DO YOU REGRET YOUR DUODENAL SWITCH??

Absolutely no regrets here.

With the DS, I've added things to my life, but taken nothing away.  I became MO on many, many diets, and I ate a lot of rice and vegetabes thinking that's what I needed.  I'm making proactive steps to keep myself healthy instead of going as far as I can on as little as possible. Now, I've added vitamins (yes, they are VITAL) and eat a lot of meat and cheese, something ingrained in my head to avoid until my DS.  Imagine that!  I'm fulfilled and happy. 

As so many others have said my only regret is not doing it sooner like when I was 18 or something.  It would have been such a different life if I had been able to live it the way I am now as a "naturally" thin person. As a side note, this is NOT the surgery to have if you aren't going to take your supplements or become informed as to how to look after yourself and eat.  You also have to keep up to date on all the latest medical info on the DS.  If you don't eat right and supplement you will be ill.  ETA: You may want to research the VSG too.  It's newer than the DS so hasn't as much data regarding long term weight loss but so far it's looking like a great surgery choice for many people.  It's the stomach part of the DS so if in a few years you struggle with regain you could then have the "switch" part of the DS done.

5'7"   SW 268lbs BMI 42/ CW 132lbs BMI 20.7 / GW 140lbs
136lbs  Lost 

                            I Ymy duodenal switch
 

 

Thanks, these responses have been helpful for me to read, too.

I was 40 with no comorbids and 42 BMI when I got my DS.  However, my mother at 35 BMI had been suffering with diabetes and high BP for years.  I knew it was just a matter of time for me.  I reasoned that I should get the surgery while I was young, healthy and less of a surgical risk, and also young enough to enjoy a good portion of my life as slim instead of MO.

Do I regret it?  Hell NO!!  I'd do it again once a year if I had to. 

I am still very early out.. 6 weeks last Wednesday.. but I have had no regrets.  I was diagnosed with diabetes last September with an A1c of over 13 at the time.. meaning my average blood sugar was over 350. Normal is 80-100. I had raging infections that I had to be hospitalized twice for.. without insurance.. until I could get my blood sugars under control. I was deathly afraid of doctors because I thought they would judge me for being overweight.. so I avoided them at all costs. That is what got me to where I was in September.  I found an amazing PCP who didn't seem to judge me but genuinely seem to care about my health and helping me. Once I got insurance, she was the one that suggested WLS for me.  I regret that it took me this long to do something.. but I am proud of myself for overcoming my fears and finding the strength to do it. I want to have children.. but I did not want to get pregnant with being overweight and potential complications from that.  WLS has saved my life.. literally and figuratively. I was existing before. I am living now. 

Hey Jodie! Im glad u posted...dont see great attitudes like urs so early post op.  It didnt take me long to know I loved my DS.  Glad it didnt take u long either!

Nope, not a single regret here.  I'm constantly amazed at the way my weight stays stable given the way I eat.  I'm active, healthy, and far more physical than I've ever been.  My comorbs (sleep apnea, hypertension, borderline diabetic, joint pain, constant fatigue) are all resolved.  My BMI, once 52.1, is now a 26.  I'm perfectly happy with what I look like and what my health is. I can dress stylishly now, and look fairly cute when I want to.  I can shop anywhere, and find myself in sizes 2-6, depending on the cut/style/item.  I'm floored when I hold up a pair of jeans, thinking "I'll never get into these" only to find that they slide on, button, and zip with ease. Bathroom issues?  It depends on what I eat.  Like any considerate person, I don't pass gas in public.  In restrooms, I courtesy flush, frequently.  I take probiotics, but then, so does my mother, who hasn't had any kind of WLS.  I know what kinds of foods trigger the worst gas for me, so I avoid them until dinnertime, when I know I won't offend anyone with my toots. I've been freed from the burden of obesity.  The DS has truly saved my life.  Like LeaAnn said above, I'd do it again once a year if I had to just to feel this way.

Despite odor and gas issues and severe depression of late, all in all I would have chose my DS again.  It has completely cured my diabetes, which should never return.  It has also allowed me to probably lose (and more importantly keep off)  more weight  than I would have with any other form of WLS  --  a total of 210 lbs.  I knew that my love of high-fat foods would have made RNY a disaster for me and that the DS was better suited to combat that problem area.  I do wish there were some component of our surgery that would "deter" us from sweets and simple carbs (other than the bad gas) which is another weakness of mine, but I have been reading lately that not all RNYers dump on those foods and even the ones that do have ways of still "eating around it", apparently  ..  

I'll be nine weeks out tomorrow, and I already feel so much better.  I've seen the success of the DS through my husband.  He had surgery June 26th of last year, and he's already down over 220 pounds.  He's a new man.  By reading OH, I learned that Revisions were possible, so in April I had an old VBG revised over to a DS.  It's been an adjustment, learning to take all my vitamins, but it's definitely worth it.  It's a learning process.  I'm still researching and learning new things every day.  I'm blessed to be given this second chance! Take care,  Stephanie