Yes, I'm the devil's advocate...

I came to this surgery for a couple reasons, maximum weight loss being one of them, but I'll be honest ... I wanted to have my cake and eat it too.

The DS gave me that option, I could eat "normal" foods and seem normal and not need to diet and get my weight off. It seemed ideal.

I am just shy of 5 years out. I've maintained a 160 pound loss. I'm healthy, happy, and have no regrets.

I do not eat  normal any longer. What was so important to me before surgery became far far down on my list afterwards. I eat quite healthy, enjoy eating healthy, I enjoy being "different" when I go out, and eat what is best for me not necessarily what everyone else is eating. I no longer have attachments to food. I eat because I have to. If I could, I'd probably live on protein shakes because I just get sick of eating. I get full quickly (I started with a small stomach) and I get bored with food. I do diet now but don't mind. I eat predominantly gluten-free because the quality of my life is better when I do. 

I take a lot of supplements, I get tired of taking them sometimes but not enough that I'm willing to compromise my health to stop. 

I think a little fear of regain is good for you because that fear is what keeps you on the path you need to be on to be where you want to be. 

I researched the RNY and DS for 6 months before choosing.  I did the DS because I need to take pain relievers, don't like the idea of dumping, and I know my limitations. 

I'm really good at starving and dieting and giving it my all, but I can't do it for long.  No matter how much I promise I will do it - it isn't going to happen.  (Nor do I want to live like that any more.)  I needed the malabsorbtion.  When I spoke to the RNY surgeon and told him I needed the bypass portion more than the pouch, and that I wanted him to bypass a lot of my intestines, he explained that the bypass portion was about 15% only.  The restrictive eating was the key to the RNY.    I knew I would eventually stretch out that pouch, and eat around it.  So I chose the DS purely for the malabsorbtion, because it will keep working for the rest of my life and I can't stretch out the bypassed intestines.  Basically, I can't break it, and I won't fail later on.   The DS long term success rates are very high.

I had diabetes, but now it is gone.  My fasting blood sugar was 240.  Now it is 108.  Another reason I chose this.
I had sleep apnea - gone now. 
Blood pressure is down also.

Yea, I take a lot of vitamins, but I don't take any more prescription pills.  I also have not been sick since I started taking all those vitamins.  I've got cuts and bruises, I step on nails (going through the foot), I'm breathing sawdust every day (doing construction) - yet I never get an infection  I used to have extreme allergies that have pretty much died down to a whimper.  I don't take allergy meds any more either.  It's all a trade off.

I'm more than 10 years out and there is no way I have ever wished I had the RNY.  I love my choice and it was the right one for me.

I had my surgery at the same time as 8 of my co workers.  1 band who never really lost any appreciable amount of weight, 6 RNY who have all now gained the weight back, and me.  I never made it to a normal BMI, I remain overweight.  But I look like an average woman.  And I am very healthy with no problems.  I can eat anything and I always took vitamins so now I just take a few more.  No big deal.  After seeing what happened to my friends, I know I would have gained back everything if I'd had the RNY.

And I am never sick and I haven't thrown up even once!

Did your DS friends reach their goals?  How far out are they?

Yes, one of them exceeded her goal weight by about 30 lbs.

Well I can say I am one of the lucky (or not so lucky) ones who have experienced both the RNY and DS.    My original WLS was in 2001 and I had a proximal RNY.   I have revised to an ERNY in 2008 and finally to a DS in 2010.  Anyway long story short.  For me, the RNY  (both Proximal and ERNY) was a poor decision.  I vomited often, even with chewing my food to mush, my pouch and stoma stretched over time and I ended up with hyperactive glycemia and osteoporosis.  All this on top of gaining most of my weight back.  I struggled eating with every meal so ended up eating very little but yet kept gaining the weight.  Fast forward to 2010 I opted to revise to the DS.   I now eat more normal, I no longer vomit and can eat meats again.  I have to take more vitamins then I did with the RNY but I have been able to reduce them in the past year based on my labs.  I am a bit heavier then I want to be but well below my all time high.  Life is less complicated around food as I can enjoy almost any food again.  I do have to be careful with carbs as I do gain weight when I consume to many of them and tend to the gassy side when I consume any carbs.

You really have to understand yourself to fully grasp what WLS best suits you and your lifestyle.  I was a bit scared when I revised from the RNY to the DS because it is a complicated revision that can have detrimental effects in the hands of the wrong surgeon.  I only wish I would have opted for the DS the first time around rather then the 3rd time around.

Good luck to you in choosing what suits you most.  Come back and let us know what you have decided.  

SH

I will, thank you!

I'm 8 years post op and love my DS.  I pretty much eat what I want and have regained a whole 15-20lbs (depending on week) since my lowest weight.  I have no complaints whatsoever.  I take lots of vitamins, but from what I've seen of those who pay real attention to their nutrition of the RNY's, I take no more than them.  Overall - I find it very easy to live with.

Just over 6 years post op DS and i can say without a doubt DS'rs cannot eat what ever they want, my start weight was 305, lowest 185 (took me over 3 years to get there) now sitting at 280 .. huge let down, cannot get to goal, still have fantastic restriction but i never had the malabsorption with this surgery, i don\t have the bowel issues, i am constantly constipated, nothing and i mean nothing gives me gas.

No revisions for this girl, my two ds surgeries in the beginning plus a gallblader surgery and hernia repair has made it impossible for anyone to go insde of me,i have three large abdominal hernias and my bowel is stuck to the wall of my abdomen, basically it will tear open and i will go septic, i worry daily i am going to have an obstruction.

And on top of it all i am 15 pounds from where i started this journey almost 7 years ago.

I followed a pretty decent diet the first year out, but old habits crept back and i was able to eat bread, and cookies, not pasta or rice or ice cream tho.

At the end of the day i don't think my surgeon shortened my cc lenght enough i have two reports on my post operative report one says 75 one says 150 but until you go in you don\t know, and now i am not willing to do it.

Good luck, it is the hardest thing physcially and mentally i have ever had to deal with.

God bless you Dutchy.  I would def go to a different surgeon if you ever consider revision.