Thank You Yvonne!!!

I just wanted to thank you for your time today.  I appreciated so very much. 

Just a little FYI to everybody else.

I am a newbie hear and about 2-3 months on the board in general.  I have been frustrated about all the WLS and the bulliness on other board.  I started the journey wanting the RNY and as I did more and more research I considered the DS.  I still wonder if I am making the right decision no matter which one I do but they both have their pro's and con's.  I have a BMI of 42 and I am not a big eater just yoyoing all my life.

Yvonne told me about this group and I hope to have better advice here whether it be good or bad but at least not attacking.  I want to hear the truth either way I just don't like the bulliness.

Thanks again Yvonne!! It was great chatting with you!!!

Welcome to the PPA board.  Sorry about your having problems making your decision.  Which one you have, I feel, is a very personal decision.  I think each kind works for different people, keep doing your research.  If you have a support group in your area go talk to people that have had the different kids and find out what there experience has been.  Plus you have all the people here on OH with all the different kinds.  When I had mine I don't remember there being so many choices ! 

Sorry about your experience with the bulliness, I know it is out there and have also avoided it by going to this site along with a couple others that do not have that going on !

Good luck.

Thanks Sally,  Are you still happy with your RNY?  Any advice?

I am very happy with RNY.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Yes, I dump on sugar but that keeps me from eating it.  Now if someone has something sweet and I want some I might have a bite or two from my husbands, it is enough to satisfy me.  I had gained weight in the last few years but as soon as I used my tool properly it all came back off.  I no longer suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes.  I followed the rules to the letter for the first two years, which I feel is very important for the success. 

If you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask.  I'll answer anything I can.  Good luck with your research.

YEA!!!!!! So glad you're here!! This is absolutely the best way to keep track of the people that email me AND I can get help and support from the wonderful people here too.  WOOOO HOOOO so glad you're here and you might want to read back on some of the previous messages too.  Feel free to ask questions from the past messages too!  We've got several that started out pre-op and had surgery and have lost their weight.

It was my pleasure!
hugs, Y

Good morning, Moonlight. I considered the DS before settling on RNY. In my case, it was because my surgeon of choice no longer offers the DS, and I would have to drive farther than I wanted to see the surgeon on a regular basis. I believe follow-up with the surgeon is really important, and an hour seemed like the max I was willing to drive (I didn't like the program that's in my town).

Why did my doc stop offering the DS? I believe it was because the post-op nutritional challenges are greater than they are for RNY. In both procedures, because of bypassed intestines, malnutrition is an issue with any patient who doesn't carefully follow the "vitamins for life" prescription. Of course, in any pool of patients there will be some "noncompliant" folks... I guess the results of noncompliance can be even worse more quickly with DS than with RNY.

In my case, I figured I've gotten used to taking all my diabetes and other meds, so switching over to vitamins won't be a big deal, and so far (six weeks out) it's not that hard to take 'em all. And the thought of getting beri beri or other nutirtional deficiences is scary enough to keep me on the vitamin path. So preventable, so easily... I like having that much control over my health!

Honestly, after looking at all the surgeries for six years before actually going through with RNY, I got the impression that DS is the most severe... i.e., lose weight fastest and keep it off longer more easily... plus fewer eating restrictions for some people (i.e. no "dumping" syndrome for most DS'ers). But... see above about really needing to watch vitamins. And... I've read some scary things about bowel habits changing (many people have a lot of diarrhea)  that really made me re-think DS as well. Of interest... my insurance moved from considering DS "experimental" a few years ago to approving it as medically necessary in the same category as RNY. I believe the insurance folks "work the numbers" and they must feel that DS is at least as effective as RNY for weight loss, with similar complications rate. But, you'll want to do more research on that.

You don't mention lap-band... many people choose that surgery when they are of lower BMI. Some folks like that it is reversible and adjustable... and that the weight loss is slower. Lap-band can fail completely in some people if they don't adjust their eating habits, though. by fail I mean just not lose any weight. I know one woman well who went through lap-band and simply changed from a binge eater to a grazer... and didn't lose a pound.

I like that after RNY, you WILL lose weight during your 6-18 months "honeymoon period." I'm finding that very motivational for all the lifestyle changes. Of course, the weight stops falling off you so easily after that and this is where your new diet and exercise habits will really be important. As a good post-op RNY friend said, "it's like a do-over for the last 100 or so pounds you gained... then you're on your own again for keeping it off."

It can help to discuss these issues with your support group. Does your surgeon offer one? Also, you may find your surgeon, with her/his knowledge of your health history, to be of great help in making the decision.

Lastly, my advice is to try to look behind each opinion's motivation. You've made a great choice to come here... but I'm sure even we have biases (I have one against lap-band, which I may not have hidden very well ). Even dieticians and surgeons can have specific reasons they support or oppose a certain surgery. If you can get to those reasons, you can decide for yourself if you agree from your point of view.

As another poster said, this is an incredibly personal decision, one that you will live with for the rest of your life, so do your homework and go with what makes you feel the best about the outcome. Attitude is vitally important to the outcome of any of these surgeries because you're changing your lifestyle as well as having surgery... and frankly, that's the hardest work.

Best wishes on this road! Continue to ask questions, even the silly little ones that may occur to you, and you'll find that there are a lot of helpful people here and other places on OH.

Hi Moonlight! Ugh - I totally understand the second guessing.  I have been going through that myself lately.   But I keep coming back to the conclusion that RNY is the best choice for me....I hope you can find peace in your decision, too!!!!

Yvonne rocks!!!!!

THanks everyoobe for the welcome and the great advice.  i know its all opnions and I stil do appreciate it.  Hugs   M-

Welcome to the group.   Everyone here is very kind and supportive.    I am almost  8 months out of my RNY and am grateful everyday for the opportunity to have this surgery.  Living in Canada, I was blessed with the option of having my surgery here or in the US and since most of the experience is in the US, I went to Dr. Graber in NY.  Very happy with my decision and absolutely no regrets.   Remembering my vitamins is my biggest struggle.