Considering DS... advice appreciated

Please please do not get the crapband.
I had my DS open a month ago. I only took pain meds for a few days after getting home from the hospital. Now I had a lot of discomfort still but not actual pain that needed relief. I could have gone back to work after three weeks if I had to, but I still have some weakness and fatigue so I'm glad I don't have to.
I have a large scar, but I already had a large scar from previous open gallbladder removal. My belly will be a deflated sad mess soon anyway so I'm not especially concerned. There are plenty of surgeons who do this surgery via lap, I chose my particular surgeon because he was willing to work through my presumed adhesions from my previous surgery and he only does the DS open.

I will say that you need to have a good understanding about this surgery, and the vitamin/mineral supplementation you will need, which is a lifelong commitment. I'm absolutely convinced this is the best WLS in terms of being able to eat more normally and long term weight loss maintenance but it is not a decision to be taken lightly. Please go read dsfacts.com and make your decision accordingly, not just based on how big of a scar you will have or how much time you need off work for the surgery.

I had my DS with Dr. Maynard because at the time Dr. Smith was not available to me through insurance.  His practice now accepts more insurance companies.  He is one of the best DS surgeons in the southeast and you could not go wrong with him.

Dr. Maynard is also an excellent surgeon and you only have to go to his DS support group to see all the successes and happy patients to know that.

Everyone's recovery is different and there are a lot of factors involved.  You have no idea how long it will take you to recover so that is not even a real reason to pick an inferior surgery type over DS.  If you had done any extensive research, you would know that the lapband has a rather bad track record and it's frankly a waste of time for anyone with a significant amount of weight to lose.

The scar down my belly is a very small price to pay for the health and happiness that I enjoy now because of the DS.  And I can live the rest of my life quite nicely without having to show my abdomen.  

Lia 

I am not here to bash the lap band but I can speak first hand about my experience. I did lose 75lbs with it in a year but it was not healthy. I lost the weight by throwing up and barely able to eat and drink half the time. Eventually I starting having pain in my stomach after having a PB (productive burp/stuck or throwing up). I ended up in the ER more than once with pain. My band was so fickle. One day I was too tight and the next day I was too loose. It would change restriction w/o even being adjusted. So I got a bunch of fluid taken out because i was so tired of it. I gained everything back! In fact I weigh more now than I did before surgery or ever! I am now trying to revise to the DS because all the stats point to LONG-TERM success. I read that you said you are new here. If you start reading around, you will notice, my story is not unique, but rather common. You have quite a bit of weight to lose and would be ideal for a DS. Even when I did lose that 75lbs I was still over weight. 5'3" and 195lbs is still not exactly successful.  Listen to what all the above are saying because it's all true! I wish I would have known all this before but that was 4 years ago when many people were pushing the band like crazy. Hope you make the right choice!

With a BMI under 50, you could probably get your DS done laparoscopically. My surgeon does both open and lap, and I wanted lap, but she would only do it open unless I got my BMI down to 50. Check my ticker. My BMI was near 70 at my highest weight.

It also depends on how your fat is distributed. "Apples" (abdominal fat), according to my surgeon, are harder to do laparoscopically than "Pears" (hip and thigh).

I have a freind who got a LapBand long before my DS, and she has yet to reach her goal weight, and in fact has yo-yo'ed quite a bit, and she is still diabetic.

DS cures Type 2 diabetes, and in some cases, Type 1, from what I've read.

I was never diabetic, but I had sleep apnea and high blood pressure pre op.

3 years post op, and no more CPAP and no more blood pressure medicine!

The regimen to keep yourself healthy with foods, and supplements can be rigorous, and you will need to understand how your DS works, and that it is *NOT* a RNY gastric bypass. You will have to educate every health care provider you come in contact with about your surgery, to avoid getting the wrong medical advice or treatment.

You can't be a shrinking violet with the DS, You have to be able to *strongly* advocate for yourself when it comes to healthcare as a post-op.

The best thing about the DS is that it is a permanent cure for morbid and super morbid obesity.