Lets discuss the duodenal Switch!
Hi, Jessy! Lookin' good babe!
About a month ago, I posted the following on the Main Board, here it is again, just in case a new audience is here today:
Before I had my duodenal switch (DS) surgery nearly 2.5 years ago, these "look at how far I've come" posts were some of my favorites. I still enjoy reading them. (And, as a post-op, doing these fulfill my attention-***** needs!)
My hubby and I went to a dear friend's (95-degree PLUS humidity outdoor) wedding yesterday. I barely broke a sweat while everyone around me sweltered, including my hubby. Pre-DS, I would have been grinning and bearing it for the sake of my friend but I would have been purely miserable in my own aching, sweaty body. Instead of focusing on MY discomfort, I truly got to be present and enjoy my friend's beautiful day. THAT is living!
BEFORE
Here I am a few days before I flew to San Francisco to have the amazing Dr. John Rabkin save my life via the DS (www.paclap.com). I am 344 pounds, wear a size 30/32, have Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea:
AFTER
Here I am today, at about 150 pounds. Same hairdo, but very different lady! My Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea are long GONE. This dress is a size 8. I take my vites, get in my protein, have no bowel or gas issues whatsoever and love, love, love my DS! I am 3 weeks out from my tummy tuck and brachioplasty. Life is sweet!
B**** the wedding, I ate about EIGHT of the world's best appetizers (brie and raspberry preserves wrapped in phyllo dough), a filet mignion steak, mashed potatoes, zucchini, wine and 2 pieces of wedding cake. Have I said I love my DS?
If you are considering weight loss surgery, I encourage you to do your own INDEPENDENT research on the types available today. (Unless your surgeon actually performs all four of the WLS, he/she may not be the best person to guide you on this choice--they likely will tell you the one they actually know how to do is the one you should have and badmouth the others.).
Pick the surgery you want FIRST based on what you honestly know about you as a person. Now is not the time to give into wishful thinking about the "future" you, about how you will become a calorie-counting, exercising machine:
--Do you have any conditions that are contra-indicated for a particular type of WLS (i.e. you cannot take NSAIDs for arthritis if you have the RNY)?
--Are you good at maintaining a low-calorie diet? (probably not)
--Are you likely to be compliant and take vitamins?
--Do you have Type 2 diabetes (the DS resolves over 98% of cases)
Think hard about the quality of life you would like to live afterwards. This is a forever decision. THINK TWICE, CUT ONCE--revisions suck.
Once you decided which surgery fits YOU best, THEN pick the surgeon. You may have to travel to get the one you want but YOU are worth it. My DS surgeon actually comes to Chicago for most of our monthly support group meetings, since he has so many patients here.
If you would like to learn more about the DS, I urge you to visit www.dsfacts.com. Feel free to PM me, as well.
All the best,
Nicolle
About a month ago, I posted the following on the Main Board, here it is again, just in case a new audience is here today:
Before I had my duodenal switch (DS) surgery nearly 2.5 years ago, these "look at how far I've come" posts were some of my favorites. I still enjoy reading them. (And, as a post-op, doing these fulfill my attention-***** needs!)
My hubby and I went to a dear friend's (95-degree PLUS humidity outdoor) wedding yesterday. I barely broke a sweat while everyone around me sweltered, including my hubby. Pre-DS, I would have been grinning and bearing it for the sake of my friend but I would have been purely miserable in my own aching, sweaty body. Instead of focusing on MY discomfort, I truly got to be present and enjoy my friend's beautiful day. THAT is living!
BEFORE
Here I am a few days before I flew to San Francisco to have the amazing Dr. John Rabkin save my life via the DS (www.paclap.com). I am 344 pounds, wear a size 30/32, have Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea:
AFTER
Here I am today, at about 150 pounds. Same hairdo, but very different lady! My Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea are long GONE. This dress is a size 8. I take my vites, get in my protein, have no bowel or gas issues whatsoever and love, love, love my DS! I am 3 weeks out from my tummy tuck and brachioplasty. Life is sweet!
B**** the wedding, I ate about EIGHT of the world's best appetizers (brie and raspberry preserves wrapped in phyllo dough), a filet mignion steak, mashed potatoes, zucchini, wine and 2 pieces of wedding cake. Have I said I love my DS?
If you are considering weight loss surgery, I encourage you to do your own INDEPENDENT research on the types available today. (Unless your surgeon actually performs all four of the WLS, he/she may not be the best person to guide you on this choice--they likely will tell you the one they actually know how to do is the one you should have and badmouth the others.).
Pick the surgery you want FIRST based on what you honestly know about you as a person. Now is not the time to give into wishful thinking about the "future" you, about how you will become a calorie-counting, exercising machine:
--Do you have any conditions that are contra-indicated for a particular type of WLS (i.e. you cannot take NSAIDs for arthritis if you have the RNY)?
--Are you good at maintaining a low-calorie diet? (probably not)
--Are you likely to be compliant and take vitamins?
--Do you have Type 2 diabetes (the DS resolves over 98% of cases)
Think hard about the quality of life you would like to live afterwards. This is a forever decision. THINK TWICE, CUT ONCE--revisions suck.
Once you decided which surgery fits YOU best, THEN pick the surgeon. You may have to travel to get the one you want but YOU are worth it. My DS surgeon actually comes to Chicago for most of our monthly support group meetings, since he has so many patients here.
If you would like to learn more about the DS, I urge you to visit www.dsfacts.com. Feel free to PM me, as well.
All the best,
Nicolle
I had the kick-butt duodenal switch (DS)!
HW: 344 lbs CW: 150 lbs
Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea GONE!
Hey Jessy! Great idea for a thread, this is where I found out about the DS as well. You are doing an amazing job with your DS and I am loving watching your progress!
I started my journey at 289 (BMI of around 43) and I wanted the Lap Band. I saw the commercials and thought, that's my ticket out of obesity! I found the closest surgeon to me and did all the pre-op stuff and was denied by my insurance. I got so depressed, but started to research WLS like crazy and spend lots of time on Obesity Help. I started reading surgery wars and noticed how the DS'ers seemed so headstrong, educated and just plain happy! I then read the article Making the DS Switch and www.dsfacts.com. Wheels started turning and I never looked back.
I decided on the DS because it had the BEST statistics of losing the weight and KEEPING IT OFF! Since I was fairly young (early 30's) I wanted the results to last the rest of my life. I saw that all of the other failed surgeries revised to the DS, not usually the other way around. Why not get the best one first?
Before at 289:
After (this was at 174 lbs., one year out.):
I do not suffer from diarrhea, uncontrollable gas and I eat lots of delicious food without the worry of dumping or food getting stuck. I really do love my DS and I am thankful everyday that people like Nicolle, Diana, Major Mom, Sue, Elizabeth N and MsBatt continue to pay it forward.
, Jules
I started my journey at 289 (BMI of around 43) and I wanted the Lap Band. I saw the commercials and thought, that's my ticket out of obesity! I found the closest surgeon to me and did all the pre-op stuff and was denied by my insurance. I got so depressed, but started to research WLS like crazy and spend lots of time on Obesity Help. I started reading surgery wars and noticed how the DS'ers seemed so headstrong, educated and just plain happy! I then read the article Making the DS Switch and www.dsfacts.com. Wheels started turning and I never looked back.
I decided on the DS because it had the BEST statistics of losing the weight and KEEPING IT OFF! Since I was fairly young (early 30's) I wanted the results to last the rest of my life. I saw that all of the other failed surgeries revised to the DS, not usually the other way around. Why not get the best one first?
Before at 289:
After (this was at 174 lbs., one year out.):
I do not suffer from diarrhea, uncontrollable gas and I eat lots of delicious food without the worry of dumping or food getting stuck. I really do love my DS and I am thankful everyday that people like Nicolle, Diana, Major Mom, Sue, Elizabeth N and MsBatt continue to pay it forward., Jules
Hey LadyTaz! Looks like we both had our surgeries a day apart.
From the perspective of a DS newbie, I LOVE MY DS! I eat small high protein meals, without counting calories or fat. There is such a wide variety of foods I can eat even at this early stage and it's wonderful. I can eat Indian, Thai, Mexican...the only thing that has really given me a problem so far is scrambled eggs. I have had no diarrhea, no dumping, no major gas so far. I'm enjoying life and have lost 33 pounds in less than a month. Since I'm still less than a month out I am having a hard time getting 100% of fluids and protein in BUT everyday I see major improvements in that and my energy.
Back in Feb. I was approved for RNY and was set to have surgery but I was nervous. I personally felt like I was going to be sacrificing the joy, pleasure, freedom to enjoy foods I love. To me, and this is strictly my opinion, I started to view RNY as a punishment. A surgery that saved lives but also came with regrets, sadness. From reading the main board and RNY board, this is the feeling I got. RNY seemed to me a way to lose weight by more negative reinforcements, and I wanted a positive outlook. Visiting the DS board was like a breath of fresh air. I loved reading all the studies, and the general board was happy, upbeat, highly educated about their surgery. Maybe I would have been happy with the RNY but I wanted more. So I changed doctors and fought the insurance companies for a couple months. The DS is worth it, I'm worth it. I am so glad I chose the DS.
From the perspective of a DS newbie, I LOVE MY DS! I eat small high protein meals, without counting calories or fat. There is such a wide variety of foods I can eat even at this early stage and it's wonderful. I can eat Indian, Thai, Mexican...the only thing that has really given me a problem so far is scrambled eggs. I have had no diarrhea, no dumping, no major gas so far. I'm enjoying life and have lost 33 pounds in less than a month. Since I'm still less than a month out I am having a hard time getting 100% of fluids and protein in BUT everyday I see major improvements in that and my energy.
Back in Feb. I was approved for RNY and was set to have surgery but I was nervous. I personally felt like I was going to be sacrificing the joy, pleasure, freedom to enjoy foods I love. To me, and this is strictly my opinion, I started to view RNY as a punishment. A surgery that saved lives but also came with regrets, sadness. From reading the main board and RNY board, this is the feeling I got. RNY seemed to me a way to lose weight by more negative reinforcements, and I wanted a positive outlook. Visiting the DS board was like a breath of fresh air. I loved reading all the studies, and the general board was happy, upbeat, highly educated about their surgery. Maybe I would have been happy with the RNY but I wanted more. So I changed doctors and fought the insurance companies for a couple months. The DS is worth it, I'm worth it. I am so glad I chose the DS.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my DS!
I have had no complications, no diarrhea, no food getting stuck, no dumping. I eat a wide variety of food and I eat normal sized portions. I have my life back and LOVE living it everyday! I take vitamins 4 times a day, I focus on meeting my protein goals, I enjoy treats on a regular basis and my weight remains pretty stable. I stay very current on my labs and I adjust my vitamins accordingly.
I wouldn't trade my DS for anything! Best decision I have ever made.
My starting weight was 263 and current weight is 140. Life is good!
I have had no complications, no diarrhea, no food getting stuck, no dumping. I eat a wide variety of food and I eat normal sized portions. I have my life back and LOVE living it everyday! I take vitamins 4 times a day, I focus on meeting my protein goals, I enjoy treats on a regular basis and my weight remains pretty stable. I stay very current on my labs and I adjust my vitamins accordingly.
I wouldn't trade my DS for anything! Best decision I have ever made.
My starting weight was 263 and current weight is 140. Life is good!
Renee
I
My DS SW/263 CW/136 GW/150
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