Anyone else considering having BDP/DS done?

I was wondering if anyone else is in the process of having a BPD/DS done. Also looking for people who have had the surgery done. What kind of things should I keep in mind with my upcoming surgery. I looking to see how life has been changed by having the surgery done. I have a woman in my one therapy class that is VERY against me getting the surgery because she had a horrible experience herself. 

I am scheduled to have BPD/DS next Tuesday. Personally I chose this procedure for 3 reasons, 1) according to my surgeon there is only about a 5-7 % chance of weight regain whereas with other WLS there is a 25% chance of regain, 2) with the amount of weight I need to lose this procedure would give me the best chance at achieving that if I do my part, 3) I will be able to take NSAIDS 1 month after my surgery and Aleve/Naproxen is the only thing that has ever given me any relief from lower back and joint pain. There is a DS forum and it is fairly active. You might want to post this question on that forem if you do not get much of a response from others that have had this surgery. Good Luck!

Shannon

Oh Thank you! I'm new at this. I'm not exactly sure about where to and where not to post. 

Is BPD the same as DS? I'm just asking as I have not heard it referred to as that. I had an RNY but I have heard great things about the DS. I was considering both of them and only decided on the RNY because my local surgeons had more experience with that and I felt most comfortable with it. From what I understand the outcomes are very similar but the lifestyle/what you eat are different - as the other poster said there is a DS forum. You can definitely post here and there but for DS specific questions you will probably get more help there for this one.

I would not let a woman who had a bad experience deter you though. There is always one or two or three people who have had bad experiences with certain things who are the LOUDEST detractors from something. Do your research and get the medical facts. If you feel the benefits outweigh the risks for you then you should go for it. Just don't let a random person tell you not to do it.

No, the BPD is a similar operation but not the exact same as the Duodenal Switch. I think the BPD is an older operation, almost never done anymore, and has more complications and/or less effective than the DS. 

Hopefully you have researched your surgeon thoroughly and that he is an excellent surgeon. That being said, with the DS you must be committed to taking your supplements. There is no excuse. You can die without taking them and staying on top of your labs. I have read about too many deaths of people who did not do their part post WLS in my 9 years here.

I had RNY almost 8 years ago. DS was not an option for me due to my insurance, but I'm not sure I would have chosen it anyway. Even knowing all that I do now, RNY was the right choice for me.

Good luck.

The DS is the most effective surgery for getting the excess weight off, keeping it off, and resolving co-mobs, especially things like t2 diabetes and high cholesterol, hands down. It also avoids the risks of dumping syndrome or reactive hypoglycemia, and you can take NSAIDs, which you can't with RNY, but the supplements are absolutely not negotiable. To be sure things are really OK, you need to follow labs yourself, to make sure they all get drawn, and that levels are in check rather than waiting till something is so out of whack that it's flagged by the lab (that's usually the only time a doc will mention it). 

Oh, and you are ALWAYS going to find someone with horror stories about what ever surgery, and implore you not to get it. I was pretty healthy for such a fat person, but I knew that co-morbs catch up, and the obesity would have killed me far sooner than anything else. I'm over 8 years out from my DS, and at 51, am probably the healthiest I've ever been. 

I'm less than two years out and have lost 275lbs. My goal was 225, because I couldn't imagine even hitting that (started at 469), and I blew by that.

Yes you need to take supplements, I currently take 25 or so a day, but every surgery requires vitamins and its still better than a bunch of scrips for cholesterol, BP, etc.

If you eat a lot of carbs you will probably get some smelly gas and poop but most people's **** stinks LOL. But you can eat so many different things. You'll malabsorb fats so eating fatty stuff will actually be good so you get enough to keep your brain working and skin healthy. 

I would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm healthy, feel 100x better, and look great. I just ran my first 5k ! Never considered running to the bathroom at 469lbs !

May I ask which surgeon you are considering? Be sure they do an actual DS not the experimental SADI/SIPS. Also be sure they're experienced as this is a serious surgery.

Thank you ladies!! I haven't yet met the surgeons in our hospital. We get to meet them at our next class in September. I'm currently working the program. I have lost 20 of the 40 lbs. to have surgery done. I'm hoping to lose 50 lbs. before having surgery. But if I only hit the 40lbs. I will be fine with it.

I was looking for people who have had the BPD/DS done. On most websites I have seen it refered to just as DS surgery. We call it the BPD surgery in our hospital. I was wondering how your surgery had gone and what kind of experiences you have had. 

No one can change my mind on having this done. I am just looking forward. I just seeing what differences I could see on having on my own surgery. Yes everyone is different. But I was hoping to see if anyone experienced setbacks or how did things change for you. I'm reading a book right now that they gave us about Barbara Thompson's surgery. But she only had the RNY done. It doesn't seem to give any experience from the BPD/DS side of it. 

And I know the vitamins are essential in any of these surgeries. 

Thank for any information. 

Hi. I just got my surgery date of October 4th and I am planning on having DS surgery. When I met with the surgeon he was just a little non commital on being 100% sure he could complete full surgery if there was a lot of scar tissue. I've had two c-sections, one above my belly button and a second emergency one straight up and down on my lower abdomen. That one opened up and I had a wound Vac for almost two months. So there is a lot of scaring. He basically said he would try for full DS and if not go for the SADI or just a sleeve. If I didn't loose enough I could have a second surgery :(  not a fan of that idea. I guess it's all about time and tolerating surgery.

I REALLY want the DS but I would settle for the SADI.  I noticed a lot of people have diets before surgery. We only have two weeks before surgery but I am planning two try to do four weeks, just to get my liver down as much as possible.  It's taken a long time to get to this point and I am super excited. A little scared too but so very excited!