Lets discuss the duodenal Switch!

Lotsa pics and info and stuff on my profile, too, if anyone wants even MORE reading!  hehe!

Hey LeaAnn,
You were such a inspiration for me when seeking my DS. I remember the pictures you use to post of you and others doing kart-wheels on the beach, wearing sunglasses on the train, you just popped up everywhere looking so thin and healthy. You were out living life and the pictures put smiles on my face on days when one day fell into another being bedridden. Karen 

I am one of the more non-compliant DSers in terms of eating more carbs (including refined sugar) than most DSers & what is recommended in order to avoid gas & possibly diarrhea (that varies by person).  Thus, I want to address the gas/ diarrhea questions bc I've seen innumerable posts by others who don't have the DS believe that gas & diarrhea are unavoidable & horrible simply bc you have the DS.  THAT IS NOT ACCURATE FOR VIRTUALLY EVERYONE WHO HAS THE DS  (99%+).

As have been pointed out by others, you can figure out what causes gas &/ OR diarrhea by an elimination diet.  For most DSers, they can eat small- moderate amounts of anything (so long as they're not lactose intolerant) without causing gas &/ or diarrhea.  For most DSers, they can eat a moderate - somewhat a lot of anything (carbs, sugars) and still not get diarrhea, though they will get bad gas.  For most DSers, it takes an A LOT of some really unhealthy type of food (like a doughnut - something with flour vs fudge/ candy) to cause diarrhea.

Here's the thing about the diarrhea - it's NOT like regular diarrhea which infers that your poop is nearly uncontrollable & you have to pretty much sit on the toilet for a couple of hours.  THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.  What does happen is you will have a regular BM that is remarkably oily/watery so that it's consistency is like diarrhea; however, it's a 1 - 4 squirt moment that lasts 5 minutes & then it's done.  If you were REALLY REALLY bad eating sugary/ floury crap, you might then have to go again in 20 min (same type of thing) & MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE once more within another 30 minutes.  That's not what "diarrhea" actually consists of in terms of control of your bowel movements, frequency of the BM, & the length of the episode.

All that is completely avoidable so long as you don't eat 2 - 3 doughnuts in one sitting. 

Next point since I've laid out eating like crap.  Most DSers cannot eat that way that frequently & still be successful in getting to 25 BMI & maintaining it.  I & a handful of others eat a lot more carbs than most because we exercise A LOT so we burn more calories.  Don't think that you can eat tons of sugary crap after the DS & be 100% successful - that's *NOT* the case.  I don't always eat crappy, I still get my protein & vitamins in & I exercise so that I *CAN* eat that way a few times/ week (TOPS) if I so choose.  BTW, I'm still losing weight.

So, my DS experience hasn't been all kittens and rainbows.  It's been a lot of hard work.  I really have to keep my protein high and watch my carb intake to lose or maintain my weight.  I'm still 15-20 lbs from goal, but I have finally accepted that I am happy with my body the way it is even if I don't lose another pound.  I also deal with bad constipation and IBS, but I think it's from a car wreck I was in...not the DS.

That said, I know no other procedure would have worked for me.  My metabolism was truly broken.  I know there is a huge camp of skepticists out there who don't buy into it, but in my case it was true.  I lived on a diet from the age of 5.  I went to the gym 5-6 days a week for 2 hours at a time.  I had a trainer.  I had a nutritionist.  I had an endocrinologist.  I had my metabolic rate tested.  I saw an ayurvedic specialist.  I ate 1800 cals a day.  I ate 1200 cals a day.  I ate 800 cals a day.  Nothing worked.  NOTHING.  All they knew is that my thyroid didn't work properly and that I was insulin resistant.  Apparently this was enough to screw up my metabolism so badly that no matter what I did, my body WOULD NOT BUDGE below 280, even with proper medications to treat said ailments.  I was working out so much that I began to develop osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis from all the weight bearing I was doing, yet not losing any weight.

I knew restriction only procedures (VSG, Lap Band) wouldn't work for me.  I starved myself just fine without results, I didn't need the help of a surgery to do that for me, especially if I wasn't going to see results.

I did not want the RNY because it had a long history of failures and reading the post op complications.  Plus, to me, it seemed like a lot of RNY'ers had the surgery because they WANTED a surgery that would stop them from eating bad foods.  It was as though some (not all) wanted the dumping syndrome to keep them in check, so to speak.  I hadn't done anything wrong.  In fact, I was doing everything RIGHT.  I thought, "Why should I subject myself to potentially experiencing such punishment when eating the wrong things isn't my problem to start with?"  I couldn't accept the RNY as an option knowing that dumping syndrome was a risk.  I was in prison my whole life with dieting...didn't need an additional sentence tacked on to that.

Then I found the DS.  *cue angels singing*  A lot of the facts and figures are already listed.  It cured my insulin resistance immediately post op.  It tricked my body into thinking it had a normal metabolism.  Here's the science behind that...

"Metabolic Effect: In addition to the effect of dietary restriction and malabsorption, Duodenal Switch has a metabolic effect to affect weight loss and improvement in health as well. The portion that food passes through - the alimentary limb - has the ability to absorb protein and sugars. This portion of intestine also has the ability to secrete a hormone - GLP-1, or Enteroglucagon - in the presence of undigested food. Since this portion of intestine is presented to undigested food earlier on as a result of the anatomic re-arrangement induced by Duodenal Switch, secretion of GLP-1 is enhanced. Enteroglucogan (GLP-1) has the effect of suppressing the secretion of insulin in response to a carbohydrate meal, resulting in a lesser amount of ingested carbohydrates being converted to body fat.

The portion of intestine that is bypassed holds an important role as well. Enterogastrone is a hormone that is secreted by the upstream small intestine when food passes through it. This hormone has the effect of converting food to fat. When the upstream portion of the intestine is bypassed - as is the case with Duodenal Switch - enterogastrone secretion is suppressed. The effect of this bypass is that the patient's body after Duodenal Switch has less of a tendency to convert food to fat."  (source:  www.johnhustedmd.com/switch.htm)

Pretty fascinating, no?  Like I said before, it hasn't been a free pass to eat whatever I want, but I AM able to finally enjoy the things I'd NEVER allow myself as a pre-op, such as full fat butter, sour cream, heavy cream in my coffee, and bacon bacon bacon.  I eat more now post op than I EVER did pre-op.  I do have to watch my carb intake, but I'll take the trade off...GLADLY.

OK, now for the fun stuff...

Me at my heaviest...





Me now...





I am a year and a half out and still losing slowly.  Can't beat it with a stick. 

DAMN WOMAN!   BABY GOT CURVES!!!!

Love your black dress!  You look fabulous!

What a Keeper!!

Rny in 2003 at 278 lbs.....
Revised in 2007 to an Extended Rny (ERny)  .....HORRIBLE complications whi*****luded the full free flowing diarrhea!!!!
Revised and Life SAVED with a DS in May!  .....  Diarrhea is GONE!  Energy has returned!  I am easily losing the gain from pre-surgery and post-surgery high calorie feeding tube crap! 

I've been around O.H. since 2002 and have always marveled at the lives of the DS peeps.  Insurance wouldn't approve it for me and I was told I didn't qualify by surgeons: (1st because I was a lightweight....BOLOGNA and 2nd because it was supposed to be impossible to take down my Rny and build a DS....BOLOGNA!!!!)  This last insurance round was a battle but I was determined....I appealed twice and won the grand prize!!!!

Finding the right surgeon is the key!  If a restaurant offers great burgers but you can't find filet mignon on the menu then chances are that dude in the apron doesn't know how to cook a good filet mignon!!!!  Make sure you have a surgeon who knows how to serve them all perfectly!!!!  How can a surgeon possibly tell someone whether they would be a good DS candidate if he's never even shaken hands with a DS post-op?!!!

I went out of state to one of the best revision surgeons for my DS!!!!  Dr. Keshishian in CA made my "high risk" surgery happen like it was a simple virigin Rny!!!  No problems at all!

If only I had known from the beginning and had the girly balls to stand up for myself then.....
I may have used TWO surgery cards for plastics instead!!!! 

.....feeling so good now that I'm even considering changing my mantra of "no surgery EVER again" to ....."well, maybe just a little nip & tuck here wouldn't hurt!  LOL!" 

LOVIN me MY DS!!!

*edited to correct a bit of grammar
 

 Melody, you look great!!!!

Thanks for the opportunity to pay it forward Jessy. The DS did all I wanted it to do. No high blood pressure no high cholesterol, the diabetes which was literally killing me is now almost resolved, I can move with ease and without pain, IBS is gone. No diarrhea here. The DS is very forgiving to most people but you cannot continue to abuse yourself with terrible eating habits and expect a miracle-you have to make some minor changes, but I have never felt deprived and eat more now at nearly a year out than I did presurgery. I just eat the right things and restrict simple carbs (which I did anyway as a diabetic) Simple carbs do not have much effect on me in moderation. I haven't kept up with my profile too well but check it out.
Here is a post from last month that I think sums it up:
11 months out, at goal and "normal"!
   At ten months out I went on vacation with my three young adult kids and met my husband who works in the UAE for a vacation in the south of France & Italy. By some miracle, we could all get time away from school and work. I've been home a couple of days and finally recovering from jet lag.   Using frequent flyer miles means a lot of stop overs and not the most direct flights. So coming and going it was always well over 24 hours from door to door! I couldn't have even considered such a thing a year ago, much less tackled all the walking, hiking, heat and beach time that I actually enjoyed. I think I lost nearly ten pounds in 18 days even though I enjoyed all the food that I wanted. I even had fresh french bread, pastries and fries without consequence. Happy happy joy joy!!!
    I haven't had many pictures taken of me alone in years and years. This time I got my photos taken all the time and I didn't delete them! I picked out a few for my profile. My kids took so many I had trouble choosing! I will post just one here, see some more in my profile if you wish. When I saw this picture on my daughters camera, I asked her if I really looked this slim or was it some trick photography. She looked at me like I was nuts. LOL 
   What a miracle the DS has been for me. I have been one of those with very few problems and then only minor stuff. My hair has started to grow back and it is curly. Especially in the humid weather we were in. I need to build up some muscle but I am stronger than I was a year ago. Need I say it? I am THRILLED and deeply in love with my DS.

Before

Oh so beautiful!! Karen