My DS is done 8/20........My experience so far.

Good morning Washington folk.  Had my DS with Dr. Rabkin in San Francisco Wed. 8/20 and so far it’s been a text book recovery.  I feel great.  Just cooling my heels now in Frisco to eat up the 10 days required for post op check up. 

For those interested in Duodenal Switch I can say that my procedure was an absolute breeze.  I worried about everything way too much.  As a man I want to say to all other male prospects that the catheter was no big deal.  I was really scared about having it in/out and some nurse hooking it with her foot or something.  The procedure itself should be little or no concern in the big picture of deciding to have a weight loss procedure or not.  Honestly the worst part for me was drinking the Barium the day after to check for leaks.  That stuff does taste like crap on a tender stomach.  I was up walking around same day and have never looked back.  The most pain I have had was removing all the tape from all my hairy parts.  

My diet post op begun with broth and Jell-O kinda stuff and moved onto soft foods.  I still have a good appetite and still desire all the types of food that I did prior.  I am now eating (small portions) of about anything I want.  The key is how much you can handle.  2 bites over my limit and it feels like my craw if full for an hour.  A short walk speeds the recovery up a bunch.  I have only over eaten once, and I feel I have a good handle already of when I am full.

My Type II Diabetes numbers have gone from 250-275 with Janument to 160-180 with no meds.  I have drank some Gatorade and cranberry that have sugar that didn't help my numbers.  I have since found low/no sugar dinks that work with the water (2 liters a day for me).

My blood pressure has gone down from numbers like 165/108 to 135/82 although I am still taking metropolol but not avoiding all sodium.  

My energy level has been a noticeable increase each day.  I will say that the cab ride on day 3 did set me back a bit on sore abdomen.  If I had that to do again I would have set within reach of the drivers neck to be sure we didn't hurt each other.  The most pain I have had from the incision was the day of and it felt like day 3 of football practice when I was a kid.  It feels just like the day after the once a year I make my fat body buck bales for a day.  Tight muscles that chime in when you rise from the pot or a chair and not much beyond that.  This area was way less than I was expecting.

That’s about it for my journey so far, I'm getting out today to go visit a friend I just met who has had a DS here but is having some bowel issues.  I met him the night before my procedure in the motel, small world. 

I really appreciate all the open information and real world experiences that people shared with me prior to my procedure, and I am more than glad to give back and share any of mine with any other lurkers or people wanting to know anything I could answer.  I am a 1 finger hunt & peck kinda typer so I may be a little delayed.  Soon to be less.  Eric  

Hi Eric! I'm so glad to hear you are doing so well! You've written a great post, especially for those who are about to go through the same journey as yourself.  Aren't the numbers coming down AWESOME?!

Welcome to the losers bench, we look forward to hearing about your journey to the "less" you

Eric...

I am so glad you are doing so well... I think my recovery has been textbook too.  I am still on full liquids.  I drove yesterday for the first time... 

I can hardly wait to get to the mushy stage... while I can get down the protein shakes... none are my fav yet...  soup tastes good though.

Helen

Congrats on a sucessful surgery!  I hope things continue to go very well!!

Eric , Congratulations on doing so well . That's wonderful news . I hope you're getting to enjoy the SF scenery a little . I lived in the Bay Area many moons ago . It is so awesome how your health is already changing for the better . A great testimony for the definite benefits of WLS . There are a couple surgeons , here , who are doing the DS . Why did you choose to go to SF ? Was it because of the local Dr's lack of long term experience ? That was why I didn't even consider the DS . Leaving the area wasn't an option for me , even though I was self pay .  Thanks for letting us know how well you're doing . Keep us posted . Kathy

I came to San Francisco just to have my DS performed by Dr. Rabkin.  After a couple years of lurking and searching I came to the opinion that I wanted my procedure do Laproscopically (sp).  Dr. John and his brother Robert who is retired now seemed to have the most experience witht the DS, especially done Lap.  I also like the idea that the Doc makes it once a month to the support group in Renton I think it was at the Sizzler.  The cost of travel was no issue as I have lots of flyer miles, and lodging is a wash wherever you are I imagine.  I'm sure there are lots of great surgeons out there but my experience and recovery has validated the research that i came to about Dr. Rabkin.  I feel that he only had my best interest at heart and I never once felt like I was part of a fat puppy mill. LOL. 

As for my local doc's, I may be my best resource there.  I tried to get a consult with Dr. Bright an RNY Doc in Spokane yesterday but his staff said he would not see me as a DS patient. I guess at this point (knock on wood) my only concern is my labs and keeping up with them.  I will work on local Doc's to understand the DS and see how it goes.

I got to see the city yesterday WOOHOO........it was great. My wife had to fly back on Monday so I moved into the Post Op Recovery Place.  Gwen is the proprietor and cares for WLS and plastic/reconstructive patients.  She has a great place that is clean and a killer view.  She is also a great chef and host.  Anyway, Gwen took me visit Norm R another DS patient in the hospital and then the next 3 hours seeing the city.  The bridge was huge and when I texted a pic to my son from on it he replied "the WLS must have worked.....the bridge held".  LOL.  I had some Dim Sum from China Town, a little Skinny Ice Cream from some shop in the Fillmore, then a fruit protien smoothie from along the ocean.  What a great day.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone, hopefully we can all meet at a support group sometime soon.  Thanks again.  EW 

Sounds like you are doing great, Eric!!   So glad to hear that your fears were unfounded and that the surgery and recovery are going so well.  Wonderful news that your blood sugar and BP are going down so well.  My guess is it won't be long before you can be off those meds completely...  Thanks again for posting - you did a great job for being a hunt-and-peck typist!!    Enjoy your time in SF and keep us posted on how you're doing!!

Congrats on your surgery!  Glad you're healing well.  Enjoy your time in San Francisco (but not too much - you need your rest too).  Thanks for sharing with us!

Congratulations on a smooth surgery and recovery! It's funny, but the cath was a big worry of mine too - lol. Of course it was a non issue for me too - I was either too stoned or already asleep when they put it in, cuz I remember nothing!
The worst is past, and you'll feel better in all aspects with every passing day. Now go do the "sip, nap, sip, walk, sip..." thing for a while, and no bucking hay for several months!

Bearmom:

I know exactly what you mean about the sip thing.  The first few days I was really worried that between each sip I had to wait for air to come back up.  The last day or so I can actually take a small sized drink without raising a brick.  Does this get even better to the point of taking a drink like you could before?  Thanks.  EW