Doubts about DS

Hello,

I have doubts about what I'm about to do, in january.

I have severe asthma and hormonal problems that are aggravated by my weight. My BMI is 41 and I have decided for a duodenal switch. I am self pay, and I am far from rich.

What do you think about going for a DS with a BMI like mine? Is it worthed?

Thanks.

(Sorry, english is not my first language...)

There isn't anything else that's better. The DS is your best shot to get the weight off and keep it off. So why would you do something else?

I have lived with the DS for over 11 years, and it was the best decision I ever made. Why wouldn't you want the bariatric surgery choice with the best statistics not just for percentage excess weight loss, but also for maintaining that weight loss AND for permanent resolution of almost all comorbidities? Weight regain is a big problem with other forms of bariatric surgery.

There is nothing in your post to say why you are having doubts. Just make very sure that your surgeon is experienced with the DS and that he/she does a real DS and not one of the non-standard, experimental variations some are pushing.

Larra

I am looking at my life and the new info that is out on BED; I believe that I may have it based on the criteria for diagnosis. Fortunately, the DS has mitigated the weight gain that is associated with it. I have maintained a 300 lbs weight loss for over 10 years.

Scott

I'm almost 15 years post-op with the DS and have maintained my weight loss. My BMI was much higher than yours but the main reason most of us get the DS is maintenance.

I hope you understand that with the DS you will need to take many vitamins/supplements, get regular bloodwork, eat high protein. These are not optional. It definitely takes a commitment to live with the DS. But for me it was worth it.

Good luck.

Hello,

My doubts are coming from the complications I see. I read that many persons have been compliant with their vitamin regimen, protein and water, and still have major deficiencies. I'm 35. I do this to be healthy on the long run. Being thin is not my main goal. I want to have health and energy to live my life fully with my child. I fear DS is a big risk right now.

Keep in mind that when people have complications, they come here and elsewhere to ask for help. When they are doing well, they simply go on with their lives and you don't see them here.

There have been excellent long term studies done, documenting that the complication rate for the DS in terms of nutrition is actually remarkably low, and that, most of the time (not always!) when someone does have a nutritional deficiency, it's due to noncompliance. Of course there are exceptions, when someone does everything right and still struggles, but this is uncommon.

Another problem is that many people have surgeons and/or nutritionists who give them poor advice about how much of each vitamin to take - for some of us, the amounts are quite high. So, a person could believe they are doing everything right, but in fact they are just not taking enough of one or more vitamins. The answer is that each of us needs to be well informed, to advocate for ourselves, and to follow our labs carefully to increase our supplementation BEFORE we are deficient, when we see something trending towards the lower end of the normal range, before we get into trouble. Most docs, and their staff, just look to see if the number is somewhere, anywhere within the normal range, and will tell you it's ok, but if you follow the trends yourself you can see when something is going the wrong way and deal with it before it's really bad.

You want to have health. That's the right goal. If you remain morbidly obese, you will not have health, and you may not feel it now, while you're so young, but you are already headed towards comorbidities even if you don't have them already. The risks of being MO are severe, just not as immediate as the risks of surgery.

I will not lie - I am one of those with major deficiencies while being 100% compliant with vitamins, etc. I struggle with anemia and have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. But I'm also 60 (had my DS in my mid-40's). There are no guarantees with any WLS. Only you can make the decision on which surgery.

One option to consider is start with the VSG. If you're ultimately not happy with the results (good health) then you could always consider the switch (the DS is the VSG with the switch). Good luck with your decision.

The question about compliance also should be noted on what you are compliant with?

Most surgeons give very deficient nutritional advice, which leads us down a dark path regardless of our compliance. Are you following old recommendations or have you progressed with the rest of us as we have compared notes since around 2006?