More Confused. RNY or DS?

So I have band to RNY revision coming up and I have been reading that DS has a much better long term weight loss success than RNY. I don't want to have to do ANOTHER revision if RNY doesn't work. I want a surgery that will address my weight issues for life? Thoughts?

Yes, the DS does have better statistics as far as long term weight maintenance.  You CAN, however, out-eat (or eat around) any WLS.  The trade off of the DS is that the amount of bypass is significantly larger and therefore the potential for nutritional difficulties is even greater.  My surgeon stopped doing the DS several years ago because too many of her patients were not being compliant with their vitamins and were developing medical issues related to vitamin deficiencies (no matter how much they swore they were willing to take all the vitamins and get lab work done post-op; after a couple of years they didn't bother with either).

I think one of the important things to consider is that many people are very successful with keeping the weight off with RNY.  If you continue to be vigilant about what and how much you eat, you can keep the weight off and don't have to take on the risk of the additional lack of vitamin absorption. it is not the SURGERY that will "address my weight issues for life".  YOU have to address your weight issues (including any psychological, emotional, and behavioral issues that contributed to your obesity) None of the surgeries are magic; they are just tools, and success depends far more on your willingness to change your lifestyle and eating habits than what type of surgery you have.

Lora

I too have a Band to RNY revision surgery coming up on the 8th of August.  Before meeting with my surgeon I thought I wanted to get the DS switch as I wanted the most effective surgery possible. I didn't want to find myself in the same position 7 years after this revision needing another!  My surgeon performs both kinds of revisions and he was quite sure that the By Pass would be best for me. The DS for him was really a solution for higher BMI patients with more severe co-morbities than my own.  Though he didn't say so - he is also the surgeon who placed my Lap Band in 2006 - the bypass is what he recommended to me the first time I sat in his office and control freak that I am, I decided the Band would be best for me to my extreme regret!  

So this time I am listening and I've decided to let go of this issue. The DS is very tempting when you read all the wonderful success stories posted here and at DSFacts.com.  It's hard not to be seduced by what clearly works well for so many.  That said the RNY does too.  If I've learned anything from my failed WLS it's that ultimately it will be up to me, the choices I make every day and how I choose to use the revision as an aide in my food addiction recovery that will be what makes the difference.  There are pros and cons for both procedures, only you can know what is right for you  in both the short and long term.  

Good Luck with your journey.  I hope you feel good about your decision whichever one you choose.

Ashley

 

You can be successful with any of these surgeries.  Some surgeons only perform DS if your BMI is over 50.  So, that's something to consider as well.

Only YOU know how you want to live the rest of your life. How do you prefer to eat? How faithful can you be at taking vitamins?

Me, I like to eat a high-protein, high-fat 'diet', and tossing back some pills four times a day is a completely acceptable trade-off for eating bacon. (*grin*) I eat 2500-3000 tasty calories every day, and am pretty effortlessly maintaining a loss of 170 pounds at 9.5 years post-DS. My cholesterol has gone from over 220 down to 112, due entirely to my DS. (I eat more fat now than I did pre-op---and I feel no guilt about, either!)

Research carefully, choose wisely. An RNY-to-DS revision is the most difficult revision there is, so do your best not to need one.