Why did you choose DS?

 I'm just at the stage or researching what surgery I want.  My doctor told me to research RNY, DS & the sleeve.  I have done a fair bit of research, but have not yet chosen which surgery I want.  

Why did you chose DS Over the other types of surgery? What about it made you feel it was the best option? Was there a specific reason why you decided against one of the other options?

I had a previous WLS that was 'restriction only' and it did not work for me. 

That left RNY and DS.  Actually at the time of my research, I did not know about the DS until a couple of vets and a surgery war clued me in. 

I was about ready to say no surgery at all if all that was available was the RNY and here is why:

30% possibility of dumping - (who the hell wants that??)
malabsorption quits for almost all in about 2 years and all you malabsorb after that is your vites.
NO pyloric valve which causes a plethora of problems, like reactive hypoglycemia (HOLY CRAP)
There is more but I will be here all day.

DS:  
98% cure for Type II diabetes
Statistically the best surgery to get the weight off and KEEP it off.
The most "normal" way of eating

I had been on some sort of diet for 40 years and I was tired.  I weighed in at 279 but if I had not been dieting all those years I probably would have been 400# - 500#.

I was so convinced that the DS was the surgery for me (and I could have had the RNY paid for 100%, right down the street)  I robbed my retirement and flew thousands of mile to a foreign country to have the DS. I would do it every year if needed.

Here is a good link to read: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4059577/Comparison-of-D S-and-rny-good-info-if-youre-trying-to-decide/

Good luck with your decision!

I never considered WLS because of the likelihood of re-gain. I hadn't heard about DS until I met a wonderful InnKeeper when my husband and I went away for our anniversary last fall. She had lost 200# with DS and keeping it off for the past 6 years. I saw how normally she ate and how healthy she was.
Then, I went and consulted with her surgeon. With my family history of diabetes I knew it was only a matter of time...... DS basically eradicates any risk of diabetes.
I would never go through the pain and recovery of a WLS if I thought I had a good chance of gaining weight back and I knew I was killing myself with the "super morbid obesity"
Good Luck.

The RNY scared me---the thought of dumping, getting food stuck, frequent vomiting, food intolerances, and eating 1/2 cup meals---well, when I thought that was my only option, I decided I'd rather stay fat.

But I didn't just stay fat---I got fatter and fatter, and finally I decided even the RNY was better than dying. So I gritted my teeth and scheduled surgery.

Then I met a couple of DS post-ops, and---it was like a dream come true. After talking to those two ladies for an hour, I went home and started researching. A week later I cancelled my RNY and made an appointment with a DS surgeon.

The DS offered me a lifestyle I could be HAPPY with. It offered me genuine hope that I'd NEVER develop the dibees that runs in both sides of my family. It offered me hope of curing my high cholesterol, and it would allow me to continue to take the NSAIDs that I NEED for my arthritis. And it would allow me to EAT.

I enjoy eating rich, fatty foods---bacon, sausage, cream, butter, nuts, well-marbled meats, cheeses, etc. With the DS, those are health foods.

I'm 8 years post-op, and I've never had one moment's regret.

I had never heard of the DS or sleeve before joining OH.  I knew of the LapBand (never considered it) and RNY.  I wasn't comfortable with what I knew about RNY, I had family members and co-workers who had had the procedure.  The dumping, the vomiting, the regain, etc. didn't sit well with me  When I learned about the DS, and sleeve, it was literally an AHA moment for me.  These sounded like much better choices for me, for my lifestyle and what I wanted to get out of my WLS.  I briefly considered the sleeve, but knowing my history of losing weight only to regain it, i felt I needed the big guns for long term success, which meant malabsorption. 

I'm happy with my weight loss and my eating lifestyle.  So far, at 2 1/2 years out, I don't struggle w/ protein or vitamin intake.  Sometimes it is no fun, and a little bit of a "job", but I don't mind the trade off to feel healthier and happier in my own body.

Good luck with your research!

I chose the DS for the remmision of my type 2 diabetes, and the long term keeping the weight off stats.

I wouldn't even consider the band because of the way it can erode your stomach (and being jabbed with needles for fills and unfills).

The RNY was a no-go for me becuase I didn't want the misey of dumping, and the slimes.

I like having my pyloric vavle!

I did not like all the GI complications I had with RNY. I wasn't really informed about them beforehand, but they were severe.

 Like many others, I hadn't heard of the DS until I cam to OH. After I read about it here, I googled and read about it everyelse I could. I think DSfacts.com was one of the sites.

The more I read, the more it seemed like this was the perfect surgery for me.

I was afraid restriction alone wouldnt be enough to help me lose and keep off the weight. So no VSG.

I wanted to continue to eat small quantities of sweets and carbs and avoid feeling like I was on a perpetual limited diet.  So no RNY.

I was scared of the stories I read about people developing ulcers, blockages, or other problems with their blind stomachs.  I felt much more comfortable to have a still functioning duodenum.

I was less scared of diarrhea, unpleasant gas and the need of lifelong vitamins than the side effects of the other surgery options.

I had dieted all my life, lost the weight, put it back on lost it again, put it back on again... you get the idea.  A friend of mine had the DS and when she told me about it I though "Godsnightgown! That's insane, who would do that to themselves?  I hope she's going to be ok."  I was so scared for her but knew she had always struggled, just as I had with the weight and she was at the end of her tether.  A year later she sent me photos, told me of how her life had changed and I started researching. 

Lapbanding was a big no go for me, had a another friend almost die from it eroding into her and causing internal bleeding.

RNY was a HELL NO!  Blockages, tiny tiny amounts of food and always being hungry because most of your stomach is still there (just not used)... the blockages, not being able to eat fibrous things like mushrooms (unless they're pureed, that's not life)... the blockages.  Need I say more.  Also my main problem was the consumption of milk, just LOVED it to bits, plain ordinary milk, no flavours.  Neither a lapband nor an RNY was going to help with that.

VSG seemed like half a deal, there was restriction but I knew at my age with the onset of comorbidities I really needed the malabsorption part of the operation (DS).  In for a penny in for a pound.  I did NOT want to have to revise later if the VSG didn't work.  One decision, one surgery.

All the of the other options I could have had almost fully paid for and only 3 hours away, but after nearly a year of research, I left my son and partner, flew across the other side of the world (and flying is terrifying for me), to a city I loathe, paid 11,400 pounds out of my own pocket and had my DS done by a truly brilliant surgeon.  I'm only 10 weeks out (considered a baby DS still) but would I do it again?  Yes, in an instant!

Whichever weight loss surgery you choose, make really sure you try and get it right the first time.  Find the best doctor you can afford, ask questions of anyone and everyone on these boards, research research research.

I wish you all the best!

Thank you for your input.  I may be choosing Duodenal Switch due to other health issues. 

When I wrote my question yesterday, I was waiting to see my cardiologist.  After that appointment, I stopped by my family doctor, about some x-rays that were done of my hips last week.  He is sending me for bloodwork to confirm, but he thinks I have  Ankylosing spondylitis ( a type of inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease. In AS, the joints in the spine are the target of the immune attack, resulting in pain and stiffness (inflammation) in the back.) AS can also cause pain and stiffness in peripheral joints, such as the hips and shoulders. It can also cause inflammation of the tendons surrounding the joints. Some of the common spots for enthesitis are the back of the heels (Achilles tendonitis), underneath the bottoms of the feet (plantar fasciitis), on the outside of the hips (trochanteric bursitis) and along the breast bone (costochondritis). AS can also effect the heart and leungs :(

The general approach to treating AS is to reduce joint inflammation to improve function and mobility, with the hope of preventing long-term damage to the spine and joints. NSAIDs are the most commonly used medication to treat the pain and inflammation of AS. Disease- Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) can be used in combination with NSAIDs, although they generally don't work as well for inflammation in the spine. DMARDs can sometimes be used when inflammation occurs in joints away from the spine. Corticosteroids (steroids) are sometimes used to try and control symptoms during flares of AS. 

So, if I do have AS, it will greatly limit my options.  I'm still going to research both RNY & DS, until I have a confirmed diagnosis.