Question:
Can anyone summarize or have a good source for

the differences between proximal rny and duodenal switch? I know the anatomy, but what about long term implications such as vitamin/mineral deficiencies etc? I lean toward proximal rny, but have heard positive things about DS as well. Do all DS surgeries include distal bypass? Any help would be muchas appreciated :-)    — Julie M. (posted on August 2, 2001)

August 2, 2001
The site at www.duodenalswitch.com gives a thorough description of the DS surgery, as does www.pacificsurgery.com. I found a relatively good, unbiased comparison of the two surgeries at www.med.nyu.edu/bariatric/operations There is only one "type" of DS surgery, although it goes by several different names, including Bileo-Pancreatic Diversion with a Duodenal Switch (BPD w/DS), Distal Gastric Bypass (DGB). The BPD was originally done without the DS portion in the US, and is still performed that way in Europe, I believe, by several surgeons. No matter what you call it, it is considered a distal bypass procedure because of the large amount of intestinal tract bypassed. -Kate-
   — kateseidel

August 2, 2001
We will ALL have nutritional deficiencies to some degree. I know "no supplements required" is a great marketing tool, however, reality sets in about 2 or 2.5 yrs down the road. The penalty may be minor, like regain or major, like loss of bones or other organs. Go to your local library, grab a physiology book. Check out the digestive system, which elements are absorbed where, & how. Then, realize that all of the Y types are messing with your digestive system. Now, that's fine & dandy, as long as you KNOW that and are prepared to supplement around the disability that you just created. When you have a DS or RNY type surgery and you are told that you don't need to supplement, either the physiology book is wrong or the speaker is wrong. Youhave to arm yourself with cold, hard facts before you get in the gears of the marketingn techniques that sell surgeries. I am perfectly happy with my choice, as it turns out, but I knew NOTHING going in, Nothing at all. I'm one of hte lucky ones who is so fascinated by the subject I can't stop studying it. But most just want to lose their wt and get on with life. It's just not that cut 'n dried. This is not a filling in a tooth.
   — vitalady