DS and BPD ???????
Hi Renee,
I had a BPD surgery last October. Previously, I had the LapBand, but I was very unhappy with it. I don't usually post to this group because many of the DS people like to email after I post and tell me how terrible my surgery is and how superior theirs is. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I get a little tired of being scolded for making a decision I thought was right for me. Anyway, since you asked a question that I can answer specifically, I thought would write.
There is one major difference between the BPS and the BPD/DS - the stomach in the BPD is cut laterally and the pyloric valve is lost. The DS is a vertical cut creating a more cylindrical pouch and keeping the pylorus. The intestinal bit is essentially the same. I have never experienced dumping or nutritional deficiencies. Part of the reason I chose the BPD was because I was having my LapBand removed at the same time and the BPD is a shorter procedure requiring less general anesthesia. Since I was having two procedures at once, I wanted to minimize the time I was out. I had no complications, it was done laparoscopically and I was back at work in one week.
That said, they are both MAJOR surgery and neither should be entered into lightly. And I have heard that the DS can minimize some nutritional deficiencies common in WLS. If you have a choice between the BPD and the DS, I would chose the DS because you will have the benefit of having had a surgery people are more familiar with and hopefully a good support group with others who have had the same surgery. But speaking from my own observations of my WLS and friends who had the DS - the results are very similar as are the side effects (since they are both malabsortive surgeries you will likely experience more frequent bowel movements and they may have a foul smell).
Okay, I hope this helps! Please feel free to ask any questions I might not have answered.
Anne