Question for you regarding DS

Good morning...I'm new here so please forgive me if I get this wrong...I'm going through beriatric surgery and I was told I do qualify for the DS surgery and will be discussed at my next appt. My question is for all of you who have had this surgery, did you have it done all at once or in two different surgeries? What were your deciding factors to have this surgery compared to the gastric bypass and are you happy with your decision?

Thank you for your time!!!

I had mine in a single stage, but I know in some people, some surgeons prefer the two-stage procedure. These are the main reasons I chose DS: It produces the greatest, most enduring weight loss compared with other bariatric operations, it reduces or eliminates the overwhelming hunger I had lived with since I was a child, and it has the highest rate of remission of type 2 diabetes compared with other bariatric operations. My surgeon had a memorable teaching moment. On a pad of paper, he drew a large U for what often happens to weight after other bariatric procedures over the years, and a V for DS, but then he erased three-fourths of the right side of the V. The point was that at the end of a decade after surgery, I didn?t want to be in the same place I started. Almost everyone regains after the initial weight loss, but the risks with other procedures might mean a regain to nearly the pre-op weight in many?the U curve?but following DS, there is usually a smaller bounce back from the lowest weight?the cut-off V trajectory. I was already sold on the DS, but I still remember the U curve. Im 13.5 years out and within 15 pounds of my lowest weight and I lost 150 lbs. I don?t have daily, hourly overwhelming hunger, and I don?t have diabetes (or hypertension, high cholesterol, or joint pain either). This is the big But...there are reasons people should not get the DS, in my opinion. You have to make a lifetime commitment to a very high protein, very low carb diet (but you won?t feel like you are dieting and starving) and to take a handful of of vitamins every day. For the rest of your life. No exceptions. You have to see a doctor every year and get a long list of blood tests every year and buy roughly $500 of vitamins/minerals (YMMV) annually, regardless of your insurance status at the time. Good luck on the decision! I have no regrets.

Please look for another procedure. I regret having this done in 2005. I am a nurse and should have done more research.

Why? What are your issues? Are you following your doctors vitamin and food suggestions? If so, thats probably a big part of the problem. Doctors, nurses, and nutritionists seriously have zero clue how to live with DS.

malnutrition, short gut syndrome, iron deficiency anemia regarding severe anemia done intravenously every month, lost all my hair, osteopenia and gastroparesis. Need I go on. There are other safer procedures. This is not the gold standard. They have ceased to do it in my region.

Unless there is a real medical reason to have 2 surgeries, get it all done at once. And just for example, I met a man in my surgeon's office who had the whole surgery done at 800lbs. The 2 surgery thing is usually a statement about the ability/skill of your surgeon. If he/she is not capable of doing the whole thing, get a better surgeon. If they try to sell you on it saying to get the sleeve, lose X, then come back for the rest, just KNOW it is unlikely your insurance is going to pay. Then you end up with a sleeve and that's just a diet with a smaller stomach.

I was one of 10 people in my office who had wls in the early 2000's. 1 band, 8 RNY, and 1 DS(me). Fast forward to today, the band person never lost anything, 7 of the RNY people weigh more than they did when they got the surgery. 1 RNY and 1 DS(me) are still 'normal' looking people. The DS is the only surgery that really works long term.

Make sure you are getting a real DS, not loop/sips/sadi. And find out how short they are willing to make your CC(common channel).

Think twice, cut once. Read about revisions too. You see lots of people being revised to something else because they didn't lose all the weight. Generally speaking you won't find any DSers there!

Hi Patty,

I am new here and looking to have either the DS or SIPS. I had the lap band in 2002 and removed in 2009, so I've been scared of pulling the plug on something as serious as DS and I've never been a fan of the RnY and VSG isn't enough. I had wished for something like DS, but not as severe, then I stumbled on to SIPS and have been researching both SIPS and DS for a few weeks. I'm consulting with 3 surgeons, one who does SIPS. Can you tell me why you advise avoiding SIPS?

Thanks so much!
Jen

I know it's been a while, but the main reason people are hesitant about SIPS is because it is new and experimental. Deemed so by most insurance companies, which therefore excludes the SIPS from coverage.

I had mine done as one surgery. I'd known several people who had the RNY so that's what I started looking at but when I went to my first informational session with my surgeon and he explained all the surgery options I knew the DS was it for me. The biggest factor was the positive numbers of DSers keeping the weight off long term. I could live with the vitamins, and labs, and protein, etc. I'm very happy with my choice and I would do it again if I had to.

I've maintained a 175 pound weight loss for more than 15 years.

Do not do this surgery. I had it done in 2005. My life has been miserable since then with complications and issues. THe DS is too drastic. Please consider maybe the sleeve gastrectomy.

I went through TPN, severe malnutrition, have almost died on several occasions, lost my job due to illness and finally had it revised. I have severe gastroparesis now. Please do not do the DS