NC -Should I get Duodenal Switch of Sleeve- need to lose 150 lbs.

THank you so much for your honesty and I'm so sorry for what you are going through. Can they revise your surgery to make your life more manageable?  Just wondering if there is anything a doc can do for you. I know that for me that surgery is the only option I have left because I'm miserable and can hardly move or enjoy life this way. I can't sit in a plane seat or hike up a mountain. I can't bike ride or enjoy vacations with my partner and work is comlicated. It's depressing and isolating how I'm living right now and it effects me in every aspect of my life. I will have to carefully weigh the risks of both the sleeve and DS and see which will help me ward off diabetes and other risk factors. Thank you so much for your honesty...

 

Would you say that it's the change in eating or the bowel issues that have made your life difficult?  or...both?

I would think you would have better results with the DS. You should be able to lose more without having to be as strict with what you can eat. You won't have to eat low fat, not drink so long before you can eat and so long after or some of the other restrictions you have with the sleeve. And when you get the weight off you won't have to work as hard to keep it off. The malabsorption will help with this.
With the DS you should always eat protein first because you will need 100+ grams of it daily. You will always have to take a lot of vitamins and I personally think we should always have protein drinks (this can get expensive) and always have labs done yearly once you get past the 1st year (you'll have them more often the 1st yr).
Here is a link to my 5 yr surgiversary post. It may help. http://m.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4637703/My-5-year-surgiversary/
I think this post may be helpful to you as well.
http://m.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4637989/9-months-out-Sleeve-to-DS-with-pics/

I had some hair loss the 6 mo. to year but it wasn't bad.
And I am extremely happy with my surgery choice and the life I have since I had it done!!

HTH,
Ronnie

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply and for sharing your experience. You have done great!!!  I can't even imagine what it would feel like to wear the same clothing size and keep my weight pretty stable for a year none the less 3.  Are you able to eat carbs? ..I keep hearing folks having difficulty with eating carbs...Did your hair grow back ? I'm worried about the hair loss thing..Its crazy how we lose the hair on our heads but can't lose the hair on my legs or elsewhere :)  All in all it seems like you are very happy with your DS surgery....

You're welcome and thank you!
I can eat pretty much anything without having any gas/poo issues but I do gain if I get too carried away. I have a harder time controlling what I eat during the school year when I'm working so I tend to eat more carbs and put on a few lbs. But so far I've been able to get the wt off while I'm on my summer break. I do want to try to plan things out a little better so I can keep from gaining during the year. But if not I'll buckle down during the summer again.
Yes, my hair grew back. It got a little thinner but wasn't too bad. It made me a little nervous for a while there not knowing how bad it was going to be but it wasn't bad at all. Its back like it was pre op. Didn't seem to affect the leg hair, still had to shave every day :D
I am very pleased with my DS! I can't complain. I know there are some that have a lot of issues and my heart goes out to them. I may not be able to eat as many carbs as some without gaining and I may have to work a little to get the wt off but I'm able to enjoy life and for that I'm thankful.

The DS has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery presently available for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. It is esp valuable for people with higher bmi's but works well for the "lightweights" of the bariatric surgery world as well.

The sleeve works well for some people, but not for everyone. Most of the successful people have to stick to a low calorie, low carb, low fat diet and exercise regularly to remain successful. Short term results are similar to gastric bypass as far as weight loss goes, with both having results inferior to the DS. Long term results beyond 5-6 years are still not well known for the sleeve, but are excellent for the DS.

We are seeing more and more people revise from other operations to the DS these days, as people begin to realize that it is their operations that failed, and not themselves. I believe (though of course I can't prove this) that we would see even more people getting revisions if they knew it were possible, if their insurance would pay for another operation, or if they weren't so embarrassed/ashamed to have failed yet again that they just slink off into the sunset.

Do your research! You can learn a lot about the DS at dsfacts.com. Be honest with yourself about what diet/exercise program you can live with longterm. Be honest with yourself about whether or not you are willing to to take the necessary vitamins and eat the protein needed to stay healthy with the DS. They make your decision.

Larra

Read DSfacts.com for more information. With a BMI of nearly 60, this may be your only successful option for substantial  loss. Do remember that you must commit to a lifetime of limited carbs and daily, all day, supplementation of vitamins and minerals.

There is a lot of good information in the posts. Recognize some people don't do as well as others. Statistically, though, the DS is your best shot. For me, It is the best decision I ever made (3 months out).

Vitamins, protein, and hydration are a must after the surgery.  I had surgery with a BMI about 61 and I am down to a BMI around 51. I have a long way to go but this is the best way I've found. I could always get diets to work but could never keep it off.

For me I haven't had any problems I would call bad. Just things I have to either accommodate or get used to. I  have stinky bowel movements some of the time. The first month I had to be quick to get to the bathroom. ( Once too late. ) That is better now and seems to get better overall when I have yogurt with active cultures. Some people say probiotics helps with their regularity.

I still can't eat very much but more than the first 2 months and at least I am interested in food. The first 5 or 6 weeks I wasn't interested in eating at all. I just did it an ounce or so at a time because I knew I had to. 

The good. I cam out of the hospital not needing my diabetes medication (insulin and metformin) and I haven't needed it since. That doesn't happen for everyone but I am glad it happened for me. 

I still take blood pressure meds but it has stabilized and I can see the day coming when my meds will be lowered and eventually stopped.

Did I mention lots of vitamins? I got a one mont organizer where each day has 4 compartments. It is the only way I could be sure I was getting everything in.

Last word on my experience. I find that I have to research and look for more information on line about what works and what doesn't to lead a healthy DS life. Most post surgery programs are sadly lacking on DS specific information - at least mine is.

It is one of the hardest decisions I made. Good luck with your research and your future weight loss no matter what surgery or program you pick.

 

 

The answers you have gotten are all excellent.  The DS is a bigger surgery, is more maintenance and more to work around but the long term results are the best.  I had the same starting weight and height as you.  I was up in the air until my surgeon, Dr Rabkin who I respect completely, said that the sleeve gets the initial weight loss and the DS keeps the weight off.  I didn't want to go thru major surgery only to gain weight again.  I know in my heart I absolutely would have by now if I only had the sleeve.  I am amazed that I have maintained a 145 lb weight loss for 3 years now.  I wear the same clothes year after year.  That is a first for me.  I eat a lot, am able to eat carbs without consequences and my labs are decent. 

There are risks with every surgery and there are no guarantees about your experience.  There are people who do everything right and still have a bad experience or consequences.  It's always a gamble but you can minimize it with a good surgeon, following the rules of eating and supplementation and addressing any issues as they come up.  In the end my life is a 1000 times better.  It sucked before my DS.  I was in a position I was either going to die from health consequences or unhappiness.  Good luck with your decision. 

Cheers,

Cathy

Wow!  You have done amazingly well.  To lose and maintain 145 lbs is amazing and all while still getting to eat a decent amount of food...That's fantastic!  Thanks so much for sharing the pros and cons...Do you by chance know what size bougie and common channel you had?  I'm wondering why you can eat carbs and others cant and if that has something to do with the bougie and common channel size...Do you know?  Have you had any problems with malabsorption and vitamin deficiencies?

I eat a lot but I'm not sure if I am the norm.  From about 3 months out I was eating more than others I know.  I had my surgery on 10/13 and for Valentines day I had an 8 oz steak, lobster tail, asparagus and 3 small red potatoes.  I couldn't eat carbs due to gas for a while though.  Most carbs I paid a price for but some were ok.  Then about a year out it started getting easier and easier.  Now I rarely have gas.  Maybe I built my system up...not sure.  I also don't gain weight even though I eat sweets and high volume. I've always done that so I don't know how much I would weigh if I didn't.  I average a size 12-14 and I'm happy with that.  I don't know my bougie size.  Is that stomach volume?  I know my surgeon did 100 cc common channel and a 3.5 ounce stomach.  Full is full and when you get there you probably won't care about the food you aren't eating.  Once I'm full, food loses it's appeal.  If I filled up on less food, I would be just as happy.  I might eat smaller quantities so I could taste everything. 

I have some issues with iron but that is common if you still menstruate. I'm not at all perfect on my vites but I take the plan that Vitalady recommended.  It's very proactive and I think it has kept me from having issues.  My labs are done every 6 months faithfully and I am normal.                                                                                                                                                                  I definitely stretched my stomach out so it's the intestinal portion that keeps my weight off.  Again, I'm not typical.  I've read that  many people don't eat as much as I do and have problems with gas/carbs.  You never know what you'll get unless you roll the dice.  That's the hard part is wondering which symptoms/issues will be yours.  It's a hard decision.  I was definitely sold on the DS it was having surgery at all that was scary.  I feel so blessed to have an easy surgery/recovery and a normal life with good health.