DS vs. RYN?

I had the RNY and I get so much gas... and the bathroom issue .. well let me tell you - I do carry an extra pair of underwear with me at all times and have another one in my car.
I did not needed one that urgently in the last 6 months since now I know what and how the food affects me and I avoid any foods that may cause that. That means that unless I know what it is and how it was made - I will not eat it. I.e. chili, buffet style food, soups , stews (- unless I made that), most carbs, breads, even carrots, etc.

@H2....see that is what I am talking about funny....hell I may start keeping a pair of extra panties myself cause when I eat Wendy's chili...I got to be near heading home....lol

.  It is a must... lol.  What was funny one day that my BFF was getting something from my purse from me and here she was pulling the black lacy panties ... Her face was priceless... my response... you never know when you may need them... Since I am single, she thought I meant getting a date... if only she knew...  Now imagine when I travel and have to go through a security check point.   the look of young guys who have to check my purse....

If you have any DS questions, please feel free to PM me.  I had my DS about 4.5 years ago by one of the best DS surgeons around.  Everyone gets gas, no matter what their anatomy.  The "immediate bathroom runs" are only for the first couple of weeks as your body is getting used to your new configuration.  At the risk of giving TMI, I see my bathroom twice a day, once in the morning, once in the afternooon.  Now, if I get stupid and eat a whole lot of white carbs (candy, cake, cookies, white bread, rice, pastry - you get the picture), then I'll see it a couple more times, but generally, I'm not stupid.  I have my moments, though.

We take different vitamins, but not necessarily more vitamins, than the RNYers do.  I take a multi, calcium citrate, zinc, copper, vitamins A, D, and K.  With all the calcium added in, that's about 13 pills a day, broken into 3 doses, so about 4 at a time (2 of which are always calcium).  There are normal women at my lunch table who take more than that.  Most RNYers (and they will correct me if I'm wrong) will need calcium, multis, vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D.  What's most important to remember about vitamins is YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary.  I know RNYers that take more or less than I do, just as I know DSers that take more or less than I do.  Your own body chemistry will determine what you'll need.

Feel free to PM me.

I had a very long discussion with my surgeon about both procedures before settling on the RNY. My first choice before meeting my surgeon was the DS, for a number of reasons. For one thing, ithe DS procedure preserves the pylorus valve that controls the flow of food from the stomach to the intestines, reducing the occurrance of dumping syndrome. Second, the percentage of excess weight lost tends to be a little higher with DS than with RNY. Third, it seems like DS patients tend to have fewer issues with tolerating various foods (like steak) than RNY patients do. (In other words, they can eat more like a "normal" person.) Those are the pluses for the DS.
The minuses: DS does more rearranging of your insides than RNY. Your recovery may be slower and more painful as a result. and you may have to stay in the hospital longer. DS is much more malabsorptive than RNY. While that does result in faster and more significant weight loss, according to my surgeon, his DS patients tend to have significant issues with vitamin deficiencies, no matter how high their supplement dosages are. And because you have the ability to eat more like you used to, you have to be even more vigilant about falling back into your hold habits and regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose. My surgeon only recommends DS to patients with truly monumental amounts of weight to lose, and since my desired total weight loss was a touch over 130 pounds, he thought the RNY would be the best choice for me.
I should get my surgery date next week. Someone asked me yesterday when I wanted to have my surgery done. I told them "last week." I'm more than ready to start this new chapter of my life!

@johnsoca....damn i wonder if my wls doc sneaked in a DS on me cause I can eat the hell out of a filet mignon and any other kind of steak...meat has never bothered me, I don't dump but i do crave carbs more after RNY and my iron is on the low side but I am also a woman with normal monthly issues...ehhh

This is my last comment on the subject but I look at surgeries the same way as a miracle drug or cure...One day everyone is using it and it is safe and this and that and a few months or years down the road there is a massive recall because of death or severe injury...i was a plaintiff in the phenfen drug recall...been there did that.......Just because DS is a more "restrictive and malabsorptive" surgery do you want to put such a strain on your organs just to lose a few more pounds than an RNY surgery...I am not the poster child for any procedure so again the choice is yours but once under the knife is good there is no way you are going to have the perfect body unless you die and are reincarnated into a skinny chick with no weight issues...personally I don't believe in reincarnation so I know that **** aint gone happen so me and my flabby body will deal with these hand dealt

True: being informed and then making a choice is key! Do NOT take anyone word for it, just read read read and talk to people and take everyhting with a grain of salt. Some will say DS is superior, some will say otherwise.

First of all: check if your insurance covers it. If not, are you able to pay for it? This makes the options a lot less limited for a lot of people.

Secondly, if your insurance DOES cover the DS, I would recommend you find one of the VERY good DS surgeons, one who does DS on a very regular basis and has LOTS of experience with it. I am not familiar with US doctors so I do not know if yours is good. But DS is a very trikcy surgery which you really want to have done by an expert, not someone who is still in his learning curve. It has greater risks as it is (comperaed to sleeve or RNY) so all the more important to get one of the top surgeons if you can. This greatly redcues your risks.

Thirdly, I'll tell you what my doctors say over here, in Europe. They do not want to perform DS in Holland on individuals under BMI 60. And most surgeons are hesitant even then. Because of the possible side effects. I know some DS people over here and they are VERY happy with their choice. One has to eat a LOT of jummy stuff like cheese and meat to even stay the same weight. But if she eats too much carbs, she gets terrible -stay at home-  diarrea. She also has to take something like 20 pills a day just on supplements and still does not get her levels up like she wants. 

Allthough it is very appealing to chose a lifestyle where you can eat quite big amounts of protein and fatty foods, it does have side effects for some people.

I do want to add though, that being on this board and lurking for five years, I tend to notice that the DS people are happiest out of everyone with their surgeries. I would have liked one  but it is simply not an option in my country with my BMI and insurance.

But now that I wrapped my head around RNY, I kind of like Nik's reasoning. I am like that too. I need the restriction. And the deficiencies of RNY already scare the heel out of me, so let alone the possibly worse deficiencies with DS.  I can live with my choice now.

Also: do not forget the sleeve, which dr Garth Davis (Big Medicine) considers the WLS of the next decade. Always have the option to convert it to DS later on if needed but many people (esp with lower BMI under 50) do well without the intenstinal part.

Look at everyhting, and look at what is possible for you to begin with. Honestly, if I could chose anything I wanted to, I might chose the DS too. But as for many, it is not even a far away option, so I chose within my means.

 DISCLAIMER being a pre-op, you may also discard my opnion because I really only talk about what I read or heard, abviously I have yet to experience it for myself :-)

I had the DS and to hear people talk I must be the only person that failed with it. I regained 100 lbs and had terrible diarrhea and gas, my own fault because I didn't change my eating habits. I really thought with the surgery I could eat what I wanted and still lose weight. The worse part was my health. I felt like **** With the DS you literary have to take handfuls of vitamins. Malabsorption is nothing to mess with. The hospital I had my surgery at won't do them any more because of the problems. Sadly many people are not compliant long term with vitamins and labs. You have to really be committed and it is very costly. I really believe there is a reason that not as many surgeons perform it. I really don't believe that they are so lazy that they don't want to spend extra time doing it. I just think they are realistic about the lack of compliancy.
The DS is a good surgery for those who can make a lifetime commitment to supplementation and stay away from carbs (my downfall).
I went to my surgeon and begged to be reversed. I had no trouble convincing him and had my surgery about a week later. I didn't even want a revision but he said he could make my stomach smaller I agreed because I didn't want to gain more weight. So far I don't mind the restriction, it keeps me on the straight and narrow. I don't know if I dump but the possibility of it keeps me away from simple carbs. I have lost about 50 lbs by watching what I eat since I no longer have much malabsorption.
Whenever I talk about my experience I get flamed by militant DSers who think I am commiting blasphemy. I was told that my surgeon is a butcher. I have heard no reasons why people feel that way so I don't know. All I know is my experience. If your surgeon doesn't do the DS you might ask him why. Talk to people who have had it. It seems like here all you hear is the good stuff because I know for a fact when someone says anything negative they get attacked so I don't know how objective people might be. Just do your research.

I agree with you. I read some of the nasty comments you got when you posted on the main board. I just commented myself that one reason I would have second thoughts about the DS is that not many surgeons perform it. I would think there would be surgeons in at least one of the major Boston hospitals (Brigham and Women's, Beth Israel Deaconness, Mass General) performing DS if it was so great but there aren't. The closest are NY and NJ.