survey for postop about DS life

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool?  Not since 1 week post-op.  2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? No  (1-2 times in the AM and 1 in the PM; just like clock work) 3. do you pass gas all day long? No 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurrence? No 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? No (that’s ridiculous!) 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? No 7. do you have hair loss that was consider a lot? No-currently eating lots of protein and taking extra zinc and selenium to prevent it 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? No 9. do  you wear diapers? No (that’s ridiculous!) 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? No 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink? Nectar brand cappuccino flavor drink for breakfast 12. what are things you are able to eat? So far, everything. I’m choosing low carb right now. 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? No 14. how much protein are you required to take? 65-75 grams per day. 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? Atkins shakes, cheese, Nature Valley Roasted Nut bars 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? 12 Vita4Life per day (4 at each meal), 2 zinc, 2 selenium and 2 dry A&D capsules 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? Yes 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today? B-Nectar Cappuccino S-cheese L-Atkins shake S-cheese or protein bar D-shrimp wt/****tail sauce S-Carb Smart ice cream bar 19. has your personality or perceptions of things changed since you had surgery? I’m happier and more confident 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life? Sleep Apnea-gone, high blood pressure-gone, high blood sugar-gone, feet and leg pain-gone, high cholesterol-gone.

 

 

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool? Occasionally if I eat lots of processed sugary stuff, think Captain Crunch. Nothing I can't handle with a couple morning bathroom trips. Early pre-op (first 4 months or so) I had more issues but just added fiber to my diet  (per docs instructions) and that did the trick, cleared up my fire bottom with that and a little butt cream. No more bathroom issues for me.
2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? I usually go 3 times in the morning within a 1 hour period and 2 times in the evening, usually regular as clockwork unless my eating has been weird. Then I know my timing will be off a bit and need to make allowances for that.
3. do you pass gas all day long? Nope, barely ever and what I do pass doesn't smell that bad and quickly disappears. I take flagyl for my gas issues and it pretty much eliminated it. Very happy with the flagyl. 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence? Nope.. never. 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? Nope 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? Nope... I did PRE-OP though. Pre-op I had terrible bloating and gas pains along with constipation. Much better to have looser poops than dry ones. Much less painful. 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot? Nope... just a steady stream for about 4 months starting in post-op month 3. Now at 2 years my hair is great. My stylist says it is better than before.
8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? Nope... can eat anything in moderation and quite a few things without moderation. 9. do  you wear diapers? Nope 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? Nope 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink?
Hot tea and a cup of coffee both with real sugar.. never fails, every morning. 12. what are things you are able to eat? Anything I like. We eat all sorts of ethnic.. from Vietnamese to Japanese to Indian to Dim Sum to pasta to sushi.  Had marinaded and roasted Moraccan lamb shanks and cous cous tonight and a couple slices of left over birthday cake and a glass of wine.  13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? Nope 14. how much protein are you required to take? Required, my min is 100 grams.. my usual intake is 120+ a day 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? Meat, fish, nuts, jerky, beans, lentils, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? Vita4Life  (12 a day), extra calcium, extra Dry Vit A and D, extra B vits 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? Yes, sweet tea, beer, wine, non-diet coke, or jus****er many times. 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today?
Breakfast: bacon, eggs, toast, oatmeal, milk, coffee, tea ****asionally cottage cheese pancakes or french toast)
Lunch: 4-6 ounces meat on a salad or sandwich or in soup.. or with pasta or rice, veggies, coke or sweet tea
2 or 3 snacks a day: chips and salsa, jerky, trail mix, cottage cheese and fruit, apple, banana, cookies, popcorn
Dinner: 8 ounces meat, starch, veggies, drink (maybe a beer or glass of wine)   19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery? I am more confident and outgoing and genuinely happier. I am much more active and outdoorsy. I can travel much more and do. 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life?
I got my period back. My sciatica and knee pain is gone. My back pain is almostgone. My blood sugar is great, my BP is fantastic, my cholesterol is perfect. I can run and play outside. I can enjoy life in ways I never thought I would.
~~Kari

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool? Nope. 2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? Nope. 3. do you pass gas all day long? Nope. 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence?  Sometimes. 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? Nope. 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? Sometimes 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot? Yes, but I had it after I had my c-section, too. 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? Nope 9. do  you wear diapers? Nope 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? Just the bloating once in a while. 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink? Diet Coke w/lime and OJ 12. what are things you are able to eat? Anything I please! 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? Nope, I can eat anything and everything, I just don't. 14. how much protein are you required to take? 80-100 grams 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? I eat eggs, hamburger, atkins shakes, zone perfect protein bars, etc. 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? multivitamins, calcium, biotin, adeks 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? Yes, but I don't very often. 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today?  breakfast - 6 slices bacon snack - pringles lunch - hamburger & chocolate chip cookies snack - fried ham dinner - hamburgery gravy w/biscuits snack - fried ham snack - fried egg sandwhich 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery? most certainly! 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life? I can breath, I can live, I can be a mother to my child and not fear death by food!

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool? Only when my period is fast approaching - exactly the same as it was before the DS - and then it's diarrhea city for some reason as I have IBS. The only time it happens outside of my pre-period "window" (i.e. the week before) is if I eat a TON of fat. 2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? No. At the most it has been 4 times, and again, that was during my pre-period window. 3. do you pass gas all day long? Well, um, yes. Everybody does. It's a medical fact that the average person passes about two liters of gas on a daily basis whether or not you notice it. I'm just the same. 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence?  Heh. That would be a no. 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? Again, another no. 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? Only on occasion and only in conjunction with my pre-period window. Again, the same as it was before my DS. 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot? Well, at about three-four months out, yeah, I shed a whole heck of a lot. But then I went back to my normal "shedding" which is still a lot more than other people. Again, I've always been that way, however. 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? NO! Glory Halleluia! 9. do  you wear diapers? Not since I was two years old. 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? I have the same that I had before - IBS. 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink? Crystal Lite. Fruit Punch flavor. It's my crack. Every day, all day long. I figure the artificial sweetener in it will come back to haunt me some day. Gotta die of something, though, right? The other constant is my protein drink. 12. what are things you are able to eat? A more appropriate question would be "What things do I want to eat?" The options are limitless. 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? Only things I don't like and have always not liked - asparagus, liver, raw onions, brussel sprouts. 14. how much protein are you required to take? Fifty to 100 grams of protein daily. The minimum that I should shoot for is 70, however. 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? Every morning I have a shake or bullet of some variety, sometimes both. So my day starts off with at least 40 grams of protein all the time. 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? Calcium, multi-vitamin, biotin, magnesium, flax seed oil, iron. Pretty standard IMO. 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? Always. 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today? B - Protein shake/bullet S - cashews/cheese L - Chicken pot pie S - popcorn 100 calorie bag, 5 mini peppermint patties D - Homemade chili with cheese 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery? Nope. 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life? It got me back ME.

I am pre-op, just waiting on Nut visit this coming Monday and insurance. Thank you for posting and everyone for responding to this. This has probably been one of the most helpful posts! I learned so much by just reading your replys. Hope to be where all of you are soon! Amy

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool? Yes occasionally but I did pre surgery too. Generally it is just soft and loose... easy to pass. I'm done in minutes. 2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? I go 2-3 times in the morning - Dr L considers this counts as 1 because it all happens within a 15 - 20 minute time frame. If I eat really high fat in a day (which I do sometimes on purpose) then I may go once or twice a day more 3. do you pass gas all day long? No 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence? No but then again I use OUST... not sure that I have a true answer on this one 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? No 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? Not at all 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot? I didn't lose hair at all 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? No - I eat a varied diet and don't deny myself anything I want (in small quantities) so don't feel like I'm dieting. 9. do  you wear diapers? No... hope never to! 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? I do take a daily Flagyl so the answer is yes, somewhat. My dose is 250mg a day... to give a comparison when used to fight infection you take 500mg  three times a day. 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink? Venti Iced Sugar free caramel machiatto Breve 12. what are things you are able to eat? Too long to list. Today I had bacon, protein shakes, steak, beans and a few little potatoes, nuts, see answer to 11... I'm sure there was more but it's late and I'm brain dead...lol 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? No 14. how much protein are you required to take? I shoot for between 90 and 120grams per day 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? Brie cheese, protein shake or bar ****assionally), cold cuts, steak, chicken, pork (all in various forms) peanut butter, trail mix 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? Calcium Citrate, multi vitamin, Vitamin A and D, iron supplement (my labs came in a little low) 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? Yes... I never drank much with a meal but I certainly enjoy ice cold water at the end of my meal 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today? Breakfast: Shake Snack: 1 cup of trail mix Lunch: WW pita with chicken, mayo and sun dried tomatoes Snack: chunk of brie cheese with crackers Dinner: pot roast Snack: 2 meaty spring rolls 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery? Yes - I am much more like the person I was before obesity took over. I have more confidence in myself. I am learning to not use food as a coping mechanism. Not feeling "hunger" in the same way helps 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life? Sleep Apnea - cured Back pain - rare now (even with herniated discs) I radiate confidence - just landed my dream job after being laid off I eat better and do not experience the same level of hunger thanks most of the stomach being removed I can do stairs, crouch down and stand up, get out of a chair, get into a chair without worrying that I will break it. I can shop in "normal" stores I am a better role model to my daughter I look and feel great... I am happier - this impacts all my relationships My blood pressure is that of a teenagers I can ride rollercoasters again - I fit! I can participate - not sit out I have met some amazing people both on and off line

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool?
NO!
2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day?
Nope. Twice. Thats it.
3. do you pass gas all day long?
Nope
4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence?
Never
5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS?
Nope
6. do you suffer from pain or bloating?
Nope
7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot?
Had some at 5 months, all back in now.
8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food?
Used to LOVE and binge on pasta and carbs - now a little is enough.
9. do you wear diapers?
Nope
10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS?
Yup. I sneeze in groups of 4-5 a few times a day. Most likely a vagus nerve reaction, which can happen after any abdominal surgery.
11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink?
Diet Coke!
12. what are things you are able to eat?
ANYthing. I CHOOSE to limit carbs. But I'll NEVER diet again. I don't consider it dieting, my new lifestyle is a choice, not a struggle.
13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food?
Nope.
14. how much protein are you required to take?
I usually get 80-100g a day
15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake?
Cheese, nuts, turkey jerky, steak, burgers, protein bars, rarely shakes.
16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis?
1 multi, 1 Dry ADE, 3 Calcium Citrate, 1 Folate
17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals?
Yup!
18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today?
B-Cheese stick
S-protein Bar
L -Chef Salad & crackers
S-
D - (buffet) Shrimp, pot roast, steak, rice, salad, potato, banana pudding
19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery?
I'm becoming "girly" again. Enjoying clothes, shopping. I'm much more outgoing, fel like I've been woken from hibernation!
20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life?
My joint and back pain is MUCH improved, as is my apnea. My hi cholosterol, bp, and blood sugars are GONE. My liver, which was FAILING preop, is HEALING.

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool? no. only time it happened was my first 2 weeks postop 2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? no, the most i go on average is once a day in the morning 3. do you pass gas all day long? no. i do not spend it farting all day 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence? no 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? no 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? i am still under a year postop. and do get slight belly ache when eating nuts such as almonds and pistachios. i am unable to eat chicken completely, but am able to eat small portion about 2oz. i am getting there 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot? no, i lost alittle bit at the front at about 3 months postop and it stopped few weeks later. no more hair loss after that. it was due to the 5 hours being in surgery and known as shock from anesthesia. since then i have not lost much hair as you can see from my pics 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? still have issues with poultry, but not as bad as before. i am able to eat alittle of it now to enjoy. nuts also gives me belly aches 9. do  you wear diapers? no 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? none 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink? milk, i enjoy drinking milk everyday as well as have to have my ready made nestea or lipton sweetened ice tea. i enjoy eating grill cheese. 12. what are things you are able to eat? everything so far with no problems except i still have a slight issue with poultry but able to eat 2oz with no problem, more than that and it affects me. 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? poultry that is more than 2 oz. can  and can eat less that 1/4 palm of nuts and no more 14. how much protein are you required to take? 80-120 gms per day but i usually have about 60-75 daily 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? it is either optimum nutrition rocky road protein powder that give me 34 gms of protein for 1 serving for meat its - ground beef, ribeye steak, beef franks, italian sausages, hamburger eggs, cheese lobster, shrimp, crab or salmon all these are high in protein 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? adek, centrum, iron, calcium citrate every once and awhile i take biotin and vit e. i take vit d because i have a deficieny in that since my pre-op days and still take it 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? yes and always do 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today? it is EITHER bkfast - either a optimum nutrition rocky road with lactaid milk OR western or eggs over easy/bacon/2 white toast OR cherrios with milk and some unflavored protein powder OR a grilled cheese.  lunch - tuna sandwich OR mcd's chicken wrap OR burger OR pizza with any topping i want OR a grilled salmon dinner - rice & beans with meat on the side OR pasta with meatballs OR shrimp scampi OR ribeye steak OR some seafood, and i like some steam veggies OR mashed potatoes 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery? i am more out of my shell and not hiding behind my hair. people can see i have a face.  but overall, i am still me,  just my body is different 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life? no longer suffer from sleep apnea no longer suffer from chronic diarrhea no longer have heart arrthymias no longer have high blood pressure no longer confined to a chair or bed because i can't  move no longer have to worry if i am under stress i will gain weight due to my cortisol being overactive i am able to  move about without feeling exhausted i am more active and participating in sports i look more presentable and not hiding or running away from the camera able to go out and not shy away from the public

This is a great idea Pretty Dove! I am one year post op: 1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool?  never, not even immediately after surgery 2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day?  I go once a day, in the am, and that is it.  I used to go once a week to 10 days pre-op, so this is a great improvement. 3. do you pass gas all day long? nope, not even close 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence?  nope, but DH`s farts do, lol 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS?  no way, I have less body odor than before because I am not constantly sweating and having trouble reaching certain spots to clean. 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating?  nope 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot?  I had moderate hair loss starting at month 4 and at one year my hair is super thick and much healthier, I think in part due to all the vitamins I take. 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? nope, I eat everything and anything.  The first few months post op I had trouble eating tough meat (steak, grilled chicken breast). 9. do  you wear diapers? huh?  I have NEVER heard of ANYONE wearing diapers. 10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS?  no, in fact the severe IBS I had pre-op has disappeared and so has my chronic constipation. 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink?  I eat different things every day, just like before surgery. 12. what are things you are able to eat? everything! 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? no 14. how much protein are you required to take? I get in around 90 grams a day 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? I eat lots of dairy protein, cheeses,  and lots of bacon, ham, sausage, pork roast, etc.  I love chili too. 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis?  I take two Walmart calcium citrates and I take the Vita4life multi vitamins. 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals?  yes, why wouldnt I? 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today?  today I had:  three bowls of chili with crackers and cheese, throughout the day.  A fried chicken sandwich and tater tots.  5 homemade sugar cookies.  Bowl of cereal w/ milk.  Two cups of coffee w/real cream, and several glasses of tea. 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery?  I would have to say yes, my depression is much better and my patience is up, irritability down.  But the essence of me has not changed.  If you are a jerk before having the DS, you will be a jerk after, lol. 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life?  I no longer have the following:  sleep apnea, knee pain, back pain, swelling of extremities, IBS, high blood pressure,  fatty liver, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and the best part is, I NO LONGER HAVE TO DIET!!! yeah!

I am almost  8 months post op. Down 130 lbs. and all of my answers are true. No sugar-coating here. No need to!! 1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool? Not since about the third week post-op. 2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? No, I usually go twice but always within say 30 minutes or so. Occasionally three, but still in the 30 minute time frame. 3. do you pass gas all day long? No 4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence? No, but after something really carby like cookies or pasta, it IS stinky! I take pro-biotics now and I don't even fart that much at all now. 5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? Not at all! 6. do you suffer from pain or bloating? Not at all. 7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot? I think I did. I started out with VERY thin hair and when I lost my hair, it was really noticible TO ME and also to my close friends that I pointed it out to. (See my pics on my profile) It's growing back now and since my hair does grow fast, I should be back to normal in a few more months. A VERY SMALL price to pay!!! 8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food? No, unless if I include milk and ice cream, but that's from being lactose intolerant even before surgery 9. do  you wear diapers? GOD NO!!! Never heard of anyone that did either.
10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS? No 11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink? Every day is different, but I eat a lot of red meat, cheese and nuts. 12. what are things you are able to eat? Everything 13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food? No 14. how much protein are you required to take? I never got a exact number from my surgeon, but I hover around 100 gr a day. 15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake? burgers, steak, chicken, pork chops, BBQ ribs, eggs, cheese, ect. 16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis? Before 9 am: 2 centrum silver, 1 iron, 1 potassium, (I was low on my last set of labs) 1 extra strength acidophilus
Noon, 3 and 6pm: 3 citrical (calcium) petites, 2 Dry Allergy A & D and (just at 3pm) 1  acidophilus
Before bed: 1 iron 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals? Yes and I always do. 18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today? B:(leftover chinese) BBQ pork, mandarian chicken, some brocolli and some chow mein
S: pack of buddig meat and a slice of cheese
L: can of tune w/mayo and salsa, 1 slice of sprouted bread and a slice of cheese
S- some popcorn, cup of veggie soup.
D- 1 1/2 Arby's beef & cheddar sandwich, (only 1/2 of 1 bun), 1/2 chocolate chip cookie
Might have a bite of something sweet before I go to bed. 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery? Not really, I'm still the same ol me! Just hotter! :) 20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life? I WAS on about 7 medication for high blood pressure, GERD, and pain. Now I'm on NONE!!! I'm HEALTHY now and I eat like a normal HEALTHY THIN person!! (actually BETTER!! Most of my thin friends eat like crap!!)