Hey everyone! Newbie here with questions :)

[Butterfly13]

Helllllloooo everyone!

I was referred by a friend to this site and I'm super excited to meet new people and get answers to a lot of questions that I have! I am having a revision surgery from a Lap-Band to the DS. I'm super anxious/nervous/excited about it. I do have quite a few questions because I've read TONS of different responses across the board on other sites so I am curious to see what general consensus in on some things to get a better understand of what the "norm" is. I would be so grateful for any advise and support!

Sooooo.... I just went to my "pre-surgical seminar" and I wanted to ask you all a few questions about your experiences. From what I gather on this site - everyone has had quite a bit of different experiences so it would be helpful to hear what different people went through.

1. Did you stay in the hospital overnight after surgery? If so, how long?
2. How long was your procedure - start to finish?
3. How long did you have drains in?
4. How much weight did you lose BEFORE surgery and in the 1st week after procedure?
5. When did you have a REAL piece of meat for protein?
6. Did your surgeon say that it was okay to have gummies for your vitamin intake?
7. Were you told to only count your "shakes as protein intake and not worry about counting the protein in real food"? IE: Make sure to have 5 protein shakes a day to equal 150g and whatever meats, etc you eat doesn't matter.

 

[DSRIGGS]

For my Virgin DS

1. Surgery on Monday released in Friday.
2. 3.5 hours
3. No drains
4. I didn't track how much check weight I lost pre-surgery because it was irrelevant... I don't remember how much weight I lost the first week. This is not a sprint it is a marathon .
5. It was a month or two before a solid piece of meat like chicken, but you will eat food within a week... Liquids, then pureed then soft foods.
6. Don't listen to your surgeons vitamin recommendations as in most cases they grossly underestimate vitamin needs and generally give bad advice regarding diet and nutrition. There are some surgeons like Dr Keshishian who understand the DS diet and vitamin needs, but most others are pretty bad in this regard. Generally speaking, gummy vitamins are not going to cut it so get used to taking real vitamins or don't have a DS. You will need a LOT of vitamin to live so get get used to that idea. It isn't optional.
7. That is crazy. Protein drinks are supplental. In the beginning, if you can find one that doesn't make you hurl, you will have a few protein drinks acday.... But you want to get your protein from food, in the long run. Protein drinks are not your main source of protein they will be a supplent and you will need to be eating 150 g of protein or more once your stomach is fully healed and you are capable of eating that much (90-150 day range). A protein drink counts towards that total but you will want the lions share of protein to come from food.

Welcome to the board. It is a wealth of knowledge..

Who is going to do your surgery?

 

[harrietvane]

I had my revision from lapband to DS in early February.

1. Did you stay in the hospital overnight after surgery? If so, how long?

I stayed overnight at the surgical centre, then a second night at a hotel with a private nurse. I had particularly bad nausea, so I was glad to have the second night with someone around to give me medication to help that. I was fully mobile, though.

2. How long was your procedure - start to finish?

Four hours in the theatre, but I had a lot of scar tissue to deal with.

3. How long did you have drains in?

No drains.

4. How much weight did you lose BEFORE surgery and in the 1st week after procedure?

None - not a requirement of my surgeon to do the pre liquid diet. I lost about 14 kg in the first month. First week would have been about 7 of that.

5. When did you have a REAL piece of meat for protein?

Define real! I was eating fish 10 or so days out.

6. Did your surgeon say that it was okay to have gummies for your vitamin intake?

Yes, but surgeons aren't the best for nutritional advice. Gummies, I was told, were until I could swallow proper tablets.

7. Were you told to only count your "shakes as protein intake and not worry about counting the protein in real food"? IE: Make sure to have 5 protein shakes a day to equal 150g and whatever meats, etc you eat doesn't matter.

Definitely not! I can't stand shakes. I'm getting 60-70g of protein in my food every day. Sometimes I have an Up & Go (not a protein shake per se, but a meal replacement common in Australia for breakfasts), but I'm still looking for a shake I can tolerate.

 

[southernlady]

Welcome @Butterfly13

I'm not a revision...I'm a virgin DS'er

1. Did you stay in the hospital overnight after surgery? If so, how long?
My surgery was on a Monday, I was home Wed after lunchtime.

2. How long was your procedure - start to finish?
I really don't know but I think it was about 3 hours.

3. How long did you have drains in?
My drain was removed Wed morning.

4. How much weight did you lose BEFORE surgery and in the 1st week after procedure?
I'm a lightweight, pre-op weight at sign in to the surgeon was on a 35.2 BMI. I was told to not lose a single lb. Didn't keep a record of each week, just every month...first month I lost 21 lbs.

5. When did you have a REAL piece of meat for protein?
About two weeks out ate 2 bites of homemade hamburger patty and chewed it to hell.

6. Did your surgeon say that it was okay to have gummies for your vitamin intake?
No...but then I didn't use his "preferred" option either. I followed the Vitalady list found here: http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/vitalady-links.11/ My labs are stellar because I follow my own labs and tweak based on mine. I don't have my surgeon pulling them any longer. My PCP does using a list I gave him. The ONLY gummy I use is my probiotic as it can stay on the table. If my probiotic is in the fridge, I forget it. If you can take pills before you had your lap band, you should have no problems after you are healed. But start vitamins slow...start with the multi, a good solid Centrum equivalent. NO NEED for anything with bariatric in it's name or "designed" for WLS patients.

Gummies have sugar to make them taste good...and the amount you will be taking means you will be getting too many carbs just from your vitamins if you use gummies.

7. Were you told to only count your "shakes as protein intake and not worry about counting the protein in real food"? IE: Make sure to have 5 protein shakes a day to equal 150g and whatever meats, etc you eat doesn't matter.

I don't use shakes and haven't since about 3 months out when I was able to actually eat enough in a day to get my protein. I do use shakes as a fill in if I am low that day.

Your first month, your primary job is hydration...IF some of that hydration is protein, great. And we go by the 30/60/90 plus rule. 30 grams of protein by 30 days, 60 grams by 60 days, 90 grams by 90 days and above that after.

If you follow your protein levels, your body will tell you the correct amount of protein:
Protein = savings account (this should be a 7)
Albumin = checking account
Pre-albumin = cash in your wallet

 

[Pacifica]

Hi there. I had my DS procedure done 6/24/15.

1. My surgery was at the end of the day, so I spent two nights in hospital.
2. A little over four hours, including my gall bladder removal which was a little challenging.
3. No drains, just 5 little scars.
4. Had to check my old charts for this one. I lost 15 pounds on the pre-op diet and 10 pounds in week 1. Then it tapered down quite a bit, obviously.
5. My surgeon had me on liquids, then pureed foods, and I didn't eat meat of any kind until a month out, and that was soft tuna.
6. Nope. I used chewable bariatric vites (which were kind of gross) until I could take solid pills at about a month out. After that, I followed Vitalady's regimen.
7. Nope. I was told to get as much protein as possible from real food. I never tolerated ready-made protein shake flavors very well, so my version was always a greek yogurt smoothie with unflavored protein powder added. Those smoothies were only mainstays in my diet very early on. Now one of those supplements my day when I am a little low on protein - like 2-3 times a week, tops.

Hope this helps, and good luck with the process!

 

[Larra]

Hi and welcome! So glad to see you here.

Surgery took about 3 hours. No drains, but this varies from surgeon to surgeon and sometimes from patient to patient.
Spent 3 nights in the hospital but recovery was slowed by nausea. Most people are quicker than I was.
Vitamins - forget gummies. Not only do they contain sugar, they probably won't sit well in your new sleeve. Really you don't need to worry about vitamins at all for the first 3 weeks or so because your body has stores that will tide you over. Focus on hydration and walking. Hydration sounds easy but isn't at first. Once you get going it will be important to follow your labs yourself and not count on any doctor's office employee who says they're "ok". You will need to follow the trends to make sure you aren't just at the bottom of "normal range" and about to tank. It's much easier to keep labs healthy than it is to fix them after they're really low.
Same for protein - don't worry about it for the first 3 weeks, just get in enough fluid. After that, you should gradually start eating real food. Protein drinks are ok as a supplement but should not be your main source of nutrition. one of the big advantages of the DS is the ability to eat small but otherwise normal meals, eventually.

 

[Marquis Mark]

1. Did you stay in the hospital overnight after surgery? If so, how long?

6 nights. They would have let me out after 4 but they had the beds and I liked the attention.

1. How long was your procedure - start to finish?

4 hours. I had a few complications which were resolved then there but took a little longer than usual

1. How long did you have drains in?

5 days.

1. How much weight did you lose BEFORE surgery and in the 1st week after procedure?

Not much. A lot (can't say for sure as I didn't step on scale. I know I lost 30 pounds (25% of my excess weight) in the first month.

1. When did you have a REAL piece of meat for protein?

4 weeks post - ground beef.

1. Did your surgeon say that it was okay to have gummies for your vitamin intake?

Didn't discuss w/ him, but my guess is gummies aren't going to cut it. You will need some serious vitamins post op.

1. Were you told to only count your "shakes as protein intake and not worry about counting the protein in real food"? IE: Make sure to have 5 protein shakes a day to equal 150g and whatever meats, etc you eat doesn't matter.

No. Shakes are great because they're liquid and probably absorb better than other sources of protein (AKA more bioavailable), but all protein counts for something.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[southernlady]

You will need to follow the trends to make sure you aren't just at the bottom of "normal range" and about to tank. It's much easier to keep labs healthy than it is to fix them after they're really low.

Two need to be low normal, PTH and B6.

 

[CaraOC]

That was too many questions at once. I got confused but I was a crapband to DS revision in early February

 

[Kate]

Welcome @Butterfly13! I was not a revision, but a Virgin DS so I cannot speak as to the revision experience but here goes:

1. I was in the hospital overnight.
2. About 5 hours
3. No drains
4. My surgeon required a 10% weight loss before he would operate. For me as I was above 300 pounds that meant I had to lose 30. I was 330 in his office and 292 the day of surgery. I lost about 10-12 the first week after surgery not counting the slight rebound due to all the fluids that are pumped into you in the hospital. But I agree with Scott (@DSRIGGS) this is a marathon not a sprint and NOT what you should be focusing on the first week out of surgery.
5. I believe it was about the 4th of July (I had surgery April 20th) before I had a piece of real meat on my plate. I of course ate meat that had been pureed before that, but I think that was the first time I had it "whole" as it were.
6. No my surgeon was not on board with gummies. He was on board with chewable vitamins, but I smiled and nodded my head (practice this skill you'll need it) and stuck with my multi-vitamin.
7. Yes. Again I nodded my head and smiled and worked in real food as I could. I still supplement with shakes, but quite frankly I had this surgery so that I could EAT not drink my protein. Steak, bacon, chicken etc. OH and cheese glorious cheese!

Again, welcome to the board! Your location says Washington and it's good to see another Washingtonian here! There are a few of us around.

 

[DSRIGGS]

Wow I am shocked at the number of people with a one night hospital stay. In my mind that is not enough time. My Dr's standard was the day/night of surgery and then 2 more nights for sure. If needed more. My feelings in that regard is that you need the fluids as it is very hard to stay hydrated that early on. I feel it is probably negligence by a Dr to discharge somebody that quickly after this kind of surgery. Sure a knee surgery or back surgery is tough, but they don't involve your digestive system so sure you can go home quickly with those and "deal with the pain". The IV fluids were an absolute necessity for me because I wasn't getting down much in way of liquids at all for the first week.

 

[Clematis]

1. Four nights after virgin DS surgery. this the standard stay in Mexicali to make sure everyone was well enough to travel. (i was)
2. I think it was about 3-4 hours
3. one drain, 2-3 days
4. i was not required to lose any weight but i was to be on atkins-like diet for 10 days-2 weeks and clears for 5 days. lost 12#
5. I was permitted meats a month out but i still struggle with dense protein 4.5 months out. (this is not usual)
6. No. vites were to be taken about 4 weeks but i started with centrum at 2.5 weeks and was up to all by 4 weeks (iron a little later). I follow VitaLady.
7. No, that's weird. I am not yet able to eat enough protein so need shakes (Premier Protein RTD).

And welcome!

 

[Butterfly13]

For my Virgin DS

1. Surgery on Monday released in Friday.
2. 3.5 hours
3. No drains
4. I didn't track how much check weight I lost pre-surgery because it was irrelevant... I don't remember how much weight I lost the first week. This is not a sprint it is a marathon .
5. It was a month or two before a solid piece of meat like chicken, but you will eat food within a week... Liquids, then pureed then soft foods.
6. Don't listen to your surgeons vitamin recommendations as in most cases they grossly underestimate vitamin needs and generally give bad advice regarding diet and nutrition. There are some surgeons like Dr Keshishian who understand the DS diet and vitamin needs, but most others are pretty bad in this regard. Generally speaking, gummy vitamins are not going to cut it so get used to taking real vitamins or don't have a DS. You will need a LOT of vitamin to live so get get used to that idea. It isn't optional.
7. That is crazy. Protein drinks are supplental. In the beginning, if you can find one that doesn't make you hurl, you will have a few protein drinks acday.... But you want to get your protein from food, in the long run. Protein drinks are not your main source of protein they will be a supplent and you will need to be eating 150 g of protein or more once your stomach is fully healed and you are capable of eating that much (90-150 day range). A protein drink counts towards that total but you will want the lions share of protein to come from food.

Welcome to the board. It is a wealth of knowledge..

Who is going to do your surgery?

Hi Scott! Nice to meet you and THANK YOU for the response!

Here's a few things that I was told:

1. I could leave the hospital that night after surgery if everything went as planned - I just thought that was pretty interesting after such a massive surgery. I am an RN so I can't imagine not staying at least overnight for observation. AND the kicker of it is that the hospital cost includes a 2 night hospital stay, regardless if I stay or not and they absolutely are refusing to refund the 2 night stay cost even if I don't use it, LOL

2. I was told the surgery would be 9.5-10 hours

3. Interesting about the drains - I've heard some people don't even have drains & then I know people who had them in for 2 weeks.

4. I was told to lose 30 lbs before surgery but I understand I need to shrink my liver down

5. Wow! I was told I wouldn't be on a "regular diet" until week 9! Clear liquids for the first 4 weeks, then pureed food for week 5 & 6 and then soft foods for week 8. Hmmmm LOL

6. I was told I could have gummy vitamins for my multivitamin and I nearly fell off my chair! HAHA I asked like 3 times just to make sure.... Sooooo of course I did some research and there are 2g of sugar in a "serving" of gummies which is (2).... but since I was told that I have to take 12 chewable a day.... that would be 24 gummies a day, but I just thought.... well each time I eat the gummies.... that would be my 6g of sugar intake each time. I'm assuming that's why most surgeons would say no to the gummies? I have absolutely NO PROBLEM taking as many vitamins that I need.... I just was curious to find out what other people have been told by their surgeons.

7. And that is very helpful to know about the food intake with the protein! I was just curious because I read a woman's story on DSfacts website that stated that she NEVER had to supplement her protein intake with shakes and just does "DS math" with her food and counts the proteins she eats in her food and does it that way.... sooooo I thought I would consult a veteran (hehe) and see what others thought! Thanks! I think I'm going to do the shake thing for sure.... but the food thing sounds realistic and absolutely should count in my mind

 

[Butterfly13]

I had my revision from lapband to DS in early February.

1. Did you stay in the hospital overnight after surgery? If so, how long?

I stayed overnight at the surgical centre, then a second night at a hotel with a private nurse. I had particularly bad nausea, so I was glad to have the second night with someone around to give me medication to help that. I was fully mobile, though.
Good to know - I have 2 nights included in my hospital cost that are non-refundable but my doctor pretty much wants me to go home that night!
2. How long was your procedure - start to finish?

Four hours in the theatre, but I had a lot of scar tissue to deal with.
Wow... I was told 9.5-10 hours!
3. How long did you have drains in?

No drains.
Good to know!
4. How much weight did you lose BEFORE surgery and in the 1st week after procedure?

None - not a requirement of my surgeon to do the pre liquid diet. I lost about 14 kg in the first month. First week would have been about 7 of that.
Fantastic!
5. When did you have a REAL piece of meat for protein?

Define real! I was eating fish 10 or so days out.
I guess I meant like chicken or beef. Fish day days is fantastic! I was told clear liquids for the first 4 weeks.... pureed food for weeks 5&6 and then soft foods for weeks 7&8 and "regular diet" on week 9. Hmmmmmm LOL
6. Did your surgeon say that it was okay to have gummies for your vitamin intake?

Yes, but surgeons aren't the best for nutritional advice. Gummies, I was told, were until I could swallow proper tablets.
Okay - good to know
7. Were you told to only count your "shakes as protein intake and not worry about counting the protein in real food"? IE: Make sure to have 5 protein shakes a day to equal 150g and whatever meats, etc you eat doesn't matter.

Definitely not! I can't stand shakes. I'm getting 60-70g of protein in my food every day. Sometimes I have an Up & Go (not a protein shake per se, but a meal replacement common in Australia for breakfasts), but I'm still looking for a shake I can tolerate.

I see! Have you tried the POWDER form of Premier Protein? That's what I use now while I'm on my "clear liquid diet" before surgery and I love it. It tastes 100% different from the pre-packaged cartons.... and my surgeon told me that there actually ISN'T the amount of protein that is on the carton in there.... that the protein breaks down and that isn't the actual correct amount - that powder is more accurate. I thought that was interesting.

Anyways - thank you for responding! I really appreciate it and hope we can continue throughout our journeys!

 

[Butterfly13]

Welcome @Butterfly13

I'm not a revision...I'm a virgin DS'er

1. Did you stay in the hospital overnight after surgery? If so, how long?
My surgery was on a Monday, I was home Wed after lunchtime.
Nice to know!~ I have to pay for 2 nights at the hospital regardless and they won't refund me my money if I don't stay.... and my surgeon wants to release me home the same day of surgery if all goes to plan. Uhhhh LOL
2. How long was your procedure - start to finish?
I really don't know but I think it was about 3 hours.
I was quoted 9.5-10 hours
3. How long did you have drains in?
My drain was removed Wed morning.
Good to know!
4. How much weight did you lose BEFORE surgery and in the 1st week after procedure?
I'm a lightweight, pre-op weight at sign in to the surgeon was on a 35.2 BMI. I was told to not lose a single lb. Didn't keep a record of each week, just every month...first month I lost 21 lbs.
Wow!!! I was told to lose 10% of my body weight to shrink my liver down before surgery and so I've been practically killing myself to try to do it LOL Interesting....
5. When did you have a REAL piece of meat for protein?
About two weeks out ate 2 bites of homemade hamburger patty and chewed it to hell.
Ahhhhh what the heck!!!!! I was told clear liquid diet for the first 4 WEEKS, with no protein shakes until day 8 and then pureed foods like cottage cheese and applesauce for weeks 5&6.... then "soft foods" for weeks 7&8 and not a "regular diet" until week 9. Hmmmmmm
6. Did your surgeon say that it was okay to have gummies for your vitamin intake?
No...but then I didn't use his "preferred" option either. I followed the Vitalady list found here: http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/vitalady-links.11/ My labs are stellar because I follow my own labs and tweak based on mine. I don't have my surgeon pulling them any longer. My PCP does using a list I gave him. The ONLY gummy I use is my probiotic as it can stay on the table. If my probiotic is in the fridge, I forget it. If you can take pills before you had your lap band, you should have no problems after you are healed. But start vitamins slow...start with the multi, a good solid Centrum equivalent. NO NEED for anything with bariatric in it's name or "designed" for WLS patients.

Gummies have sugar to make them taste good...and the amount you will be taking means you will be getting too many carbs just from your vitamins if you use gummies.
Thanks, that's definitely what I was thinking too and I appreciate the link!!!
7. Were you told to only count your "shakes as protein intake and not worry about counting the protein in real food"? IE: Make sure to have 5 protein shakes a day to equal 150g and whatever meats, etc you eat doesn't matter.

I don't use shakes and haven't since about 3 months out when I was able to actually eat enough in a day to get my protein. I do use shakes as a fill in if I am low that day.

Your first month, your primary job is hydration...IF some of that hydration is protein, great. And we go by the 30/60/90 plus rule. 30 grams of protein by 30 days, 60 grams by 60 days, 90 grams by 90 days and above that after.
Gosh! I'm learning sooooo much from you! Thank you sooooo much - I wasn't told that ......

If you follow your protein levels, your body will tell you the correct amount of protein:
Protein = savings account (this should be a 7)
Albumin = checking account
Pre-albumin = cash in your wallet

Nice to meet you! Looking forward to a new friendship through this journey that we share!