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[T'Rina-Lock-DS]

I am not trying to cause trouble I just wonder if I am the only one who sometimes feels that SOME other people with different WLS type seem to resent us or that no matter how you try to get the facts through to them they act like they know it all because they heard from a friend of a friend's cousin about a guy who died 12 years ago after having DS for 5 years. 
I have met LOTS amazing and accepting WLS people who have had every type of surgery and yet even I am always shocked how many others admit they know nothing about DS but wont hesitate to tell ME what is wrong with my choice or tell others why they should not have it.

Am I the only one who sometimes feels like the red-headed step child of WLS?  No matter how successful we are we are always going to be someone else's brat...

[saucywench]

I haven't gotten any flack from the WLS community, I've had nothin but kind words of encouragement and advice from this group. I did get a snide comment from a lady at a consignment store telling me she was loosing the hard way comparative to my choice of surgery. That's been the worst of it thus far. I hope you haven't had too many bad experiences with this.
-Mel

[ttowe]

ahhhh....Love this topic.

It's a common battle, been going on for years. Each surgery has it extremely strong advocates, although I feel some do step over the line when they criticize others for thier choice fo surgery.

BTV tries really hard to be surgery agnostic simply because we understand based on whatever your life experiences are, your personal  preferences are, your medical/mental history, and we know of course that you've done tons of research, that you will choose the right surgery for you.

Don't let others make you feel bad about your choice.  And really, don't feel like you have to justify yourself to them. They aren't walking in your shoes.

t

[T'Rina-Lock-DS]

I have only run into this with a few people thankfully but they tend to be Really stubborn with what they THINK they know.
I have had a few people who mostly dont know what they are talking about go off on how I made a lousy choice or how *I* think I am hot stuff for being able to eat more than they do, which is strange cause I actually have to fight to eat enough to keep losing weight and guess what???  it is not fun when you know you have to eat Protein Protein Protein ... a LITTLE bit of carbs/fats...PROTEIN with a tummy that is still tiny.
I had one lady go off on how "ALL" DSers think we are such hot stuff because we can eat "Fat" and that we could easily eat 3000 calories of anything and be fine (I actually dont get nearly enough fat unless it is in dairy and I have to fight to stay above 2200 calories and 140 g of protein and I am honest about the effects of carbs and fats on my body and those people around me)
And of course there are the ones who wont believe me when I tell them that I dont in fact have uncontrollable bathroom issues even when I point out that as long as *I* control what I eat I am fine and I admit I could have issues if I am maxing on the carbs or fats.
People love to paint all of a group with the same brush when it is ONE or TWO people who say stuff.  The same lady (and others) have claimed that we try to push the DS surgery on people... I actually have suggested a few lower weight people reconsider their desire to have DS since it can be a pretty extreme surgery and is generally designed mostly for massive weight loss.  I dont hesitate to point out I needed to lose just short of 300 pounds total (still need to lose 80) and that while I have nothing against other surgeries it wasn't going to happen with anything but DS FOR ME.
I really do admire that RNY people can learn to eat tiny amounts... I can't, I would have failed pretty bad at RNY trust me so no I dont think DS is the answer to everyone's prayers, I just think it was to mine.

[baka]

I really do admire that RNY people can learn to eat tiny amounts...

I don't really view it as tiny.... It's more like eating a normal amount of nutrition/fuel instead of pounding 20 times what i needed prior to getting sliced and diced

Ian

[T'Rina-Lock-DS]

True and I think sometimes a RNY person might have more of a feeling of control by knowing they can only eat so much, there are times my ability to eat scares me even though it is so much less than before.

[MacMadame]

It's all relative. To me, RnYers can eat SO MUCH! They talk about their 1-1.5 cups of food and my eyes boggle. 

I did run into someone on a non-WLS forum who kept going on and on about RnY and how it _______. But everything he said about it was actually something that can (but doesn't always) happen with a DS. It was weird. I think he had a band and wasn't willing to say so in that forum and felt threatened by my saying the band isn't this safe surgery that is non-invasive compared to the big, bad, dangerous RNY, but that all the WLS are pretty safe and they are all invasive.

My experience is that most people don't even get there is DS (or sleeve) so they don't have an attitude about it because they never heard of it.

[shepkatt]

I think it comes down to most people not knowing about the DS.. or only knowing about the DS from years ago..  I think that a lot of the (lets call it) concern comes from being uneducated (which is where BTV comes in :-) )

I do think that in every surgery type there are those that like to stir it up.   Like Toni said - we try to be surgery agnostic.  Because Toni and I have both had the RnY we rely on you guys to educate us all on the Band, Sleeve and Switch.

I don't understand why folks have to bash others in order to make their choices look better (ie referring to the RnY as the "ruined and why")..  I think getting the info out there and then allowing folks to make their own choices based on their lifestyle with no bashing is the best way ... but of course there will always be people who like to stir it up .. so I am sure the surgery wars will continue... on other sites.. NOT THIS ONE... :-)

[SoonerFreak]

Look at it this way. Everyone on here either has, or is interested in, taking some decisive action to save their own lives. With all the haters out there - why waste time chopping down others who have the same goal?