Thanks Larra :)

[MissLisa1970]

Thanks to the very helpful Miss Larra (who invited me here) i'm closer to making my decision on having the all saving all mighty WLS.

Hi, I'm Miss Lisa. I'm 5ft 2, eyes of blue and there's clearly more of me to love. Which is why i'm here. I've been tossing the idea of WLS around for a year now. My PCP however suggested it himself 4 years ago but i was dead set against it. It just seemed so drastic of a move. Plus i'd seen many people i know get the surgery only to gain the weight back after a few years. What i didn't know at the time however is that there's many types of surgeries and my PCP encouraged me to investigate it further... and so i did. I researched, and researched.. and researched some more and came to the conclusion that 1 person i know had the lap band (fail) another had a stomach stapling (another fail) another had a sleeve (yep, you guessed it, fail) a couple of others had a bypass . (tho better than the staples. sleeves and the band, there was still a way to "bypass" that and.. FAIL) so, needless to say, based on this information i kept telling my doctor.. HELL NO. for i thought.. what's the point? i mean, short of wiring my jaws permanently shut there was just nothing that would show enough success for me to go under a knife and just let some surgeon go messing about with my innards! so i just kept seeing my Doc, trying various pill forms (phent-er-mine, belviq, contrave, Qsymia etc) nothing worked.. i might lose a few pounds here and there, but the effects of the pills had varying degrees of "suck" and either my hair was falling out, or stuff would tingle out of nowhere or i'd get these raging headaches that made me an even worse tempered redhead. (than usual, it's all part of my endearing charm) PLUS (aside from the phent-er-mine) they were just so expensive! so i'd stop them. At this stage i just had a AW F*CK IT! i'm fat.. and that's that mentality. I've never been one to care what others thought of me.. My husband is beautiful and loves me as i am. I was fat when i met him, i was fat when i married him.. I lost half of my body weight once when ephedra was on the market. I took it safely and effectively and it got me down from 230 lbs to 120 lbs.. but then it was taken away and low and behold.. i'm fat again. 245 lbs later and here i am... So, here's were my interest in WLS begins, I'm security for Costco, i'm on my feet 8 hours a day, 5 days a week so far for 15 years on cold hard concrete floors. My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my hips hurt. I sit down for a spell, i get back up and i have to practice walking again like i'm a toddler. Stiff, in pain and downright tired! well more like sick and tired. I'm tired of being tired. So... surgery is looking pretty good to me right now, i'm no spring chicken and if (well..it's more a question of when) i need knee or hip surgery, i really don't want to be this "robust" if ya dig what i mean.... so i began looking into WLS again and discovered this thing called Duodenal Switch. Sounds promising yes..seems to have a high success rate and less chance of weight regain.. however, it's a bit frightening to me. All this talk of obscene amounts of vitamin intake and smelly gasses and excrement coming from my adorable person just doesn't sound all that glamourous... but then again, neither does a butt as big as the broad side of a barn. (OMG BECKY! LOOK AT HER BUTT!) but anyway.. i digest (snickers) If you're still with me reading this long winded diatribe- I'm here for support, i'm here for knowledge, i'm here for strength, i'm here for.. whatever advice i need to get this ball rolling. I don't know where to begin. I'm enjoying reading all the postings so far. It's been helpful but i'm just a bundle of uncertainty! what's going through Aetna gonna be like? what's this 3 month Multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen stuff and what to expect? Anyroad, thanks for reading. I think i'm gonna like it here. Happy Holidays, Y'all <3

 

[southernlady]

Welcome, @MissLisa1970
Read everything here. We are heavily in favor of the DS here but make sure you read, read, and read some more.

 

[MissLisa1970]

Welcome, @MissLisa1970
Read everything here. We are heavily in favor of the DS here but make sure you read, read, and read some more.

Thank you southernlady. i have been reading a lot. i don't plan on stopping any time soon. I find i get obsessed with research, (i'm a writer, it's my forte') plus i want to be armed with as much knowledge as possible when i meet with my doctor and look for a surgeon. Happy Holidays

 

[galaxygrrl]

The data shows people don't gain their weight back with the DS. Check this chart out http://www.paclap.com/downloads/comparing-options-for-WLS.pdf

Keep reading and ask questions.

By the way, my feet killed before my DS. I'm only 4 months out and my feet are happy!

As for Aetna, they have different programs and coverage is different. I got approved pretty easily. But they all have a 6 month waiting program as far as I can tell.

To get going, have your PCP get the paper work in ASAP. Get approved. You'll have 6 months to figure out the rest. It seems scary, it's not! Your feet will stop hurting. ;-)

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Hi.

Welcome.

My surgery was 11 years ago. I lost about 120 pounds. Sometimes, I regain up to 20 pounds and then I un-regain it.

I'm still chubby, but I'm very cute and almost 70 years old!

Also, I am occasionally rude...but I can live with that.

Sue

 

[Larra]

Hi again Lisa! So glad you made it here. You will find the knowledge you need to go forward with an informed decision, whatever that decision may be.
The vitamins are that bad, honest. Yes, there are a lot of them, but you will establish a routine and it becomes just part of your day, like brushing your teeth. So they are crucial, a lifetime commitment and not optional, but also not difficult. Really!

And if you have been reading the thread @Stefanie S. started yesterday, there is a lot of discussion there about poop and smells and all that, and for most of us it really isn't bad. The first month sucks as your body adjusts to the new configuration, but after awhile, for most of us it's very much diet related, so you learn what foods are going to cause problems and what won't.

Keep on reading! Take as much time as you need to feel confident about your decision. And, happy holidays!

 

[MissLisa1970]

The data shows people don't gain their weight back with the DS. Check this chart out

Keep reading and ask questions.

By the way, my feet killed before my DS. I'm only 4 months out and my feet are happy!

As for Aetna, they have different programs and coverage is different. I got approved pretty easily. But they all have a 6 month waiting program as far as I can tell.

To get going, have your PCP get the paper work in ASAP. Get approved. You'll have 6 months to figure out the rest. It seems scary, it's not! Your feet will stop hurting. ;-)

WOW that chart is absolute GOLD! Thank you for sharing it with me.. Also i appreciate the empathy when it comes to hurting feet! MY GOD my feet kill me at work. I've spent HUNDREDS (if not maybe thousands) over the years trying to find comfortable shoes! New balance, Nike, specially made shoes and orthotics. even considered buying these most UGLY shoes with heels that look like mattress springs! (thank god i didn't, a gal can't look completely stupid, no matter how comfortable they promise to be) i've suffered with Plantar fasciitis for so long i've gotten used to it being just another pain my body has to deal with on a daily basis.

 

[DSRIGGS]

Welcome. Like you I never considered bariatric surgery because I suck at dieting and the RnY GBP is just another diet and it fails. Then a coworker had surgery and that is when I learned about the DS. I started researching and saw that it resolved Type 2 Diabetes at very high rate (high 90%'s) and there are a few for whom it didn't completely resolve their Diabetes but it is much more manageable for them after surgery. Our sweet Liz is one. The reason I had the DS was because my T2D was getting out of control with my A1C approaching 10 and I wanted to be around for my wife and two boys who are now 22 and 20. It took forever to get approved and then scheduled but I had the DS in 9/13 and went from a high of around 365 lbs to a surgical weight of 338 and I know way around 170 lbs give or take a few. I am 6'2 so I am actually way too skinny and in the spirit of full disclosure I need to tell you that my original DS surgeon gave me a defective DS because he does the standard limb length DS not the Hess method (familiarize yourself with those terms and understand what they mean...I wish I had done so) and he fucked up my health royally. Long story short he gave me too short of an absorbing small intestine pate. The Hess method requires the Surgeon to measure the small bowel length (SBL) because we all have different SBL's and after measuring the SBL the surgeon makes the common channel (CC) where food and digestive enzymes come together, roughly 10% of total SBL. He/she then makes the rest of the absorbing path the alimentary limb (AL) so that the CC + AL = roughly 40% of total SBL It is a bit confusing but some refer to that entire absorbing intestine path the AL. The absorbing path before being connected back to the Bilopancreatic Limb (BPL) is also called the AL. In any case that 60% BPL = CC +AL of 40% has been shown to deliver optimal weight loss and health. My path was way to short and left me with total protein at roughly half of the bottom limit of acceptable range. The left me in the hospital for a week with a resting heart rate of 35 BPM, BP of 65/35 and I was passing out. Once the hospitalist figured out that I was seriously malnourished even though eating 4,000 calories and 250 grams of protein daily I was started on a pancreatic enzyme (CREON) to improve my asbsorption. I did this for a year until I was rougly 2 years post DS and my absorption didn't get any better so I went to the best Bariatric surgeon in the world, Dr Ara Keshishian who increased the length of my absorbing intestine path. I immediately went off the CREON and my lab values remained as they were when taking a shit load of CREON.

Would I have the DS again? Absolutely because it did eliminate my diabetes, high cholesterol and BP. They are all actually too low now with A1C of less than 4, BP 90-95/55-60, and total Cholesterol of 78. Had I researched better and found Dr Keshishian before having my original DS , I would have gone with him and would have had no issues. I have had 3 surgeries with him. The revision to extend channels in August of 15 , a large ventral hernia repair with 9 x 11 inch hunk of mesh on 5/24/16 and surgery on my colon on 10/24/16. I live in the Peoria, IL area and Dr K is in Glendale, CA. That is how good he is.

Bottom line and I am going to be brutally honest. If you are going to do WLS then get a Hess Method DS and you will not regret your choice because it woks. ...the data supports that assertion....and you can eat a ton of food.

Best wishes on your future success. I am more than happy to answer any question you have so don't hesitate to ask. BTW, Larra is the best and a good friend who knows her stuff and helps so many people. This board is great and full of wonderful people without whom I would have been lost. That is another dirty secret. Other than Dr K and a couple others, DS Surgical offices absolutely suck at nutritional and vitamin/mineral supplementation.

 

[MissLisa1970]

Hi.

Welcome.

My surgery was 11 years ago. I lost about 120 pounds. Sometimes, I regain up to 20 pounds and then I un-regain it.

I'm still chubby, but I'm very cute and almost 70 years old!

Also, I am occasionally rude...but I can live with that.

Sue

I don't want to get skinny. I wanna keep some curves because well.. i'm an adorable moon-pie faced marshmallow.. i just don't wanna be the female version of the Stay Puft mascot in the Ghostbuster movies

 

[MissLisa1970]

Welcome. Like you I never considered bariatric surgery because I suck at dieting and the RnY GBP is just another diet and it fails. Then a coworker had surgery and that is when I learned about the DS. I started researching and saw that it resolved Type 2 Diabetes at very high rate (high 90%'s) and there are a few for whom it didn't completely resolve their Diabetes but it is much more manageable for them after surgery. Our sweet Liz is one. The reason I had the DS was because my T2D was getting out of control with my A1C approaching 10 and I wanted to be around for my wife and two boys who are now 22 and 20. It took forever to get approved and then scheduled but I had the DS in 9/13 and went from a high of around 365 lbs to a surgical weight of 338 and I know way around 170 lbs give or take a few. I am 6'2 so I am actually way too skinny and in the spirit of full disclosure I need to tell you that my original DS surgeon gave me a defective DS because he does the standard limb length DS not the Hess method (familiarize yourself with those terms and understand what they mean...I wish I had done so) and he fucked up my health royally. Long story short he gave me too short of an absorbing small intestine pate. The Hess method requires the Surgeon to measure the small bowel length (SBL) because we all have different SBL's and after measuring the SBL the surgeon makes the common channel (CC) where food and digestive enzymes come together, roughly 10% of total SBL. He/she then makes the rest of the absorbing path the alimentary limb (AL) so that the CC + AL = roughly 40% of total SBL It is a bit confusing but some refer to that entire absorbing intestine path the AL. The absorbing path before being connected back to the Bilopancreatic Limb (BPL) is also called the AL. In any case that 60% BPL = CC +AL of 40% has been shown to deliver optimal weight loss and health. My path was way to short and left me with total protein at roughly half of the bottom limit of acceptable range. The left me in the hospital for a week with a resting heart rate of 35 BPM, BP of 65/35 and I was passing out. Once the hospitalist figured out that I was seriously malnourished even though eating 4,000 calories and 250 grams of protein daily I was started on a pancreatic enzyme (CREON) to improve my asbsorption. I did this for a year until I was rougly 2 years post DS and my absorption didn't get any better so I went to the best Bariatric surgeon in the world, Dr Ara Keshishian who increased the length of my absorbing intestine path. I immediately went off the CREON and my lab values remained as they were when taking a shit load of CREON.

Would I have the DS again? Absolutely because it did eliminate my diabetes, high cholesterol and BP. They are all actually too low now with A1C of less than 4, BP 90-95/55-60, and total Cholesterol of 78. Had I researched better and found Dr Keshishian before having my original DS , I would have gone with him and would have had no issues. I have had 3 surgeries with him. The revision to extend channels in August of 15 , a large ventral hernia repair with 9 x 11 inch hunk of mesh on 5/24/16 and surgery on my colon on 10/24/16. I live in the Peoria, IL area and Dr K is in Glendale, CA. That is how good he is.

Bottom line and I am going to be brutally honest. If you are going to do WLS then get a Hess Method DS and you will not regret your choice because it woks. ...the data supports that assertion....and you can eat a ton of food.

Best wishes on your future success. I am more than happy to answer any question you have so don't hesitate to ask. BTW, Larra is the best and a good friend who knows her stuff and helps so many people. This board is great and full of wonderful people without whom I would have been lost. That is another dirty secret. Other than Dr K and a couple others, DS Surgical offices absolutely suck at nutritional and vitamin/mineral supplementation.

What a wealth of information you just shared with me! i'm very grateful. Thank you so much! i'm copying this post to show my Doctor!

 

[DSRIGGS]

I don't want to get skinny. I wanna keep some curves because well.. i'm an adorable moon-pie faced marshmallow.. i just don't wanna be the female version of the Stay Puft mascot in the Ghostbuster movies

As Dr K would tell you. Optimal health and that perfect weight are not really achievable. He would error towards having you lose a little less weight and being healthy (not malaborbing too much). So he would make your channel lengths conservative so you didn't lose too much but lost a healthy amount.

Believe me I would much rather be 210 and healthy rather and 168 lbs and struggling with my health.

 

[DSRIGGS]

What a wealth of information you just shared with me! i'm very grateful. Thank you so much! i'm copying this post to show my Doctor!

You are welcome. I would also highly suggest going to Dr K's website as there is a wealth of information there including diagrams and charts comparing all weight loss procedures, plus he has tons of blogs, articles and data. Dssurgery.com is the website.

Is Sudan your surgeon?

 

[MissLisa1970]

You are welcome. I would also highly suggest going to Dr K's website as there is a wealth of information there including diagrams and charts comparing all weight loss procedures, plus he has tons of blogs, articles and data.

Is Sudan your surgeon?

I live in Maryland, near Baltimore. i only know of one surgeon who claims to perform DS in my area. Dr Hien Nguyen through John's Hopkins Hospital. I'm just in the beginning stages of this. in the thought/research process. When i speak with my Dr in the New Year i'm hoping he will know of a good surgeon. (since he's suggested WLS on more than one occasion) I also have to consider who's in my network insurance wise..and they show bariatric surgeons through Sinai Hospital. None of which state specifically they perform DS. They do say that revisions are performed.. so i'm hoping it's not just from bands to sleeves or bypasses. I'll know more the further i get into the process.. (crossing fingers)

 

[DSRIGGS]

Sorry. I confused your with another poster from NC.

It is hard to find a DS surgeon, and good DS surgeon in many areas. I am not familiar with any in your area and know that if a surgeon doesn't do the DS they will likely say it isn't the right surgery for you because of course they lose a sell. Finding out who is in your network is the first step. It sounds daunting but many of us traveled for our DS or revision but it really isn't It much more important to find a really good surgery as this isn't any easy surgery to perform and you want the best. A bad DS surgeon can cause significant issues.

Anyways, best wishes on your journey.

 

[galaxygrrl]

WOW that chart is absolute GOLD! Thank you for sharing it with me.. Also i appreciate the empathy when it comes to hurting feet! MY GOD my feet kill me at work. I've spent HUNDREDS (if not maybe thousands) over the years trying to find comfortable shoes! New balance, Nike, specially made shoes and orthotics. even considered buying these most UGLY shoes with heels that look like mattress springs! (thank god i didn't, a gal can't look completely stupid, no matter how comfortable they promise to be) i've suffered with Plantar fasciitis for so long i've gotten used to it being just another pain my body has to deal with on a daily basis.

Yep that chart is awesome. It's from Dr. Rabkin who is the DS surgeon in San Francisco. I'm not really sure why it's not posted more often on more forums and groups. It just makes the decision for you.

Anyway, on to the feet issue. My feet killed me. I remember traveling in Europe and my feet hurt so badly, I did not know what to do. I had been at my heavy weight for years and my feet just started to hurt and did not stop. I got WLS and in about 30 pounds, they stopped hurting.

I had Plantar Facistis, but I took care of it and it went away. It pops up sometimes and I use tape, stretch and ice, and it goes away. But, I have to wear my orthotics, or I get into trouble. I suspect WLS will solve your feet problem, but you still need to take care of Plantar Fascitis. Skinny people get this too, but really my feet so stopped hurting.

As for Aetna, their HMO covers everything, I was on their PPO plan it only covered $8,000. It might be different in different states and I'm in Cali. It's open enrollment now, so I would spend some time (in the next week before open enrollment ends) and figure out what insurance you have access to that will cover WLS.

But definitely do your research during open enrollment.