So...life after DS???
To my new friendly pals, a few questions?
1. How fast can one return to a non-lifting, desk job part-time?
2. How many vitamins/pills do you take and how many times a day?
3. How do you know what you'll need??
4. How often do you do labs, and if your PCP doesn't have a history with a DS WL patient, how do you work together to keep you safe?
5. I've heard all about frequent bathroom pitstops, gas, bloating, and foul odors. Is this something you can hide from non-family members or is it so out there smell-wise or behavior wise, it's hard for others to not notice it? Does it affect your work? Can you control your gas and when you go?
6. Other than a high protein, high fat, low starch diet, and vitamins, what are other requirements??
7. If you have good insurance, does it typically cover things like frequent labs, prescription vitamins, etc?
Thanks
1. How fast can one return to a non-lifting, desk job part-time?
2. How many vitamins/pills do you take and how many times a day?
3. How do you know what you'll need??
4. How often do you do labs, and if your PCP doesn't have a history with a DS WL patient, how do you work together to keep you safe?
5. I've heard all about frequent bathroom pitstops, gas, bloating, and foul odors. Is this something you can hide from non-family members or is it so out there smell-wise or behavior wise, it's hard for others to not notice it? Does it affect your work? Can you control your gas and when you go?
6. Other than a high protein, high fat, low starch diet, and vitamins, what are other requirements??
7. If you have good insurance, does it typically cover things like frequent labs, prescription vitamins, etc?
Thanks
DS Surgery Date Scheduled for July!
HW: 277
NoMore B.
on 4/18/12 3:02 pm
on 4/18/12 3:02 pm
Hi there,
I'm 2 1/2 years out from my DS. I'll do my best to answer your questions.
1. Most people return at about 4-6 weeks. I took off 8 weeks, but mostly because I had great short term disability insurance so didntt feel rushed to return. I probably could have gone back around 5-6 weeks, but not much before that.
2. Expect to take a lot, and then consider yourself lucky if you dont. I take about 18-20 pills a day. I would rather take vitamins than my old hypertension medication, etc. so it's not a big deal to me.
3. I assume you're asking about how do you know what vitamins you'll need? Good question. Most surgeons dont recommend nearly enough. Best advice is to start with what we call the Vitalday plan (Vitalady specializes in bariatrics, and really knows her stuff). You will have to have labs to check your levels, and know how to adjust. There is a lot of support online to help you.
4. You'll have to have your labs done more frequently during the first year, at least every 6 months, if not every 3. After that you can move to every 6 months. My surgeon orders my labs. I had to educate my PCP with drawings and diagrams. I also had him talk to my surgeon, which helped.
5. The frequent poop, and associated problems are grossly exaggerated. Yes, you will go more often, and yes, it will smell worse. But it can be largely controlled by what you eat. Different people are bothered by different things. For me, I can tolerate everything but white rice. No one should nottice a thing. The vast majority of DS'ers go to the bathroom once, maybe twice every mornintg. I know almost as many that are constipated. I dont even go every day.
6. I wouldnt go as far as to say that high fat is a requriement - at least not as in what you might be assuming. I noticed in the otther thread that someone advised you against hte DS if you dont like to eat high fat food. Just because we malabsorb fat, it doesnt mean that we're required to eat a ton of fat. I just eat "to taste". Meaning I go ahead and use cream in my coffee. I use a lot of butter. I use full fat / regular cheese and salad dressing. But I dont gorge on fat, or sit there eating fatty things. You will need a certain amount to stay regular, but that's all I do. If that isn't enough, things like peanut butter on a spoon, an avocado, or even olive oill drizzled on something is just fine.
7. My insurance covers my labs, you just have to make sure the lab uses the right codes. It does not cover vitamins. My vitamins are about $60 a month. But I dont have many of the Rx's I had from before surgery (like high blood pressure medication). I'm not a good value shopper, I bet I could cut some of that money out if I was smarter about it.
Have you been to www.dsfacts.com?
Also, I dont know if you're aware, but most of th DS'ers have left this board to join another one. We're not allowed to post the link to it here, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. I rarely post here anymore myself but popped in tonight and thought your questions were good ones and I wanted to help. Please feel free to PM me, as well. if you would like I dont come here very often any longer.
-Joanne
I'm 2 1/2 years out from my DS. I'll do my best to answer your questions.
1. Most people return at about 4-6 weeks. I took off 8 weeks, but mostly because I had great short term disability insurance so didntt feel rushed to return. I probably could have gone back around 5-6 weeks, but not much before that.
2. Expect to take a lot, and then consider yourself lucky if you dont. I take about 18-20 pills a day. I would rather take vitamins than my old hypertension medication, etc. so it's not a big deal to me.
3. I assume you're asking about how do you know what vitamins you'll need? Good question. Most surgeons dont recommend nearly enough. Best advice is to start with what we call the Vitalday plan (Vitalady specializes in bariatrics, and really knows her stuff). You will have to have labs to check your levels, and know how to adjust. There is a lot of support online to help you.
4. You'll have to have your labs done more frequently during the first year, at least every 6 months, if not every 3. After that you can move to every 6 months. My surgeon orders my labs. I had to educate my PCP with drawings and diagrams. I also had him talk to my surgeon, which helped.
5. The frequent poop, and associated problems are grossly exaggerated. Yes, you will go more often, and yes, it will smell worse. But it can be largely controlled by what you eat. Different people are bothered by different things. For me, I can tolerate everything but white rice. No one should nottice a thing. The vast majority of DS'ers go to the bathroom once, maybe twice every mornintg. I know almost as many that are constipated. I dont even go every day.
6. I wouldnt go as far as to say that high fat is a requriement - at least not as in what you might be assuming. I noticed in the otther thread that someone advised you against hte DS if you dont like to eat high fat food. Just because we malabsorb fat, it doesnt mean that we're required to eat a ton of fat. I just eat "to taste". Meaning I go ahead and use cream in my coffee. I use a lot of butter. I use full fat / regular cheese and salad dressing. But I dont gorge on fat, or sit there eating fatty things. You will need a certain amount to stay regular, but that's all I do. If that isn't enough, things like peanut butter on a spoon, an avocado, or even olive oill drizzled on something is just fine.
7. My insurance covers my labs, you just have to make sure the lab uses the right codes. It does not cover vitamins. My vitamins are about $60 a month. But I dont have many of the Rx's I had from before surgery (like high blood pressure medication). I'm not a good value shopper, I bet I could cut some of that money out if I was smarter about it.
Have you been to www.dsfacts.com?
Also, I dont know if you're aware, but most of th DS'ers have left this board to join another one. We're not allowed to post the link to it here, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. I rarely post here anymore myself but popped in tonight and thought your questions were good ones and I wanted to help. Please feel free to PM me, as well. if you would like I dont come here very often any longer.
-Joanne
1. This definitely varies. I took 8 weeks off and was extremely tired the first 5-6 weeks. I spent the final two establishing a routine I could do at work and really hit the ground running upon my return. I was a corporate trainer, so my job was very active. Some return early and get half-days or reduced workload. I didn't want them to see me weak, so I opted to stay home.
2. I think I have around 14 pills a day, and take them at 4 intervals.
3. Read and learn what a good start-up regimine will be for you, then you tweak according to labwork.
4. As a 6+ yr post op, I do labs annually. I gave my PCP plenty of information about the DS from white papers to web sites. She was excited to learn about it. Not all docs are that enthusiastic, though.
5. This all depends on what you've been eating. I empty out my bowels (completely) first thing in the morning, and that's it for the day. If I've been eating snacks that maybe I shouldn't have, I'll have gas n the evening from it. If I've been eating plenty of yogurt, the smell isn't as bad, but otherwise it can be quite noxious . You learn what foods cause it and time or eliminate accordingly.
6. Personal accountability is a requirement. You know what you need to do - just do it.
7. There are few vitamins that are necessary by prescription. Even the dry vitamins can be purchased through vitalady.com. I bundle my labs with my annual physical/scope&grope, which is covered 100% by my insurance, and they slide right by. Now, I did it off-schedule once and it cost me $2k.
2. I think I have around 14 pills a day, and take them at 4 intervals.
3. Read and learn what a good start-up regimine will be for you, then you tweak according to labwork.
4. As a 6+ yr post op, I do labs annually. I gave my PCP plenty of information about the DS from white papers to web sites. She was excited to learn about it. Not all docs are that enthusiastic, though.
5. This all depends on what you've been eating. I empty out my bowels (completely) first thing in the morning, and that's it for the day. If I've been eating snacks that maybe I shouldn't have, I'll have gas n the evening from it. If I've been eating plenty of yogurt, the smell isn't as bad, but otherwise it can be quite noxious . You learn what foods cause it and time or eliminate accordingly.
6. Personal accountability is a requirement. You know what you need to do - just do it.
7. There are few vitamins that are necessary by prescription. Even the dry vitamins can be purchased through vitalady.com. I bundle my labs with my annual physical/scope&grope, which is covered 100% by my insurance, and they slide right by. Now, I did it off-schedule once and it cost me $2k.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
mrsannie
on 4/18/12 10:10 pm
on 4/18/12 10:10 pm
Hi there, I am 2 1/2 years out and here's my life after DS in a nutshell...
The recovery sucked!!! Abdominal surgery is never fun and it takes a while to recover, it took me about 5 weeks to finally say "I feel better today."
It takes a while to get used to what you can and can not eat. The gas sucks and the smell is not pleasant but you can control that with what you eat. If you eat what you are not supposed to, you will have smelly gas and unpleasant BMs (or at least most of us do) so that's up to you. You need to eat mostly protein your body does not work the way it used to, so you need to adjust accordingly. The brightside is that fat and calories no longer matter. I practically eat all day long! If I am hungry - I eat, as long as its protein like cheese or meat or fish I am fine. If I need a quick fix I can stop at McDonalds and have a double cheesebuger, I can have 6 if I wanted as long as I don't eat the bun. I can not eat wheat, rice or oats with out consequences, so I skip that and just eat the protein. I can eat some potatoes, as long as I don't too many I am fine. Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect and do what I shouldn't all the time, so when I do have gas etc., I usually know why.
The vitamins are many!!! But its a small price to pay for having my life back! I see my Doc about every 6 months for blood tests and he tells me if I need to adjust them in anyway. I do have really good insurance which paid for whole procedure, all bloodwork, any Rxs I need (like Prevacid) I take everyday, but it does not pay for vitamins.
There are draw backs and nothing is perfect, but the good so far out weighs the bad for me the only regret I have is waiting so long! I have been given a gift that I am grateful for everyday.
PM me if you have any questions and I'll see if I can answer them for you.
Good luck!
The recovery sucked!!! Abdominal surgery is never fun and it takes a while to recover, it took me about 5 weeks to finally say "I feel better today."
It takes a while to get used to what you can and can not eat. The gas sucks and the smell is not pleasant but you can control that with what you eat. If you eat what you are not supposed to, you will have smelly gas and unpleasant BMs (or at least most of us do) so that's up to you. You need to eat mostly protein your body does not work the way it used to, so you need to adjust accordingly. The brightside is that fat and calories no longer matter. I practically eat all day long! If I am hungry - I eat, as long as its protein like cheese or meat or fish I am fine. If I need a quick fix I can stop at McDonalds and have a double cheesebuger, I can have 6 if I wanted as long as I don't eat the bun. I can not eat wheat, rice or oats with out consequences, so I skip that and just eat the protein. I can eat some potatoes, as long as I don't too many I am fine. Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect and do what I shouldn't all the time, so when I do have gas etc., I usually know why.
The vitamins are many!!! But its a small price to pay for having my life back! I see my Doc about every 6 months for blood tests and he tells me if I need to adjust them in anyway. I do have really good insurance which paid for whole procedure, all bloodwork, any Rxs I need (like Prevacid) I take everyday, but it does not pay for vitamins.
There are draw backs and nothing is perfect, but the good so far out weighs the bad for me the only regret I have is waiting so long! I have been given a gift that I am grateful for everyday.
PM me if you have any questions and I'll see if I can answer them for you.
Good luck!
Nothing will change if you don't have the courage to change it!
And stop calling me "Shirley!"
instead of high fat i take a daily dose of Rx miralax generic, have been for years due to hemorrhoids and fissures now cured, they have not returned and i have not had a issued. i get a full blood work up every 3 months by my endocrinologist or PCP, as i have 3 types of diabetes and a bag full of hormones and vitamins. not a problem. . a morning protien coffee is routine
1. How fast can one return to a non-lifting, desk job part-time?
Everyone is different. I would imagine 2 weeks would be fine. BUT I was exhausted every day and took 2 naps because I could. Expect to be very tired.
2. How many vitamins/pills do you take and how many times a day?
12-14 a day, 8 of them are calcium. I take my vites 4 times a day.
3. How do you know what you'll need??
My labs tell the tale and we tweak accordingly.
4. How often do you do labs, and if your PCP doesn't have a history with a DS WL patient, how do you work together to keep you safe?
In the first year, I had them done every 3 months, after that, every six month, now yearly. My PCP can call my surgeon any day and ask him any questions he has. Dr. Rabkin really cares about his patients!
5. I've heard all about frequent bathroom pitstops, gas, bloating, and foul odors. Is this something you can hide from non-family members or is it so out there smell-wise or behavior wise, it's hard for others to not notice it? Does it affect your work? Can you control your gas and when you go?
I probably fart 1-2 times day, less than most people I know who never had WLS. For most people, it's controllable by what you eat. My poop smells like poop, maybe a little worse than my old poop. I work in an office with a bathroom with five stalls. No one has ever said anything about my odor.
6. Other than a high protein, high fat, low starch diet, and vitamins, what are other requirements??
That's about it. Oh, and unlimited patience to tell people that you did NOT have the RNY! It would be great if you had support in your life, from family and such, but a therapist is a good person to have in your corner as you navigate the unfamiliar waters.
7. If you have good insurance, does it typically cover things like frequent labs, prescription vitamins, etc?
Yes. Mine has covered everything, thank goodness. Even Dexascans and most of my plastics.
Nicolle
Everyone is different. I would imagine 2 weeks would be fine. BUT I was exhausted every day and took 2 naps because I could. Expect to be very tired.
2. How many vitamins/pills do you take and how many times a day?
12-14 a day, 8 of them are calcium. I take my vites 4 times a day.
3. How do you know what you'll need??
My labs tell the tale and we tweak accordingly.
4. How often do you do labs, and if your PCP doesn't have a history with a DS WL patient, how do you work together to keep you safe?
In the first year, I had them done every 3 months, after that, every six month, now yearly. My PCP can call my surgeon any day and ask him any questions he has. Dr. Rabkin really cares about his patients!
5. I've heard all about frequent bathroom pitstops, gas, bloating, and foul odors. Is this something you can hide from non-family members or is it so out there smell-wise or behavior wise, it's hard for others to not notice it? Does it affect your work? Can you control your gas and when you go?
I probably fart 1-2 times day, less than most people I know who never had WLS. For most people, it's controllable by what you eat. My poop smells like poop, maybe a little worse than my old poop. I work in an office with a bathroom with five stalls. No one has ever said anything about my odor.
6. Other than a high protein, high fat, low starch diet, and vitamins, what are other requirements??
That's about it. Oh, and unlimited patience to tell people that you did NOT have the RNY! It would be great if you had support in your life, from family and such, but a therapist is a good person to have in your corner as you navigate the unfamiliar waters.
7. If you have good insurance, does it typically cover things like frequent labs, prescription vitamins, etc?
Yes. Mine has covered everything, thank goodness. Even Dexascans and most of my plastics.
Nicolle
I had the kick-butt duodenal switch (DS)!
HW: 344 lbs CW: 150 lbs
Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea GONE!
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