I have several friends who have had the DS and they are all VERY HAPPY with the surgery as well as the results.  They do not complain about the prolems that you mentioned.  I believe those problems are related to diet and what they should or should not eat.

Gas is also a problem with RNY and controled with OTC medications.

If he stretched his pouch once with the sleeve, the DS might be the best bet for him.

Has anyone had a leak that took over 4 months to heel. I had an abscess post op RNY and I am still having an issue with the leak sealing up and am just wondering if this is common. I really want this leak to heel so that I can get my life back to normal. I am lucky I have supportive people at work and they are OK with my being off as long as it takes. I will be applying for LTIP and hope they will permit to remain off until this heels. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You should prob ably post this on the surgery board since this one gets little traffic.

Well, I really feel that the whole bowel issue thing is highly exxagerated. Here was my experience. When I was in the hospital I didn't follow the one rule that I had heard from DSers all over, which is "never trust a fart."  I thought I had to fart and pooped the bed. I was mortified and so embarrassed. I'm certain it isn't the first time it has ever happened, but it happened to me and I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. I was on Enteral feedings through my j-tube for 3 months following my surgery (I had quite a few complications). My bowels were very loose because I wasn't eating anything. I was NPO (nothing by mouth). As for urgency, I've learned that if I have to go there is no waiting around. I just get up and go. I think that is more a factor of my age and muscle loss rather than anything else. In the months that followed enteral feeding I ate protein and fats (fats keep your bowels flowing otherwise you get constipated.). I guess I should tell you that I have a 50cm. common channel too. I go to poo twice in the morning and maybe once or twice during the day depending on what I have eaten. This is not much different than how I was before my surgery or rather when I had my RNY. I have found that white flour or flour in general will make my poo much softer and smellier. Sugar is a killer for me and makes me very flatulent. Pretty much, I avoid them and if I am going to have something sweet I usually reserve it for late in the day or on the weekend and when I am not going to be around people other than my husband who will just have to suffer through it. After all, I suffer through his boughts of flatulence too and he can make my eyes water!   

As for urgency, well twicein the last 14 months I have had an "accident", but both times were in the morning and a little squirted out in my undies as I approached the bathroom. I had eaten sugar the day before and sugar makes my poo rather soft. I had just woken up too and probably waited just a bit too long.

When I eat properly my poo is rather normal. Again, I think the whole bowel urgency thing is rather exxagerated.

As for doing the full DS, I know that right now Dr. Greenbaum is not taking any new revision patients. I don't know if that means revision from VSG to DS or not. You might want to call the office to find out. From what I understand Dr. Wasser doesn't do the DS, but I could be wrong about that.

The other thing too is that your husband does need to realize that vitamin deficiencies are more prevelent with the DS. Dr. Greenbaum's list of vitamins is lacking to say the least. He'll need to get dry vitamins for AEDK since DSers malabsorb 80% - 90% of all fat that they take in so fat soluable vitamins are just not good for us. Vitalady.com has these vitamins in dry form. I do take a lot more vitamins than I used to, but I'm ok with it. I also take potassium since I seem to have some difficulties keeping my potassium levels up to normal.

If you need anything else, or have any questions lemme know!

Maddie

 Hey all,

The stricture you all had dilated where were they?  I have a pyloric stricture (right between the stomach and the small intestine). I went to get it dilated and the surgeon couldn't even fit the adult endoscope down so he tried the pediatric one and it worked.  He has no experience with a pyloric stricture so he got nervous and did not dilate after he took the pediatric scope out.  
I am have been to 5 GI doctors since and they are all afraid to do the dilation on me. I am in Hong Kong and have yet to find a GI who will operate on me, especially because I am a WLS patient. I'm getting nervous. It has been almost 2 months since I've had solids and I am now 30lbs underweight!

Anyway, back to my original question, were your strictures pyloric or in the esophagus?