Newbie Here and Curious

If your surgeon doesn't do the DS---and odds are good he doesn't, sine there aren't a lot of DS surgeons out there---he's not likely to give you complete, accurate info about it. That's why I suggest everyone research ALL the surgery types for themselves, then once they decide what's best for them, choose a surgeon based on his experience in doing the procedure the patient wants.

Hi CMo,

Welcome to OH, I found so much help here when I was researching the surgery myself.

I've not been to the OH boards in over 2.5 years, and I can't think of a better way to join the party than to Pass It On!

I had surgery (RNY) back in the dark ages, 2002. At the time I could not even have THAT surgery in Austin but had to drive to Houston to have it. I've done very well with it even long term post-op. I will admit that I envy you NEWBIES with the endless supply of options, but honestly, it probably would have given me Paralysis by Analysis.

Good luck, keep us posted!

Christian

Christian,

It absolutely has given me Paralysis by Analysis. I am realizing I do not know enough about each surgery and will need to do much research before I meet with my surgeon on Thursday. 

Thanks so much!

Cynthia

I didn't want to deal with dumping - EVER - so that was the deciding factor for me. The malabsorption was an issue for me too. The sleeve has a slightly lower success rate (I think), so it may depend on how much you need to lose. I wanted to keep my body as close to "normal" as possible so I didn't want to reroute my insides. If I experience regain, I might think about revision to the DS, but the sleeve seemed like a less drastic option to me.

Thank you for your response. My family feels the same about the how drastic RNY is. But, I feel at this point, I may need that.

Thanks again!

Cynthia

Think of your own weight and diet history.  Did you lose weight when you ate less?  Is eating less all you need in order to lose all of your weight, or do you feel like your body fights back?  This is important because these procedures work very differently.  The VSG (not VGS) makes your stomach smaller and removes the part of the stomach that produces grehlin (that makes you hungry).  That's it.  The RNY on the other hand creates a smaller stomach (i.e. pouch) with the added benefit of malabsorption, which renders metabolic changes to give you a boost.  The nutritional deficiencies are possible with either, because you will NOT be eating enough food to get proper nutrition.  The malabsorption of the RNY (and DS) require extra supplementation to counteract what the body isn't absorbing along with calories and fat that arent' absorbing either.  Either way, you can control your nutrition but it's up to you. 

I got the DS, which has the sleeve stomach with a mac-daddy amount of malaborption.  As a result nearly 9 years post op, I've never been healthier.  Malabsorption does not equal malnutrition.  If you don't have the mindset of compliance, though, it can be downright dangerous, but that's an individual thing.

Thank you so much Valerie, these are the types of things I didn't know I needed to ask myself. I am so glad you took the time to respond. I honestly didn't know about DS until I came to this forum. I do feel like my body fights back. Thank you so much for providing these questions to ponder over and giving me more things to think on my research.

Thanks again,

Cynthia

For me, it was due to my comorbidities (GERD, diabetes) that I decided to go with RNY because it has a greater chance of correcting both issues. I was going VGS until my surgeon advised me the RNY was better for me. So it's really an individual thing. Also, I wanted the added incentive of the dumping syndrome so I didn't go back to consuming too much fat / sugar and ruin my chance at success. Good luck!

I am fairly new to this as well.  I am going through the insurance process right now.  I had originally decided to have the RNY surgery, but have changed my mind and will be getting the sleeve.  My main reason is because of the NSAIDS.  I have moderately severe arthritis in my knees, and they're only getting worse.  Although I'm hoping with weight loss my knees will feel better, I'm not counting on having no pain at all and Advil, Aleve, etc. are what I need for the pain. 

Good luck in your decision and weight loss journey!!  

Thank you for taking the time to respond. They talked to me about the NSAIDS, but I don't take a lot of them. The bigger concern for me was steroid shots I take for my asthma. They said I wouldn't be able to get those unless it was a life or death situation because it could cause problems. I know this is what they told me with the RNY, but am not sure with the sleeve. But, they also seem to think once the weight is off, I won't have such a hard time breathing. Lots to think about.

Thanks again!

Cynthia