DS Surgery

Can someone please honestly give me some negative of DS?

I am not trying to be negative in seeking this particular WLS, but I have read all the great things of DS....I have yet to hear any negative things about DS.

I surely have heard things about RNY.

So please let me know if any negatives, that you would like to share with a possible DSer.


Please and Thank you

Not many DSers on this board, and let me warn you about taking negatives from people who have not had the surgery. You will want first hand info and not hear say. I'm very open and honest about my surgery choice so feel free to PM me and ask anything.

Let's see negatives of DS (from my point of view)

-I started off as a lightweight, sometimes I worry about not being able to stop the weight loss. I can always adjust my eating to take in more complex carbs. I would also love to get my daily smoothie from Smoothie King back in lol. (Sugary liquids is the easiest way to take in more calories) My loss lately has been very slow,  but that still is in the back of my mind

-at first the amount of vitamins we have to take got on my nerves, but honestly after 3 months I was used to it. I take vits 4xs a day and have gotten to the point I can swallow them all in one swallow. My mid day batch is the biggest at 6 pills.

-Because of the malabsorbtion certain foods might give you trouble. If I eat a whole boatload of simple carbs (pasta, cake, cookies) I get gas. It affects people differently. I don't get any bloating and gas pains but sometimes I can blow my hubby out the bed LMAO. It might also cause me to have a more liquid stool. Since having the DS I have never let one go and embarrased myself lol. I can always control it! I usually eat crazy carb amounts at night or on the weekend, on the occasions I pig out. Only person with me is hubby and he's used to it now! LOL

That's al I can think of off the top of my head, if I think of any others I'll come back and edit.

All in all the pros outweigh the cons for me. It's nice to see you doing your research to make the decision which surgery is right for you.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post.

So you are taking about 6 pills a day, and this will be forever right?

I am not too much worried about going to the bathroom 2 times a day. I think I can handle that possible issue.

I am just like concerned, because out of all the research that I have done, know one personally has said DS is sooo bad, I had this or that happening to me. Dont get me wrong, that is a GREAT thing that i have not found any bad things, but I just want to weigh all my options.

Please add me as your friend....I need all the DS support I can get.

No 6 pills is my mid-day batch. This is what I take everyday. Yours could be differnt because all of us DSers are set up differently (common channel length, stomach size, and just plain ole different rates of absorbtion) Your surgeon will give you a list of what they reccomend and then based off of your labs the first year you will tweek it. Now that I look at my actual list all batches except iron batch are 6 pills. And yes, this is forever.

AM
2 calciums
1 50K IU Vit D
1 25K IU Vit A
Multi
1 B-12

Mid day
2 calciums
1 25K IU Vit A
1 Vit E
Multi
Stool softener

Early Evening
2 calciums
1 25K IU Vit A
1 Zinc
1 Magnesium Oxide
Rx Protonix

Evening
1 Poly Iron
1 Vit C
1 stool softner
1 Easy Iron


The DS is a great surgery, def not for everybody, but it has excellent pros. There have been lots of medical journal articles lately stating that the RNY and lapband will one day be phased out as the prominent WLS types. More Drs are preferring the VSG to the lapband, especially since thier 5 yr studies came out. Many are also preferring the DS to RNY because of maintenance of weight loss and comorbidity resolution data. I'm not bashing either surgery and you can see from this board there are success stories represented from all the different suregery types! All of these surgeries are tools, and you will have to work each one to the best of your ability. Just passin on the info.

You got me in your corner for support, no matter which one you choose!

I think is one of the best nuetral post from a DSer I have seen! I was actually able to get the message!

Thanks lady. I'm not a big throw the DS down people's throats kinda gal lol. I do like answering DS questions , I could talk all day about it! Good luck on all your goals!

I agree with Shani.  I get gas also but only when I consume un-diet sodas or eat too many carbs.  But I have learned to consume those things sparingly mostly on my cheat days (weekend).  Other than that, no major complaints about the DS.  At 4 months out, I'm loving it. 

have you posted on the DS board?  you might get the information and support you need for it there - they have loads of info.

Yes...

I am getting responses...but no unusal response. Everyone surgery was GREAT!

The site in the link below is to promote wls so its not big on negatives, but maybe this will help.  Nothing's as good as a first hand account but there are only 20,000 ds performed a year in the US.  Fewer patients, fewer complaints.  For balance, I've included cons and pros as well.  Hope this helps. 

Source:
http://www.yourbariatricsurgeryguide.com/duodenal-switch/

Risks of the Duodenal Switch

All surgeries have short- and long-term risks. The short-term risks of duodenal swit*****lude:

• Bleeding/blood loss
• Blood clots
• Infection
• Leakage. A leak means that a perforation of the stomach or a leak from anywhere the bowel is stitched together has occurred.
• Difficulty in consuming liquids immediately after surgery, due to swelling around the stomach and small bowel.
• Death

The long-term risks of duodenal swit*****lude:

• Nutritional deficiencies
• The brittle bone disease osteoporosis, due to malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D, which are needed to maintain bone strength
• Night blindness due to malabosption of Vitamin A
• Malabsorption of protein, leading to malnutrition. This may lead to a second operation.
• Carbs can be well absorbed, resulting in inadequate weight loss
• Chronic diarrhea. You may have many loose bowel movements in a day. In the duodenal switch, your surgeon shortens the amount of bowel that the food goes through and diverts the digestive juices. The food goes through half of the intestines and then does not meet the digestive juices until the tail end of the intestines. This cripples the digestive process, resulting in diarrhea.
• Foul-smelling stools and gas

Advantages of Duodenal Switch Surgery

Compared with other types of weight loss surgery, the duodenal switch has these advantages:

• The remaining stomach is much larger after duodenal switch surgery than following gastric bypass; this allows for larger meals.
• Reduced risk of developing ulcers
• The intestinal bypass part of the surgery is partially reversible for those having malabsorptive complications.
• Possibly greater long-term weight loss and less chance of regaining weight
• More rapid weight loss, compared with gastric banding procedures
• Lower risk of dumping syndrome, which occurs when the undigested stomach contents are "dumped" into your small intestine too quickly. It is marked by abdominal cramps and nausea.
• More complete disappearance of obesity-related illnesses