a msg i got today-do people really do this?

OK a DSer checkin in. Yes, there are many DSers that will through our surgery down people's throats on the main board, sometimes the delivery makes me wince. BUT you have to understand the reasons. Most people only know about the band and RNY. Even lots of people on this site don't know there are other surgery choices. So as ugly as they seem, they really do serve a purpose. The surgery wars educate the masses on teh main board doing thier research where they might not have run into the info. The DS is not for everybody but for a lot of pre-ops it really is a good choice. It has the highest cure rate of diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other co-morbids.

I know Nicolle, assuming its the right one because she lives in IL and frequents the IL board. She is not a mean spirited person. I'm sure she was just trying to give you some info maybe you haven't heard. If I was making a major decision like surgery I would want to hear all the pros and cons of everything! A lot of surgeons now are getting away from doing the band on patients with BMIs over low 40ish. Two of the Drs I had consults with actually stated this in thier seminar. One absolutely didn't do it on patients over a 42 BMI. This is because statisticly, success rates in these patients is subpar.

Now I'm not hardly saying that it can't be done, but when I look at your ticker and see you have 170 lbs to lose it is going to be quite hard. The malabsorbtion of the DS would help significantly in your journey, not to mention help with your co-mordidities. Why would you want to make it harder than it has to be?

I thought long and hard before I wrote this but I hope its not coming off preachy and more out of concern. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck!!!!

Your post is not mean spirited at all.  People need to understand that we all have our own reasons for what we chose.  As much as people would like to suggest one type or another type it's our own personal choice.  There are people who lost weight without the help of any wls or tools, so in short i have my reasons.  I researched and narrowed my choice down to two then to the one i wanted.  Nicolle may not be a mean person, and may have had good intentions but the entire point is I did not ask for statistics or any other information from her.  The main board is full of insults i have people calling me "dumb ass" and making insults etc.. There is not a need for that.  If you go thru that thread and read all the posts, it's crazy but hey people have freedom of speech.  Regardless of being confident in our decision of which wls we chose, it's still something that is personal.  I did not inquire from her any information on diabetes or anything else.  Now i did apolgize for mentioning her by name and i felt the msg she sent no matter what the content was rude,

I am entitled to feel that way, and i wanted to vent which i did.  Did i bring all this on myself-possibly but i am not calling anyone out of their name or talking about how others will fail.

If they want to keep fueling the fire there, they are welcomed to do so.

Thanks for the wishes of luck, and thanks for not being rude, because you are the only DS person i have come across who has not been. 

I am not sure WHY people do this; this was done to me 4 years ago, someone sent me a email telling me NOT to get the lap band, I am not retarded, I make my OWN decisions regarding things done to MY BODY.

That said, I made my own informed decisions on getting the band over any other type of weight loss surgery; I picked the band because it was something that I COULD LIVE WITH-- I did not want to DUMP if I ate sweets or any type of carbs that's just ME. I went to MANY seminars spoke to several doctors and LEARNED ABOUT RNY, DS, VGB from the master Dr.  Hazem Elirany in Virgina he performed everything! I talked to many IN PERSON with how they live day to day, how they eat, are their lives normal, how many times they had been hospitalized, I took ALL these factors and made my decision.

ALL weight loss surgeries WILL WORK IF YOU WORK THEM, they just work differently, I had over 150 pounds to lose, also I knew that I WOULD EXERCISE, and try to follow the lap band diet MOST of the time, losing 100 pounds in 6 months was not a big seller FOR ME I KNEW if I got RNY I WOULD LOSE WEIGHT VERY QUICKLY, however I lost 100 pounds WITH THE LAP BAND IN 10 MONTHS OUT just AS QUICK AS RNY BECAUSE I EXERCISED EVERY DAY....I wanted a tool to help me lose weight IF I GAINED WEIGHT BACK YEARS LATER because I had no problems losing weight keeping it off was a biggie for ME, and the lap band IS NOT PERFECT, nor is any other weight loss surgery they are ALL TOOLS and NOT magic wands and you have to get a surgery that best fits YOU and your lifestyle NOT what someone on the Internet is trying to push you to do.

I just recently gained some weight back because my port was leaking and I did not follow up because *I* wanted to eat what I wanted to eat with no problems, but I went and got my band refilled and now I am as tight as I was when I first had surgery and NO OTHER WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY IS ADJUSTABLE so I can easily get back on track and lose the weight I gained back.

P.S. Regarding very high BMIs and the lap band; typically if someone on the street asked me which weight loss surgery they would choose IF they had 150 to 200 pounds to lose *I* would NOT recommend the band, I would suggest the sleeve first and then RNY or DS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE A COUCH POTATO and can't or  is NOT WILLING TO EXERCISE or can't follow the band eating plan the lap band REQUIRES A LITTLE MORE EFFORT than any other type of wls until you get good restriction.  I choose the band because I KNEW *MYSELF* and I KNEW that I WOULD EXERCISE and eat proteins MOST of the time WHILE IN THE LOSING PHASE.  P.S. I am going on 5 years  and I have not had ANY hospitalizations; (knock on wood so far) regarding my lap band so it was the SAFEST option for ME.

Good luck 

mornin shawn, 

i'm sorry you got jumped, it sounds like the delivery absolutely got in the way of the message - which might essentially be, as everyone else has said:  look around the boards (though if i can make a suggestion it would be to lurk on surgery specific as opposed to the main board) read up on the wls type that sounds like it's most compatible with your lifestyle, your physical condition and your ultimate goals.   i noticed *cough* there weren't any *cough* sleevesters so i came to represent and fist pump vsg and tell you that from observation and personal experience, as a group, they do very well with high bmi's, low complication rates, and no malabsorption (feeling called foamies instead of it) <-- not a medical opinion, it's mine.  if you qualify to have your surgery covered then push for the type of surgery you want.  someone on the sleeve board just recently posted the medical number (diagnosis code) that drs offices are using to get the sleeve approved (as of 1/1/10).   we're not on commission so nobody should really care what type of wls you choose, but you should definitely be aware of all your choices.   wishing you good luck and no regrets. 

Marlo, do sleeve patients have to take supplements?

hi suzy q!

it's individualized so a dr. should answer that.  for me it's not a requirement per se, but b/c 75% of your stomach is gone there are levels that may be deficient post op that may need to be addressed.  i'm now folic deficient so i should be taking it in addition to my vitamins but the reason i say it isn't a requirement is that it's not a health *hazard* if i don't.  in a sentence:  my dr. wants me to maintain pre op levels, not gonna collapse if i don't.  hth.