Felicity Q.
Change of Heart - I am going to have DS Surgery!
Sep 18, 2015
I have been wanting to get rid of my lap-band for over 4 years now. My husband had a co-worker who also had a terrible experience with their lap-band, and that is where I heard that there is a thing called a "revision" in which you can get your old surgery redone to have another form of weight loss surgery. I started researching other weight loss surgeries available, and decided that a Gastric Bypass (RNY) looked like the best one out there. I made an appointment back in June with a surgeon and told him I want an RNY revision. He presented the other 2 major surgery types to me: the Sleeve (VSG) and the Duodenal Switch (DS) as well, but I didn't want a VSG and I had never heard of a DS, so I didn't listen much. He said I had to eat 100g+ of protein each day with the DS, and that sounded like too much, so I stuck to my guns and told him I wanted an RNY.
Shortly after that appointment with my Surgeon, I joined the ObesityHelp community. In that time, I have read posts on the forums from countless individuals who had experiences with the band, RNY, VSG, and DS. I became somewhat of a 'regular' on the RNY forums, and also read the General Discussion forum, the 50+ BMI forum, and the Revision forum daily. With all of this reading, I gained a TON of useful information to help me with my RNY, as well as gained information about the other surgeries - their strengths, weaknesses, typical diets, vitamin requirements, and different success rates. As I heard more and more about the DS, I became more curious. The more I tracked my current food intake, the more I realized that 100g of protein is actually something I could do. As I kept reading and hearing stories from others, the more I came to want the DS.
My biggest concern with my revision weight loss surgery is long-term regain. I was blown away by the Excess Weight Loss statistics presented at DSFacts.com (LINK). I will share the most dramatic and impactful statistic (in my opinion) here:
RNY
EWL% at 1-2 years 48%-85%
EWL% at 3-6 years 53%-77%
EWL% at 7-10 years 25%-68%
DS
EWL% at 1-2 years 65%-83%
EWL% at 3-6 years 62%-81%
EWL% at 7-10 years 60%-80%
This was the information that 'sealed the deal' in my mind. If I was going under the knife again to have another weight loss surgery, I needed to go with the surgery that has the best long-term success rate. I discussed my findings and my desire to change my surgery to a DS with my husband. He was hesitant at first, but after explaining the success rate difference and the difference in diet, I had his full support. I called my Surgeon's office the next day.
My surgery is in a little more than a week, now. Today is a Friday and I start my liquid diet on Monday. I am both excited and anxious for surgery to get here! I have no doubts about my decision to change surgeries; only more confidence that I made the right decision, and thankfully I made the decision in time to change!
