VGS vs DS

[brendalou]

Please help me decide! here is my story. I am have a BMI of 36.1 and GRED and Diabetic. i have been told if i loose 50 lbs my diabetes should be under control may be gone so i went to see my dr because i wanted the sleeve. that will put me in a normal BMI so i went to see the Dr. about WLS and he was talking about i could do a DS or a Sleeve ins will pay for both. with the DS he would not bypass as much of my small intestine do to my low BMI. or i could just to a sleeve. i am afraid with just the sleeve i will not loose enough wt to help my diabetes but the DS make me nervous that i might loos to much wt. any thoughts out there my WLS doctor is Dr Stewart in Texas.

[Deleted]

What are your stats? Height, weight, pertinent health problems....

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using ProBoards

[kyal]

Hmm... 50lb and maybe gone?

Have the DS - I think the diabetes cure rate is 98%?

I had a sleeve and got rid of no comorbidities. Still had sleep apnoea, hyperlipodemia, hypertension. I had the DS 9 days ago now and already off all blood pressure and cholesterol medication. DS is your best shot. Just find a good surgeon who can balance the fact that your a relative light weight compared to the usual DS patient and adjust your configuration accordingly.

Good luck.

[grdngrl]

I had about the same BMI as you but no diabetes. If I had had diabetes I would have gotten the DS, decision would have been a slam dunk. I got a VSG and am losing fine but with diabetes you need the DS, relying on weight loss alone probably not so good - in the short AND long run the odds are with the DS. Good luck, it's a tough decision.

[Carolyn H.]

I am 5'2 1/4, Age 44. I am 17 months post-op from VSG,. I lost 32lbs pre-op, 130lbs post-op, down 162 total. I hit a 'normal' BMI in 13 months including the 3 months did my Dr's diet pre-op, and I've lost another 10lbs subsequent to achieving a 'normal' BMI. At present I am at about 21% body fat percentage, BMI 23.5-24 depending on the day and how badly swollen my legs are.

I didn't have 'traditional' comorbidities like Diabetes; however, I have severe Graves' Disease for which I underwent radio-iodine treatments almost 20 years ago. As a result, I have no thyroid function, at all. I also have significant cases Graves' Eye Disease and Graves Dermopathy (Pre-tibial myxedema). I take thyroid hormones every day, and I have struggled most of my adult life with being correctly medicated and how that impacts my metabolism along with being on and off high-doses of predinsone to control swelling in my eyes and in my legs.

I love my sleeve. If I had long-standing diabetes, I would have had DS, for sure. Studies suggest that the 'cure' rate for diabetes in those who have had it less then 10 years are similar for DS and VSG, in the high 90's. VSG is not nearly as effective as DS for those who hae had it a long time. DS patients maintain weightloss better, long-term, by 4-5% EWL on average; however, recently published studies suggest that satisfaction with the sleeve at 6 years post-op is still very high despite reported gains.

[skmsu]

The great news is that insurance will pay for either procedure. With that you are free to make your decision based on the best procedure for you and not what insurance will pay for. Only you can decide what's right for you. Having said that, I think the diabetes would be the determining factor for me. From what I have read in the literature and from other WLS members the DS is the go to procedure to resolve diabetes. But like I said it's a decision that you have to make for you.

[secretsleeve]

Jun 1, 2012 16:58:38 GMT -5 brendalou said:

Please help me decide! here is my story. I am have a BMI of 36.1 and GRED and Diabetic. i have been told if i loose 50 lbs my diabetes should be under control may be gone so i went to see my dr because i wanted the sleeve. that will put me in a normal BMI so i went to see the Dr. about WLS and he was talking about i could do a DS or a Sleeve ins will pay for both. with the DS he would not bypass as much of my small intestine do to my low BMI. or i could just to a sleeve. i am afraid with just the sleeve i will not loose enough wt to help my diabetes but the DS make me nervous that i might loos to much wt. any thoughts out there my WLS doctor is Dr Stewart in Texas.

I decided to have the sleeve because it has less complications and it is all I may need. A VSG can always be revised to DS. I decided to go with the surgery with the least complications associated with it, I will find out in time if withstand the test of time.

[Deleted]

If I were diabetic- no question, DS.

[bagaof4]

While I cannot speak from experience yet, I have chosen to have the DS. I am pre diabetic, have sleep apnea, and hyperlipidemia. I first considered the VSG, but after much reading, I knew the DS was right for me. While the supplements, lab work, and care I will need to take with protein and hydration are more serious with the DS, I just know I can never go back to my failed "dieting" as I've known it my entire life. I need a big change, and if that means really working to eat the right DS foods, I know I have a much better chance of keeping the weight off instead of working at denying myself and counting calories and fat anymore. With eating plenty ofprotein and fat, I will still feel full, and can then forego simple carbs. It's a trade off, but I know it's what I can live with for the rest of my life. Very personal and individual decision. Good luck on whatever you decide! . (my current BMI is 38 and was 43 when I started the process)

[goodkel]

There have been many people with a BMI as low as yours who have done wonderfully with the DS. None that I know of have lost too much weight.

If it wasn't for your diabetes, I would say that you would need to examine your history carefully to determine if restriction alone would be enough for you to lose all your excess weight and maintain the loss long term.

But, with diabetes, hands down you need the DS. All other bariatric surgeries only provide a remission. The DS gives you a cure.

[aflame]

This is the same confusion I have since hearing from Baltasar. He's a great guy, and he sent me a lot of information and Spanish jokes;D He tells me my BMI is too low, and I am not diabetic yet. My Hba1c numbers are not even in the Pre-D range, though my Fasting Blood Sugar is.

He said the Laproscopic GS with the duodenum-jejunum Bypass would work best for me. Have you guys heard of this Bypass? Is this the part of the DS that cures diabetes? He said it was the standard treatment for low-BMI diabetics.

I wanted to go straight for the DS, but now I am confused. Any insights would be greatly..immensely appreciated. I am still waiting to hear back from Ungson and others. I will ask Marchesini about this treatment option.

[bboop]

I wish the long term diabetics would chime in here. I had diabetes for a couple of years and now I'm cured. I can easily tolerate the dietary restrictions of the DS and the long term weight loss is 100% better than with the VSG. Please think about having it all at once...you won't have to go under but only once and to me that's a big deal. Your insurance may not pay for two WLS...check that out first also.

Whatever you decide I wish you the best.

[goodkel]

I see you found the Diabetes and the DS area where you're more likely to get the answers you are looking for than you will on the VSG board.

For others reading this thread, you can find that area here:

weightlosssurgery.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=diabetes

[fabfatgrl]

I had the Lap-Band in 2001...revised to a VSG in 2007. Both times I considered the DS, but did not. VSG did help my type II... up until I started gaining. When the weight went up, so did my HbA1c.

Now, I'm looking at my third bariatric operation. I wish I had just gone "all the way" the previous time.

There are some DS lightweight boards. Also I'm sure you know that the "DS" bit has been done on people who are normal weight with diabetes. Diabetes complications scare me far more than just "being fat." I'd definitely go for the DS if that was my main concern (and one of the reasons I'm looking at a revision...it's the HbA1c going up more than the weight gain.)

[goodkel]

Jun 2, 2013 11:21:20 GMT -5 fabfatgrl said:

I had the Lap-Band in 2001...revised to a VSG in 2007. Both times I considered the DS, but did not. VSG did help my type II... up until I started gaining. When the weight went up, so did my HbA1c.

Now, I'm looking at my third bariatric operation. I wish I had just gone "all the way" the previous time.

There are some DS lightweight boards. Also I'm sure you know that the "DS" bit has been done on people who are normal weight with diabetes. Diabetes complications scare me far more than just "being fat." I'd definitely go for the DS if that was my main concern (and one of the reasons I'm looking at a revision...it's the HbA1c going up more than the weight gain.)

Absolutely. Think twice, cut once.

Thank you for being here and sharing your experience. It is more helpful than you may realize to people still undecided about their surgery. ~exalt~

[napolilu]

To goodkel:
Well said: "think twice, cut once" I will use it