Duodenal switch VS Gastric bypass
Whoa, I missed that part - the surgeon will decide DURING the surgery?? I guarantee if you go along with that, you are going to end up with gastric bypass and some excuses. You are the one who will live with the outcome of this surgery, not the surgeon. It's your decision (barring some genuine medical reason that one operation or the other is contraindicated). If the surgeon is unwilling or unable to do a DS for you, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have the DS, it means you shouldn't have that surgeon.
Larra
If the only decision is between DS vs sleeve, with potential for completion of the DS in the not too distant future, that sounds a lot better. I would still caution you to be very clear about what is and is not acceptable to you. You could even write "no gastric bypass" on your consent form. But it would be best to have that discussion with the surgeon ahead of time, as you wanted and expected, and I hope you'll be able to arrange that.
Larra
Hi Adam, That was a standard warning from my surgeon going in to the surgery. I think my BMI was 61 at the time of surgery. In a followup you should ask how often that happens. My surgeon told me it was a pretty rare occurrence and had to do with just how much belly fat they had to get through to do the operation laposroscopically.
To: chevtow41
Congratulations!! u did very good job. Glad to hear that u have zero complications.. very encouraging!!
I dont think he is not comfortable with the DS, i heard that he is very good in DS and did it many times.
I felt like he wanted me to do the DS because the doctor in practice said nothing abt other surgeries which made me feel doubt n confused.
Hi Adam, I talked about the 2 step issue in another thread on your post but I wanted to address some of your other concerns too.
As you've seen in the other posts vitamins are a must and my response is of use only if you take your vitamins. Even with gastric bypass you can screw up your bones by not taking your vitamins.
The big deal for me was to lose and keep it off. I've yoyo dieted all my life and didn't want to go through surgery only to gain again but that doesn't mean you can't succeed with either option but statistics are there for a reason and if you have a choice why not go with the best one. At least that was my thinking and I haven't regretted it.
Lets talk a little bit about deficiencies. If your not in a group prone to bone issues you don't seem any more likely to develop them when you have the DS. Most of us take calcium, D, K2, and magnesium to help our bodies absorb the calcium and prevent bone density loss and it works for most. My feeling is that if you supplement diligently then you are back to the normal genetic lottery and not really a DS issue.
As for anemia, as a man not as big an issue for me. I've been on and off iron supplements the past 5 years. My numbers hover just around the low range for H&H. Additional iron didn't help and raised the iron levels in my blood too high. I was eventually diagnosed with chronic anemia caused by an unknown inflammation in my body. As long as my numbers stay steady they say I can just ignore it and that my regular numbers while low on the scale are just my "normal" so no iron needed. I take an occasional Proferrin as my way of adding some iron instead of eating some spinach once in a while. :)
Foe me there really haven't been any complications from the surgery ( I say with crossed fingers :) ). No vitamin or mineral deficiencies based on my labs. I swim and I bike and life goes on.
I'm emotionally vested in the DS and do think it is the best option but whatever you choose just work the tool. Good luck.
Pete