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

BUT I want truthful answers!

I know several people who have had WLS; some had DS and the others had RNY.  I know better than to say that WLS is 'an easy way out' and I've watched people with my own eyes be successful on both.  Sugurey has risks and is hard on the body, this I know. 

I have one friend that is 2.5 yrs out is running her first marathon this weekend and her diet is so tight because she is terrified to gain weight back, while another has lost only about 1/2 her goal weight and is ok with that because she doesn't want to diet and eat what she's supposed to and feels that she is not as big as she was so she's ok with it.

On the other hand, my two friends that had DS literally eat what ever they want; I'm talking about not sugar free vente lattes, olive garden for lunch and just horrific junk in general (fried uncrustable anyone???) 

I've read that the malabsorption is sooo much better with the DS and weight gain is not common no matter how you eat or exercise and that RNY is harder to maintain your weight loss for the rest of your life.

Believe me when I say that I don't want to just be able to eat any junk I want and lay on the couch watching Judge Judy; I actually want to live a healthy life, out run my husband and be strong as an ox.  I want HEALTH!!  So I guess my questions are: Are you happy with the surgery you had? Is one easier then the other? Does one have more malabsorption in vitamins? Should I find a doctor to have the DS so I don't have to be so hard on myself? Or is the RNY a better way to go so I can learn to live a healthy life style in general?

I'm looking for honest answers.  I know I'll **** folks off and that's ok, please leave your comments anyway.  I want to know which way to go.  And as a disclosure I'll be posting this on the DS board because I don't want one sided comments.

Thanks you guys!

I'll staying out by saying that I am 13 months out so not really a vet,but I am very happy with my rny. I did research the Ds too even though I would have had to travel quite a distance to have it done. I was hoping to dump to help with my sweet tooth and I do so I got  that wish. I also wanted a healthy lifestyle and not to have to focus so much on food to get in enough calories. It's probably a good thing because according to my doctor I have lost enough weight now and have to limit exercise and eat every 3 hours. I went from 258.5 to 123 at about 9 months and am 5'6.5". Just my two cents worth. Good luck with whatever surgery you decide on!

I can't speak to DS, as I chose RNY and I'm not sure one person on their own could do both to have the experience of both. That being said, yes, I'm happy with RNY. I'm currently training for my first marathon in 24 days and while I do watch what I eat, I believe that to be true for non-WLS marathoners; to train right, you need to fuel your body right. 

No one here can choose your WLS for you; you'll base that on what's right for you. Express your concerns to your dr and PLEASE don't be swayed by anyone's success (or failure) stories. Their path is not yours, just as your path is not theirs. What matters most, with any type of WLS, is how you work the tool.

Actually, I have had both.  I lived with a DS for 8 years and yes, you can regain weight with the DS if you eat a lot of things with sugar and refined carbs.  I did it.  I regained 100 lbs over 8 years.  It is not a free ride.  I would have been a lot more successful if I had been stricter with my eating.  I also had issues with deficiencies, also from not being as good as I should of been.

It's been 3 years since my revision, which consisted of lengthening my common channel and giving me a RNY pouch instead of a sleeve.  The sleeve I had was way too big and I never had any restriction.  Restriction has helped me a great deal.  Changing my eating habits is the reason I lost the weight and have kept it off.  Not being able to eat as much and not getting hungry is the tool that helps me do that.  Maybe I would have done good with just a small sleeve.  No way of knowing.

People with the DS are much happier it seems with their choice but they are also very diligent about their vitamins and lab work to keep them healthy.  If you would have asked me at years 1, 2, and 3 I would have been recommending the DS no doubt.  By year 5 I was still a normal BMI (barely) but that is when the weight started piling on, because I didn't use the earlier years to change my eating.  That is also when the deficiencies caught up with me.  

The can be repercussions with both surgeries to eating a lot of refined carbs.  There is no free ride with any WLS.  More malabsorption will help you lose the weight and keep it off but it comes with more responsibility and only you know if you are up to it.  The consequences of not following a strict supplement and follow up regiment can be severe with both surgeries but more so with more malabsorption.  They say the lifestyle is better with the DS but I have no complaints about my lifestyle.  My only restrictions as far as food goes is sugar and things with gluten and refined carbs, which many will say are a lot of restrictions but for me it's no big deal.  I eat sugar free candy or ice cream just about every day.  I have sandwiches on gluten free bread and pizza on gluten free crust.  A bit more work but no big deal to me.

Hi Apple

I see your BMI is 41.

Do you have any health problems that would be helped with WLS? 

I am only 4 weeks out. I have several problems with diabetes, kidneys and heart at the head of the list. My diabetes is now in remission.

I learned that RNY was the "gold standard". More folks achieve more of their goal...so I'm told. 80% of WLS is RNY.

RNY is working for me...knock wood. But I can not take NSAIDS.

WLS is only a tool. It takes lots of commitment...but you probably know that.

Good luck to you.

PS: don't go to my surgeon for a DS as he stopped doing them. Also my insurance will not approve DS under 50 BMI.   

Thanks for responding!

I have extremely high blood pressure that has to be controlled by a combination of 3 different meds.  At my physical last year lab tests showed that I have borderline blood sugar, high cholesterol, low good cholesterol and very high triglycerides.  I'm hoping that all these issues will be resolved with WLS.

Congrats on your diabetes remission!

I started out with a BMI of 57 so I looked at both surgeries. I chose the Roux-en-Y because I was afraid of the excessive malabsorption of the DS and because the only person I personally knew with the DS at the time had terrible gas and diarrhea issues.  Yes, that apparently isn't a common problem, but I decided I could live with any and all complications from the Roux-en-Y but could not live with those particular complications of the DS if I was one of the unlucky ones.  

I, too, know people who have been successful and unsuccessful with both surgeries. One of the people I know with the DS didn't get anywhere close to her goal weight (but is still half the size she started at) but she eats huge portions and eats the same crap she ate before surgery.  She rarely misses an opportunity to brag about being able to eat breakfast at McD's every morning in comparison to most of her RNY friends who eat yogurt for breakfast.  Most of the DSers I know, though are NOT this way. 

I know one person with a RNY who is obsessive about what she eats and makes herself miserable because of it.  I, on the other hand, am 6 years out and still hovering at a few pounds either direction of my goal weight, get very little exercise because of bad knees, am far from obsessive about what I eat -- I have a small, less than 100 cal snack/treat almost every day – but I do eat well 90% of the time.  If I really crave something less than healthy like pizza or au gratin potatoes, I eat so e, but I eat a small amount and try to be more disciplined the rest of the day or the following day.  I also periodically allow myself a "free day" where I eat whatever I want without worrying about anything other than making sure I get basic protein needs met. I have no "forbidden" foods. This might not work for everyone, but it works very well for me

Contrary to what the above poster said, the statistics on the DS are much better than those for the Roux-en-Y, both in terms of amount of weight lost an amount of weight-loss maintained.  That really isn't up for debate because there are numerous studies that show that. 

The choice between the two surgeries really comes down to how comfortable you are with the level of lack of vitamin absorption of each, whether you have any particular feelings about having the remnant stomach removed, whether you believe you need that extra caloric malabsorption from the DS, how disciplined you can be about vitamin supplementation, and your own view of the potential complications or side effects of each surgery.

I think the most important thing, though, is that YOU determine your mindset with either one of the surgeries. You can go into surgery having made up your mind to eat a healthy diet that goes along with your surgery's post-op eating plan or you can make up your mind to go into it trying to see how far you can pu**** with what you eat. 

Personally, I would never recommend RNY to someone who has a BMI of over 60. I just think they would be far more successful with the DS. I was really on the line myself and I personally don't think that if I had much more weight to lose that I would've been as successful with RNY. I also wouldn't recommend DS to someone who has a BMI of under 45, because I just don't believe they need a surgery that drastic in order to lose the weight and maintain that loss.  I guess in that case you could say my philosophy is to do the least drastic surgery and modify your body as little as possible to still achieve the goal that you have set.

Lora

Thanks, Lora!

Your response has given me a ton of food for thought. 

The vitamin issue is big for me.  I'm already deficient on Vit D, Vit B and have been known to have iron issues.  I'm also so worried about losing my hair, (I hardly have any as it is!) and I would hate to get so deficient that I'll never grow it back.  Silly, I know!

Again, thanks!

I'm still in the process of having surgery. My bmi is 45, wt 260, ht 5'4". My doc my two choices were RNY or the sleeve. His said that DS would take too much wt off and I would struggle to keep wt in the long run.

I know people have strong feelings toward both of them but I trust my doc. He's awesome! So unless the EGD makes the decision for me then I will have to choose. I'm seriously leaning to RNY because of long term info and success rate. Either way I'm making life style changes slowly and plan on keeping them and using my tool.

Good luck to you. It's a tough decision.

Debra

Both surgeries are great for losing weight but neither is a free pass to eat anything you want.    I know both RNY and DS people who have never reached goal weight (as in BMI or body fat percentage) and/or have regained significanty (40lbs+) after a few years.   

If you work within the limits prescribed, and for both that means limiting carbs, then you can be successful with both surgeries.

 Make sure you research both surgeries and understand the pros and cons of both - DS Facts is the place to get the best details on that particular surgery.