Hi from the land of tulips and windmills!

[Kiekerdepiekske]

Hello everybody! Let's get the introductions out of the way so that I can start bugging you with the questions and fears that I have My name is Angelique, 46 years old from the Netherlands (yes, that would be that tiny little country in Europe). I had a VSG in 2010, surgery was performed by Dr. Jacques Himpens in Belgium. The VSG was intended as the first stage of the duodenal switch but since I lost almost a 110 pounds on the sleeve, at that time I decided that the VSG would suffice. Unfortunately I have gained back a considerable amount of weight over the past two years (about 45 pounds) so I decided recently that the second phase was necessary after all. My operation is scheduled for the 27th of November. I am happy that I finally made the decision (which wasn't easy for me) but also a bit scared. I somehow have this deep fear of not waking up from anesthesia. But I also know that being overweight (again) is making me miserable. The duodenal switch is not very common in the Netherlands. There are currently only two hospitals performing the procedure and then only as an exception. The RNY is still the golden standard and there are even quite a few hospitals still doing the adjustable band. So there aren't that many people around on message boards with the DS either. So I came here

CW (2014): 265
HW (2010) : 325
GW (2015): 180

 

[southernlady]

@Kiekerdepiekske

I LOVED the Netherlands...was there in 1982-1983 (we moved to Belgium in 1983. I was over there courtesy of the US Army. Lived in Brunssum, the Netherlands. Biked to Schinnen quite often and RAN to the Air Base at Geilenkirchen, Germany. However, my Dutch is limited to about THREE words.

Your date will be here very soon...and I know you will be in good hands. Dr. Himpens has a very good reputation.

 

[Kiekerdepiekske]

I've actually been to the US base in Brunssum though that was somewhere in the 90''s! I used to sing in a gospel choir and we were regularly invited to participate in revival nights since our choir director also directed the choir at the airforce base in Soest

 

[Elizabeth N.]

Howdy and welcome! I live 8 years in Germany and made it to within spitting distance of the border, but never across.

It is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you listen to people like us about your diet and supplementation. Every Dutch DSer I have met online thus far has gotten even worse advice in those areas than is given to most American patients. It will likely be a bit of a chore to get the supplements you need in correct formulations and dosages. So be prepared.

You will wake up just fine from anesthesia. Something I like to tell people is that you will NEVER have as much attention centered on little old you as when you are under anesthesia. All will be well.

 

[Barb1]

Welcome!

 

[hilary1617]

Welcome and congratulations on your upcoming procedure. Having a DS was one of the best choices I've made in my life. My sister, brother in law and their two babies live in Amsterdam - it's a lovely city in a wonderful country. I was amazed by how differently the Dutch system of medicine handled the birth of her second child last year than the American system handled her older son 3 years ago. I favor the far more natural Dutch approach which had her home mere hours after giving birth. You will fare well!

 

[Larra]

Hi and welcome! We are becomming more international, and that's great! Don't feel badly about regaining with your sleeve. We are seeing more and more people who start with the sleeve and find that it just isn't enough for them for the long haul. Your date is almost here and you have a very highly regarded surgeon. You've made a good decision.

 

[kirstabelle]

Yes Himpens is a fine cutter but the advice you get for vitamins is not correct. I have told him what I take and he didn't have a problem with it though.

 

[Kiekerdepiekske]

According to Himpens I will initially need to take 2 grams of calcium a day and 2 multivitamins, and 50.000 IU of Vitamin D weekly. He also wants me to do a 7 day protein shake diet pre-op in order to shrink the liver. So not looking forward to that. I am gonna try if a endocrinologist that is very involved in bariatric research wants to take me on as his patient but he has a long waiting list. Any thoughts on the Celebrate brand for vitamins? It seems that, even when taking shipping costs into account, ordering vitamins from the States is still 40 to 50 % cheaper than buying it over here. I knew that already because I am currently taking the Solgar Omnium multi (120 dollars here in the Netherlands, 90 dollars - which included 30 dollar shipping costs - when I buy it on an American website). However, the same seems even more true for bariatric vitamins.

 

[robs477]

Hi and welcome!! This site is great and so are the people, you will love it and learn soooo much! Everyone is really super smart and the vets have a lot of info to share. I'll bet its beautiful at Xmas time where you live! Wow, the 27th is right around the corner! You should be excited! I am still a pre-opper jumping through all the insurance hoops still and hoping for Jan sometime for surgery. You can do the shake, even if it may be a little BS. As much dieting yo/yo'ing as I've been through my whole life, that should be a cakewalk. Keep you eyes on the prize and you'll do just fine!

 

[southernlady]

If you can, the easiest place to get all your vitamins in one place in amounts we KNOW we need is from Vitalady. BUT I do not know what her shipping costs might be. Some people use her pre-packs but I never did cause I did mine based on my lab work from the beginning.

Himpens is almost sure to be wrong about the amount of D...you will more likely need 50,000 a DAY not a week. Many need more. Most need more calcium than that. But a good generic Centrum equivalent multi will work. Most vitamins that are marketed TO THE BARIATRIC patient is no better than just a general good multi along with adding the ones you need on top. So unless the Celebrate multi is the cheapest one that matches a good generic equivalent to Centrum, save your money. I use the Costco Kirkland brand that Vitalady sent us at the beginning. We didn't have a Costco but now we do so we get that one ourselves...but 500 tablets are 19.99 ON HER SITE. That makes each pill .04 (US) cents each or for me, it would be .12 cents (US) a day. Or a bottle will last me 166 days. Celebrate's cheapest multi is 39.95 (US) for 180 pills is .67 cents a day and would only last 90 days.

Okay, Vitalady has the Kirkland multi. I know that Amazon US carries the Kirkland multi not sure if the Netherlands version of Amazon has access to it.

For more info on vitamins (and labs); http://bariatricfacts.org/forums/vitamins-labs.16/ there are good links pinned to the top. And losts of discussion.

 

[star0210]

I believe I talked to you a bit on one of the FB pages. I'm having my VSG to DS revision the day after you.
I hope we both have good outcomes!

 

[JackieOnLine]

Hello & Welcome!

 

[Munchkin]

Welcome! You have a good surgeon. You should be fine!

You were told about Vitalady. Look up patchMD too. All you need of this is normal doses because it's absorbed thru your skin. You would need the multi, calcium/D, and probably the clear skin patch for extra K, A, and E. These are relatively new but some people are getting good results.

And I love your country! Very beautiful and great people! Good food too!

 

[kirstabelle]

It is easier now than, say 1 year ago to get the vitamins in Europe, but I made a few very costly mistakes. I'm not sure what the import taxes are for shipments from USA. Do you know or can you find out?
I have a feeling it will be similar since both are EU.