Re-Thinking VSG
Sounds to me like one of the potential adverse side effects of DS is developing a superiority complex! State your information/opinions but don’t tear others choices down in the process! All the cattiness is so off putting, distasteful and is not the intended propose of this site! I wish you the best of luck in your decision….WHATEVER it is… I have personally chosen VSG for my own reasons and feel it has an excellent potential to be only surgery I will need….if it’s not… Ok…I will deal with that decision at that time….but at least I will be at a safer weight to have the second part done!
Tell the truth
You people that think you can just get 'part 2' done so easily, and that it will work out, are delusional. But, I won't bother to provide you with facts & peer-reviewed studies --- don't want to appear to have a superiority complex. Figure it out all on your own, and see you around the DS board in about 1.5 years when your looking for answers as to why your VSG isn't working.
~ I am the proud wife of a Guatemalan, but most people call me Kimberley
Highest Known Weight = 370# / 59.7 bmi @ 5'6"
Current Weight = 168# / 26.4 bmi : fluctuates 5# either way @ 5'7" / more than 90% EWL
Normal BMI (24.9) = 159#: would have to compromise my muscle mass to get here without plastics, so this is not a goal.
I 
my DS. Don't go into WLS without knowing ALL of your options: DSFacts.com
NO my OHIP coverage has nothing to do with my choice at all....my personal reasons are just that.....my own and I will not be explaining myself to you! Not exactly sure what you are suggesting there...but I'd love to know!
Oh, and I am sorry you didn't like my comment about having a superiority complex I was not referring to all DS'er just the ones on this post with their holier then thou attitudes (yep… like you). But instead of proving me wrong with your reply you just showed yourself to be a perfect example of what I am talking about ….referring to me as "you people", suggesting you know where I will be in the future and insinuating you know why and how I made my decision and last but not least suggesting that I am a liar even though you know nothing about me!!!!! You must be superior to have all of this knowledge, I mean you know me some much better then I do!
You need to keep your ignorant assumptions and passive aggressive innuendos to yourself!!! I will figure thing out myself don't worry about me because news flash…I didn’t ask you to!
Clearly, you have missed the point I am trying make... I am not "whining" about facts being posted....that's great, post all your facts...help people like this poster Adrienne who are still unsure about what is right for them but don't speculate at other success, or criticize others who are making choices that differ from yours! (Can't we all just agree to diagree)
That is my only problem here....as I stated in my first reply...post your facts, post your thoughts/opinions but don't tear down others in the process....that is all I am saying! It just seems like some of the replies are coming from a place of needing to be right as appose to a genuine concern for others well being and that these people would love nothing more then to see others fail to prove their point....that is really what I disagree with! I feel like I am a church....believe in god or go to hell....and all the "facts" are the bible LOL!
If you are comfortable as a SMO person getting a restriction only procedure, then the VSG is by all means the one to get. But I will be very, very surprised if, in five or ten years, the VSG shows the slightest bit of edge in EWL maintained long term over the other restriction only procedures.
THAT has been my contention through this whole thread, despite the idiotic bull**** spewed by your little VSGer friends.
Do NOT go into the VSG thinking, "Well, if this doesn't give enough results, I can just go back and get switched." You will be disappointed. That's foolish fantasy thinking and everyone who's harboring those thoughts needs to undertand: IF you go back and get revised, it will be REVISION surgery, not "just part 2."
Think twice, cut once.
You still have time to change your mind. You need to decide if you're willing to live with a weight loss that leaves you obese or morbidly obese, because THAT is the primary risk you are undertaking, despite all these people three, six, nine, twelve months out who are singing the praises of their sleeves. There is life AFTER the first year, and you need to be realistic about what that life will bring.
I am frankly horrified that SMO people are even considering these options. But hey, if you think you're gonna live healthy while you're still MO, be my guest. I've been to the edge and it ain't pretty.
If you decide to "have the switch later," you are not going to get the same effect that you would if you actually did the DS in two parts, which is generally done no more than three months apart except in highly risky cases.
Think twice, cut once, preops. Why subject yourself to getting cut open twice when you're super morbidly obese and therefore a much higher surgical risk? A good surgeon can do your DS in one procedure in almost 100% of cases. You just need to get a GOOD surgeon.
Obes Surg. 2008 Dec 9. [Epub ahead of print]
Experience with Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Morbid Versus Super Morbid Obesity.
Tagaya N, Kasama K, Kikkawa R, Kanahira E, Umezawa A, Oshiro T, Negishi Y, Kurokawa Y, Nakazato T, Kubota K.Second Department of Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan, [email protected].
BACKGROUND: We evaluated the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) for super morbid obesity in patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) of <50 or >/=50. METHODS: Between October 2005 and January 2008, we performed LSG in 30 patients. There were 20 males and 10 females with a mean age of 38 years. Mean initial body weight and BMI were 139 kg and 49.1 kg/m(2), respectively. Sleeve gastrectomy was carried out using a linear stapler from the greater curvature of the antrum 5 cm proximal from the pyloric ring up to the angle of His alongside a 45-Fr. bougie. RESULTS: Laparoscopic procedures were performed successfully in all patients. The mean operation time was 92 min, and blood loss was minimal. The BMI change and weight loss at the 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up points of patients with an initial BMI of <50 and >/=50 were 34.2 and 57.4, 32.1 and 53.7, 29.6 and 50.8, 29.5 and 51.2, 27.8 and 52.2, and 29.7 and 45.5 kg/m(2) and 96.8 and 172.2, 89.5 and 157.0, 83.4 and 144.8, 84.0 and 145.4, 78.0 and 153.4, and 84.5 and 119.5 kg, respectively. The patients with a BMI of <50 obtained good outcomes, but weight loss reached a plateau at 9 months after surgery in patients with a BMI of >/=50. Postoperative complications included leakage, bleeding, stricture, and peritonitis in one patient each. There was no surgical mortality. Most of the co-morbidities improved after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Sleeve gastrectomy is a feasible and safe treatment for super morbid obesity, but evaluation of long-term outcome is necessary to determine whether it is a durable procedure in terms of effectiveness. We expect that patients with a BMI of <50 are good candidates for LSG as a definitive treatment, and, if those with a BMI of >/=50 hope for further weight loss, a second-step procedure may be required.
Let's take a look at those numbers, broken down so you can understand them more easily (I have to put in periods to keep the columns lined up):
For those with a BMI <50:
Months out .... BMI ... Weight (kg)
1 ..................... 34.2 ..... 96.8
3 ..................... 32.1 ..... 89.5
6 ..................... 29.6 ..... 83.4
9 ..................... 29.5 ..... 84.0
12 ................... 27.8 .. .. 78.0
18 ................... 29.7 .. .. 84.5
For those with a BMI >50:
Months out .... BMI ... Weight (kg)
1 ..................... 57.4 .... 172.2
3 ..................... 53.7 .... 157.0
6 ..................... 50.8 .... 144.8
9 ..................... 51.2 .... 145.4
12 ................... 52.2 .... 153.4
18 ................... 45.5 .... 119.5
So, the under 50 BMIs are already starting to regain at 18 months, and the over 50s never get below morbid obesity.
However, for the OP - you said you didn't understand the difference between the RnY and the DS and you were looking for information to clarify that. Not sure if you've gotten your answer to that (man, I always miss the interesting stuff...LOL)....but I thought I'd direct you to www.dsfacts.com. There is a whole section that explains the difference between the two surgeries - of course, the website is for the DS - so perhaps you may find the info biased (I didn't but you may be sensitive because of the surgery war your thread started) but it does explain the difference between the two and it's fairly easy to understand. So go check out the site so you can do your research and come to solution as to what the best surgery is for you.
Good luck!
the DS!I had the Duodenal Switch! Do yourself a favour and check out www.dsfacts.com - especially if your BMI is over 50!
HW: 426/SW: 421/CW: 165/ GW: 150 Current BMI is 26.6!
