I just read the article that DSGriggs linked to. I would say that there is a real risk of misinformation from certain types of physicians, and certainly a strong risk of confusion for patients. I didn't feel that risk at a world class academic medical center. I felt no pressure at all, and my surgeon sat at the foot of my bed and went over the differences one last time the morning of my operation in pre-op and then asked if I was sure that I wanted a SIPS procedure rather than a DS. He reminded me that the SIPS was new and that there would be answers that no one would be able to give me possibly in my post op clinic visits. Part of my study includes monthly visits with the staff psychologists, who is one of the most published researchers in the country regarding issues related to obesity and bariatric surgery. So, I feel very informed and have access to a very strong support team. My surgeon gave my husband his personal cell right after surgery so we could call direct with any questions on post surgical issues.
My logic, purely my own, not as a result of anything that medical staff said to me was that a SIPS was the most conservative course of action for me. If I had long term issues with malabsorption etc., it is a relatively small procedure to revert to a sleeve, and if I didn't maintain a healthy weight, it's a small revision to a full DS. My common canned is 300 cm, or half of the average intestine overall.
I had a pre-op support protocol that included a massage and accupuncture. Duke did a study and found that patients who had this particular pr-op lost less blood and decreased recovery time by about 50%. In my case, I was out of the hospital in 36 hours, and cleared for full activity in 12 days, which is a lot less than the 6-8 weeks of no heavy lifting that they prep you for. My early results were very DS like. I lost 22 lbs in the first three weeks. I continued to lose at he rate of about 10 lb a month for about 4 months. I did end up having my gall bladder removed almost exactly 4 months after my SIPS. To quote my surgeon, " Losing weight very quickly can piss off a gall bladder to no end. A lot of surgeons do it as a standard part of DS surgery, but since only about 30% of patients end up needing the gall bladder removed, unless there is a compelling reason, I don't usually." I was quite impressed with my surgeons commitment to me personally. Any GI surgeon could remove a gall bladder, but when my ultrasound came back, he personally flew back from a conference where he was speaking early, and did my gall bladder as well as an endoscopy to check my entire digestive tract.
