DS vs. Sleeve when BMI is high??

I just saw this forum for the first time and thought I would ask which surgery is most popular over here...??? I am planning on having the sleeve Feb. 25th and would like to know ppl's experiences who are as heavy as I am to start with-Sometimes I am shocked to see on my VSG board how small ppl start out before surgery. I even see ppl that are my dream size getting surgery! Makes me a lil sad I guess, I don't know why. Anyway, I am 25 and weigh 450 pounds and climbing. I am a binger and my weight goes up rapidly. Hoping the sleeve will help me, hadn't heard of the DS before these boards and was curious to know how many ppl on the 50 BMI and over board choose which surgery & why and ect.....thanks for your time.

As you know from the VSG Board I have the VSG, I don't know what my BMI is right now....but it was pretty darn high. You will find on this board that we have had all the surgeries. The DS is strict, my surgeon recommended the bypass but I wanted the sleeve. I am seeing people that are loosing 200+ with the sleeve. But it takes effort----all of these take effort to get the results you really want.
How are you doing with the binge eating? Make sure you get that under control or you WILL make yourself sick.
NONE of these surgeries fixes binge eating, it makes you sick if you do.

Glad you found this board---I really like it over here.
*Especially when seeing people at my goal weight having surgery :-)

I believe the DS probably gives people with a BMI over 50 the best chance at getting the weight off and keeping it off, but that surgery is not for everyone.

I started with a BMI of 60 or around there. I managed to get down to a BMI of 49 at the time of surgery. If I had not been successful at losing a large amount of weight on my own pre-op, I might have fought my insurance for a DS, but I did not believe I needed such a powerful tool.

I chose to go with the sleeve because I know for me, its easier to control the quality of my food more than the quantity. I have always been a volume eater (and mostly junk eater lol). But I changed a lot of my bad habits the year before I had surgery. The VSG offers me the restriction I need to limit my portions. As long as I make healthy choices, me and my new stomach work well together. I am a strong believer in leaving the pyloric valve in tact which is why I never would have considered a RNY surgery (and not to mention the risk of ulcers and bowel obstructions for just a short period of mal absorption). With the DS, the mal absorption is permanent unlike the RNY which makes it a better option (in my opinion).

You will see the warning a lot on these boards - think twice, cut once. Revisions are usually an option for people who never obtain their desired goal, but with every surgery, you have a much higher risk for complications and what not. Surgery isn't to be taken lightly (which honestly some people forget ). Really do your research on all of the surgeries (except you can save your time on the lap band - i wouldn't even bother with that). Id recommend, on top of doing your research, to meet with a surgeon who does all, if not at least the VSG and DS surgeries.

Everyone here knows the frustration about looking at some of these people having surgery at 180-200 lbs. This is a great place to hang out for support.

Let me know if you have any other Qs or anything - feel free to PM me as well. Welcome!

Thank you both for the great replies. I am definately a volume eater-I was classified as a binger because I told me therapist I can eat a ton of food even all at once and still eat more. It takes a TON of food before I start to feel anything in my stomach. I have a sweet tooth, but not crazily. I love fruits, veggies, fish, seafood...it just takes near the ocean to fill me up.Sounds like the sleeve is a good option for me. I am going to Mexico for my surgery because my insurance refuses to pay for any WLS for me since I am 25 without any comorbidities-abo****ely nothing wrong with me yet except I am absolutely miserable and in pain everyday. Oh and the fact I am almost 500 pounds...I am having surgery with Dr. Kelly and am unsure if he does the DS. Again, thank you for your time...

Have you been tested for Sleep apnea?  That one usually comes into play when we have a high bmi/ weight.  You may have other comorbidities also, most doctors offices will help you find some.  If you can get your insurance to pay for it that would be great. 

I think you need to know how you eat, how you want to eat for the rest of your life and what you think you can live with.  Will you be diligent in getting labs, vitamins and everything you need?  Those are only questions you can answer. 

I was going to have the sleeve and decided that I would do best with the DS, but that was me.  I knew I needed a malorsorptive part of the surgery to keep me healthy. 

I think we all know what you mean when you see people online with the ability to get WLS when they are obese and not have to wait until they are SSMO.  We all get that feeling in here.

I think you will be successful if you evaluate which surgery is best for you and how you want to live the rest of your life.  I have friends with all four surgeries and everyone has a different outcome. Some didn't choose the right surgery for them and they are failing.  Some are doing great. 

Hope that helps ask me more if I didn't answer you correctly.
JJ

I am absolutely NOT offering advice or an opinion about which surgery you should have. I can only tell you MY story ....

I am 4' 11" tall and weighed 323 at my consult. That means my BMI was 65.2 at the time of my consult and 63 at the time of my surgery which was on 10/29/10. I have a complex abdominal wall hernia/defect and a failed mesh repair. I went in to the surgery wanted the RNY and knowing that if there were issues from my hernias and prior surgeries my surgeon would do the VSG. I woke up with the VSG. Now 135 pounds lost later I am thrilled that I ended up with the VSG. My BMI is still "obese" at 37.4 but I am still losing. It takes a TON of work to make any of these surgeries work for you. No WLS is a magic pill. I make conscious choices about what I put in my mouth every minute of every day. I totally hear you that it can be discouraging to see that people are starting out with the VSG at my current weight and/or BMI but we can only deal with our own situation and we have to be accountable for needing to lose the amount of weight we need to lose as individuals. If everyone in the world weighed 1000 pounds *I* would still have weighed 323 pounds and had all the physical problems associated with being that weight. See? Comparing yourself to others doesn't change a thing!

Do your research and decide which procedure is right for you. If you choose VSG just remember that it is just a tool but if you use the tool you are given you CAN be successful with it no matter where you start from.

GOOD LUCK!

Thanks everyone for the awesome replies! It means so much to be able to talk with ppl who understand me. I am only 25 so dealing with lab work and vitamins all the time just seems so daunting, and is one of the reasons why I am choosing the VSG. I wanted to see if other ppl my size were successful with it as before I totally commit to that surgery. But from what I am hearing it sounds like VSG is the best option for me. I have been tested for sleep apnea, high bp, high cholesterol, diabetes, and almost everything else and luckily I dont have anything. Perfect bp, perfect everything-I am just super morbidly obese. But all those things run in my family so its really just my age saving me at this point. I want this surgery BEFORE i get sick and after all the rejections from my insurance I decided to take my life in my own hands and pay for it myself. Thank God there is a place like Mexico who does it to where I can afford it. I feel so grateful to be able to do this. So excited for my future too. Could you tell me PluggingALong-about how the VSG makes you feel? Did it completly take away all your hunger? If you still have hunger is it just that you get very full off of litttle? Thanks for talking with me everyone.

Sorry for the late reply been super busy (as we all are this time of year!)

You asked me: Could you tell me PluggingALong-about how the VSG makes you feel? Did it completly take away all your hunger? If you still have hunger is it just that you get very full off of litttle?

In the beginning the VSG took away my body hunger completely. Even now at more than a year post op Im rarely hungry. If I skip a meal I do get hungry now but I'm never ravenous. Head hunger is still there. Food still looks tasty. Many surgeons have different post op diets but I have followed a low/no carb diet since the beginning. Always protein first and a lot of it throughout the day. I don't do low fat but the fat Im getting is through my protein so I don't track it (I eat bacon and full fat cottage cheese for example). High protein and good fats keep me satisfied longer and I have been very successful with it. I don't eat any rice or potatoes or pasta or bread. I use almond flour to bind my meatloaf and meatballs and now at a year out to make high protein muffins or cheese crackers but I track my carbs so Im not gorging on them. You do get full off very little if you are eating the right kinds of food. You will not get full on carby starchy foods - most of them are "sliders" that are mostly digested by chewing before it even hits your stomach. I feel normal btw. I go to restaurants and order a shrimp appetizer for dinner (for example) or a steak and bring home leftovers. I do not go to restaurants that don't have high quality high protein choices for me. I don't do fast food and I cook a lot (although I have 3 kids and so I basically cook dinner every night anyway). If you have any more questions let me know. GOOD LUCK.

Don't know if you know this, but the VSG is the top half of the D/S. I had a starting BMI of 79 and now around 37...still Obese, but life is good.
I would suggest that you go to dsfacts.com and find out what it is all about. It does has the best results for keeping the weight OFF. The D/S was the right surgery for me, but you need to find that out for yourself.
Best of luck !!!

HIJACK ON THREAD

Congratulations to you.  328 is remarkable. 

Best wishes to you.


Jeanne