anyone else have Dr Marshall Peoria Center of Excellence

Hi, my name is Ronda. I live in central Il. I had DS with Dr Stephen Marshall on St Patricks Day. I havent had one single problem which scares me a little (the calm before the storm thing). I scour the boards constantly looking for things I can/can't eat, what my expectations should be, how much people have lost in what time period, and wondering how the heck you DS'ers get in all the vites.

Right now im still in the gagging at the smell of food stage. Everyone tells me it will get better. (hope so). Im eating only soups and bland stuff at the moment as smells seem to be the culprit. I will never drink another protein shake for the rest of my life. Gagging now thinking about it!, but I do like the protein water mixes. Im always looking for advice on food if you have any please share.

I havent excercised yet however I know the time is coming and the weather has been great. I hate to walk in the neighborhood but I have no problem at all walking in the mall for hours on end :)  Ive been going to Walmart type stores and just walking one end to the other to keep me moving. I think the neighborhood thing is psychological, anyone else feel this way?

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and if you have any advice for me please share. Im in sponge mode right now.............Ronda

Hi Ronda!

Welcome to the Illinois Board!!!!  Here, you will find the most friendly and supportive people.

I did not have the DS (although I WISH I did) but had RNY in October of 2006.  I can't comment directly on the DS, but I CAN tell you that every day should get better.

I haven't had any problems myself, and I understand how you are feeling about the "other shoe dropping".  Hopefully, you will not develop any problems......most people don't.  It's just that it seems like we hear more about those that do.

I don't have any great wisdom to impart at the moment, but I CAN tell you that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my protein drinks.  I do ALL sorts of stuff with them and find it hard to believe when people say thay hate them.  There are SO MANY to choose from and ways to make them.  But, maybe as a DSer, you won't need them?

I take probably as many vitamins as a DS (or close) but I have a schedule that I follow that makes it pretty easy.  That is my best advice------make a schedule for yourself including all meds (if any) vitimins, food and water.  That is how I survived the beginning stages.  It is now mostly instinct.

Nicolle is our resident DSer and hopefully, she will stop by to say, "hi!".

Again....welcome, welcome, welcome and hope to get to know you soon!

Hey Ronda!

The Illinois Forum does not have very many DSers, at least not many who post regularly. Most people here seem to be in the Chicago area and there is only one practice in Chicago that actually does the DS, at this point, and they usually only want people with a BMI of 50+.

With a BMI of 55.5, I certainly qualified, but I wanted more experience, so I used John Rabkin in San Francisco. He comes to Chicago monthly to check in with us and meet prospective patients.

For info and personal experience, you will have better luck on the DS forum here. TONS of DSers there who lay bare their daily successes and challenges. Go there and soak in the info and ask questions.

Have you connected with SleepyJules here on OH? I think she had your doc, too. One of the Marshall brothers, at least.

And have you visited www.dsfacts.com? It's a great site for data and info.

I am more than two years out, and aside from kidney stones a year ago, I have had zero problems. There is no food I cannot eat (from salads to desserts), no activity I cannot do.

I only take about 13 vites a day (less than some RNYers I know). I would say about 10 of them are things I should be taking anyway, as a woman of child-bearing age in a cooler climate (8 calcium citrates, 1 multi, vit D). I also take a potassium and iron for pre-existing low lab levels.I use a pill container from The Container Store. I just take them throughout the day when I eat something. That usually helps me get them in. It probably took me about 6 months to get all of my vites in daily. I do not recommend this, but it's possible to survive on your vitamin stores for a while until your tummy is ready.

If calcium pills are giving you grief, you may want to try UpCalD. It's a tasteless powder you put in your drinks. It helped me in those early days when calciums looked and felt like giant boulders.

I do not do protein shakes. My protein comes from food. If I have a lower protein day, I will eat a protein bar on the go (I use Pure Protein bars in any kind of chocolate flavor--they're okay.)

You're very early out, so I would just focus on fluids and protein at this point. I am no doctor, of course, so do what your doc recommends. Things I ate back at your stage were:

--parmesan cheese crisps (bake a pile of cheese in the oven and eat them like chips)
--tomato soup with tons of cheese melted in it
--Greek yogurt
--cheese sticks
--cottage cheese
--Wendy's chili
--Taco Bell pintos and cheese

It took a while for me to be able to eat beef or chicken, (it just SAT in my stomach) but some people have had a lot of luck with canned/packaged chicken and tuna.

There is a rule of thumb we like to use on the DS forum about protein. Try and get in 30g of protein daily by 30 days, 60 by 60 days and 90 by 90 days. Work your way up gently.

Yep, the first couple of months felt like I had a superhuman nose. Smells really bothered me. Now it's back to normal.

I effortlessly lost over 190 pounds in about 15 months. My weight loss history is below.

Best of luck to you!

Nicolle

Date	Weight	BMI
2/21/08	344	55.5
2/28/08	338	54.6
3/08	307.5	49.6
4/08	289.5	46.7
5/08	277.5	44.8
6/08	256	41.3
7/08	236	38.1
8/08	220.5	35.6
9/08	214.5	34.6
10/08	201.5	32.5
11/08	188	30.3
12/08	182.5	29.5
1/09	168	27.1
2/09	163.5	26.4
3/09	164.5	26.6
4/09	158	25.5
5/09	148.5	24
6/09	145	23.4
7/09	147	23.7
9/09	150.5	24.3
10/09	144.5	23.3
11/09	152.5	24.6
12/09	152	24.5
1/10	153	24.7
2/10	153	24.7
3/10	152	24.5