Hello

Dbrooks

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Joined
Aug 21, 2017
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7
Hi there..I just jumped on this research train a little over three weeks ago. I want to gift my daughter a sleeve surgery, and help her become the person she has always felt she is..on the inside. Our insurance covers bariatric surgery, however I have the consumer driven high deductible plan..so surgery would be $7800 plus hospital fees. One of my friends had surgery in Mexico and pointed me in this direction. Cost was a factor, but time more so. We have to be on a six month plan, being followed by primary care, etc. I thought I found so many great options..until I started reading more and more about how scandalous these dr's, facilitators etc are. So..here I am..someone shared this link with me..and I'm researching still. My daughter is 18, amazing and really wants this surgery!
 
Welcome!

You sort of dove in head first by posting on other "lively" threads before posting on "Say Hello!" so we've already answered some of your questions (1. we believe a traditional DS with two anastomoses has more data to support long term success than the VSG. 2. the only mexican surgeon we recommend is Antonio Esquerra at Mexicali Bariatric Center, however his colleague Wilhelmy has been doing them too and reports have been positive. Wilhelmy, BTW, has historically been the VSG surgeon at MBC so if you choose to ignore the data and pursue that surgery for your daughter, he'd be your guy.)

I encourage you to get your daughter on this site and learn. She will be the one who will have to manage her own care for the rest of her life so she should be reading and making sure she is up to the task. None of these WLS surgeries are merely cut and run -- all need lifelong nutrition and laboratory followup.

Best of luck to you both!
 
Hi and welcome!

@Clematis already beat me to the most important point, that being that your daughter should be, needs to be, actively involved in the decision process. It's wonderful that you are here researching on her behalf, and giving her this gift which will do so much for her. But the best way for her to learn is to do so first hand, and while she is young, she is an adult and old enough to read and learn here, and even participate if she is so inclined. We would welcome her here.
I don't think 18 is too young for bariatric surgery, but it depends on the individual. Some people are mature and responsible enough to handle the DS by 14 or 15, others never get there (trust me, we've seen that in folks far older than your daughter). As far as which operation goes, you know her and we don't, and hopefully she is sufficiently self aware and honest with herself to determine whether or not she's ready to take on the lifetime nutritional needs of the DS. I hope she is, as the Ds will serve her well for much longer than any other operation, and is easier to live with in terms of what foods she can eat, cooking methods, etc. But if she can't, or won't, take the vitamin, mineral, and protein requirements as a crucial lifetime commitment, then sleeve would be the way to go. She would still need some vitamins even with sleeve, and would still need to emphasize protein, but she would be much less likely to get into nutritional trouble. The downside of the sleeve is that it requires a different commitment - to a low calorie, low carb, low fat diet for life. So, which commitment is she ready for?
 
Welcome I agree with the Ladies. Your Daughter is more then old enough to be involved in both the decision and the process. With you as an advocate of course we all need out mothers...

Best,
Whit
 
Hi and welcome @Dbrooks! I echo the sentiments of those who posted above. It's fantastic you are being supportive, please encourage your daughter to be fully engaged in the research, and consider the DS as well as VSG. All the best!
 
Hi and welcome!

@Clematis already beat me to the most important point, that being that your daughter should be, needs to be, actively involved in the decision process. It's wonderful that you are here researching on her behalf, and giving her this gift which will do so much for her. But the best way for her to learn is to do so first hand, and while she is young, she is an adult and old enough to read and learn here, and even participate if she is so inclined. We would welcome her here.
I don't think 18 is too young for bariatric surgery, but it depends on the individual. Some people are mature and responsible enough to handle the DS by 14 or 15, others never get there (trust me, we've seen that in folks far older than your daughter). As far as which operation goes, you know her and we don't, and hopefully she is sufficiently self aware and honest with herself to determine whether or not she's ready to take on the lifetime nutritional needs of the DS. I hope she is, as the Ds will serve her well for much longer than any other operation, and is easier to live with in terms of what foods she can eat, cooking methods, etc. But if she can't, or won't, take the vitamin, mineral, and protein requirements as a crucial lifetime commitment, then sleeve would be the way to go. She would still need some vitamins even with sleeve, and would still need to emphasize protein, but she would be much less likely to get into nutritional trouble. The downside of the sleeve is that it requires a different commitment - to a low calorie, low carb, low fat diet for life. So, which commitment is she ready for?

Why is pushing protein so important? Except in the beginning as muscle mass will be lost and muscle helps to increase fat loss etc?
 
Why push protein so much? I understand in the beginning as loss of muscle mass will occur and muscle helps burn fat..but tons of protein can create kidney issues which is a statistics reported is gastric surgeries ..kidney stones and kidney disease..so please explain this thinking, as my brief research doesn't show this. And I agree with my daughter being involved..she actually got me started on research..because she looked into Mexico before I did. She just works two jobs and barely started college..I have a little more time on my hands. I show her everything I find..but I absolutely want her involved, or..it's my surgery and not hers. She doesn't want the ds she wants as normal a lifestyle as possible, no malnutrition etc. I am hoping this sleeve surgery is jus a tool for her to lead the lifestyle she wants..because a surgery to fix her, will only cause long term issues in my opinion.
 
Why is pushing protein so important? Except in the beginning as muscle mass will be lost and muscle helps to increase fat loss etc?
Because, as DSers, we malabsorb about 60% of protein pretty much for life. So if a female needs a minimum of 60 grams just to stay healthy, a DSer needs more than 120 grams and with tiny sleeves, we have to focus on it the rest of our lives.

For sleevers, malabsorption is not the issue but quantity at one sitting is an issue. And focusing on protein and fat makes it more satisfying to stay away from carbs.
 
DSers malabsorb approx. 80% of fats, 40% of protein and *some* carbs (maybe). That's why Larra mentioned the protein.

VSG is a lifetime low fat, low carb diet (of which few are successful short term, much less lifelong). As such, added protein helps to fill the place of high-calorie fats and carbs.

Kidney stones are usually restricted to people with the genes to get them. So if you have had stones in the past, you will probably get them post DS surgery. One of the nutrients we malabsorption is calcium, which is needed to bind to oxalates to prevent stone formation. (Unfortunately I know this nasty stone business from experience!)
 
Why push protein so much? I understand in the beginning as loss of muscle mass will occur and muscle helps burn fat..but tons of protein can create kidney issues which is a statistics reported is gastric surgeries ..kidney stones and kidney disease..so please explain this thinking, as my brief research doesn't show this. And I agree with my daughter being involved..she actually got me started on research..because she looked into Mexico before I did. She just works two jobs and barely started college..I have a little more time on my hands. I show her everything I find..but I absolutely want her involved, or..it's my surgery and not hers. She doesn't want the ds she wants as normal a lifestyle as possible, no malnutrition etc. I am hoping this sleeve surgery is jus a tool for her to lead the lifestyle she wants..because a surgery to fix her, will only cause long term issues in my opinion.

So, here is my take on this FWIW. The sleeve works for some people, but a lot of people it does not work for. And definately have your daughter look at this page. http://www.paclap.com/downloads/comparing-options-for-WLS.pdf The Sleeve fails alot of poeple.

My life is very normal. I take 3 vitimans in the morning and need to eat a little more protein than others. Besides for that, it's fine.

So, the only reason I feel so strongly about this is a sat in a weight loss group and there were two people with sleeves who had gained 80% of their weight back.

I think the way to think about this is what is the risk and what is the reward of the sleeve vs. the DS. The way I thought about it was this.

Sleeve
- Pros
- Less invasive
- No supplements

Cons
- 50% of the people gain their weight back
- Some people are not happy and are getting revisions to the DS
- At WLS groups, people were mixed on their reaction to the surgery

DS
- Pros
- 90% of the people keep 85% of their weight off over 5 years.
- Everyone I talked to who had it were very, very, very happy. They loved it.
- can eat a very high fat, high calorie diet

Cons
- Vitimans for the rest of my life.
- blood work once a year
- Need to manage the bathroom issues a littiel more.

I hope this helps your daughter make an informed decison.
 

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