DS or sleeve? New, a little freaked out, and trying to decide

[writegirl1 0]

Greetings everyone,

I just had my second consultation with my surgeon last week, Since I am nearly 300lbs he said either the sleeve or the DS surgery would be my best options. However, he did seem to be leaning more toward the DS. I'll be honest, I am terrified of some of the "side effects" of any of the procedures. I thought I was leaning more toward the sleeve when I went in for my initial consult, but now I am seriously considering the DS. My surgeon mentioned how the DS is a near guarantee of never regaining whereas the sleeve has a relatively substantial rate of weight regain, no matter how modest, and he explained that regain wreaks havoc on a bariatric patient's psyche. DS seems like it would result in more normal types of meals but, of course, provided they are more high Protein.

Here are the things that worry me about DS--and they may be unfounded or overblown:

A.) Dumping. I know this can happen with any of the procedures, but I worry it would be more of an issue with DS. Am I wrong? I teach at the university level and I have a deep fear of not being in a position to deal with that if it's a sudden onset thing.

B.) Nutrient absorption and, if needed, medication absorption: I have never been on any medications, but at 47 years old, I understand that I may find myself on some medicine or another at some point as I age. I've heard that absorption is much worse with DS than with the sleeve, but my surgeon did not seem concerned with this. Have you heard this is worse with DS? Is that all just overblown?

C.) I'm worried about having my intestines rerouted. I know this is a normal and natural worry. However, some of what scares me about this is that so much intestine is excised. If there's ever a problem with intestines in the future, there is literally no tissue remaining to work with. This may seem irrational, but my father had an intestinal hernia a few years back and it was a miracle that the surgeon was able to save his life and find enough live tissue left to repair the damage. So, yeah, it's not a thing that is likely to happen to me but it scares me a bit.

D.) Lifestyle. I'm looking forward to completely changing my lifestyle and eating habits. I'm just worried that DS will leave me unable to enjoy normal things. My family is Italian--will I never be able to eat some of my mom's Pasta again without getting sick? Will DS mean I can never have a little wine with a meal or near that meal or even at all? Can I ever drink coffee again (I am rather attached to my coffee). I've read a few posts from sleevers who insist they can do these things with little problem. I've just not seen any information from DSers about what it is actually like to live in the day-to-day with the DS restrictions. I guess what I am getting at is that I want to be able to enjoy life and the occasional Pasta indulgence etc. without it resulting in being extremely ill afterward. I just do not know if DS allows for those moments or it's so restrictive that such things are not possible.

I love the idea that as a DS patient, I would not need to live in constant terror of weight regain. My entire life has been spent worrying about food and weight and how much I'm going to gain back if I dare to lose any. Each time, I've gained back like double what I lost. I'm so tired of that.

I have chronic tendinitis in one of my feet that makes walking painful. The weight inflames that condition. I'm suffering from real mobility issues now so I absolutely must act now and get the surgery. I am just not sure which one. I will share that my sister had R-en-Y bariatric surgery like 20 years ago. She did regain a substantial amount of weight after the first two years. The potential for regain alone is enough for me to lean toward DS. I just want to make sure that I am making the right choice.

[Hiraeth 515]

That's not completely true. The sleeve and the DS both have the same chances of gaining the weight back. It all depends on how dedicated you are. I know of 3 people who had the DS and gained all their weight back. But these people were making themselves sick by shoving food into their mouths because that's how much they love to eat. The reason some doctors suggest the DS over the VSG is because the DS helps you lose weight more quickly. They usually suggest it if you're morbidly obese (like 400+ pounds).

Edited August 29, 2016 by Hiraeth

[Postop 411]

Sent you a PM.