Pros and Cons of DS

Hi,
For those researching the DS, here are my pros and cons.  If you have any questions blast away.

Cons
-under pressure to make sure I take my vitamins - 12 a day, every day.
-If I eat wheat I get gassy - and it is very very smelly...can clear a room (so no bread)
-If I eat sugar I do absorb these calories - and combined with wheat (donut) the gas is extra bad)
-some people have diarrhea problems, I only have had it a handful of times in 2 years.
-no control on the amount of weight I loose, DS has a mind of its own
-needing to eat even if you are not hungry
-being aware ifyou get sick, you still need the 100 plus grams of protein, not eating is not option
-the most complicated of the WLS surgeries (so choosing your surgeon is key)


Pros
-No dieting, no buying fat free products, never counting calories
l-oosing about 15 pounds a month at the beginning, and big losses for the 2 year window
-by staying away from wheat (most the time) then very little flatulence problems
-I control my eating, my eating does not control me
-I enjoy food much more, go for flavor and not quantity.
-3 or 4 course meals are easiest to eat, as it is food over a longer time, giving a whole new appreciation to restaurants.
- I don't feel like I had any surgery, or wls procedure at all so very easy to live with
- no need to see the surgeon much after surgery if there are no problems (I have regular blood tests, but my family dr watches these for me.  I see my surgeon once a year so he can monitor my overall progress for his studies as much as for me.

Hi there,

I understand that you may have some info on Dr. S.?  Because the surgeon is so important I really want to be sure that he is good!

Any info you can provide will be much appreciated.

Ceelions

 

(hi, I posted this in from your earlier post....ask your Dr. when you are there)

Hi,
If you are researching the BPD/DS you will see studies done by Dr. Picard Marceau of Laval, Canada.

In the site below it says "In 1993, Dr. Picard Marceau of Laval, Canada, published a report on the benefits of the BPD/DS procedure over the unmodified BPD (Marceau, P., S. Biron, et al. (1993). "Biliopancreatic Diversion with a New Type of Gastrectomy." Obes Surg 3: 29-35.). This report confirms that the DS procedure eliminates or greatly minimizes most negative side effects of the original BPD."

http://www.duodenalswitch.com/procedure/clinical_data/clinical_data.html

I did not go to Dr. Picard Marceau myself, but my understanding is that the Dr. in Bathurst studied under thim.  If this is the case, then I feel he training under one of the leading ds surgeons.

There are others here talking directly to the Dr. about DS...I am sure they willb e along shortly.
Catherine

Hi, I am not really worried about my choice of wls, I want the DS, I am  just concerned about Dr. S's experience, which I can find little evidence of.

Ceelions      

I'm pretty 'peel the paint off of the wall' gassy right now, so I'm hoping that I can handle the DS gas. If my nose hairs don't fall out from the smell, I'll be happy. I only have my two guinea-pigs to worry about at the house so hopefully they won't sue me for mental cruelty.

I'm trying to get into a routine of taking vitamins (not the amount that I'll have to take post-op of course) just to familizrize mysefl with the process. I know that it'll be a routine that I'll have to do for the rest of my life without fail - there'll be no "oops, I forgot my vitamins today, I'll start again tomorrow"

 

Sorry for the post in 2 parts but I couldn't submit the whole reply at once.

Also, the eating when you're not hungry will be a big thing to get over too. Of course now I eat when I'm not hungry because the darn food is in front of me and it's mindless eating. I'm hoping that I can realize the value of meat as mindless eating. Maybe if I can cut up some cheese and some protein in small pieces I can fool myself into thinking it's a chip substitute. I've been coming up with weird ideas in my head about how to try and trick my brain into getting out of the head hunger stage, but then again wiht the DS, that may not be a problem because we need the excess amount of calories.

I have weird diarrhea problems right now (family history of IBS and colitis) so I'mnot put off by that too much. I even took the medication that doesn't allow you to absorb fat in your diet, so if i can handle that, I'm hoping that I can handle DS toilet traumas.

The pros far out-weigh the cons for me in the long run the more and more that I read up about the surgery.

I must say Catherine, that I'm soooooooo very pleased, and so appreciative of your posts to help all of us DS pre-ops.

Probiotics really help with gas/smell and firming up stool. I have never had to eat when I wasn't hungry. But maybe I am just more hungry then I should be =) As for wheat, complex carbs sit a lot better than simple ones in my experience. It's all about how it is broken down and the chemicals that hit the colon. So white flour products are not so good but lots of DSers eat whole wheat based products fine. Yes they can cause gas, so you just choose not to eat them when you are going to be in a closed room with a group of people more more than 4 hours. You just learn to be smart about when you eat carbs and how much. Diana wrote I great post on carbs and gas that I reposted here. Just my 2 cents.

Bev

Thanks Bev!
I have reviewed this DSFacts earlier, and even posted a link there to it...I think it is a fantastic resource!
Take Care,
Catherine

There's not much posted about Dr. Savoie because he hasn't formally set up his practice in Bathurst yet. He's done a lot of DS procedures while training under Dr. Marceau. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but he's very experienced. Dr. Beausoleil trained under Dr. Marceau as well I believe. As far as I know both Dr. Savoie and Dr. Beausoleil know each other as Dr. Savoie said to me that he and Dr Beusoleil have an partnership of sorts where he provides the other WLS that Dr. Beaulsoleil doesn't do.

Hey PN - I had wondered if you had been sick as you have been quiet lately!

I am also looking forward to my DS this winter.  I only want 1 surgery and have the best chances for "me" to have a healthy life.  I do love my fish, chicken, eggs, and especially milk and cheese.

Something I am going to try is "cheese" chips - simply spray a non stick pan and then put little piles of grated cheese under the broiler for a few minutes so it melts and gets bit crispy = like chips but protein   (saw them made on the food network).

Keep us updated if you get a call for the next step as you were seen just a couple weeks before me ... or are you one of the ones who have to be checked for sleep apnea first?

Hope things are going well, take care!