Why do DSers persist in posting on other message boards? Why the Surgery Wars?

In case you were wondering why we DSers "pay it forward," check out these threads:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4159143/Did-a-surgery-w ar-open-your-eyes-to-the-DS-If-so-post-to/

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/3484967/Who-benefited-f rom-DSers-posting-on-other-forums/action,replies/topic_id,34 84967/page,1/

The second thread was started in 2007, and is still being added to.

By the way, if you look closely at the threads that devolve into Surgery War, you will see that the vast majority of the time, a DSer will post FACTUAL information (supported by peer-reviewed references) demonstating the superiority of the DS for most people, and someone with another surgery will get their knickers in a twist because they take that FACTUAL information to be a personal insult, and we're off and running.  But that doesn't matter to me, because these threads always get information about the DS to the attention of someone who needs to hear it.

If you are pre-op, I hope you will take a look at these threads and then do further research into the DS before you make your surgery choice.

I think a bigger question here is - why is someone from CA posting on the MN board, seemingly to stir things up???

Each individual chooses their surgery based on their own situation.  I would have probably pursued the DS had it been an option for me and MY cir****tances, but it wasn't at the time. 

I think that sometimes, DS'ers singing the praises of their chosen surgery come across as holier-than-thou, and that's why some people get offended.  EACH surgery has it's own special benefits - what works for one isn't necessarily right for another.

I'm thrilled that you've done so well, that you can eat all you can and still be successful.  And, I'm thrilled that I've done so well, that I have learned to eat a more normal diet than I did pre-op, and that I am successful.

RNY, DS, BAND, they're all just tools.  It's up to the user to decide which tool to use, and to use it properly. 

Love Everybody.

Great response, Darla!  I totally concur.  I respect people who feel they've done the right thing, and WHEN ASKED, share their experience, but I almost always don't understand the evangelism.  I have a friend who had the DS, and I asked him what it was about. He  never tried to "convert" me, when I was doing my research.  He said it just depends on the person, but that many of the DS'ers he knows are that way.  Oh, well.

For me, my insurance paid for RNY, not DS.  I quit the research when I found that out.  After that the DS'ers who came after me (several of them on OH) were just annoying.  So I ignored them.

The surgery is a tool, none of them are probably perfect.  But we are all adults and many of us pretty smart, and capable of making informed decisions.

:o)  Thanks Diana!!

"teach, don't preach"

I'm more apt to listen to someone if they're simply trying to educate me, not convert me.

Thanks Diana. Since MN is one of the luckiest states around, having three DS surgeons when many people have to travel thousands of miles, the MN board is a perfect place to share the DS with pre-ops seeking information. I avoided a revision to my VBG for decades because I thought my only choices were RnY and lapband. There happened to be a DSer on the MN board the day I finally got desperate enough to post. There rarely is, and I picked a good day, I guess. Not one single RnY or Lapband post-op mentioned that I should check out the DS - it took a DS post-op to let me know I had another option. I'm greatful that I picked the right day to post!

I don't share much on the MN board because I can't relate to much of what goes on here. I don't have the same struggles. And I can't seek much advice here because there are so few DSer that post here that there'd be no point. I have nothing against someone who had an RnY, but I can't take food or supplement advice from a person who has entirely different needs.

I'm not good at paying it forward. I've never been able to persuade anyone to pursue a DS, so why I think I should try again, I have no idea. But, I'm dense, so here I go.

When I was first looking at weight loss surgery, I remember telling my sister that I was ready for the diet for life mentality. That I could do it, I just needed that "tool" to kick it into gear.  Obviously, I never had the RNY. And I still don't know what that lifestyle is.  I can only tell you what my life is. And it is not diet!

Yep, I don't eat sugar. At least I try very, very hard not to eat sugar cuz if I do, I'm gonna gain weight. Nothing different than the whole rest of my life or the whole rest of the world. Sugar makes anyone gain weight ... no matter what you've done to your insides.  So I avoid it ... doesn't mean I can't ever have it!  And, yes, I've had it & it's good and I've had no ill effects from it. Thankfully, I've had enough will power to stay away from it!

What I do eat:  KFC double down drenched in full fat Ranch Dressing. Potato Chips. I don't know why, but they don't make me gain weight. I can eat a whole bag of them and not have anything diferent on the scale in the morning. Grapes, skin and all. Anything from a fast food restaurant, just leaving out the bread (white flour). Anything I might cook for the rest of my family, again, just skipping the flour (so, the meat, vegetable, fruit. etc.). Why do I skip flour?  It gives me horrible gas pains.  Not farts ... my tummy hurts. I hate pain ... I don't eat it. Sugar does nothing to me.  That's not a good thing.  That's the only part of this that is still a diet for me.  I need to stay away from sugar cuz it makes my clothes shrink.  I know this:  my co-workers, friends, family, etc., are so envious of the way I eat.  I eat bacon, lettuce and tomato, using the lettuce as a "wrap."  And I throw a ton on cheese on it!  And mayo! I do all that and the scale says the same thing (or less) the next morning!

I was so ready for an RNY.  I was so tired of being fat, of having sleep apnea, of the high cholesterol, of "almost" diabetes. Of being told every time I went to the doctor (even for a sore throat) that I just needed to lose weight. 

I'm not going to say the RNY is bad. I'm not going to say "don't have that." So many insurance companies won't cover DS and some people feel they have no choice.  Some people feel like they need that "punishment" or "dumping" to keep them on track. Some people are in a position where they can wait and appeal the decision or pay on their own and go out of country. But for some people, RNY is the only option. That's great.  I personally don't believe RNY is the easiest way to do it, and I like everything easy!

What else I know ... today I tried on last summer's clothes.  I needed a smaller size.  Even though I thought I had reached "goal" by the end of last summer!  Even though I haven't been "trying" at all, all winter. I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow or next week or next year.  I only know that this is nice!!! 

Yeah, I truly believe that the DS is the absolute best surgery. I don't mean to offend anyone. I do, though, hope that if anyone is still in the pre-surgery stages that they really look at the DS before going through with anything.

Great post!  I hope the pre-ops and potential revisions read this and decide to research the DS before chosing their surgeries.

And just because you don't KNOW that you have persuaded anyone to have the DS, doesn't mean you haven't helped people to know ALL of their options before chosing which surgery to have -- which is the whole point.

All I have to say is that I'm happy with my RNY. *shrug* It's interesting to hear about other procedures, I guess.

 I'm all for "paying it forward". I volunteer to speak twice a month at the intro meetings my surgeon holds, I help facilitate one of their support groups, I do a lot of stuff online to try and help others looking in to or living with WLS... 

but... as much as I am happy with the results of my surgery, the type of surgery is not, and in my opinion should never be the point of the discussion. The point is for people to make an informed decision about what they feel will be best for them.

So fine, feel free to share info on DS, RNY, Lap, VSG, whatever... but to "preach" that any one surgery is "the best choice" without adding "for me" is doing those you are preaching to a disservice. 

Everybody is different, their needs, wants, habits, urges, medical conditions, etc. I do not believe there is a single best answer for anyone. In fact, as happy as I am, I couldn't even tell you that RNY was "the best" choice for me. How can anyone? You don't know what results you would have had with another option. All I can do is tell you that I am very happy with the choice I did make.