what surgery should I get
Congratulations on doing your homework about your surgery choices. I am not sure what you mean by "all the risk" because every surgery, no matter which one - has risks. Life altering risks at that.
With the DS you have to be honest with yourself about your future responsibility. You must take your vitamins. That is not negotiable. However, IF I were talking to a 19 year old version of myself - I would say the DS. You are doing this for your future, your health and well being. MY DS has been wonderful!
With the DS you have to be honest with yourself about your future responsibility. You must take your vitamins. That is not negotiable. However, IF I were talking to a 19 year old version of myself - I would say the DS. You are doing this for your future, your health and well being. MY DS has been wonderful!
The immediate, surgical risks of the Sleeve and the full DS are very similar. Long-term, the DS has the best maintained weight loss stats of any form of WLS for patients of any size, even moresoe for those of us who have a BMI greater than 50---and yours is 55.7.
Yes, the DS does require greater dilligence about taking your vitamins and supplements, and getting regular bloodwork done---but the Sleeve requires this, too. With just the Sleeve, it's almost impossible to eat enough food to get all your necessary vitamins and minerals through food alone---and if you could eat that much with your Sleeve, then you probably would not maintain your weight loss. Any WLS is going to require vitamins and supplements in order to be successful long-term.
Only you can decide if you're mentally and emotionally ready to make the necessary LIFE-LONG committment any WLS requires. For me, I wish I'd had the opportunity to have the DS when I was your age---but when I was your age, they hadn't invented it yet. (*grin*)
Yes, the DS does require greater dilligence about taking your vitamins and supplements, and getting regular bloodwork done---but the Sleeve requires this, too. With just the Sleeve, it's almost impossible to eat enough food to get all your necessary vitamins and minerals through food alone---and if you could eat that much with your Sleeve, then you probably would not maintain your weight loss. Any WLS is going to require vitamins and supplements in order to be successful long-term.
Only you can decide if you're mentally and emotionally ready to make the necessary LIFE-LONG committment any WLS requires. For me, I wish I'd had the opportunity to have the DS when I was your age---but when I was your age, they hadn't invented it yet. (*grin*)
Exactly what risks are you worried about?
At your height and weight, your bmi is 55.8, putting you in the SMO category already at just 19. While you are hopefully still in good health and with good mobility now, things won't stay that way if you don't get the weight off and keep it off. The DS offers you the best chance for this. In other words, you need to consider both the risks of the surgery, and also the risks of NOT having the surgery.
You also need to consider the likely outcomes of the different surgical choices. Both VSG and DS are major surgery requiring general anesthesia - no getting around that. While VSG is less surgery (not less invasive!) and lower risk than the DS, you need to take into account that weight loss and resolution of comorbidities are also less with the VSG, and also that the longterm results are unknown. This is not true for the DS, which has the well documented longterm results for the best percentage excess weight loss, best maintainence of that weight loss, and best resolution of almost all comorbidities of any wls. Also, even surgeons who promote the sleeve acknowledge that results are not as good for people with higher bmi's, higher meaning over 45.
You're very young, and of course I don't know you. I can't know if you are mature enough and serious enough about your health to take the necessary vitamins and calcium to maintain your health with the DS, and that you will consistently eat enough protein, and that you are ready to do this for the rest of your life. Different people mature at different ages, and some young people have the maturity to do great with the DS. Other people never seem to mature at any age. So you will need to take a good, honest look at yourself and determine whether or not you're ready for the DS. But if you are emotionally ready, it really would be your best choice for your health, and to get you to a normal weight and keep you there.
Larra
At your height and weight, your bmi is 55.8, putting you in the SMO category already at just 19. While you are hopefully still in good health and with good mobility now, things won't stay that way if you don't get the weight off and keep it off. The DS offers you the best chance for this. In other words, you need to consider both the risks of the surgery, and also the risks of NOT having the surgery.
You also need to consider the likely outcomes of the different surgical choices. Both VSG and DS are major surgery requiring general anesthesia - no getting around that. While VSG is less surgery (not less invasive!) and lower risk than the DS, you need to take into account that weight loss and resolution of comorbidities are also less with the VSG, and also that the longterm results are unknown. This is not true for the DS, which has the well documented longterm results for the best percentage excess weight loss, best maintainence of that weight loss, and best resolution of almost all comorbidities of any wls. Also, even surgeons who promote the sleeve acknowledge that results are not as good for people with higher bmi's, higher meaning over 45.
You're very young, and of course I don't know you. I can't know if you are mature enough and serious enough about your health to take the necessary vitamins and calcium to maintain your health with the DS, and that you will consistently eat enough protein, and that you are ready to do this for the rest of your life. Different people mature at different ages, and some young people have the maturity to do great with the DS. Other people never seem to mature at any age. So you will need to take a good, honest look at yourself and determine whether or not you're ready for the DS. But if you are emotionally ready, it really would be your best choice for your health, and to get you to a normal weight and keep you there.
Larra
Obviously no one is going to tell you what surgery to get. Only you can make that decision. You need to look at ALL of the factors related to the DS. You MUST be financially able to handle ALL of the aspects of the DS. You have to be able to afford vitamins and supplements for the rest of your life. You have to have medical insurance to cover all of the post-op tests, labs, doctor visits for the rest of your life. You have to be able to afford a high protein diet for the rest of your life.
There is risk with any surgery, not just the DS. What doctors are you talking to?
There is risk with any surgery, not just the DS. What doctors are you talking to?
Janet in Leesburg
DS 2/25/03
Hazem Elariny
-175
mrsannie
on 1/12/12 8:27 am
on 1/12/12 8:27 am
I couldn't possibily tell you what you should do, but I can tell you my experience...
I am 2 years out was a revision from a failed Lap, or should I say "Crap" Band". I am 5' 2" and I was 241 lbs. I was really scared as well (and we should be because it is a major operation.) The recovery really sucked and was long, I didn't expect it to be so rough. It took a good 5 weeks before I felt like I turned the corner. You will really need to have a support system for when you get home. My hospital stay was 5 days: 3 in the ICU, 2 in a reg room.
I luckily have had no major complications except for an incisional hernia that I got fixed last year.
I lost over 90 lbs. in less than a year and have maintained going up 3 or 5 lbs the losing them again. I do have issues with some food. I can not eat bread, pasta, wheat or oats, so I eat mostly Gluten-free and that helps. But I do eat what I shouldn't and have some issues with gas, but I take a probiotic and that really helps! I can control it with what I eat. In the beginning everything can bother you while your system is adjusting, but now that I am 2 years out, its better and I basically know what will bother me. I do have bathroom "issues" but they are also less.
OK all that being said, I couldn't be happier and I wish I had done this at 19! My life is pretty damn good now. I can walk all day, go on bike rides with my kids, life is good! :)
I am 2 years out was a revision from a failed Lap, or should I say "Crap" Band". I am 5' 2" and I was 241 lbs. I was really scared as well (and we should be because it is a major operation.) The recovery really sucked and was long, I didn't expect it to be so rough. It took a good 5 weeks before I felt like I turned the corner. You will really need to have a support system for when you get home. My hospital stay was 5 days: 3 in the ICU, 2 in a reg room.
I luckily have had no major complications except for an incisional hernia that I got fixed last year.
I lost over 90 lbs. in less than a year and have maintained going up 3 or 5 lbs the losing them again. I do have issues with some food. I can not eat bread, pasta, wheat or oats, so I eat mostly Gluten-free and that helps. But I do eat what I shouldn't and have some issues with gas, but I take a probiotic and that really helps! I can control it with what I eat. In the beginning everything can bother you while your system is adjusting, but now that I am 2 years out, its better and I basically know what will bother me. I do have bathroom "issues" but they are also less.
OK all that being said, I couldn't be happier and I wish I had done this at 19! My life is pretty damn good now. I can walk all day, go on bike rides with my kids, life is good! :)
Nothing will change if you don't have the courage to change it!
And stop calling me "Shirley!"
You can't have anyone make this decision for you. You just need to read, read, read and get fully informed. If you have been reading then you have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of the DS. It's impossible to tell someone how they will be after this surgery. Some people fly through with no problems, some people have nothing but problems and end up worse off than before surgery and some people die.
It's a very personal decision that you have to live with because you have to deal with the aftermath for the rest of your life. It's a life commitment. You should be scared though, that is normal. It's a very serious surgery.
It's a very personal decision that you have to live with because you have to deal with the aftermath for the rest of your life. It's a life commitment. You should be scared though, that is normal. It's a very serious surgery.
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