RNY or DS

Oh yes, Dr. I does DS surgeries. I have not had any surgery yet. I am supposed to get a RNY done, but I want a DS instead. I just don't know how to go about changing it so he will do a DS, even though he wants to do a RNY with me.

I posted this thread here to get people's opinions who have had revisions and what they think the pros and cons are of the surgeries.

Thank you for your reply!

Leigh, one thing I can say is stand up for yourself. This is your body, and your life, not the doctor's, so ultimately it's not his decision. He can advise against it due to personal prejudice (age, bmi, etc) but if you go in armed with the research articles, I think you'll be fine.

I don't recall you mentioning your BMI, but if it's 50+ there's all the more reason to choose a DS. Mine was over 58 when I had RNY. It was between 39 & 40 when I revised.

 It sounds like you have done a lot of research on the DS and that is truly the surgery you want.  Go in armed with printed out studies, documents, etc... to prove to him that you have researched the DS and that you would not be happy with the lifestyle of the RNY.  I personally feel DR. I says the whole pooping thing with the DS is so the person will go and do extensive research on the DS so they know what it entails for the aftercare of it.  (vitamins, lab work, etc..).  If you show that you understand that he may be more willing to do it for you.  Women have had healthy babies after the DS, if that is also a concern from him.  

No matter what surgery you choose, YOU need to be 100% behind that decision.  It is a big decision.  There seems to be a lot of people revising from the RNY to the DS, and you never see a DS patient revising to an RNY.  Right there would give me a pretty good reason to choose the DS the first time around.  And  also most insurance policies will only cover one WLS in a lifetime, therefore if you were needing to revise in the future, you may have to pay for it on your own.  There are also very few qualified revision surgeons out there.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message.

Jeff

Thanks for posting this question. When I got my band, I was self pay and am still making payment on my 18K POS. I finally got the courage up to go see about a revision. My current surgeon only does Band or RNY. Im currently jumping thru hoops to set up a consulation at Johns Hopkins to see about the DS. I do understand from other posters that he only does a two step DS though..but I have no info on him doing a revision. I dont want a two step...I really dont think I can lose with the sleeve if I couldnt lose with the band!

My decision for DS is based on not having another pouch and actually being able to enjoy food again instead of taking small bites of slider foods to keep me from throwing up. Although I threw up for 45 minutes on grits and egg the other day!

I dont have many options with surgeons...Ive already looked in the tri state area, and I MUST take someone covered by my new insurance.

Best of luck and please let us know how everything progresses.

See if your insurance covers Dr. Greenbaum, he's in south Jersey. It's not that far.

 Leigh - you are a smart girl. Go with your "gut instinct" and stick to your guns on this one. Dr. Buchwald (operates out of the U as does Dr. Ikrammudin) will tell you in his seminar that "you choose your surgery because I do the cutting but you have to live with it for the rest of your life". So, why his apprentice hasn't learned the same bedside manner, I'm not sure. But, if you know you want the DS, then don't settle for less.

I do not poop myself ever. I'm regular and on schedule, yes. But, I don't have DHR every day of my life. And if I did, I'd be in getting checked for C Diff or the likes.

What I personally have loved most about my DS is that I have not had to deal with transfer addictions like that of a RNY person, because first and foremost, I am not deprived of anything! I can literally eat just about anything (except white starches and ice cream for me personally). And my enjoyment of life doesn't come from food anymore anyhow. But, I just am thankful I don't have that deprivation to deal with.

Early out, I did deal with some separation anxiety maybe you could call it because the portions are so incredibly small or food smelled and looked good, but I didn't tolerate it so I would sit and have my pity party. Then I'd get up and dust myself off and remember how much I had lost by that point, look at pictures on here of before & afters and remember, it's just a bump in the road.

At 17 months post op now, life is basically back to normal in the eating department for me. Portion size, definitely not, thank God. But I enjoy my meals and I enjoy cooking again. But what I wanted out of my surgery was simply to be healthy (lose the diabetes & sleep apnea & depression) and get outside more with my kiddos. And that has all happened. Plus, my marriage has gotten stronger because I'm not tired and depressed all the time.

I really don't have any con's except maybe my saggy boobs!

Again, I can't stress it enough, go with your gut and get the DS.

Lol! I think the saggy boobs will come with any type of major weight loss! lol

I'm going through Abbott Northwestern in MN, not the U. So if I switched, I would have to start the process all over again unfortuneatly. I left a message for his nurse that I wanted to switch. I hope I hear back soon.

Thank you for all of your input!

Leigh

We used to have a saying around here: Think Twice, Cut Once.
One thing you need to consider is the number of RNY to DS revisions you see compared to the number of DS to RNY revisions.
The poop thing is a myth. It seems we say that endlessly around here. I go once when I wake up. I MIGHT go once when I'm at work depending on what I ate for breakfast or lunch. But yeah, I'd say twice a day tops for me. And it's not diarhhea, it's regular consistency poop like before surgery.
Another myth you'll here is that DS people smell bad. I hang around a LOT of DS people and not a one of them stinks.

Best of luck in your decision.

why in the heck would people say DS'ers smell bad?? lol I havent heard that one ... lol