Bon Bon Jovi

Hi everyone, Just curious to hear what you all think: I'm on track to have my surgery in November. My starting weight in July was 338. This morning I was 306 (yay!) So I've lost a significant amount of weight already. I'm 5'9", so I definitely need to lose weight, and a lot of it. But it does kind of seem like the place I chose is "selling" me on the duodenal switch a little bit hard. Maybe its because they know what I dont, but there's also part of me that thinks maybe it is too drastic and I'm being sold a more expensive procedure. I had never heard of the ds surgery before talking to the surgeon, so I was just thinking all wl surgery is the same. But it's clearly not, nor is the cost. My family doctor seemed very surprised, almost shocked that the surgeon would advise any kind of surgery, especially a ds. But, then again, she is typically very conservative in treating anything. Anyway, curious to hear what you all think. Have any of you had the same dilemma running through your mind?

Thanks for the thoughtful responses. I've decided to go ahead with the ds. I think. Maybe. Lol. Best case scenario i still have another month before i will have the surgery, so Ive still got time to change my mind. My pre op weight loss has stalled a bit. I was 306 (down from 338) when I started this thread. I'm 299-301 for the last week or so. So only about 6 pounds in the last month. Not great, but better than gaining. I've been having quite a few food funerals, so I'm not completely surprised. Regardless, I still need to lose about 130 pounds to get to my fightin weight. That's a lot of weight to lose. And yeah, I might be able to do it with just the sleeve, but statistically, i think my chances are better with the ds. Everyone I've asked that has had the ds says it was the best decision theyve ever made. Hopefully I will be among them soon.

First off, please know that you are not alone. There are SO many of us struggling with health issues that are related to weight. If you are struggling with the idea of weight loss surgery, think of it this way: Obviously everyone is different but being overweight is not good for your health, a fact that I am sure you are well aware of. THE most effective way to lose a large amount of weight, by far, is weight loss surgery. So, if you have the opportunity to do something for yourself that will dramatically increase your chances of losing weight and being healthier, don't you owe it to yourself to take advantage of that opportunity? Listen to your doctor and follow his/her advice to the letter and you WILL get healthier and feel better. It's almost guaranteed.

Hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. For those who had to quit in order to have surgery: what kind of testing did they do to make sure you quit tobacco?

The motivation is curiosity.

I guess it's a bit of a gamble that I really need to think long and hard about. I feel like I'm really rolling the dice with this surgery. You have been very helpful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It's more valuable than you know!!

That is VERY encouraging. I could definitely handle that. It's the 40 vitamins a day stuff that terrifies me.

He just called it the duodenal switch. He didnt say anything about it being traditional or modified. How much do you spend monthly on vitamins? 40 vitamins a day for life seems crazy! That has to cost a small fortune!

That's how I took it. He was kind of confusing, so it's possible I misunderstood. He asked what I hoped to get out of the surgery. So I told him that I felt like if the surgery could help me to get down to a healthy weight, I could reach my goal weight and maintain it through healthier food and exercise habits. Seemed like a realistic expectation to me, but he immediately cut me off and started lecturing me on the concept of one's body having a set weight that it tries to stay at and that since I'm overweight, my set weight is higher than it used to be, and the surgery just helps change that set weight. Of course this is my understanding of what he said and may not be accurate. It seemed to me from the way he was talking that he believed my expectations of what surgery would achieve were not realistic.

He didnt really give a specific reason, he just said that the ds will result in the highest percentage of excess weight loss. I am starting to have some "comorbidities" that are creeping in. Nothing crazy, but enough to convince that I better change some habits or I'm not going live to see my son grow up. I assume those comorbidities are the reason he is saying that I should have the ds, but wouldnt other procedures also address those problems? I mean, my problem is that I weighed 330 pounds, when I should weigh around 170 pounds. When I was 170 pounds, I didnt have any of these problems. So it seems to me that if I get back down to 170, then that will fix things. Is 160 pounds of total weight loss just an unrealistic goal with other options? I dont know the answer to that question. My surgeon definitely seems to think so.

Great job man. Happy for you. How have you been feeling?

Hi everyone, How much time was there between the day you got insurance approval to your actual surgery date?

Damn... Thats some bad luck. Good on ya for staying the course. Glad to hear you were finally able to get it done!

Cool. Its gonna be awesome. Congrats!

Awesome! Which procedure are you having?

I bet you are excited. Congratulations!

Thank you all for the replies. Apparently my insurance requires a 90 day waiting period. I am about halfway there. I've already met my deductible for this year so I was a little worried about getting this done before the end of the year. Sounds like it shouldnt be too much of a problem. Best of luck to you all. Thanks again for your responses!