery to you, it's your own personal choice and it should be left between you, your family and your physician. Good luck, whatever you decide for your own life! Jan at goal