WLS Candidates - PLEASE check out the DS procedure

I've observed many DS patients as well...because I'm fascinated at the claim of "eating normally"...DSers DO have food intolerances...not at the top end (meaning food not going down) but a reaction to certain food groups, namely simple carbs. I see many people on the DS boards posting that they have to avoid white carbs to keep bathroom/gas issues in check. Eating normally means no food intolerances, no repercussions to eating certain foods beyond perhaps them just being less healthy choices. I see over and over DS patients saying that if they want to eat pasta, for example, they time it so they won't be at work or in a public place to avoid nasty gas problems. I also see plenty of DS folks who have trouble eating, especially in the beginning. I've also worked with more than one DS patient and they had no idea how their gas smelled...they figured it was just like everyone else's but that wasn't the case...they had to find jobs that didn't require them sharing a lot of space, had charcoal underwear or charcoal seat pads to try to help with the problem in the office. No, they weren't running to the bathroom constantly, but you sure didn't want to be in there at the same time or go in right afterwards if they had a BM. The misinformation is that the DS is some magical procedure that allows you to make no lifestyle/eating changes, still lose the weight and keep it off. That's false advertising. The DS certainly allows for more freedom of eating than some other procedures, and certainly the ability (and need) to eat more fat since so little of it is absorbed, but that malabsorption can lead to oily stools...which isn't "normal" either. And the moment there is any reaction to eating certain foods that wasn't there pre-op, we step away from "normal". I'm not saying I think the DS is a bad surgery either...but a lot of DS folks advertise it as one thing, then on their own boards, expose more about how living with it really is...the 2 pictures aren't quite the same. It all comes down to what someone is willing to live with...it's a plus/minus column thing. I have seen DS folks on OSSG gone wrong...and no, they don't convert to RNY...they get intestinal reversals because that's really their only option at that point and the stomach portion can't be reversed...and while they have fewer issues with ulcers than RNY folks can, they CAN, just as anyone with a stomach of any sort, have ulcers. It just won't be specifically related to their surgery. If I was forced to choose a malabsorptive procedure, I'd choose the DS over the RNY...I don't personally see how anyone would WANT dumping...dumping is a side effect, a complication, and can be dangerous. And I don't like the idea of choosing a certain food and being punished for it by getting very ill...being morbidly obese was punishment enough...I shouldn't have to pay penance the rest of my life for the "sin" of being fat. And I don't like how some surgeons advertise dumping as this great feature...it's not a feature, it's a side effect and really, the emphasis should be on these surgeries as being tools...not our eating babysitters or punishing nannies. Those *****ly too heavily on the surgery's mechanics to make food choices for them rather than relearning how to make healthier choices and consciously doing so are the ones, regardless of surgery type, who won't do well weight-loss-wise in the long run. Those are the folks we see who've managed to out-eat even very distal RNYs and the DS...then they say "My surgery didn't work"...no, their surgery was fine...THEY didn't work... The current problem with the DS is the relative lack (compared to RNY or lap-band) of very experienced surgeons and it's well-known that one should only go to a very experienced surgeon for that procedure due to its higher complexity. So, how really, without taking a lot of risks on the patient level, are we to have more very experienced DS surgeons? Unfortunately that means some patients have to take that much higher risk in the DS learning curve if there are to be more surgeons. It's a bit of a catch-22. At least (and this is a good thing) it discourages the surgeons looking to make a quick buck off the obese by going to a weekend RNY seminar then opening their practices to patients for that procedure and banking on patients lacking proper research... Nancy

Hi Nancy: I do agree with some of what you say. EVERY one is different. As for the gas issues being stinky -- well, I have been to many support group meetings full of DSers and have never been stunk out of the room. haha And quite frankly, I've never met anyone who can say that their poo doesn't stink! I just think it is such a non-issue. Those that I have met can deal with it rather easily. Do they think it doesn't stink? Not one has ever said that. Most will say that it could peal paint, so I don't think they are in any kind of denial about how badly it can smell. You are right about having to watch the carbs -- most specifically, the breads and pastas. These do create more gas. Does that mean we can't eat it? Nope. We can still eat it normally. I guess I don't call it an "intolerance" if we are still able to eat it with only a little gas (no pain or vomiting) happening afterwards. To be honest ... even as a pre-op, there are some foods that I KNOW are going to give me bad gas (beans and certain veggies), but that doesn't mean I can't eat normally. Heck, I'm even lactose intolerant, but I can still eat dairy (I just might take a lactaid pill beforehand). I guess what I am trying to explain is that we CAN eat pretty much anything after our tummies heal from surgery. Now if the gas hurts us physically (with painful bloating or something) then we might have to back off of that food for a while and try it again later. Isn't that true of many people though -- even those without WLS? I don't see it as much different than I am now. Yes, we can eat lots of fat. Yes, if we eat too much fat, we can have oily poo. Again, I don't see that as a big deal. Oh -- and yes, it will smell much fouler too. I definitely wouldn't want to be out in a restaurant and have to go poo in their restroom, but that is true even now. I hate going #2 anywhere but home. You make it sound like as soon as we eat fat, we are taken over with diarhea or something. I'm sure that CAN happen (as it can with any normie!), but usually it doesn't. 95% of my friends have 1-2 BM's first thing in the morning and then MAYBE 1 at night. Heck, I'm that way now. I don't think I (or other DSers) refer to our surgery as a magical procedure. It is a surgery that allows for more normalcy. That's it. It is way more forgiving if we want sugar, carbs, fast food, etc. Oh -- and I go to the DS board daily. I really don't see the 'complaints' all that much. MOST everyone is ecstatic about their surgery. I encourage all those considering WLS to check out the DS board. Read both good and bad, but also recognize there are far less "bad" posts. Also true that the stomach part cannot be reversed, but why would it ever need to be? Let me explain. Our stomach is reduced in size, but still left fully functioning. Over the years, it will even stretch out to be roughly the same size as a normal person's stomach. There would never be a reason to put it back to be football size. Yes, our intestines CAN be reversed back if we lose too much weight from the malabsorbtion. It is incredibly, incredibly RARE though. Out of all the DS groups I belong to, there was only 1 person that I know of that had to have that done. She simply could not get in the amount of protein that her body needed. So she had to have her malabsorbtion changed so she could absorb more of what she was eating. I sure agree with you about dumping. Why anyone would WANT that is beyond me. I HATE being sick. As a diabetic, I'm sure I have had a similar feeling to "dumping" and it scares me. I also agree that there is a big lack of experienced surgeons out there. I'm quite blessed to live 5 min. away from where Dr. Maguire performs surgery. He has been doing bariatric surgery for 28 years and the DS for at least 15. I think I would travel to an experienced surgeon rather than going with someone who isn't experienced in the DS. Anyway, I think it is wonderful for prospective WLS pre-ops to explore ALL of the choices out there. I know when I first started researching, I only knew of the RNY and the band. I believe it is important to make pros and cons for each surgery and base your decision on what you can live with. Debbie -

I gotta give a shout out for the Band as well! But I must say, if the Band had not been available for whatever reason, and I decided to go through with WLS anyway, I would have chosen DS. Never RNY.

Hi guys, I'm also a happy DS-er, only my life is even easier. Two weeks post-op, I take only my vitamins and a daily Nexium. I'm already tolerating all food I try with no nausea at all and haven't had diarrhea since my 6th post-op day. I only go 1-2 times a day, much like a normal person, I would say. Valerie

I fought for 9 months through 3 appeals to get the band and was denied. Three bariatric specialist on an external review board for the state of New York reviewed my case and the final decision was not to approve it because I had over 180 lbs to loose and statistically you only lose 50% (according to them) of your excess weight. If I lost 90 lbs I'd still be morbidly obese.....as well - the lap band is a reversible operation and if I thought I could do this on my own and keep it off....I wouldn't be having surgery in the first place. My surgeon (who also does lap) told me that RNY is the gold standard and the most proven of all weight loss surgeries bar none and has over 40 years of history. I'm very at peace with my RNY on 12/13. What type of surgery to have is such a personal choice and coming here and reading everything you can is so helpful. I wish everyone the best with their surgeries and support their personal choices.

I was told by my surgeon in the initial consult that DS was what he would recommend for me IF I weren't yet so young (going to be 30 and still haven't had children yet) - that I'd have a greater chance of losing the majority of the weight with it vs. rny. But he says RNY will work for me and that, like anything else, it's just a tool. I don't want to continue to eat like a linebacker, even if I knew I was losing weight in the process. The problem for me has always been food being a daily focus - socializing, thinking about it, feeling a need to eat away stress. It's great that DS works for you guys, but I don't see having to go for Bms 4-6 times per day as a positive...that's just me. It's misleading to say that lap band is the "safest," folks - it's not done on the same scale as the other procedures - most people can't get it approved or can't afford to pay for it themselves. It's still considered experimental by most insurers, and it's not an option for people who have more than 150-200 pounds to lose (i.e. people who have many co-morbids or who would have to lose more than 100 pounds before they'd see an improvement in mobility, etc.) RNY is what was recommended to me, and it's what I'm in the process of getting work-ups done for. There are risks and benefits with every procedure - there is no "magic" procedure that will get results in a short amount of time without some kind of negative (small or grave).