This says my Story but I am going to use this space to give you my advice instead. 

I believe that we owe it to ourselves to do as much research as we possibly can before we make a life altering choice like having WLS.  Be sure to take your time, learn about all of your options before you choose a procedure and a surgeon.

It is important to remember that you are hiring the surgoen not the other way around.  So interview several surgeons, preferably surgeons who specialize in different surgeries.  Listen to what they have to say but don't believe everything you are told, especially if they are talking about a procedure they don't do.  I was given completely inaccurate information on the DS by the first surgeon I saw, an RNY specialist.  If I had listened to him I would never have learned about what turned out to be the best choice for me. 

Another very important step is to go to as many support groups as you can find.  Look for groups for each of the surgeries.  Try to find long term post ops.  Listen to what they have to say.  What are their lives like post op, 1, 2, 5 years out?  Is that the life you want for yourself?  This is a decision that will affect the rest of your life so take your time. 

Go to each of the surgery forums here on OH and ask questions.  I have found nothing but support here when I have done this. 

Each surgery comes with its pros and cons, you have to decide for yourself which one is going to give you the best chance for success and a happy post-op life. 

When choosing a surgeon, look for one that has done at least 100 of the procedure you will be having.  Experience matters! But avoid surgeons who have an assembly line practice. You want a surgeon who sees you as an individual not just a face in the crowd.  I good bariatric surgeon will take plenty of time with you during your first meeting and should be happy to answer all of your questions.  If he/she seems uncomfortable with your questions or doesn't answer them this is not a good sign, keep looking. 

Don't go to the closest surgeon, go to the BEST surgeon you can get.  I traveled from Seattle to San Francisco to get the surgery and the surgeon I wanted.  I am very glad I did. 

Part 2, why I chose the DS,

I chose the DS because after all of my research I felt it was the best fit for me.  I had a history of ulcers and that made me nervous about having a stoma with chance of marginal ulcers as well as the blind stomach which could also develop ulcers. 

I preferred the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy that is the stomach portion of the DS because it left my pyloric valve in place and gave me stomach that while smaller, still functions normally. I can take NSIADS if I need them and since I didn't know what the future might hold I wanted that option. 

As part of the VSG the outer curvature of the stomach is removed and it is this outer curvature that produces most of the hunger hormone Grehlin.  When it is removed most patients feel less hunger.  This has been true for me.  I still get hungry if I don't eat for a while but it is not the raging voracious hunger of my pre-op days and it is easily satisfied.

I knew that just limiting caloric intake would not be enough for me because I am an excellent dieter and had done that before many times, only to end up worse off in the long run.  So I knew a purely restrictive procedure like the Lapband or the VSG probably wouldn't be enough for me in the long term.   

With the DS only 60% of protein and complex carbohydrates are absorbed and only 18% of fat is absorbed.  The only absorbed at 100% is simple carbs (aka. sugar).  

The cons of the DS are that one must take vitamins and supplements religiously for the rest of one's life. And one must do regular follow up testing to make sure the vitamins and supplements are working and the dosages are right.  Failing to follow through with this can be fatal.  

Another con is that most people in the medical community don't know much about the DS.  So if you end up in the ER at your local hospital a lot of time can be wasted before they finally figure out you did not have an RNY.  Even telling them about the DS and giving them pictures and diagrams with circles and arrows on the back often fails to convince them that you know more about your procedure than they do or even that they should call your surgeon to get more information.  Changing this is a personal mission of mine.  I am working to educate the medical community about DS so that someday we will not be the mystery patient when we show up at the ER. 

All in all, I am very happy with my decision to have Duodenal Switch.  I believe it is the best health care decision I could have made for myself.  I know I have improved both the length and quality of my life. 

As time passes I become more and more pleased with this marvelous surgery!  I take my vitamins and calcium supplements, I make sure to get in plenty of protien and I live a normal life.  My life does not revolve around food or my surgery anymore.  I eat when and where other people eat.  I eat what other people eat, in healthy amounts, usually just about exactly what the package suggests as a serving size.  I can go to a dinner party and no one needs to know I had surgery unless I choose to tell them so.  I FEEL NORMAL AND HEALTHY!