I have a BMI of 45; should I qualify for the BPD/DS?

I was thrilled when I was approved by my insurer and got a surgery date for a proximal RNY--until I saw a posting on this site about the BPD/DS (duodenal switch). The quality of life and insurance against future regaining sound so much more promising. When I asked my current doctor--a young pup a good ten years my junior--about the duodenal switch, I got a stern lecture: "It's a more radical procedure. There's a risk of death. You'll have loose, smelly stools and nutritional deficiencies. You're not fat enough to justify those risks. With diet and exercise, you should be able to reach and maintain a reasonable weight after the proximal RNY." He intends to bypass "up to" 100 cm. Well, if diet and exercise had ever worked for me, I would not be considering surgery. Risk of death? People have died after the proximal RNY as well. Nutritional deficiencies? One must take daily nutritional supplements for life after either procedure, and keeping pills down on a tiny, tender stomach with a single sip of water, as required after the RNY, sounds like a real challenge. The stools with the BPD/DS sound easier to manage than the nausea, vomiting, and flu-like symptoms the RNY can cause. From what I've read, the proximal RNY succeeds in large part by creating an aversion to food. The pleasure of eating--not bingeing, not gluttony, but normal eating--is something I am not eager to surrender. Lastly, going through all this and leveling off at 200 pounds, or regaining much of the lost weight, as many people apparently do after the proximal RNY, is a daunting possibility for me. Are surgeons who perform the duodenal switch generally willing to do so on a patient with a BMI of 45?

We greatly appreciate your interest in helping us build our Q&A database. To discourage vandals from posting garbage, however, we require people to register before posting.

You must be logged in to post an answer. Click here to log in.