Chipwater

You're in Utah...so am I. Best way to find the information you need is to check in with two groups that are the best at Duodenal Switch in Utah. Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians holds regular bariatric seminars at St. Marks Hospital. The one I went to was conducted by Dr. Rodrick McKinlay. I have other co-morbidity issues (not CHF). Much of the session is open question and answer with an actual bariatric surgeon.
The other group that seems to have some really good information is BMI Institute of Utah (Dr. Cottam). What I appreciate about this group is that they can send you a "self-pay" price list for Duodenal Switch.
The average cost of a DS in Utah is between $22K to $25K. BMI has a partial outpatient DS that runs around $16K (if you have health insurance that won't pay for bariatric surgery).
I was sad to learn that SelectHealth doesn't often cover these surgeries.
I would highly recommend that you talk to both Dr. McKinlay and Dr. Cottam to get some advice on how they would handle working with someone who has CHF.
All the best,

Oh my goodness! Beyond happy! My joints don't hurt, my sleep apnea is almost gone, I can hike for hours, I can get down on the floor with my grandkids and actually get up again! My thighs don't rub together.My blood pressure is normal. I took a bath in our big tub this week and could actually get out by myself! I had to tarp a load of hay this week all by myself. It was going to rain and the tarp had to get on. I had to climb along the sides of the trailer to drag the tarp over the top of the hay and I did it! I could not have done that 6 months ago. I can squeeze through tight spots at work and reach over beds for equipment... and no one has to move aside for me. I went from 2-3X scrubs to MEDIUM! I don't have heartburn or asthma flares anymore. I have tons more energy and am less depressed. I am comfortable at 80 degrees instead of insisting that that ac be turned to 68. I have not gotten yeast infections in the skin folds this summer because most of the skin fold are GONE! I can stand up in church without my belly hitting the chair in front of me. I can ride my mule again! I can kayak without swamping the boat. Someone referred to me as "skinny" this week! Do you still want me to go on? My life is soooooo much better for having had this surgery. Giving up large quantities of food is nothing compared to the quality of life I have now. I have more confidence, and far less shame. I can hardly wait to get my 6 month labs back to see the difference in my A1C, cholesterol, triglycerides.
PS - So sorry. I jumped the gun. I see your question was actually to DS patients. I had bypass and would also like to hear how DS patients feel about their surgeries.

Ditto what AZHiker said. I'm back on keto with exception of fat %. I use vinaigrettes for salads and some salad dressings that straddle line between low carb and low fat. I use spray butter instead of butter, avocado mayo mixed with low fat mayo or greek yogurt and I use sparingly.
Instead of full fat heavy cream, I opt for a splash fat free 1/2 and 1/2 )or vanilla protein drink). On rare occasions if overall carbs are low, I will use 1 TBSP of heavy cream in something but that is rare. I use fat free cream cheese, etc. - I think you get the picture.
On top of this, since my calories are between 700-800 a day I still can be in ketosis sometimes partly from lower calories & part from low carbs. I notice when I stick to this, I lose weight faster. If I do some of the 'low glycemic carbs' like oatmeal, sweet baked potato, beans, I notice slow down in loss but I've had these items sparingly..
My surgeon is a keto fan after full healing when he lets his us start eating "regular food" . On the ongoing nutrition plan I just received, they had the macros as follows: 800 calories with 40% of total calories from protein, 30% from fat, and 30% from carbohydrates this should help increase your rate of weight loss.
I can understand 800 cals & biggest % being protein but I was a bit surprised by 30% from fat part although I know they mean healthy kinds of fat like avocado, etc. Here is what plan says about fat:
Limit fats to 2-3 servings a day; avoid unhealthy fats such as cream, lard, butter. 1 serving of fat should = 5g fat. Some examples include: 1 tsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. regular salad dressing, 2 Tbsp. reduced-fat salad dressings, 1/8 avocado, 6 almonds, 1 Tbsp. peanut butter.
In looking at sample meal plans, I will revise it for me by removing some of the bigger carbs that the list has like once a day having oatmeal or 1 pc whole wheat toast as I need to keep overall carbs down to lose more quickly.

I could never handle the high fat part of keto. Since surgery, I definitely have fat malabsorption and if I eat too much fat, I pay for it in the bathroom. I also had fatty liver disease prior to surgery, and from what I've read, hitting the liver with even more fat is probably not a good idea. Poor liver is working hard enough to break down all the fat from the weight loss process. Maintaining a low carb approach is still a good plan, but for me the priorities are protein and then veggies, but without the high fat of keto.

Can anyone tell me in layman's terms what a ds does? My Dr wanted me to do this surgery, but opted for a sleeve. Can you convert to a DS from sleeve. Thanks so much! Sorry, not trying to hijack your post ?

Duodenal Switch does not get the dumping syndrome.
I had a RNY in 2001, revision this last June to Duodenal Switch . I know what Dumping syndrome feels like and how it was easy to get used to. Only things I have found that the Duodenal Switch gets is the limitation of food intake and the pain that accompanies it when eating too much as well as the bowl movement issues.
Hope this helps.