Duodenal switch VS Gastric bypass
I had RNY 13 years ago and only this last year started to regain. I an in the process of converting to DS. I know there are risks...but for me none are greater than the risk of being over 300# again. I'm going ahead with it. Mostly because you rarely see 300+ pound old people. I am 57 now and feel this is my last chance .
I am so sorry about your doctor problems. I am 62 years old and had rny since 2oo4. I did develop an alcahol problem and gained some weight after surgery but now i have lost interest with foood. i struggle to eat enough protein and my labs are great except for iron,b12'and zinc supplements along with calcium with vitamin d. i feel great. after 14 years i know what i can and cannot tolerate. life is good!!!
Hello everyone,
I am new here and i really need your help plz. My height is 5'6", i weigh about 350lbs and bmi is 56. i have HBP, cholesterol and herniated disc in the lower back, not diabetic. i have been on the waiting list for a barriatric surgery for more than 2 years. I had a call from the barriatric clinic a month ago to attend an information session and was given an appointment to meet the doctor 3 weeks later. I didnt have the chance to meet the doctor himself, instead i met another doctor in training working under his supervision, he asked me abt the surgery i prefer to have, i said DS, i tried to know his opinion and if i did the right decision but with no result, he replied nothing to me, he just mentioned something like this surgery is made sometimes in 2 steps and the doc will decide later only during the surgery. Then I met the nutritionist, she tried to convince me to change to the bypass procedure because it's safer in the long term. I left the clinic without being confident that i chose the right surgery for me.
Since i chose DS i have been trying to educate myself more and more abt it and honestly i am so scared of what i heard abt malnutrition, deficiencies, anemia, bone problems and other high risks and complications. I want to be slim but healthy also..
All these complications and others make me very confused abt DS surgery and prefer Gastric bypass, it is more popular and most surgery complications and risks are known by all doctors but the biggest disadvantage that i dont lose more then 65% of excess weight and there is a big percentage to regain weight after 3 years.
I really appreciate all ur answers that can help me to take a decision
Cheers
You have provided most of the arguments, pros and cons for either surgery. Personally, the DS would scare the crap out of me just because of the malabsorption/malnutrition factors and from what I've read gas & diarrhea are pretty significant. The only other consideration is that with bypass or DS you will be on lifelong vitamin supplementation but supplementation for DS is much more extensive by a lot and will run around $200 a month and insurance will probably not help cover that cost. I had the bypass and I'm doing very well. Regain is not a given, it largely depends on what happens with maintenance. If you go back to "old" lifestyle habits, regain is inevitable. The trick is learning new eating habits and maintaining those good habits, whichever surgery you choose. I would strongly recommend counseling as part of your treatment. There are so many emotional changes and implications with WLS. Where I live, there are no surgeons who do ds surgery so it really wasn't an option. You might even want to consider a VSG. All 3 surgeries have great results. Because most surgeons no longer recommend lapbands, my choice was between bypass & VSG. I wanted VSG until I found out that a complication of VSG is GERD which I already had and didn't need any more of. The bypass was a better surgery for me. Turned out I had a large hiatal hernia which the surgeon repaired.
ty for sharing ur story.. i chose the DS surgery because my bmi is 56 and i need to lose abt 200 lbs.. i heard only DS seems to help people to lose that much weight n keep it off for long time.
I spoke lately with the doc he told me the 3 surgeries are good for me n can be effective but DS is for better result. he told me that malabsorption happens in both DS and bypass and it is all abt taking the right vitamins and minerals..
i dont know i am still very confused
