DS?
I had a VSG 10/08 and lost 182 lbs, I have regained 110 lbs of that. I am so devastated! I am at the confused state right now. I have tried some diets, but haven't been able to stick to them. I am addicted to sweets and cannot control it. I'm scared of having the DS. I have heard there are alot of risks with it. Can someone who has had the DS tell me a little bit of their experience, etc
When I started out on this journey, I read the various forums for RNY and the DS. DSFACTS.com is a good place to read also.
And I kept in mind that people who are on these forums can be the worst representatives of both surgeries. People who are having problems tend to gravitate towards these forums - which leads you to think that each of these surgeries has a ton of problems associated with them. But that isn't true - the people who are doing really well (the majority of the people) are off living their lives - not here posting about their physical/medical problems. So keep that in mind. But you will get to see the types of problems associated with each type of surgery here.
While all bariatric surgery is major surgery and no operation should be taken lightly, the risks of the DS, IMHO, have been exaggerated, often by surgeons who don't do the DS and don't want to have potential patients go elsewhere. The DS has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery for percentage excess weight loss, for maintenance of that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. It also allows for a much more normal diet, in that all forms of protein can be eaten freely regardless of fat content, and fat can also be consumed and used in cooking. We do have to watch carbs, but we don't have to worry about fat or calories.
The DS does require a lifetime commitment to eating plenty of protein and taking a host of vitamins and supplements, and to regular (in my case yearly, for some people more often) lab work to check levels. This is not optional, and anyone not willing to take vitamins and minerals should not have the DS. However, I have not found this to be difficult, it's just something that becomes a routine and that you know you must do to maintain good nutritional health.
We are seeing new people struggling with weight regain and/or inadequate weight loss with VSG, band, and even RNY every week. You are not alone. I hope you will find a surgeon who does the DS and have a consultation to determine if the DS is right for you. Normally I would recommend the list of surgeons at dsfacts.com but the website appears to be down at this time. You can ask about individual surgeons and see what people say.
Larra
