poopy problems?

Hi all newbie here and I'm trying to decide between getting the ds or the vertical sleeve. I've read that the ds has more risks and complications but a higher rate of keeping the weight off than the vertical sleeve alone. I've also read there is a higher risk of diarrhea and smelly gas especially after eating a high fat meat. I like meat, there I've said it, I can cut back a lot but not cut it out of my life. I work in a semi office atmosphere and can't imagine havin the runs or be smelly when I try to stay away from sweets. any thoughts? I have a high bmi of 57 with T2 diabetes and also read that ds is sometimes done in a staged approach with the vertical sleeve done first then the ds done later, has anyone done that?, any info,tips would be great thanks.

You will be eating a lot of meat and protein with the DS - avoid the sugar to avoid the poop issues and help lose weight. Some other foods give people problems - but everyone is different.  In general - you will need to consume fat so you aren't too constipated and your body will only absorb some of the fat - check out DS Math on DSFACTS.COM. 

For me, I chose DS over the sleeve because I was severely obese and wanted long term results. I have seen lots of sleeve patients who want a revision to the DS - and my doc said the long term results would be better with DS. 

I do have loose stools- but am still early out (8 weeks post op). People have said it gets better as time progresses. They do stink - can't get around that. But it's not explosive .... I don't have "accidents" ... When I need to go, I go. I don't have uncontrollable gas either - but when I gas - it stinks. :) most bowel issues are controllable with your choice of food. 

The bigger commitment with the DS is a lifetime of supplementation. I had the lapband for years and it never helped me. I knew if I got the sleeve, and it didn't work, I couldn't afford a third surgery - I have been self pay every time. But since I am so early out, I can't quite say it was the "right choice" just yet - but I am hoping to get there. :)  it is a big adjustment ... I am sure more senior DSrs will chime in. 

It is not the Fat that makes us gassy it is Carbs and sugars. As long as I stay away from those two things or eat small amounts I am normal. I only had diarrhea when I was not taking enough calcium and eating the wrong things. Other than that my BMs are normal. I go once a day. Now foods that would normally make you poot still will make you poot. So just stay away from sugar, carbs and foods that make you poot while you are working. I work around people all day long and no where near a bathroom and I do just fine. 

You will be eating lots and lots and lots and lots of fatty delicious meats on the DS diet. Mmmmmm

My understanding is the DS is one surgery. The staged approach is a revision from the sleeve to the DS, usually due to the patient not losing a satisfactory amount of weight with just the sleeve.  Doing it in two stages is not as effective as having the DS to begin with. I have heard that Drs. like to do it in 2 surgeries because it makes them more money. 

There are medicines that you can take to make your gas not smell so bad, but I don't know if many need it. 

To me the high percentage of comorbidities that people get rid of is one of the important reasons I am having the DS.

It is very important to understand the vitamins and supplements you will have to take the rest of your life. Another thing is protein.  You will need to get approximately 90-120 grams of protein everyday.

Go to dsfacts.com.  Excellent information there

I selected the DS because I have failed so many times in the past and wanted this time to be different. I knew my chances were better with the DS.. For me if i was going to have surgery I wanted it to be a life long change.... With the sleeve alone the stomach can stretch and well put us right back to where we were.... Overweight and unhealthy.

In the first few weeks I had loose stool... The only time I have it now is if I eat too many carbs or sweets... I love the DS "diet" .... Meat, cheeses, oils and creams, nuts, no low fat items, butter.... ect ect ect.... You will feel like a normal not like you are on a life long diet! I still enjoy food! The other time I have loose stool is if I do not take my vites....

I am only 4 months out and feel it was the best move I ever made to bettering my life!

My Doc first suggested a two stage DS but I was able to get to a weight where he felt it was OK to do the whole thing at one time. Really on a two stage you would have the VSG - lose some weight - and then go back for the switch. It is more an insurance thing to call the second step a revision. You have to make clear to your insurance that it is a two step process or they will ding you for having 2 WLS procedures which a lot of them don't allow.

No WLS is perfect but I worried that just having the sleeve would lead me back to regain. The sleeve is just restriction, for me that wouldn't have been enough. I was able to lose 80 to a 100 lbs several times over my llife but always regained it.

With the malabsorption from the switch along with the restriction from the sleeve I think I have a better chance to amintain my weight loss. That seems to follow from all the stats I have been able to find.

I was also trying to get rid of my T2 diabetes more quickly. It doesn't always work that way but it did for me. With just the sleeve you are still counting on helping the diabetes by weight and lifestyle changes. With the DS you have a chance of it going into remission shortly after surgery.

High fat meat doesn't give me diarrhea although if I have a lot of fat (more than in any cut of meat) I might get the runs. Dark chocolate M&M's at Christmas was the last culprit. Mostly carbs and sugar cause it than any type of meat. I'm at 11 months, I ususall have a BM twice in the morning and I'm OK for the rest of the day as long as I watch what I eat.

Thanks everyone for the info. I can do supplements but my mind wanders to that scene in the movie sex and the city where Samantha gets stopped at the airport and they take all her hormone replacement supplements cuz they think it's illegal drugs, funny scene, but it does make me wonder how I'd do in a foreign country and couldn't get access to my supplements. The diet between dsrs and vsgrs seem really similar other than that ds people can have more fat due to them not absorbing much fat to begin with, but I really am not crazy about not absorbing the healthy veggies I'm eating now. I hate to go thru all these lifestyle changes and my body not get the rewards of my efforts. Well will discuss more at the drs. Thanks

You can get the healthy veggie nutrients through the vitamins, so it's not like you'll get malnourished.  With the sleeve, you'll not have enough room to get a significant amount of nutrients either....so again, vitamins.  The biggest difference with VSG and DS dieting is that the VSG people are really dieting.  Calories matter, etc.  With the DS, we all count the protein and fluids we consume.  Others may count carbs, but we never count calories, for the math is insane to determine how much your body is really getting.  I counted on FitDay and I get between 3000-4000 calories a day and I'm so healthy that my life insurance company sent me a partial refund on my premiums because my physical results came back SOOO good.  With a BMI of 57, it's unrealistic to think you'll get to a reasonable weight with the VSG alone.  There are people who started out much smaller seeking revisions today.  The VSG is great for lightweights, but it's very rare to see a success rate that you're seeking.

Vsg may seem unrealistic to you but eating 3 thousand calorie and more per day seems unrealistic to me what does seem realistic is the dependence on nutrients in pill form for life that is not an option for ds to go from calories count to calories don't count seems a little unreal to me. I don't think vsgrs feel their on a diet for life and the what if scenario is what I think of basically what if I find myself in a situation where I don't have access to supplements for a long period of time but I still can eat and absorb everything I'm eating and still be healthy. 

Think about it - good REAL protein also contains fat - which is loads of calories.  Now, of that fat, I malabsorb 80% of it, along with said calories.  I'm not shoveling it down, but I hate protein supplements, so I eat real food strategically, like marbeled meats, gravy to go with the leaner cuts that for some reason feel heavier in my stomach, LOTS of cheese, like it's going out of style, and full fat yogurt - I look for it on purpose and it's damned hard to find.   That stuff adds up quickly on a calorie scale.  If you seek out low fat items, you wind up replacing with added carbs or sugars.  I choose my sugars to truly enjoy, not eat mindlessly.  I do pair with veggies, but I don't eat nearly enough to get enough health benefit even IF I was absorbing more than the 60% I get.  It's really a different frame of mind, which is why I don't count calories (just did it for a few days to see).  You can absorb everything with the VSG, but your body will hold on to every calorie with a kung-fu-death-grip like mine did.  Changing my body's metabolism is the only way I could lose weight, for I was a champion dieter with no results.  That's why I know that I KNOW I needed more than to push away from the table, which is all the VSG gives you.  For some that's perfect.  For many others, not even close! 

As for healthy - I had to do a full physical for life insurance a little more than a year ago.  About a month later, I was sent a check for a partial refund of my premium because I was so healthy that I qualified for their unheard of super low rate.  I'll take that over a few veggies any day.