I'm about to be scheduled for this surgery & from to explanation the doctor gave me , this was the best fit for me.  I would like to hear some testimonials...

 Check out my blog @ http://www.robertrhea.com

 Thank you for sharing your blog but I need or want to know about the transition prior to surgery & after

Come to the Vsg board, testimonials are posted every day
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/ look at http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/about_vertical_sleeve_gastrectomy.html

I chose the DS (duodenal switch), so I have a Sleeved stomach plus an intestinal bypass to give me the best chance for long-term, maintained weight loss. (And at 8.5 years out, it's certainly working! *grin*)

The great thing about the Sleeve is that it preserves the pylorus and all normal stomach function. It does everything your stomach does now, except hold large quantities of food. In my case, removing 85% of my stomach also cured my constant, grinding hunger. Pre-op, I was, literally, always hungry. Even when stuffed, I still wanted one more bite. Since my DS, I have what I think of as 'normal' hunger---I get hungry, I eat a normal portion, I'm full and satisfied for a few hours.

However---as the Sleeve has become more popular, and as there are more and more Sleeve patients reaching 5+ years post-op---we're seeing more of them showing up on the DS and Revision boards looking to add the second half of the DS (the malabsorption component) due to either insufficient weight loss or regain.  While this is a fairly simple revision, it just plain doesn't work as well as getting the complete DS to begin with.

Therefore, I suggest that you also research the DS before you make your final decision. Your surgeon quite likely doesn't do the DS---I don't think there's a vetted DS surgeon in SC. Sadly, that also means he or she may not have given you complete, accurate info about the DS.

Your profile doesn't tell us anything about you---your age, your weight, your medical issues, if any, etc., so what I'm going to say now may or may not aply to you. But if your BMI is high, if you are diabetic, have high cholesterol, PCOS, insulin resistance, etc.---the DS may be a better choice for you. The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats for patients of any size, but especially so for those of us with a BMI greater than 50. It's also the very best at resolving or preventing co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol. It has the most liberal post-op eating plan---the average DSer eats around 2500-3000 calories a day, and there are NO forbidden foods, although even DSers must be mindful of their carb intake. (We eat them, and some of us eat more of them than others do---YMMV.)

Think twice, cut once.

 Thank you so much . I will do my research  as well as ask about this switch. Is it some type of object , like the lapband?  If so, I don't want that. 

No no no---The Switch is a surgical procedure. It's called the Duodenal Switch because it 'switches' around part of the duodenum, the uppermost portion of the small intestine.

Here's a picture of the procedure:



As you can see, the stomach portion is the same as the Sleeve, plus there's a bypass of part of the small intestine. This is what gives the DS its terrific staying power, and its wonderful success is treating or preventing diabetes and high cholesterol.

I recommend reading more about the DS at www.dsfacts.com, and visiting the DS board right here at OH:www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/

I am 17 months post-op from VSG, and I couldn't be happier.  I started with a pre-op BMI of over 50%, and I have maintained my weightloss pretty easily other than water weight fluctuations.  I went from a size 30 to 2-4. 

Not knowing anything about you, i'll just throw this out.  Something to consider is diabetes, particularly long-standing diabetes.  If you are diabetic you may want to look at  Duodenal Switch which is VSG + the malabsorptive component.  The most recent  published study  suggests a cure rate of nearly 100% for those who have had diabetes less than 10 years; however, in the group of patients who were diabetic more than 10 years, the cure rate with VSG was only 40%. The cure rate with Duodenal Switch remains near 100% even with long-standing diabetes.

DS is harder to qualify for with insurance, and there are fewer surgeons who peform it, and it requires  more supplementation with vitamins and mineral for life.  Having said that, if I had been diabetic, I probably would have had a DS. I was self-pay, and I would have wanted to 'hedge my bets' so to speak.

 Wow! Frm sz 30 -4! Thats drastic! I'm 100lbs overweight, blood pressure fluctuating , cholesterol high.. I'm ready for a change but I don't want to be on supplements forever nor do I want to regain my weight. I'm health conscious , I exercise already. Getting ready for this surgery has forced me to do some things I'm glad about such as eliminating added sugar, using 1% milk , chewing my food more. It is definitely a lifestyle change which is what I want.

With the sleeve, you will still likely have to take some vitamins, particulary B12, forever.  I take a multi-vitamin daily plus iron. Iron deficiency, however, is not uncommon in women in general. I also take a B12 shot once a month. The supplements are not a big deal.    It's a pretty easy trade-off for 160 pounds of unwanted fat.  I don't take calcium because I get plenty in my diet. Because I am very active and lift weights, etc., I do use protein powder in my coffee; however, that' no different than the recommendation a fitness magazine would make for someone who hasn't had VSG and lifts.

There are trade-offs for WLS. If you ask most anyone who has been successful, they will tell you they are well worth it. 

 Thanks for the feedback . That's good to know . It sounds like an adventure of a lifetime!