Needing some honesty please! ALL info on DS

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is "nearly impossible to regain the weight" with the DS.  I have several people's stories who have indeed regained, even with the DS.  However, a majority of those people have either had other medical conditions that have contributed to the weight gain, such as having to be put on steroids, or they have stopped following the basics of the DS food regimen:  high protein, high fats, and low-ish carbs. 

I think stating that regain is nearly impossible with the DS is doing a great disservice to you and other newbies.  Of all the surgery types, the DS *does* have the best long-term statistics for maintaining weight loss, mainly due to the intestinal malabsorption portion of the surgery.  But the truth of the matter is that NO surgery type is going to give you a free ride for the rest of your life.  You still have to be smart in your food choices, just like normal-weight people are.  As our DS's mature, our stomachs do stretch a bit, so that we can consume larger quantities of food.  And there is research out there that suggests that over time, our bodies adapt, and we start absorbing more of the calories and nutrients that we ingest.  So even though the DS offers the best *possibility* for keeping the weight off, it's not a free ride, and we still have to do our part to keep it working for us.

Due to a family situation, I was not able to check here earlier.  I stand by what my surgeon told me.  The kinds of foods that might cause one to regain are the ones that make me feel AWFUL - so I don't eat them - it's not even tempting.  I've had ice cream, for example, about once every six months -- enough to remember WHY I swore I'd never touch it again.  I don't feel well if I have too many carbs ... I don't feel well if I eat rice or pasta ... so the foods that could cause one to regain are not the ones that make me feel good and it has caused me to change my eating habits and desires.

In addition to this, I don't think that you can state strongly enough the grehlin factor -- if the part of the stomach that produces grehlin is removed, then it no longer produces an appetite stimulant that would eventually drive one to eat.  This has been a MAJOR factor in my life.

I'm not saying that the DS is magic - but I have not "been on a diet" for three years either.  I simply eat the foods that I need and I pay attention to how my body responds to certain foods.  I avoid those that cause bloating or gas or "urgency" and those happen to be the sugars, fats, and carbs.  If someone had told me as a preop, that I would not crave --- and miss ---- these foods, I could not have been able to imagine it.  Nevertheless that is the reality of the DS in my life.

It's not my intention to mislead anyone.  I'm speaking from MY three years of experience with the DS. 

Hi StacyAnn07,

I am not happy at all with my VSG.  If I could have done it all over I would have had the DS instead of just the VSG alone.  Dr. Broussard is very blunt and he hurt my feelings.  He told me that I was his 2nd worst patient he ever had.   I'm not going back to him.  Even Dr. Keller, the Pyscologist, told me that I don't have to be a dumb ass.  Very unprofessional.  Yes, I know that I did not follow all the rules and I did not reach my goal.  I was already depressed and I did not need to hear negative comments especially from my doctor.  I am working on my emotional issues right now with a Therapist. 

I am planning to get the DS done.  I hope that my insurance BCBS Federal covers this.  I'm going to call Dr. Stewart from Denton, Texas.

Just giving you my experience with the VSG and Weight Wise.

Ask yourself something: how many people with RNY are experiencing severe dumping, reactive hypoglycemia, regain, foamies, etc. How many people seeking a revision are RNY patients?

Now look around: do you see any of these problems cropping up on the DS board? Do the DSers seek revisions in droves the way the RNY & lap band people do?

I wasted a long time being miserable with the medical problems caused by my RNY. I am grateful every day for the revision. I live life normally now. I'm not sick at all. If I eat too many carbs, I'll blow up the bathroom, but that's about it. WIth RNY I puked almost daily for the entire 6 years, and I still had intestinal issues and a host of other problems.

Can you handle a low carb or lower carb diet? If so, the DS is the best way to keep off the weight. The ASBMS says so, so your surgeon is a tool who just doesn't want to perform a surgery which gives a lower rate of monetary return.

 Gee.....I am typing this Montana, where I've been spending the week hiking the mountains, helping with my son's wedding, and I'm going sailing in a few minutes, on Flathead Lake.   I am five years out on Tuesday.   I sure don't sound "sick for the rest of my life" to me!

A bit of background on me:  I had an RNY in 2000.  I got on the operating table at 483lbs and I did manage to lose 200lbs without really much effort at all.  But at year 4 post-RNY, my weight slowly began creeping up again.  You have heard of eating like a horse?  Hell, I think I could probably eat the horse myself now...my restriction is non-existent.

You owe it to yourself to have all of the information before making a decision about what surgery is going to be the best one for you.  I wish I would have not bought into the hype of the RNY and the villification of the DS when I had my original surgery in 2000.  Maybe if I did, I wouldnt be looking 11 years later at having to have my RNY revised to a DS.  Ultimately with what I have learned about myself and my particular issues with food, the DS would have been a better surgical option for me.  But I went to a surgeon who didnt perform the DS and I got spooked by all the negative stuff being said about the DS in various places I read....and here I am.

At the very least, consult with a surgeon who does all 4 sugeries.  See what they think would be the best option for you.  Also take a long hard look at yourself and ask yourself what the best one is going to be for you.  The RNY may work for you, but there sure seem to be an awful lot of us out here who have had the RNY and are either looking at or have already revised to a DS.

Best advice I can give is you is to research twice, cut once.  I live every day with the regret of not having followed that advice myself.

 All it took for me to decide against the RNY was visiting both boards for about a month and browsing the posts.  All I read about on the RNY board was reading about the dumping, dieting, pouch stetching, things getting stuck, etc.  The only real complaint I can say I have with the DS is that I have constipation issues which can be a (literal) pain in the ass.  

Background on me:  Had a lapband for 3 years, worked at a bariatric clinic, and revised to DS.  Have lost 147lbs in less than 2 years. Am off all my blood pressure, blood sugar meds, happy as can be.  As for "sick for life" I have two things I have to watch citrate and vitamin d.  Both I take extra vitamins for, no biggie.  These showed up thru lab tests and I take my vitamins.  Will check my labwork again in a few months and adjust the vitamins as needed.  That is all the work I have to do really. (Besides swallowing the vitamins). The other common thing that goes around about the DS is bathroom issues.  The smell is definitely different post op for both RNY and DS patients, I carry an air freshener, no biggie. I go to the bathroom once a day.  I get gas if I eat too many carbs, but we are not suppose to eat carbs so that is my "punishment".  Sure beats "dumping syndrome" though.  Would rather pass gas than lay on the floor sweating and praying for death.

I went to a surgeon that only did three surgeries and was approved for 10 months for the RNY.  I did not want it because of everything I saw behind the scenes at the bariatric clinic.  I just had a bad feeling about it.  But this surgeon gave me some very convincing reasons why I should not do the DS.

I came here to the board and the DS people told me he either lied to me or didn't know what he was talking about and recommended I get a second opinion, so I went to Dr. Stewart.  He does all four surgeries.  When I asked him why he did all four he told me it was because different people can live with different lifestyles after the fact.   Basically, there is no one size fits all WLS based on people and insurances.  Or, that's what I got out of the conversation anyway.

He told me that the other surgeon was incorrect in what he told me, and that I could have the DS and would be successful with it and that he would do it.  So, he did and here I am.  And I am a little bitter towards the other surgeon, because he just did not do the surgery so he was going to say anything to get me to go with what he did.  Getting a second opinion from a surgeon that does all 4 surgeries was the best thing I ever did for myself.

Please at least get a second opinion and decide what you can live with long term.  I personally like eating a high fat high protein diet, and if I eat sugar I don't die from it.  It slows weight loss, but it's not the end of the world.  I traded my 11 prescription medications for a fist full of vitamins so that is no biggie (a lot cheaper in the long run).  I am stonger and thinner and happier than I have been in a long time, so I would highly recommend the DS to anyone and everyone. (and I do when asked).

And if you want an interesting read on a revision from RNY to DS, you should search for Kerry J's profile.  He was the one that convinced me to get the second opinion, and IMO he saved my life.

Follow the links for comparisons of the four major weight loss surgeries.  It has some good info to consider too. 

Call Dr. Stewart on Monday!!!