In responce to my last post!!

My last post was about talking to me like a 3 yr old:

THANK YOU ALL... I did say speak to me like I am 3. And 2 of You actually broke it down fully, so this is what I have deciphered from it:
3/4 of my stomach wold be removed and some feet of my intestines and I will only utilize approx 3 ft of that. The intestines being rerouted the food will meet up at the lower portion of my stomach to do all the reg stomach duties and basically what the DS is like making my high fat foods into low cal low fat b/c of malabsorption. I think I got it. 

I have to admit that I took some offense to a couple of the replies, maybe I am being sensitive but I am far from stupid and if I have read the suggested websites and other info and I am still confused obviously I have read things about RNY as well that have been positives just as much as I have about DS. So if after reading all of the info if I feel like  both of these surgeries can offer me results THAT will and can work for ME I am entitled to feel that way. It should have been evident that there must be something that is making me feel the way that I do. I also think it is not wrong to think that it is unlikely for 100% of DS'ers to be successful and NO one EVER fail or gain, but my fear/fears are what if it didn't work for ME what do I do than?. So, what truly has me confused from all my reading what is bothering me so much about DS are 2 WHAT IF's:

WHAT IF The stomach being removed and the fact that the surgery is not reversible(NO, I don't plan on have anything reversed ) but WHAT IF GOD forbid addtl research comes out years from now saying that this or that are issues caused  b/c of malab. WHAT IF it is proved that by the removal of the STOMACH,APPENDIX,GALLBLADDER,DS SWITCH ETC. some major issues can effect us later on in life(these are my fears for all WLS) AND than what do I do? At least, If it is RNY I may be able to get my stomach reconnected but with DS what could I do?

AS stated before These are MY fears and I feel I am entitled to them. YES, I did ask for advise and  I appreciate all of the information I have received. Especially those who have been there done that those who know first hand results of both surgeries. I asked to be responded to in child like talk and I appreciate those responses greatly b/c I have a clear understanding I believe now. AGAIN I am not saying ALL of the responders have me feeling uneasy but there are a few and I feel like what you think or what you wanted is good for you. I really don't feel comfortable asking any more questions here, so I will have a consult with a surgeon who does ALL surgeries and take it from there. I thank all  *****sponded in kind.

PS I am not trying to start any drama so please just take what I have posted as what it is MY feelings about  my previous post responses.

We get all kinds here, and you need to remember that we don't KNOW you . . . and some of the people we respond to DON'T have the brains God gave a knat - so we try to be thorough and cover ALL the basis.  Don't let us offend you, just get a thicker skin.

The appendix and gallbladder can and are removed without WLS, so I'm not going to even talk about that - you could end up with that being removed with the RnY or with no WLS at all.  The DS 'switch' portion IS reversible.  Your intestines can be put back exactly the way they were pre-op - none of it is removed or discarded, and it can be undone.  The stomach . . . just makes no sense as to WHY someone would want the over-inflated bunch of tissue put back in.  The stomach post-op is like the stomach we SHOULD have, had we not gotten it stretch out.  Our stomach looks like your skinny neighbor's - so, if research comes out saying that's a bad thing, many people are in trouble.

good 2 know about the stomach info.

Roxy-
Your concerns are your concerns.  I am sorry if you felt these were minimized.  Contemplating any WLS is pretty heavy stuff and for those of us who do not have medical or science backgrounds the information is many times confusing.  Some of us have no frame of reference for this stuff.  All we can do is keep reading and talking to folks to try to get a handle on this stuff.  But it is very important to me that all of your questions are answered.  That is truly the only way to make an informed decision.

As to the removal of the stomach.  It is my understanding that this has been done for a long time, for conditions other than obesity.  In fact there are folks that live having had their entire stomach removed for other conditions.  Personally, I took a great deal of comfort in that fact and once I knew this I was quite comfortable with having a sizeable portion of my stomach removed.  As to the intestines -- no intestines are removed during the DS and there are no blind loops.  All of the intestines remain in the body and all are doing a job.  One limb will carry food -- that is the alimentary limb and one will carry bile and other digestive juices, this is the biliary limb.  The no blind loop is a very important concept in that it means nothing is just sectioned off and sitting there doing nothing.  It is my understanding that a blind loop is very dangerous.  Because none of the intestines are removed, should the need arise they can be put back pretty close to what they were before the surgery.

I hope you will continue to post your questions.  We will try to answer them as best we can and remember the question you actually post may be the question that will help someone else understand -- who does not post the question.

Red

"3/4 of my stomach wold be removed and some feet of my intestines and I will only utilize approx 3 ft of that. The intestines being rerouted the food will meet up at the lower portion of my stomach to do all the reg stomach duties and basically what the DS is like making my high fat foods into low cal low fat b/c of malabsorption. I think I got it. "

The only thing that bothers me in your understanding of the DS is one thing.  (I may be misunderstanding your wording, you may already know this).  NO INTESTINES ARE REMOVED.  Not shouting, just trying to be clear.  Our intestines are simply rerouted.  You will come out with the same amount of intestines that you went in with, only everything gets all switched around.  Sorry...had to clarify.

The RNY is NOT as reversible as people like to say that it is.  The pyloric valve DIES in most RNY patients. That makes putting a stomach BACK together pretty tough!!!   In the DS, our stomach is still COMPLETELY functional, pyloric valve intact, just made smaller.  Ya know how you can get a big ole juicy steak and it has that layer of fat around the outside?  You just sorta cut it off? Doesn't change the fact that there's still the big fat juicy steak sitting on the plate, you just cut off what you didn't need.  That's what happens to our stomachs.  Nothing in the functionality of our stomach changes, just the amount we are left with.  When it comes to our intestines, that part IS completely reversible.  People have been living without gallbladders and appendix's for centuries with no big deal.  I haven't had my appendix since I was 17 years old, and my life hasn't changed a bit.  

As for you not posting any more questions here, I urge you to reconsider.  If you choose to go forward with any WLS, having a community to turn to is a huge relief when you don't know what's going on with your body.  If it makes you feel better to change your username and come back as someone different, so be it. But for me, the key to my success has been this board.  Learning, teaching, paying it forward...it's meant so much to me after my DS.  I would have NEVER been able to understand my vitamin needs and even some of my dietary needs without this board.  I know we all like to trust our doctors/surgeons, but sometimes you have to find a way to think out of the box when what they're telling you isn't working.  That's what OH is for me.  It's a lifesaver!!  The people here genuinely care, even if we all have our own way at going about it. Not everyone puts out rainbows and sunshine as a way to communicate, no different than real life if you think about it.  We have a function on these boards at the bottom of each post.  It's a block feature.  If someone says something you disagree with, you just push the "block" button and you never have to worry about what that person says again. 

Lori

Hi Roxy,

what I wanted to say on the stomach removal has already been said - people are living without a stomach for many decades because of cancer and other conditions. It´s not nice but it`s possible.

I think you are correct that both surgeries - RNY and DS could work for you. With all surgeries (incl. lapband!) there are people who loose 100% for their weight. And with all surgeries there are people who loose less then 50% (= failure). It`s just impossible to know in advance how you personally will do. This is where statistics come into the game, with the DS it`s way more LIKELY that you will loose more then with the RNY with less problems (vomitting, food getting stuck...).

"The pyloric valve DIES in most RNY patients". That makes putting a stomach BACK together pretty tough!!!  

Lori, that is wrong you just forgot. Many of us whohad the RnY originally opt to have the DS done and the pyloric valve can be fixed so as to function again. It is not dead, just incapacitated while we had the RnY in our syste,. And as far as putting the stomach back, the "little pouch" is detached and then we have a fully functioning stomach so as able to go on and have the full DS.  The  more years out, the hard to get the full DS by most surgeons.

you haven't been revised yet Karen
the doctor may get in there and find your pyloric valve has in fact atrophied and that it in fact will not be able to be reconnected....


Edited to fix a typo

That is true Peach, I haven't had my turn yet. But, all in all, most revision doctors who are proficient, and Dr. K, says it is true, most  can get back a functioning pyloric valve. I hope to be one of them, maybe not, but it is so possible.

Karen, I hate to break it to you, but Lori is mostly right. A large number of RNY'ers pyloric valves die over time. This is one of the big reasons why RNY to DS revisions are so difficult (suture/staple lines and scar tissue is the other).

Any surgeon worth his weight is going to want to scope things out, do tests and see what's going on before surgery, and even then, he/she won't know until they are in there what will and won't be possible. How many times have folks gone in for a revision only to come out with the intestinal portion and their stomach the same? Did you think this was always because of scar tissue or just because the surgeon wasn't "comfortable" with the stomach revision portion?

There have been plenty of folks who end up a hybrid because when their first surgeon did the RNY pouch they CUT the enervating nerves, and sometimes the blood supply, to the pylorus.

I know that's scary, but it's the truth. Better to be prepared for ALL of the possibilities then wake up with something you never expected, imo.