DS Vs VSG

 

Hello, I wanted to update my post.  I am currently going through classes now for weight loss surgery.  I have a great Dr. My Dr has suggested DS. My Support system is my Mom. I am a single mom of two boys, I have been divorced and have not dated in over 10 years. I am 34.  I was a thin child and teen. After my first son was born I was diagnosed with PCOS and gained ever since. I have tried multiple diets, mostly low carb, and optifast shakes. I have not lost weight and continue to gain. I need loose 150 lbs and I am 5ft 2.  It would help to know more about the life after DS and any complications lifers have had. I have 3 months left of classes and I want to feel secure in my decision. I will be doing VSG or DS for sure. I have no doubts on having surgery. I am scared having never been operated on before, however I understand change needs to happen now. .On my previous post, my fears came through to much so I am updating my post. I want to thank everyone for there responses. It really helps to talk to others who have had surgery. Could you please advise as well monthly cost for vitamins  and or anything else you can think of ?

Hayley you are a lucky girl.  The DS is the surgery you need.  Why are you hesitant?  The doc told you the truth.  You will avoid diabetes and have a good chance to reach a normal weight.  Much better than with anything else.

Read and learn about the surgery.  At 10 years out my only regret is not doing it sooner.

And buy some vitamins and get in the habit now...

I am 5 weeks out and feeling great. I'm a lightweight who has tried everything including 2 bands. It is the best decision I have ever made. It is scary but well worth it. Go to dsfacts.com I did a lot of reading. I almost backed out at the last minute but my Dr took the time to go over everything again and then I was ready. Good luck!

If you don't want the DS don't get the DS.  It is the best surgical option available, has no more complications than the RnY, has the best stats for everything they measure in Weight Loss Surgery except for resolution of GERD, but if you don't want it don't get it.

It's your life and your decision.

I got the DS at age 49 with less than 100 lbs to lose and my only regret is that I didn't do it when I was 29.

 

~Becky

Thank you all for your replies. It really helps to hear from others who have had the surgery. The Dr office has said they would see if another patient could call me and talk to me about there life since surgery but no one has called yet. I am sure they will soon.  Do you mind if I ask if you have any bone issues or issues you didn't have prior to surgery ? I know there is a trade off, but what is it? I want  to live to 100 yrs of age, watch my children grow up and have kids of there own, But I also want to enjoy life and be a part of it. Its a lot to take in. 

I'm 7 weeks out from DS surgery with no additional problems. While I think the DS is a great choice if you can't commit to taking your vitamins don't get the DS. It's a tool, like the sleeve or gastric bypass but it does force certain habits on you.

I'm glad I got the DS but you have to be ready for the commitment.

The DS forces you to make some dietary adjustments because of the malabsorption. The sleeve will not. If you get the sleeve your long term success depends on you choosing to change your eating habits. The sleeve will temporarily limit your quantities. For some people that might be enough. It would not have been enough for me.

It's a hard decision. Weigh all your options.

Good luck.

Get what surgery feels best for you BUT make sure you chose wisely.

I knew I needed and WANTED the DS...Only had 70/75 lbs to lose but I was an insulin pump dependent type 2 who has had PCOS since the age of 12.

ONLY regret is I was 56 when I did mine. Wish I had been 25!

Your doctor is not doing a sales pitch...the sleeve is great BUT many end up not losing enough weight. ALL it does is restrict how much food you eat...you still need to diet.

Hayley, this is a really unusual situation. Most of the time we see people wanting the DS and surgeons trying to convince them to do something else, NOT because the other operation is superior or would give them better results, but because the surgeon doesn't do the DS and doesn't want to lost a customer. Sad! But your surgeon is actually trying to convince you to have the surgery that would help you the most.

So, why did he recommend the DS rather than the sleeve? Because of your individual situation, I would think. You are struggled with PCOS for 12 years. You are not yet diabetic, but your risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the near future is high, given your famiy history and that you are already insulin resistant. these facts indicate that there is something seriously wrong with your metabolism. Your inability to lose weight even when dieting goes along with that.

The sleeve does not do anything to correct your metabolic problems. It provides restriction, and even that is largely temporary. It lowers your level of ghrelin, which would make you feel less hungry. That's it. Once the restriction wears off - and it will - you will be able to eat much more, though never as much as you can eat now. Is that enough to provide you with permanent weight loss? Probably not. And it definitely won't address your metabolic issues.

The DS, on the other hand, provides the same restriction and adds to that not just malabsorption, but also significant metabolic changes that will help with your PCOS, almost certainly prevent you from developing type 2 diabetes, and contribute to permanent weight loss. This isn't just about whether you lose 75 lbs vs 150 lbs, though that is also the case. It's

about your overall health.

However, even knowing all that, if you are unwilling to take the vitamins and minerals needed to prevent serious complications with the DS, don't do it. Personally, I haven't found this to be difficult. It's the kind of thing where once you make the committment to do it and get into the routine, you just do it. But I have met people who simply refuse to take vitamins, and if that's you, you will get into trouble with the DS. It seems sad to me that this would prevent you from having the medical treatment that you need, but so be it.

Of course, you really should take vitamins even if you have the sleeve. You might want to discuss that with the surgeon. But certainly that would be less vitamins than with the DS.

I'm still not sure just what you are afraid of. Maybe you aren't sure either. Perhaps the most important thing you need to do at this point is some honest soul searching as to what your goals are, what your fears are, and why taking vitamins is a reason (excuse?) not to have the DS, or whether or not that's the real reason at all. And while doing that soul searching, ask yourself also if the sleeve is really going to achieve your health and weight loss goals longterm. There may be some painful thoughts that you really need to confront to make the best decision.

 

Larra

I am two months out. I feel great and I am losing. You need to do a lot of research and understand that there is a commitment with this surgery. Eventually taking vitamins becomes just second nature and habit. It seems overwhelming at first but in all honesty,...not being able to sit in a chair comfortably or behind the steering wheel of my car...THAT WAS OVERWHELMING. Taking vitamins is child's play compared to the back pain I was in. However, if you really know that you cannot commit then don't do the DS. 

If you think you can handle the responsibility then educate yourself on the DS and go for it. The bathroom issues ( I WILL NOT LIE) are a pain in the ass at first. Literally. They do get better. At two months out they are nothing to worry about for me.  Hell, going to the bathroom two to three times in the morning is not a big deal anymore. I just get up and go then go to work. Some people do not have any changes in the bathroom department at all. It is all just YMMV (your milage may vary). 

I Had no complications with this surgery. I feel great! I have lost 40 pounds in two months. Without doing much. The first two weeks I had major buyers remorse. I am thrilled now. 

I think your surgeon is giving you the best advice based on what he deduced through yalls interview. It is your decision in the end though. I wish you luck no matter which way you go. 

OH...and another way you can go if you are not sure....You can do the sleeve and then down the road do the DS if the sleeve does not make you lose all the weight. The sleeve is the first part of the DS. Just make sure your Insurance does not have a clause to where they only pay for one WLS in a life time. You also have to take into consideration that you will have to go through two surgeries and two recoveries if you do it that way. Which sucks. I personally would not do it that way but it is an option. 

 

Good luck. 

I would guess that everyone on this board would tell you go for the DS...we're DSer's and we're biased.

I did a lot of research, and knew other people who had the DS, way before all the publicity.

I knew it was  what I wanted from jump street. 

Every decision regarding WLS is an individual decision, so I would say do your research, ask yourself what you are able to live

with in terms of maintenance and nutritional plan, and make your decision based on that.