Hiya!

[Mystrys]

Just popping in here to say hello and introduce myself briefly before I go perusing

I'm a go for a BPD w/DS scheduled for the first week in April 2016. I'm really here to research real life experiences and get some practical advice. I will do a better job with a true introduction here in a bit. Right now I just want to read and see what I can see.

 

[jim1969]

 

[aaa]

Hello.

 

[Mystrys]

Ok. So I was invited here by some lovely folks from another forum. This is a new thing for me and I've had a lot of fear about the advice of my particular surgeon. (Dr. Stephen Boyce in Knoxville TN) So, I've been seeking advice,opinions,insight,etc about some pretty overwhelming feelings I was having.
I have got to say, I got WAY more info and support than I ever expected. After hearing some of the more difficult things being addressed in posts over there, I realized 2 things.
1) I need to do a lot more research on my surgeon and the DS itself!
2) I cannot let fear deter me from making this life-saving decision (for the 3rd time)

So, I will just share my story here now,and if anyone else wants to know more...just ask.

Im 5'7" and currently 243# I'm 46 years old and a Seattle girl transplanted into Tennessee. I've been here 13 years and have finally gotten used to the culture shock. I have been obese my entire adult life and have many co-morbidity issues associated with that. I have been a diabetic for 23 years,with 15 or so of that being insulin dependant. Sleep apnea, a leaking tricuspid valve&murmur associated with the sleep issues. I have arthritis,GERD,4 herniated discs in my back and about 20 years of fibromyalgia/Chronic fatigue syndrome. I am a cancer survivor as well. I had uterine carcinoma and have been clear for over 10 years now.
A bit over 5 years ago was my first attempt at bariatric surgery. My insurance told me I couldn't have a gastric sleeve so I walked away after the seminar. I was scared to death to let anyone cut out or mess with my intestines. So I left and bought a food scale, new shoes and a gym membership and lost 128 pounds in little less than a year. I was able to ditch all but 1 of my 14 meds as well as three injectibles (lantus,humalog and Byetta) I was ecstatic and hoped I'd found the cure for my diabetes.
Stalled out for a couple years, lost my Brother, my only sibling in an accident and fell completely off the wagon. Gained 40 pounds back. Im also back on Metformin and its not woring well. My numbers are high again and definitely not in control. I know insulin is going to be the only option again very soon.
Tried again to do the surgery thing but chickened out again with the same response from insurance.
Here I am....third time is the charm! They finally approved the sleeve but ow my surgeon says I barely qualify in my BMI and he has suggested the DS instead because of its 98% remission rate for diabetes.
Bottom line is I'm still scared, but think this is the right choice, so I'm reading everything I can on it. Good, bad and ugly!
As I've stated at the other forum, I don't feel I have many choices left. This disease ravaged my entire family on both sides. I watched it kill my mother slowly and take everything from her before it did. When she lost her legs and then her sight, she gave up. The CHF and renal failure took her and it was not quick nor painless.
I won't go out like that. So...I'm fighting. But not afraid to say... I'm still scared.

*whew*
So...there ya have my story.
I'm just doing the best I can to get as much info as I can before the first week in April. Seems like a long time from now, but I know it will be here in a flash.

 

[Clematis]

Welcome! If you can lose 128# on your own, you are certainly a fighter. I watched diabetes take my mother's sight, teeth, heart, kidneys, bowels, and brain. Get the DS -- the real DS -- and don't look back! Yea, it's scary to have surgery but death by diabetes is scarier. You CAN do this, you can get healthy and thin and ditch that black cloud of diabetes over your shoulder.

 

[Mystrys]

The DS question. Lol!
That's what I'm trying to figure out. Even though my surgeon calls it a BPD w/DS, I believe what he's performing is the real DS. He says it's a BPD with a sleeve and not a pouch. I'm also needing to ask him about length stuff. He never even talked about that with me. Maybe that comes just before the surgery???? All I know is that I'm a tiny bit concerned since ever since I was young, my parents called me a seagull. Eat and poo!! Lol So, yea, maybe TMI....but my usual retention time is pretty short. And definitely if I don't go before my next meal, the first couple bites activated that process for me!!
So, like I said. I still have a few questions and am just trying to figure it all out.

Thanks for the encouraging words

 

[Clematis]

@southernlady had Boyce. She knows everything. Do not, repeat do not, wait until the penultimate moment to nail down the details with the doctor. It would be too easy to give up and say fine, whatever. As far as limb length, the question is "Do you do the Hess method based on bowel length?" If he says, "Of course! You'll have a 100 cc and 200 alimentary," LAUGH because how can he know this until he is in there and measures your bowels?

No one can answer the Great Poop Question. It's too individual. I was terrified of the poop issues. Yet I get NO gas or diarrhea from anything, even a carbfest. But a bite or two of dense protein and I'll puke it up. (Uh, kinda hoping this will pass SOON.) I have one poop in the morning as I always have had.

 

[southernlady]

Welcome, @Mystrys
Yeap, I had Boyce over 5 years ago. I am also a lightweight. 5'4" and weighed 208 but I was also on an insulin pump as a type 2 diabetic. Back when I had mine, the sleeve was not an option with my insurance. (Medicare Advantage plan). They added it to Medicare 18 months AFTER I had my surgery.

We have several Boyce patients. The newest one is having her surgery next week: @SJB41976 And @duh_Mom had him recently as well.

EXCELLENT cutter and one of a SMALL handful of DS surgeons that is also on the RNY to DS revision list of surgeons. He doesn't do the Hess method. No clue why but it might be that his mentor, Dr. Smith (was Atlanta, now FL) may not have done the Hess method either. I know at a 35.2 BMI which is what I was, he wanted to make my common channel either 175 or 200. I got him to agree to 175 in the pre-op part before being wheeled into the OR. I've done fine...still maintaining 100% excess weight loss. (altho it has gotten above 145 a couple of times)

Read all you can...esp in regards to his vitamin advice (JUST SAY NO). And once healed, the eating advice is all RNY...not DS.

Glad you joined us.

 

[Munchkin]

You are beyond lucky. The DS is exactly what you need. You are 46 and here is your best chance ever to take back your life. You already have serious co-morbs and what's waiting ahead, if you do nothing, is a lot scarier than surgery. If I was in your place I would be running like hell...to the operating room!

 

[Mystrys]

Perfect!! Ok...a couple questions for you @southernlady :
1)How did it affect your diabetes, even with the pump??
2)And is there anyone here who has had a complete remission?
3)Why a RNY regimen instead of DS?
4)And you must have read my mind about their line of BariLife stuff. Do I actually HAVE A CHOICE with them? They made it sound like I HAVE to use theirs.
So many questions! I'M still reading so,excuse my jumping the gun here. I'm a bit confused about the channel length and other measures spoken here. I will keep reading until I understand everything.

I hope I tolerate the denser proteins, it will be easier on me I think. I know I won't have any choice in the matter though. :-(

 

[southernlady]

1)How did it affect your diabetes, even with the pump??

It took a bit for me to come off the pump. My surgery date was the 24th of Jan 2011. I stayed on the pump (half amount) til the 1st of Feb (when I started chasing lows at night, I knew it was time to take it off). I stopped the insulin completely on the 11th of Feb. But it was April 2011 before I came off my metformin. I have been off of all meds since. BUT I watch my a1c like a hawk...it has never gotten low enough for me not too. My lowest a1c post surgery was a 5.7, current one is 6.5 BUT I went thru Christmas for that one. And I didn't completely behave myself during the holiday.

2)And is there anyone here who has had a complete remission?

Yes, several. In fact I am in the 2-3% that do NOT have a complete remission. One I know of right off the top of my head is @Elizabeth N. who is considered cured.

3)Why a RNY regimen instead of DS?

Because it's easier to treat all patients the same way. Too hard for them to read the file and remember who had the DS versus the RNY versus the VSG. Just lump us all in one group...and we are NOT all the same.

4)And you must have read my mind about their line of BariLife stuff. Do I actually HAVE A CHOICE with them? They made it sound like I HAVE to use theirs.

They will...I avoided it by just saying I didn't have the money with me and since I only got paid once a month, I would have to wait...and then just never got them.

Now their pre-op stuff, not sure how to get around it. I was able to avoid that because as close as I was to the cutoff for ANY WLS, Dr. Boyce told me to NOT lose ANY weight so I didn't have to buy any of that.

 

[Larra]

Hi and welcome! I'm so glad you're here now, where you have already found others with your same surgeon and so much great advice.
Now that I know even more about how severe your diabetes is, I would recommend the DS more strongly. You've been diabetic for a long time, and even as a "lightweight" you are still diabetic. This tells me that weight loss alone, as with the sleeve, will not fix your diabetes, at least not long term. Yes, the weight loss would help, but not enough. You need the added metabolic alterations the DS will give you. And you have other serious comorbidities as well - the DS also has the best rate of resolution for sleep apnea. And your GERD - yes, you get a sleeve with both operations, but many surgeons make the sleeve tighter with a stand alone sleeve in the hopes that the restriction will last, or at least last longer. That can worsen GERD. With the DS, since you also get malabsorption, the surgeon can afford to make a looser sleeve and still give you good results.
As you've already seen, Dr. Boyce is definitely an experienced DS surgeon, and I would recommend you discuss sleeve size with him along with discussion of limb lengths. As to why he, and so many others, provides gastric bypass nutrition info to DS patients, I have no idea. It makes no sense whatsoever, yet we see it all the time.

 

[Mystrys]

Now their pre-op stuff, not sure how to get around it. I was able to avoid that because as close as I was to the cutoff for ANY WLS, Dr. Boyce told me to NOT lose ANY weight so I didn't have to buy any of that.

SAME HERE! He told me not to lose one single ounce between now and April! I laughed and am sure I had the same response everyone who hears that has. Because that's NEVER BEEN SAID TO ME BEFORE...EVER! LOL

 

[Jen-2]

Hello and welcome!

 

[southernlady]

SAME HERE! He told me not to lose one single ounce between now and April! I laughed and am sure I had the same response everyone who hears that has. Because that's NEVER BEEN SAID TO ME BEFORE...EVER! LOL

I HONESTLY tried not to lose anything...ate everything in sight. STILL lost 3 lbs before surgery.