Tossing the thing back and forth now.....any insight?

Hey Carrie,

Check out DS Facts for more info on DS or feel free to come on over to the DS forums if you have questions. There are surgeries that fit in better to different life styles so make sure you do all your research before making your decision. All the best.

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH your surgery choice carefully!!!!  Post on the other surgery boards.  Check out the revision weight loss board.
Read profiles too.  That gives you their own experiences.

Only YOU can do best for YOU.

And the protein.....try  www.vitalady.com she has SAMPLES!!!  Different flavors, different manufactures (sp?)  Like $2.00 each.  Small investment, if you don't like it.

Lots of patients say that their "tastes change after surgery" too.


-Jamie

My BMI was only 44 when I had my DS.  It worked like a charm.  A DS surgeon requires the same as any other procedure (40 BMI, or 35 with comorbs)

Carrie - you are fortunate in that you have an excellent DS doctor (actually two of them) in Grand Rapids.   I had my duodenal switch three years ago, and started out at the weight of 268.   I now weigh between 120-125 and feel fantastic.   You do need to make the choice to educate yourself about the DS, and to be absolutely religious about taking your vitamins and eating your protein.   The trade-off?  A greater variety of foods and more satisfying diet.   We do have to watch our simple carbs and sugars.   No WLS is a free ride, but the DS is freer than the others.  Please read my profile and feel free to contact me with any questions.  You have made no commitments to any surgeon - you can go where you please, and now is th time to do it, rather than have to seek a revision to from the RNY to the DS at a later time.  Good luck!

Carrie,

The liquid preop diet is hell for about three days. Then you get used to it. I think I dropped 22 pounds when I was on it. It prepares you for the postop liquid phase.

There are 40,000 different types of protein drink. You're bound to find something that works.

I'm only 4 months out, but I'm already eating most of the stuff I really enjoyed to eat before. I just eat a whole lot less of it and I concentrate on protein first. I had the most wonderful piece of pizza a couple of weeks ago.

I'm also finding some of the things I thought were wonderful are totally gross now. Not a huge loss. KFC is revolting.

I don't dump on sugar or fat so far. I've dumped three times and I think it was because I had a carb too much. I was pretty early out in the soft food stage. But Starbucks gave me a full sugar green tea latte when I was about 2 months out and I didn't dump after drinking about half.

I'm eating some diet stuff, but mostly it's tiny amounts of the real stuff. I put a tiny bit of real butter on my whole grain pancake with the sugar free syrup. I eat what the family eats for dinner. I do drink skim milk -- but I did that preop.

Mentally, I am mourning the whole fill your tummy till you're about to burst thing a little bit. I can't fill the hole in my soul with a Snickers bar anymore. I get cranky about it sometimes. But I'm enjoying my 84 pound weight loss (so far) a lot more. I can do so much more at 304 than I could at 388.

My surgeon did not require any liquid diet pre-op. In fact, I ate dinner the night before surgery. I also left the hospital eating soft foods. All docs are different; mine was not very restrictive.

You should experiment to find a protein drink you like. I like chocolate unjury, either blended with mil**** and coffee crystals, or mixed into a cup of swiss miss diet hot chocolate. They will sell you samples, but please be aware that your tastes may change after surgery, and you may not like what you liked before. So be careful about making too much of an investment in big quantities.

I like Skim Plus milk and Over the Moon. They are fat free, but creamy tasting from extra added protein (bonus). I also never liked skim milk. I don't do fat free, but most low fat products (like cheese and cottage cheese) are fine.

Personally, my RNY really changed my desire for foods. I don't find greasy or sugary foods the least bit appealing, much less tempting. As for dumping, only 2 or 3 people out of every ten dump. I don't eat a lot of sugar or fat so I haven't really tested it, but I suspect I don't dump. I'd rather not know; for me the fear is a healthy thing.

The fact is you need to be clear about your commitment to change. It seems like the people *****gain are the ones that lose quickly, but return to their prior habits when they are physically able. Will there be occasions when you might want to have a celebratory glass of wine or some birthday cake? Sure. But they should be the exceptions, not the rule.

For me, the misery of being fat began to grow bigger than the (anticipated) misery of missing foods I liked. That was the bottom line for me, and when I reached that point, I knew I was ready. I am down almost 110 lbs, and I haven't regretted it for one second.

I agree that you should look into the DS. It is NOT reserved only for high BMI patients. I know some lightweight (BMI of 35-45) patients, both online and in person, who have done fabulously with the DS. I urge you to come ask some questions on the DS board and check out www.dsfacts.com.

Carrie,

I had RNY for 28 years, I was successful for the first 15 because I was pretty strict about my diet and I exercised pretty much every day. When I couldn't exercise, the weight all came back and I never could lose it again. I got a revision to DS last September and while it was a difficult surgery and recovery, I would do it again in a heartbeat, I love my DS; I never thought life could be so good.

You can read all the details about my experiences on my profile, it's public.

From what I'm reading about your concerns, you should really look into the DS. My BMI was 40.6 and I love it.

Kerry

Oh please, look into the DS.  It may or may not be for you, but your doc is not correct that it's only for heavier people.  True, it is the most effective surgery for heavy WLSers, but it is wonderfully effective for smaller people too.  You won't have to eat anything low-fat, you'll be able to eat nice seasonal fruits and veggies, all the steak you feel like, dessert without dumping.  You won't be able to eat carbs with abandon, in all likelihood, but you don't need to feel deprived.  If your BMI is 35 or higher and you have co-morbs, or over 40 with no co-morbs, you owe it to yourself to go to dsfacts.com and find a surgeon *****ally does the DS, and consult with him or her. 

I chose the DS mainly based on the greater weight loss and likelihood of keeping it off, but the lifestyle is awesome.  I eat a pretty healthy diet overall but I can butter my veggies, use whatever salad dressing I feel like, have treats now and then, eat a juicy steak every night if I'm in the mood.  It is very important with DS to eat a lot of protein and take vitamins religiously (the protein requirements and supplementation for RNY are also important, if a little different.)  At any rate, I truly feel like my food "issues" have been healed for the most part, and they weren't all in my head as I thought for years. 

My doc didn't require a pre-op liquid diet, but it shouldn't be a deal-breaker if you have to do one - you CAN do it.  There has to be a protein shake out there that you can get down.  Order some samples of Champion Nutrition Pure Whey Stack shakes (Banana Scream is way popular) from vitalady or another source and see if any of those are edible.  Shakes never excite me but I do drink one most days just to make sure I get enough protein and the Champion ones are OK.

Hi, Carrie.  My BMI was around 42 when I had my DS, there are lots of us "lightweights" out there.  Your doc gave you that line because s/he does not perform the DS.  Do yourself a favor and get a consult from a REAL DS doc.  You won't regret it. 

You're one of the lucky ones - you're being honest with yourself about whether your lifestyle/strengths/weaknesses/desires match the surgery you've chosen.  Many do not, they just forge ahead and decide they'll figure the rest out later.  Good for you.