Anybody have the chance to have a DS but chose RNY??

Hello all!!  I'm not sure if I've ever posted to this board but I need your input...This is the predicament I have found myself in.  I originally chose RNY (and received approval), then became mesmerized by the thought of being able to eat what I wanted and at the thought and not regaining, although with my sugar tooth, I know its possible. But then I look at all the vitamins they have to take and the possibility of being malnourished and just don't know if I can continue that regimen.  I know RNY'ers take vitamins too, so if someone would share the vitamins they take so I can do a comparison, that'd be great.  I see a lot of RNY'ers who say they wish they could have DS, but a number of factors have stopped them....Sooo, what would you choose?  BTW, sorry for rambling...

I started with a BMI of 56.5, and my surgeon did both surgeries at the time, so I considered the DS ( would have meant having an extra step in terms of insurance, but because my BMI was so high was told that it would almost certainly be approved).  In the end I chose RNY because 1) I was really frightened by the additional lack of vitamin absorption , and 2) even though it apparently doesn't happen to MOST DSers, the one person that I knew in real life had serious problems with very foul smelling gas and diarrhea.  She actually carried a change of clothes in her car in case she needed them!  I could live with any of the side effects of RNY but was not willing to risk the potential side effects of the DS.

Also, my surgeon emphasized that changing your eating habits was far more important to keeping the weight off than which surgery you choose.  I was 45 years old and had been obese for most of my adult life, and SMO for over 10 years, and I was committed to being as healthy as I could be, so completely changing my eating habits and having the least alteration to my body (and the least vitamin malabsorption) was ultimately what I chose.  My surgeon actually decided to stop doing the DS about a year and a half after I had my surgery because too many of her patients were not being compliant with their vitamins and lab work and were ending up with nutritional issues.

i do know several people who are doing fine with their DS, and they do have more latitude with what they eat, but they cannot eat just ANYTHING if they want to avoid the gas and diarrhea.

As far as vitamins, I take 2 multi's, 1600 mg of calcium, and Vit K (unusual for RNYers) per day.  Then I also take zinc, 50,000 units of Vit D, and an iron pill three times per week, and a sublingual B12 weekly.  Some people also need additional Vit A or take a B complex, I have not needed either of those (and am 5 years out).

i am also maintaining all of my weight loss.  I am currently back at my lowest weight, but spent the last two years at 5 pounds higher.  I lost a total of 190 pounds.

Lora

Thanks ****rogirl!! This is exactly the type of response I needed.  Its like I've been anxiously awaiting approval, but while I was waiting I started researching the DS...I, too, am extremely afraid of the additional lack of vitamin absorption, but wanted to know others thoughts.  Thanks again.

I confess that occasionally, I wish I could eat like a DSer and have a bacon cheeseburger and some onion rings (they malabsorb a LOT of fat so actually need a diet higher in fat than a RNYer could tolerate (although some of our fat malabsorption appears to be permanent)), but I am able to eat part of a regular cheeseburger with just a bit of bacon, and I can be satisfied with that. More than a single bite of onion rings makes me very sick, though, so I have to pass on those... But there is nothing nutritious about them, anyway.

It strikes me as kind of strange, but I know a couple of DSers who actually brag about what crap they can eat and still maintain their weight loss.  They are as proud of that as I am of having completely turned around my eating habits!  Most DSers are not that way, however.  Even the DS is not a guarantee of losing  all the weight you want, though.  I know one person (who has a terrible diet) *****vised from RNY to DS and still is significantly overweight, and know one DSer who gained back about 40 pounds.  

Ladytazz here started with a DS and revised to a RNY, so you might send her a PM since she has seen both sides.  Her stomach was left too large with her DS, but rather than have the sleeve portion revised, she opted for RNY.

Lora

Oh, thank you sooo much!! It really is my goal to eat better, I can't imagine a high fat diet, its just something about it that makes me uneasy, not to mention the example I'd be to my children.  But anyway, thanks for the additional info.  When I talked to my husband about it, I tried to explain the differences in the surgeries and he prefers the RNY....I will think/pray on it more.

I didn't know about the DS when I started researching WLS and ended up with RNY vs. lapband (no why I would have done well with the band).

IF I was having surgery today I'd go with the DS....why because stastics show it's best for long-term success.  I have ZERO regrets with my surgery though.

Here's what I take vitamin-wise.  Please know that some RNYers take as many vitamins as DSers depending on labs.

Early a.m.:  multi, B-12 sublingual, B complex, B-6 (labs dictated needed more), calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin A

mid-morning:  calcium and magnesium

after lunch:  calcium

mid-afternoon:  b-complex, multi and calcium

evening:  iron and vitamin C (this one I'll be honest I miss more than I take) AND I've had to have iron infusions TWICE in the last 18 months.

I think this is it

1. Thx for your response, it's nice to get an idea of what the vitamin regimen is and how it's different for many.

My doctor brought up the DS to me since my BMI was 62. I declined it because the rearrangement of the intestines is too scary for me. I ultimately had RNY. Best choice ever! The two patients in my doctor's clinic who had DS around my surgery time both required several follow-up surgeries before they ever left the hospital, and one was in a rehab facility until 2 months post-op. 

Daily Vitamins:

1600 mg calcium citrate daily

5000 IU vitamin D3 daily

5000 mcg sublingual B12 daily

2500 mcg biotin daily

prescription iron supplement daily

120 mg vitamin c daily

Thx for your response, it really is helpful!

When I  had my surgery in 2002 I was under the delusion that I would be able to eat whatever I wanted and still lose/maintain my weight.  A lot of us were as it was a fairly new surgery at the time.  I was first informed about the DS when I went out to eat with people in the WLS support group and saw the DSers digging into hamburgers and desserts.  And it was true that I could eat what I wanted, at least for the first 2 years until it turned on me and I started regaining weight, first slowly then much faster.  And if it was talked about I certainly didn't hear about the side effects of eating too many refined carbs such as the horrendous gas and diarrhea.  I was (and am) a carb addict, especially bread, which is a real killer.  When I finally woke up and realized that in order to lose weight and keep it off I would have to do exactly what I did before surgery, avoid the refined carbs.  And I had no tool to do that since my sleeve was so large.

With my pouch I now have a tool that works as far as keeping me from the carbs and also providing satisfaction from smaller amounts and reduced hunger.  

Pardon the expression but there is no free lunch.  Having WLS involves a tremendous physical change and requires a big mental change, too.  There is no magic pill or procedure that will allow us to eat what we want without consequences.  It is up to us to find the best tool for our needs that we can honestly and permanently live with.