Newbie needs info/thoughts!!!

As I was being welcomed into one of the forums, someone posted that I should research another form of WLS - the DS.  I had never heard of it so that's just what I did.  At first I was feeling as if I had already done all the research that I needed to do and had my mind made up.  But on further processing in my steel trap of a mind, I decided that I am going to have someone cutting on my body that I should indeed ensure that I am making the best possible decision - even if it does mean more research!

So I went on over the DS forum and read some things...enough to get me interested in looking further.  So I called my insurance company to make sure that this form of WLS is indeed covered and lo and behold it is - with the same criteria as RNY and lap band - woot woot!  So then I decided to see if there was a surgeon near by, well no such luck.  There does not appear to be a surgeon in all of Iowa that performs this surgery.  So my two closest options are Chicago or Omaha.  I am leaning towards Omaha after looking at Dr. Gary Anthone's website and page on here.  I am very impressed with what I see about him.  So I call my insurance company yet again and found out that to my luck he is IN network - triple woot woot!  So what do I do?  I call them to get some info...and am told that their first step is to check with my insurance to make sure that they and the procedure are covered.  Ok now I know that getting paid is important, but does it need to be the first bloody concern of absolutely everyone related to WLS?  Jesus!  So ok, I guess I can deal with that since I already know that my insurance appears to cover both.  Next step is of course the dreaded seminar...but I was told that b/c I live so far away that I can come in and watch the seminar on DVD and then immediately meet with the surgeon right after.  Cool..  My next question of course was how long is this all going to take to get me a surgery date?  She says that is usually takes about 4 months.  Well hell, don't really wanna wait another four months.  So I tell her that I am basically on track for RNY in Waterloo, and that really all I am waiting for is official insurance approval before I get a surgery date.  She asked if I had the psych eval, nutritionist appointment, 6 month supervised diet, sleep study, etc.  And I told her that yep I've had all of that done, so she said that considerably moves up my time.  Wonderful!  So she is sending me info in the mail to get that initial insurance coverage question answered and we go from there.

So here I am trying to make a decision...RNY or DS?  My initial instinct is to for RNY b/c I can get that done faster and feel like I have been waiting for so long b/c after I finally made the decision to have WLS and attend the seminar (after fretting for about 18 months) I found that I had to do the supervised diet.  Well I did that and am in the home stretch.  But on the other hand my rational and adult brain kicked in and told me that I needed to calm down and look at both options and pick which one I think will work best for me.  So that's what I am trying to do!  But calmness and patience have never, ever, ever been a virtue that I have in my bag of tricks!

So anyone who has any input either way - RNY or DS - I would love to hear it!! 

Hi Marci,

Welcome to the group. I hope that you will take the time to look at both options. There is no 'best' surgery for everyone, but there will be a best fit for you. When I was looking into the various options, I narrowed mine down to RNY and Lap. Being my somewhat analytical self, I created a table listing the pros and cons of each and weighting them to see what seemed best for me. RNY won out, but not because it is an overall better solution, but because it was a better fit for my personal cir****tances.

A friend of mine that just had DS a couple of months ago seriously considered RNY, but she has some degenerative disc disease, coupled with a signficant family history of osteo-arthritis. She knew that she could be exceptionally compliant with the great number of supplements that DS required and she also knew that she was likely to need NSAIDS to help control her arthritis pain; DS allows her to take NSAIDS and RNY doesn't. There were other factors that swayed her towards DS, but that was the biggest.

I don't know if doing something like that might hel*****t.

I do know that you have waited a long time, but in the interest of making the best decision for yourself in the short and long-term, I hope that you consider both and how they fit your overall health and lifestyle profile and then make the best decision for you.``

Well only you know whats best for your body. But I had the RNY and am very happy I did. I hope you come to a decision I know it is hard because it is life changing and permanent so be sure to do what is right for YOU. =) GOOD LUCK ,
Robin

Having had a revision from RNY to DS, I say keep researching until you are sure. That revision surgery is rough...much rougher and riskier than my initial RNY so choosing well the first time is definitely the way to go!     :-)
I'm too early post-op to know how my weight will end up, but I am glad to have my stomach back rather than the pouch.  I never had dumping very much but I did have reactive hypoglycemia after my RNY and I have not had that one time since my revision.  My stoma was dilated and I also had an ulcer from the RNY so I'm glad for those to be gone.
I also had a lot of umm...'bathroom' issues that seem to be resolved with the DS.  It's strange that so many fear that the most about the DS, yet for me it made everything better in that area.
I can't stress enough about the difficulty of a revision, so please don't choose one surgery because you could get it done sooner.
Whichever you choose, I wish you the best of luck!
:-)

Hey there!

I had thought about this some before my surgery too - I had to evaluate my reasons for wanting both surgeries. I know FOR ME - I was so drawn to being able to keep eating junk food with the DS. That was MY main drive. I had to stop and think about that...why am I having surgery? To get healthy. This line of thinking is NOT healthy. I want to model good eating for my boys. But I was looking at the DS as a way to NOT have to make healthy choices. I wanted to be forced to some degree to make healthier choices. This is just me - and my process for my decision.  I got the RNY...and am VERY pleased with it - well not pleased with the ulcer I have in my pouch right  now, but hopefully we'll get it taken care of quickly...

My advice? Think about why you want both surgeries...what appeals to you about them, what doesn't. Take a critical look at the list you make, and go from there!

Hope you can easily come to a decision!

~Annie