Noobie Here, Howdy Ho
NoMore B.
on 11/28/11 5:00 am
on 11/28/11 5:00 am
Hi, welcome!
I'm glad you posted here. I'm over two years out from my DS surgery, and other than the "oil slicks" early on, I never had the problems you're concerned about.
Oil slicks can happen if we eat too much fat. Most often it is a "sheen" or drops of orange oil in the toilet after a bowel movement. I dont know anyone who had it "leak" out and soiled their clothing. And when I say too much fat - it really has to be A LOT of fat. Most of us eat a full fat, or high fat diet since we malabsorb most of those calories.
Odor? Yes, your BM and gas will smell different. Worse. But it's not like they smell like roses before surgery, right? I don't have any body odor, and have met dozens of DS'ers in person and neither do they.
I have never soiled myself or needed to carry a change of clothing.
Early on after surgery, say for the first few months, your body goes through an adjustment to your new intestines. During this time, you MAY have urgency, soiling (not common and let's hope not), and diarrhea. I've seen it happen to a few people. This can also most likely be controlled by what you eat - carbs and sugar alcohols being the biggest culprits. After awhile, your body adapts, things level off, and you find what is normal for you.
I'm glad you posted here. I'm over two years out from my DS surgery, and other than the "oil slicks" early on, I never had the problems you're concerned about.
Oil slicks can happen if we eat too much fat. Most often it is a "sheen" or drops of orange oil in the toilet after a bowel movement. I dont know anyone who had it "leak" out and soiled their clothing. And when I say too much fat - it really has to be A LOT of fat. Most of us eat a full fat, or high fat diet since we malabsorb most of those calories.
Odor? Yes, your BM and gas will smell different. Worse. But it's not like they smell like roses before surgery, right? I don't have any body odor, and have met dozens of DS'ers in person and neither do they.
I have never soiled myself or needed to carry a change of clothing.
Early on after surgery, say for the first few months, your body goes through an adjustment to your new intestines. During this time, you MAY have urgency, soiling (not common and let's hope not), and diarrhea. I've seen it happen to a few people. This can also most likely be controlled by what you eat - carbs and sugar alcohols being the biggest culprits. After awhile, your body adapts, things level off, and you find what is normal for you.
Hi Leonia,
Firstly let me say welcome aboard!
I'm only 4 weeks out from my surgery but I haven't had any issues with soiling, slicks or urgent bowel movements (bm). I get a little gas, particularly if I eat something with higher than expected sugar content (for me that's some juices) but I'll be honest and say the smell is actually less toxic than my pre-surgery gas. I have a BM once in the morning (which can look and or smell a bit funky) and then I'm good for the rest of the day.
I have no body odor to speak of but I do feel like my breath is a little manky sometimes, this is perfectly normal apparently and all you need to do is brush more regularly and find some good mints.
I think everyone is right, these things can depend on the person, what they eat and how good their surgeon is.
As for relationships, well unless you're psychic, I wouldn't worry too much about that, you can't possibly second guess what may happen there. Use your nervous energy for good and not the evils of relationship "what ifs"
I wish you all the best in your journey and hope that we hear from you soon.
Kingy
Firstly let me say welcome aboard!
I'm only 4 weeks out from my surgery but I haven't had any issues with soiling, slicks or urgent bowel movements (bm). I get a little gas, particularly if I eat something with higher than expected sugar content (for me that's some juices) but I'll be honest and say the smell is actually less toxic than my pre-surgery gas. I have a BM once in the morning (which can look and or smell a bit funky) and then I'm good for the rest of the day.
I have no body odor to speak of but I do feel like my breath is a little manky sometimes, this is perfectly normal apparently and all you need to do is brush more regularly and find some good mints.
I think everyone is right, these things can depend on the person, what they eat and how good their surgeon is.
As for relationships, well unless you're psychic, I wouldn't worry too much about that, you can't possibly second guess what may happen there. Use your nervous energy for good and not the evils of relationship "what ifs"
I wish you all the best in your journey and hope that we hear from you soon.
Kingy
(deactivated member)
on 11/28/11 7:04 am
on 11/28/11 7:04 am
Hi Leonia,
I have been on the website you speak of in the past few days. While I will not call them liars, I will say that this is NOT the norm. That website is known for shoving rainbows up everyone's ass and so I would also guess that any problems are not being addressed.
I am 6+ years out and have only had oil slicks in the toilet, have never crapped my pants and do not have any 'body odor'! I will have really stinky gas that lingers for hours if I eat a ton of carbs but that's the extent of it. ( I have a 75cm common channel, not that it has to do with anything)
I spend approximately the same or less on vitamins now as I did Rx medicine co-pays pre-op.
Really, really, research your surgeon, he has no DS patients that I know of and I have never heard of him doing a DS on anyone. There CAN be a lot of problems that you will bypass with an experienced surgeon so ask him and ask if any of his previous DS patients are wiling to speak to you. Ask how many DS surgeries he has done and how many complications he has had. There is a STEEP learning curve with this surgery and I would want those numbers to be over 100 with a very small incidence of complications.
Oh, and welcome!
Michele
I have been on the website you speak of in the past few days. While I will not call them liars, I will say that this is NOT the norm. That website is known for shoving rainbows up everyone's ass and so I would also guess that any problems are not being addressed.
I am 6+ years out and have only had oil slicks in the toilet, have never crapped my pants and do not have any 'body odor'! I will have really stinky gas that lingers for hours if I eat a ton of carbs but that's the extent of it. ( I have a 75cm common channel, not that it has to do with anything)
I spend approximately the same or less on vitamins now as I did Rx medicine co-pays pre-op.
Really, really, research your surgeon, he has no DS patients that I know of and I have never heard of him doing a DS on anyone. There CAN be a lot of problems that you will bypass with an experienced surgeon so ask him and ask if any of his previous DS patients are wiling to speak to you. Ask how many DS surgeries he has done and how many complications he has had. There is a STEEP learning curve with this surgery and I would want those numbers to be over 100 with a very small incidence of complications.
Oh, and welcome!
Michele
You happened on an uneducated and/or non-compliant bunch. You should refer them to us so they can get some quality of life back.
There is no reason AT ALL to have those chronic problems. None at all.
My advice is to spend the time between now and your surgery reading as much of this forum as you can read. Go back page after page and read read read.
Here's a starting point:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4280788/Repost-Request-Advice- for-Pre-Ops-with-Links/
~Becky
There is no reason AT ALL to have those chronic problems. None at all.
My advice is to spend the time between now and your surgery reading as much of this forum as you can read. Go back page after page and read read read.
Here's a starting point:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4280788/Repost-Request-Advice- for-Pre-Ops-with-Links/
~Becky
annaleigh1979
on 11/28/11 11:21 am
on 11/28/11 11:21 am
You've gotten lots of great advice. I did, however want to mention something about health insurance. I dropped the insurance plan I was on when I had surgery due to the high premium. When I applied for individual coverage, I was denied because my DS is considered a pre-existing condition. Before the DS, my morbid obesity was a pre-existing condition as well, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
hello Leonia! You must have done a lot of reading here because I also read a wealth of info here and I even remember all those posts about the side effects that now scare you.
There is a learning curve the first few months after the DS and adjustments you must make to your diet to avoid excess gas and frequent bathroom visits. I remember getting the orange oil slicks only once in the beginning. At times there is a little oil in the toilet also which is normal as we expel 80% of our fats. It seems to be what makes the poop light and float which is a little bit different from preop.
I for one have not always behaved with carbs so I probably have seen the worst it can be, worse being more frequent bathroom visits. I have never soiled my clothes or needed a diaper or set of extra clothing along.
I agree the gas stink is worse than preop but withprobiotics it improves. Keeping a spray can if air freshener nearby or a candle to light makes coping easier with that too. If I behave I have one or two BMs in the morning and I am good for the day or at least several hours if I eat something that triggers gas later in the day.
Everyone seems different with what they tolerate. Most are lactose intolerant post op but that can change too. There was only that one guy that I heard smelled or was thought to leak odor from his pores. I had never heard that one before!( I wondered if he bathed or changed his underwear much! LOL)
And I hope you also listed all the positives in your reading as the list is much much longer. If you can take all the pills and eat all the protein and stay hydrated I am sure it will probably be the best thing you could have ever done for yourself!
There is a learning curve the first few months after the DS and adjustments you must make to your diet to avoid excess gas and frequent bathroom visits. I remember getting the orange oil slicks only once in the beginning. At times there is a little oil in the toilet also which is normal as we expel 80% of our fats. It seems to be what makes the poop light and float which is a little bit different from preop.
I for one have not always behaved with carbs so I probably have seen the worst it can be, worse being more frequent bathroom visits. I have never soiled my clothes or needed a diaper or set of extra clothing along.
I agree the gas stink is worse than preop but withprobiotics it improves. Keeping a spray can if air freshener nearby or a candle to light makes coping easier with that too. If I behave I have one or two BMs in the morning and I am good for the day or at least several hours if I eat something that triggers gas later in the day.
Everyone seems different with what they tolerate. Most are lactose intolerant post op but that can change too. There was only that one guy that I heard smelled or was thought to leak odor from his pores. I had never heard that one before!( I wondered if he bathed or changed his underwear much! LOL)
And I hope you also listed all the positives in your reading as the list is much much longer. If you can take all the pills and eat all the protein and stay hydrated I am sure it will probably be the best thing you could have ever done for yourself!
1985 Verticle Banded Gastroplasty to DS revision 2010 sw 280 gw 140 cw 188 hw 360
“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.?
Winnie the Pooh
I hope Kathleen doesn't mind that I totally stole her formatting with a list. Here's my two centers.
1. oil slick: I've never had one, but I know lots of people do. I do have much softer bms which are sometimes orange in color. They just make my bathroom time more of an adventure! ;)
2. Carry change of clothes: Never. One time, early out (maybe 2 months?) I thought I could "wait" to go to the restroom in the morning because I was running late to work. Well, not so much, and I had an accident. It's the only one I've ever had and I learned my lesson. I know that when I have to go, I can't put it off (I mean for a long period of time...not like I have to run or anything).
3. Odor emanating from pores: Never.
4. Job issues: Only if you're completely non-compliant. We have had a few people who've had that problem and it usually could be traced back to bad eating habits. For me, if I eat lots of flour based products then it gets pretty rough. I also have big trouble with artificial sweetners. I have no problems with other carbs (potatoes, rice) if I eat them in small amounts or with real sugar in small amounts.
5. acne: Never had problems
6. Relationship problems: They're common after all WLS. People change in their confidence and jealousy can often come up becuase spouses are used to us being "safe." People often become more social and want to get out and be more active in their lives. Marriages take work and, in my experience, a lot of frank communication. That being said, my marriage has remained strong and I think many people would say the same thing
7. Supplement expenses: Yes, it's expensive. But I'm off my prescriptions and I feel a great deal better so it's worth the tradeoff to me. I'm also not a bargain shopper by any means and I'm all about convenience. I know lots of people get their supplements with great deals and discounts. I want them all in one place and all easy. Mine probably run around $100 a month.
The positive....I've lost almost 170 pounds and I wear a size 8!! I know that my future is not guaranteed, but I feel hopeful about it then I've ever felt. I love not feeling like I'm killing mysef every day.Hope this helps,
shannon
~shannon
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~E. Roosevelt
(Ticker includes 11 pounds lost in pre-op diet.)
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~E. Roosevelt
(Ticker includes 11 pounds lost in pre-op diet.)
(deactivated member)
on 11/29/11 3:43 am
on 11/29/11 3:43 am
Thank you everyone for the welcomes, the encouragement, the facts, the suggestions, and the personal experiences, it was just what I needed. I had a feeling that there was more to it than just one-sided misery.
Coincidentally, 2 years ago I had a uterine ablation to remedy years of menorrhagia, and because of the horror stories and wealth of misinformation I had read online about the procedure beforehand I almost resorted to a partial hysterectomy. My point is, 2 years out and I am so so glad I got the ablation and not the hysterectomy, so I learned back then that there is a lot of worst case scenario rantings on the internet, which is one of the reasons I decided to ask here.
About my surgeon. I don't know why he isn't on the vetted list. I emailed DSfacts.com about it; I haven't heard back yet. I am familiar with one of the Texas surgeons on the DSfacts.com vetted list, Dr. Erik Wilson at UH. When I decided months ago to pursue gastric sleeve surgery I went through lists and lists of surgeons and visited seminars. Eventually I narrowed it down to Dr. Ferrari and Dr. Wilson. After comparing the 2 I found that Dr. Ferrari has overall 20 years more surgical experience than Dr. Wilson and 15 years more experience with bariatric surgery than Dr. Wilson, so I went with Dr. Ferrari. At our consultation, I told him I wanted the sleeve and he asked me how much weight I hoped to lose, and I told him I would love to lose about 230 pounds. He then told me that I very likely wouldn't see that big a loss with the sleeve alone and no malabsorption. He recommended the DS. I had never heard of the DS. He explained the procedure in detail and answered all my questions and told me to think about it. I didn't have to. Later after comparing them again, I read that Dr. Ferrari has performed 4x the DS surgeries as Dr. Wilson. I feel confident that I am in very good hands. Thank you all for the heads-up. There are a few successful DS folks here at OH who had Dr. Ferrari as their surgeon, but they don't seem to be frequent posters.
Thank you again for clearing the air for me, I really appreciate it and feel a lot better about it all. Knowing that I will very likely be able to control unpleasant episodes of any kind by staying away from food that I really shouldn't be eating anyhow is comforting and makes total sense.
Leonia
Coincidentally, 2 years ago I had a uterine ablation to remedy years of menorrhagia, and because of the horror stories and wealth of misinformation I had read online about the procedure beforehand I almost resorted to a partial hysterectomy. My point is, 2 years out and I am so so glad I got the ablation and not the hysterectomy, so I learned back then that there is a lot of worst case scenario rantings on the internet, which is one of the reasons I decided to ask here.
About my surgeon. I don't know why he isn't on the vetted list. I emailed DSfacts.com about it; I haven't heard back yet. I am familiar with one of the Texas surgeons on the DSfacts.com vetted list, Dr. Erik Wilson at UH. When I decided months ago to pursue gastric sleeve surgery I went through lists and lists of surgeons and visited seminars. Eventually I narrowed it down to Dr. Ferrari and Dr. Wilson. After comparing the 2 I found that Dr. Ferrari has overall 20 years more surgical experience than Dr. Wilson and 15 years more experience with bariatric surgery than Dr. Wilson, so I went with Dr. Ferrari. At our consultation, I told him I wanted the sleeve and he asked me how much weight I hoped to lose, and I told him I would love to lose about 230 pounds. He then told me that I very likely wouldn't see that big a loss with the sleeve alone and no malabsorption. He recommended the DS. I had never heard of the DS. He explained the procedure in detail and answered all my questions and told me to think about it. I didn't have to. Later after comparing them again, I read that Dr. Ferrari has performed 4x the DS surgeries as Dr. Wilson. I feel confident that I am in very good hands. Thank you all for the heads-up. There are a few successful DS folks here at OH who had Dr. Ferrari as their surgeon, but they don't seem to be frequent posters.
Thank you again for clearing the air for me, I really appreciate it and feel a lot better about it all. Knowing that I will very likely be able to control unpleasant episodes of any kind by staying away from food that I really shouldn't be eating anyhow is comforting and makes total sense.
Leonia
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