I'm sure you get this question often....
I'm a revision from a vertical banded gastroplasty. Intially, I thought the only option available to me would be the RNY. However, earlier this year I fould this DS forum and have learned about the overall long term success rate of the DS vs the various other procedures. I'm also choosing DS over RNY because I'll still have a fully functioning stomach (just smaller). If I had to do all over again, DS would have been my first and only wls.
A l y s i a (pronounced like A l i c i a)
Total weight loss since HW of 475:
Pounds lost since band revision to DS
Total weight loss since HW of 475:
Pounds lost since band revision to DS
No dumping. No stoma blockages. No blind stomach. No micro-meals. At maintenance a more normal eating portion and varied food options. If I want to splurge on creme brulee I can. Significantly higher success rate after 10 years. (The RNY has a failure rate as high as 40+%). Able to drink and eat at the same time. Less risk of having to diet. (The RNY is the equivalent of a very very low calorie diet. Once the pouch matures and gets larger, and the malabsorption goes away many many RNY'ers find that their metabolisms are so low they can gain weight on 800-1000 calories a day!) The DS doesn't lose malabsorption, it causes a metabolic effect (the surgery actually changes your metabolism for the better!) along with the sleeve portion which causes restriction.
Those were my reasons. But the bottom line for me was the success rate. I wasn't going to let anyone chop at my innards unless there was a significant chance it would cure my obesity.
Those were my reasons. But the bottom line for me was the success rate. I wasn't going to let anyone chop at my innards unless there was a significant chance it would cure my obesity.
"Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul's emphasis is always right." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul's emphasis is always right." Ralph Waldo Emerson
For me, it was a quality-of-life issue. There were just too many potential problems with the whole pouch/stoma arrangement, from strictures to dumping to stretched stomas to food intolerances to reactive hypoglycemia.
And---I wanted all the WL help money could buy. The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight loss, especially for those of us with a starting BMI greater than 50. I figured I had only one shot at WLS, so I'd better get it right the first time.
Come Saturday, I'll be seven years post-op, and I couldn't be happier with my choice.
And---I wanted all the WL help money could buy. The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight loss, especially for those of us with a starting BMI greater than 50. I figured I had only one shot at WLS, so I'd better get it right the first time.
Come Saturday, I'll be seven years post-op, and I couldn't be happier with my choice.
I had gastric bypass done in 1980, lost the excess weight pretty easily, but after about a year, I could eat enough to gain weight; it was a constant battle from then on. I won the battle for about 15 years with diet and exercise pretty much every day. It was really hard to do because I couldn't eat like a normal person; the pouch really sucks. I would dump on milk or anything sweet and dense proteins like steak or chicken would stick and I would end up puking it up; same for raw veggies, rice or anything else that was firm or stringy. It sucked.
I got sick in 1995-6 and couldn't exercise for a year and that was the end of my weight control; I fought it and tried every diet and drug that came down the pike, but I still ended up gaining all the weight back.
In the early spring of 2008 I finally decided I had to do something serious about my weight, I had high blood pressure, sleep apnea and Gout; I was a mess. I started looking into what my options were and the one thing I knew I wanted was to get rid of the damn pouch and if possible get my stomach back. It took awhile, but I finally discovered the DS and as I learned about it, I knew it was what I was looking for. I had a hard time finding a surgeon who would revise me to DS; I had some serious problems with the old bypass and revising me was going to be a real project. After being turned down by 4 DS surgeons, I found Dr. Rabkin who as soon as I started talking to him, I knew he was my man.
Even though Dr. Rabkin is arguable the best DS surgeon there is, it still took him 8 1/12 hours to get me revised and even after all that, I had to go back into surgery 3 days later to fix more of the damage from the old bypass. That surgery took 4 1/2 hours, but it fixed me. I had a long and rough recovery but after a couple of months, I was feeling better and better and things have just gone from better to fantastic.
You can read more about my experiences on my profile and there are a bunch of pictures there so you can see how I changed along the way.
The long and short of it is that RNY sucks; I know, I lived with it for 28 years. The DS is fantastic, I love the DS life, I love, love , love my DS and I love life now.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone would choose to have RNY when they could get the DS, it just makes no sense. Here's a taste; my 1 year out post:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4024505/One-year-ago-today-who -could-have-known/action,replies/topic_id,4024505/page,1/
Kerry
I got sick in 1995-6 and couldn't exercise for a year and that was the end of my weight control; I fought it and tried every diet and drug that came down the pike, but I still ended up gaining all the weight back.
In the early spring of 2008 I finally decided I had to do something serious about my weight, I had high blood pressure, sleep apnea and Gout; I was a mess. I started looking into what my options were and the one thing I knew I wanted was to get rid of the damn pouch and if possible get my stomach back. It took awhile, but I finally discovered the DS and as I learned about it, I knew it was what I was looking for. I had a hard time finding a surgeon who would revise me to DS; I had some serious problems with the old bypass and revising me was going to be a real project. After being turned down by 4 DS surgeons, I found Dr. Rabkin who as soon as I started talking to him, I knew he was my man.
Even though Dr. Rabkin is arguable the best DS surgeon there is, it still took him 8 1/12 hours to get me revised and even after all that, I had to go back into surgery 3 days later to fix more of the damage from the old bypass. That surgery took 4 1/2 hours, but it fixed me. I had a long and rough recovery but after a couple of months, I was feeling better and better and things have just gone from better to fantastic.
You can read more about my experiences on my profile and there are a bunch of pictures there so you can see how I changed along the way.
The long and short of it is that RNY sucks; I know, I lived with it for 28 years. The DS is fantastic, I love the DS life, I love, love , love my DS and I love life now.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone would choose to have RNY when they could get the DS, it just makes no sense. Here's a taste; my 1 year out post:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4024505/One-year-ago-today-who -could-have-known/action,replies/topic_id,4024505/page,1/
Kerry
(deactivated member)
on 12/6/10 3:37 am
on 12/6/10 3:37 am
read here: www.dsfacts.com
and here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4059577/Comparison-of-D S-and-rny-good-info-if-youre-trying-to-decide/
I could have had RNY surgery paid for 100% right down the street from my house. I was so impressed with the DS statistics that I self-paid and flew thousands of miles to have it done. I do not and never had have one regret!
HTH,
Michele
and here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4059577/Comparison-of-D S-and-rny-good-info-if-youre-trying-to-decide/
I could have had RNY surgery paid for 100% right down the street from my house. I was so impressed with the DS statistics that I self-paid and flew thousands of miles to have it done. I do not and never had have one regret!
HTH,
Michele
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