Today I Advocated for Myself!!!

[Charris]

myself I cannot do the extra fat. It gives me the runs big time! I'm not sure if it is because of my short 50cm CC or what. Plus Dr. K does not believe in the extra fat concept to stay regular. He told me that behavior will eventually start to put extra weight back on me. But as many of us know there are so many different things each DS patient has to cater to for our own personal case. Dr..K also did not use a bougie on me. My insides were so screwed up from my minuscule pouch that he did my sleeve free hand and by hand. As much as I vomited, even to the point of vomiting out of my nose at night i can't imagine the misery a very tight sleeve causes if it's worse than that!

 

[Munchkin]

Read all about poop here. We talk about it a lot. The constant diarrhea thing is what the docs use to talk patients into other surgeries.

When you are brand new, it's common and it should be treated. Imodium is your friend. I probably carried it with me for 3 years! I had surgery in 2003 and I have probably taken maybe 20 Imodium since then. Bet you could find a lot of people who had no surgery who use it more than me. I don't think I even have any right now.

Once you learn your new body, you will also know what foods are almost guaranteed to turn you into a pooping machine. For me, large dinner salads will always give me an extra poop. Last night I had taco salad with no chips and no guac. So I just know I will poop more than once today. What matters is that I KNOW it. Just wait till you eat beets the first time and see purple poop!

I am extremely regular. I usually go twice every morning within a 30 minute time period and that's it. It does add time to getting ready to do anything in the early AM. I just have to plan for it. And DS poop is not like regular poop. It is more fluffy and softer. And all different colors depending on what you eat.

 

[Ray_Of_Fricken_Sunshine]

@DSRIGGS I do understand more completely now that the entire system is equally as important. In our discussion, the alimentary limb was never mentioned once. He did, however, mention several times that I was one of the very few patients that had any understanding at all of the surgery. LMFFAO, he said, "Half of my patients' greatest concern is if I'll write them a note so they only have to pay the child's price at Golden Corral." I think that sums up the clientele nicely!
Miss @Larra, I actually did exactly that, earlier!! I thanked him for listening to me, and taking my concerns into consideration, and then outlined the terms on which we agreed. I did mention the sleeve size, and asked him to clarify what size bougie he intended on using. We'll see what he says.
@DSRIGGS On a few different occasions, the surgeon has mentioned that it's "almost impossible" to get an accurate measurement of the bowel system. Each time he's said it, i'ts been in response to the Hess Method, and I thought, "That doesn't seem right", but I chose my battles. Fortunately for me, I'm only 5'3, so the 100cc should be relatively accurate. Ish. Right?
Miss @aaa My first thought was, "Wow, that's a lot of pooping!!", But your results are so encouraging!!!
After reading story after story of Dr.'s trying to convince patients to have the RNY, or the pseudo DS, I was actually shocked by my surgical group methods. Once a week, they have a "So you think you want bariatric surgery?" group appointment. The damn things goes from 8am to 3:30pm. They bring in the NUTs, the nurses, the insurance people, the hospital nurses, and they do a brief overview of each available surgery and at the end you have your consult with your designated surgeon, and tell them what you've decided. @Munchkin, the Imodium was one of the first things you recommended to me, and one of the first things I bought!

 

[Ray_Of_Fricken_Sunshine]

@Charris OMG, the last time I vomited out of my nose Grey Goose was involved. I have zero desire to ever experience that again! I know that you have had more than your fair share of complications and struggles, but it does seem that through all of that, you're still coming out on top. I figured we all have our specific things that will set us off... The fun part is discovering what they are! haha

 

[Munchkin]

Intestines are motile. They expand and contract all by themselves. It's called peristalysis and it moves things along towards the exit. Sort of like earthworms. I have often said you could have the 10 best DS surgeons in the world measure out a 100cm CC on the same patient, and the measurements would all be different. A LITTLE different, hopefully not a lot!

Here you go, you can see for yourself. It's not bloody or icky!

 

[DianaCox]

I just pulled up my surgical report from 2003. My guts measured 630 cm; my entire alimentary tract was cut at 250 cm, of which my CC was 100 cm. My sleeve was formed around a 58 bougie, with the final volume being 120 cc (4 oz).

I just ate a sandwich, comprising two slices of sourdough bread (normal commercial size loaf, size and thickness of the bread); about 3-4 oz of turkey breast (cut off a precooked breast - kinda dry); a mess of mayo and some cranberry sauce for flavor.

And I'm pretty damned full. But I'll eat again in 2-3 hours, as a snack before dinner.

I would rather NOT have a tight sleeve, I think - I've heard of a lot of misery with them, and eventually, maybe a year later, they still end up at the same volume as the rest of us - which is variable. I still consider that I have decent restriction, but frankly it wasn't the restriction itself that led to my weight loss - it was the change in my metabolism that ENDED my constant physiological (not psychological - I did not have an eating disorder) cravings to EAT, even when I was full. And the fact that the DS "fixed" something so that when I get hungry, I want to eat protein, not crap, most of the time. When what you want to eat and what you should eat coincide, it makes eating properly SO much easier.

I am most likely to have a poop issue when I fart in my sleep in the early morning hours after overindulging in milk the night before. But even if I do that, it RARELY happens. And I'm old, and I've had a lateral sphincterotomy for an anal fissure about 22 years ago. I have almost never pooped my pants, and when I did, I was sick. My husband has pooped his pants too, and he doesn't have a DS. Shit happens, and sheets (and underpants) can be washed (although my husband had an issue a couple of weeks ago, and he was so grossed out that he just threw his pants in the trash! And it wasn't even DS poop!).

 

[Charris]

Intestines are motile. They expand and contract all by themselves. It's called peristalysis and it moves things along towards the exit. Sort of like earthworms. I have often said you could have the 10 best DS surgeons in the world measure out a 100cm CC on the same patient, and the measurements would all be different. A LITTLE different, hopefully not a lot!

Here you go, you can see for yourself. It's not bloody or icky!

@Munchkin whomever intestines these are sound like they have a DS. The hungry stomach gurgle. lol

 

[harrietvane]

@harrietvane Food Poisoning is no joke!! BTW, every time I see your posts, I always think that you have the best superhero name! Random, but true!

Harriet Vane is (eventually) one of the protagonists in Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter mystery novels. She's a mystery novelist who is arrested and tried for murdering her lover according to the plot of one of her books.

 

[writegirl]

Glad you spoke up and self-advocated. I read a post today on FB by a woman who's surgeon put DS down as her surgery without her consent--she wants the VSG. If we don't speak for ourselves, we can wind up with God-knows-what.

 

[Ray_Of_Fricken_Sunshine]

@Munchkin That is just so cool!! I don't mind blood and icky. The only thing that makes me queezy is broken bones. *gag* @Charris I was playing it on the laptop, and from across the room, my son thought I was watching a scary movie! LoL!
Miss @DianaCox , I thought I remembered you saying that you weren't terribly carb sensitive. I've seen several DS'ers talk about sourdough being less offensive, but I haven't really looked into that. I am a carnivore to the core! I crave meat 24/7 anyways, and honestly, the DS way of eating played a big role in my decision to get the DS. I definitely agree with all of you... The tight sleeve sounds productive when you say it with jazz hands, but after reading everyone's personal experiences, all I hear is, "You won't be able to eat steak for 8 months!". I did giggle at your poor husband's misfortune, just a bit. Your man threw away his pants!? Must have been traumatic! Seriously, though, I'm hoping to be "fixed", as well. I have PCOS and have had it for a very long time, though I haven't had insurance. I went untreated for about 16 years, and when I was finally seen by an endocrinologist, this insanely intelligent, educated woman said, "Yeah, you're fucked." I have always maintained that I have never been an emotional/bored eater. Anyways, I'm just hoping for a factory reset on my body.
@harrietvane Well, I feel ignorant as hell!! But the books sound really interesting!

@writegirl That's nuts! Can you imagine!?!?!

 

[aaa]

@Ray_Of_Fricken_Sunshine You're right. It does sound like a lot of 'going'. From what I've seen on the boards over the years, I'm more than most. Some have 1 or 2 in the morning and that's it. I've never had that since I'm postop.

 

[Ray_Of_Fricken_Sunshine]

Hey Everyone!
As Miss @Larra had recommended earlier in this thread, I had written my surgeon through the online chart and mentioned thanked him for agreeing to do the 100cc (documenting that) and I also asked several questions about the bougie and alimentary limb(Thanks, @DSRIGGS for filling me in on why that's so important!) I asked for him to tell me the specifics of his plans for my surgery, including the sizes of everything he needed to cut. I acknowledged that I didn't want a super tight sleeve, as GERD and the ability to consume dense proteins are concerns for me.
I just got his response earlier today, and it was so incredibly vague. I feel like I should push for specifics, but I wanted to get y'all's opinion. I want to make sure I'm being anal for a good reason, and not just anxious.
His reply:
There is a lot of debate about bougie sizes. No clear answer, because is really hard to standardize the technique. The bougie is just a guide for stapling but depends on how the surgeon tightens the stomach. I believe a supertight sleeve can cause problems and can put you at risk of leaks. For a "classic" sleeve it is recommended to fashion a larger sleeve due to the short common channel. I typically perform the same sleeve I would do on a primary sleeve, but in your case I might use a larger bougie due to your short common channel.
GERD is a problem with sleeves. 10-15% can have de novo GERD, and patient with established GERD can have increased problems. With a switch things are different as we divert the bile due to the duodeno-ileal anastomosis.
I'm glad your son is involve in this process. I believe information is a powerful tool and sometimes can help with fears.
Please feel free to contact should you have any more questions.

 

[southernlady]

Ray, I have a small sleeve. While the sleeve is the restrictive part and keeps you from eating too much, a slightly larger sleeve can help you long term far more. Less chance of GERD and the ability to get in all your protein are the two major benefits. Don't stress sleeve size. Focus on the malabsobtive part as that is the important part. The sleeve helps get your weight off but the switch part helps you maintain it.

 

[Ray_Of_Fricken_Sunshine]

@southernlady Thanks for the calming advice! Everything I read always says to get the specifics, and I wasn't sure if I should push him to be specific before the surgery. Everything y'all have said has eased my mind a bit about sleeve size, and I feel relatively comfortable with his thought process.

Of course, none of this will matter if I can't get insurance approval before my surgery that's scheduled on Thursday!

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

It sounds like he is thinking right to me. He acknowledged that size can vary greatly depending on sewing style of surgeon, check, he agrees a bit larger sleeve would be good in conjunction with a shorter cc and his reflux thoughts sound good to me (basically being an unknown as to how you'll react).

I would let him know you would prefer to be on the larger end of stomach spectrum.