I have so many questions....

[Caitlunn]

@Ainu when I was a newbie OTR driver, an old driver told me to get a bucket and line it with a trash bag...just in case. A bucket is Handy for a lot of things! I never had to use it as a toilet, but my sister did once. Honestly, it wasnt even gross. I just thought it was funny, but maybe that's me.

Red light beds are helpful for some things. They are very good at getting rid of acne and diminishing stretch marks, but you would need to use then religiously to get results, and as soon as you stop, th scars can become more noticeable. There are a few other benefits that I'm not remembering...I learned about it in cosmetology school, and am currently on vacation, so I can't be bothered to do much researching

 

[Ainu]

I had it confirmed this morning that my program does offer the DS. She told me it would be discussed more in depth during my surgery class so in the mean time, I'll keep reading.

I had a thought last night (still obsessed with the pooping thing). For us, when we eat something bad, there's always a sacrifice. Pre-op, we eat a gallon of ice cream and it gets slathered onto our butts, stomach, and hearts and it can take months to reverse. Post op, we get diarrhea and it take a day or so to reverse.

 

[southernlady]

For us, when we eat something bad, there's always a sacrifice. Pre-op, we eat a gallon of ice cream and it gets slathered onto our butts, stomach, and hearts and it can take months to reverse. Post op, we get diarrhea and it take a day or so to reverse.

Can't count on it. Each of us is different. My dh (who will be 7 years out soon) can eat ice cream with no bad effects. Me...well, I get cramping and bloat due to lactose intolerance.

 

[Ainu]

I'd be beyond happy to be able to eat without bad side effects. I'm just going into it assuming everything will bother me. That way I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Ainu]

Has anyone tried digestive enzymes to help with processing protein so you don't waste as much? I have a supplement that claims to help with all three macros though I don't use it often enough to notice any benefit.

 

[Larra]

The whole point of malabsorption is that you WANT to not absorb calories. Digestive enzymes are used for people who lose too much, and often prevent those people from needing revisions, but you wouldn't want to take them while you are trying to lose weight. The solution to protein malabsorption is to emphasize protein in your diet, and let yourself not absorb most of the fat you eat and some of that protein.

 

[Ainu]

That makes sense. I feel a little silly now.

 

[Munchkin]

That makes sense. I feel a little silly now.

The only silly question is one you don't ask.

WLS without malabsorbtion is just another diet. More malabsorbtion equals more weight lost that stays lost. You want malabsorbtion. That's what makes the DS work long term. Your body is too efficient. It doesn't poop out calories like other people do. That's why you and I are fat. Malabsorbtion helps to level the playing field.

You shouldn't feel silly at all. There are a whole bunch of doctors out there right now trying to sell their surgeries that LOOK like the DS(SADI/SIPS/Loop) by telling the patient they will have LESS malabsorbtion. And that is true. But it also follows logically they will lose less weight and find it much easier to gain down the road.

Look at the classic proximal RNY. Not much is bypassed and by the time you are 2 years or so postop, your body has adapted. And the regain begins while you still have to cope with dumping and puking. Then you get to be fat again too. That is cruel. And to me, unacceptable.

 

[Ainu]

The only silly question is one you don't ask.

WLS without malabsorbtion is just another diet. More malabsorbtion equals more weight lost that stays lost. You want malabsorbtion. That's what makes the DS work long term. Your body is too efficient. It doesn't poop out calories like other people do. That's why you and I are fat. Malabsorbtion helps to level the playing field.

You shouldn't feel silly at all. There are a whole bunch of doctors out there right now trying to sell their surgeries that LOOK like the DS(SADI/SIPS/Loop) by telling the patient they will have LESS malabsorbtion. And that is true. But it also follows logically they will lose less weight and find it much easier to gain down the road.

Look at the classic proximal RNY. Not much is bypassed and by the time you are 2 years or so postop, your body has adapted. And the regain begins while you still have to cope with dumping and puking. Then you get to be fat again too. That is cruel. And to me, unacceptable.

Even the regular bypass just doesn't bypass enough to make weight loss stick...or fall off I guess.

Of the people in my life, only two don't support my decision. My father lost most of his colon to cancer and I think the idea of me voluntarily screwing with my digestive system just doesn't sit well with him. I can't really blame him. The other guy is someone I work with who is extremely nice, but he thinks wls is a scam. It's kind of hard to convince him otherwise, so I've given up. I only told him because he's probably about 400lbs and I figured he could use me as an example of what wls could do.

Vitalady really does gave everything we'll need. I didn't even realize that some of these supplements existed in such high doses. One thing I'm worried about though. I get extremely nauseous when I take a multivitamin. Sometimes worse than other times and I can't figure out what makes it decide to be bad or not. I don't want to have to worry about trying to choke down all of these pills while also trying to keep them down. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Larra]

Try a different brand of multi's. It's probably the coating or some other additive you are reacting to, not the vitamins themselves. I had this problem many years ago and it was a pharmacist who made that suggestion, and it worked for me.

 

[Clematis]

I used to puke my guts out from Theragran in the 70s when the choice was that or One-A-Day. For the longest time I took it right before I went to bed and then didn't have nausea. (First thing in the morning was the troublesome part.) Taking it with a food also helped.

There's a lot of multi-vitamin choices now. I take Centrum (2 a day) and they don't bother me.

You have to take supplements if you have the DS but you don't have to take them right after surgery, nor do you have to take a fistful at a time.

Oh, Vitalady packets were not for me as after the first labs you'll be adjusting your supplements and have to break open the packs to pick and choose which pills to take. I just buy bottles and fill my pill boxes once a month.

 

[Munchkin]

I have a pretty cast iron stomach but the one supplement that made me physically ill was iron. So I just kept on trying different ones and it took a couple years but I finally found iron I tolerate. You will find what you need too. Start taking a multi, D, and calcium(citrate) now and see how you do. You have to be able to take supplements to have the DS.

And as far as your co-worker goes, he will see for himself when he watches you!

You can buy supplements wherever you choose. Vitalady is great and she gives you the best idea where to start.

 

[JPreiss]

I am only 3 months post op so not the voice of experience that so many others are, but thought I'd respond because I had so many of your questions and was scared witless at times while considering going through with it.

Bowel movements seemed like a big issue for some people and the thought of "pudding like" BM's was not very appealing to me. However, I have been completely normal -- not constipated and not diarrhea, normal pre-op consistency. I know it varies person to person, maybe it depends on what you were like pre-surgery. Pre-op I had several normal consistency BM's a day and still do. One thing I will say is that I don't get a lot of lead time between getting a stomach ache signaling need to go and when I absolutely must get to the bathroom. But it was the same before surgery so if that isn't an issue for you now maybe it wouldn't be after either.

I can only remember one time where my stomach was making loud gurgling noises for no apparent reason and it was cracking my kids up. That was fairly early on.

Recovery is tough, especially the first week. But I felt tons better every single day. I think I rebounded probably quicker than most, but I swear I felt almost completely normal at about 2 weeks. Maybe moving a little slower when walking into grocery store etc but no problems driving or going through daily life activities. I am 48 and was 235 surgery weight if age and weight have anything to do with ease of recovery.

So far I am very happy with my decision to have the DS!

 

[JKap19]

I'm 6 weeks out and I also had several of the same concerns and questions but have been pleasantly surprised for the most part. I don't seem to have the gas like everyone else but it's early. I burp a lot though and my tummy is still very noisy but it has gotten better since the first day after the operation. I have found that I'm constipated from the vitamins so I'm trying to incorporate more fat in my diet. I'm not eating much because I'm still struggling to get all my liquids in but I do at least 60 grams of protein every day through shakes. The thing is, everyone is different and what works for one doesn't for another. All you can do is try and make adjustments as you go along. I wouldn't trade my surgery for anything other than to have done it a lot sooner.

 

[Ainu]

Hey everyone. Just posting a quick update. I've gotten my nutritionist "green light" and my psychological evaluation "green light". I get an ultrasound of my stomach parts on the 14th and my last education class on the 20th of this month. Once that is done I can schedule with the surgeon and get a surgery date. The doctors are all fine with me choosing the DS and the picture they gave me of the procedure was the proper DS and not the weird ones that some people get scammed with. I got to choose my surgeon and I decided on the lead bariatric surgeon in Danville since you know...this is an intense surgery. I'm really going to push for this December for one huge reason. My fiance and I both work for the local bus system and when the Penn State students leave for winter break we go into reduced service so we'll both me laid off since we're very low in seniority. This means for three weeks I'll have him home with me to help when needed. I think it's a pretty good reason for them to accommodate me. Fingers crossed