survey for postop about DS life

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool?  Only when I eat junk.  Almost never otherwise.

2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day?  Sometimes.  Generally, tho, it's once in the AM and twice in the PM.

3. do you pass gas all day long?  Nope.  Once or twice a day unless I eat junk then all bets are off.

4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence? No.  A couple of minutes, tho, and I do need to use spray or perfume as it is pungent.

5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS?  No.

6. do you suffer from pain or bloating?  No.

7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot?  No.  At 4 mos. out I began losing hair.  It continued for the first year or so but was never noticeable to anyone but my hairbrush.

8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food?  No.  Through the first year I had problems when I ate hotdogs or tomato sauce.  But now, nothing.

9. do  you wear diapers? No, I do carry an extra pair of panties just in case I'd ever have an accident, tho.

10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS?  My PTH is too high and hasn't gone down.  I'm currently under the care of an endocrinologist.

11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink?  I drink Crystal Light every day.

12. what are things you are able to eat?  Pretty much anything I want.  I just eat much smaller quantities than I did preop.  For example, I only eat 1/2 sandwich for a meal and I can't finish that in one sitting without feeling discomfort.  I don't eat much junk (once a week or so) and am obsessively careful about getting enough protein and vits/mineral supplements.

13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food?  No.

14. how much protein are you required to take?  80-120 grams per day.

15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake?  Meat, tuna fish, chicken, protein shakes/shots, cheese, nuts.

16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis?  

Varying doses of:

Centrum multi-vitamins Calcium Citrate Zinc Vitamin A Vitamin D Poly-Iron 150 Forte Cap 17. are you able to eat and drink with your meals?  Yes, but I drink very little during meals so I have enough room for protein.  I mostly drink after meals.

18. what is a typical menu for a day or post what you ate yesterday/today?  Breakfast:  2 slices no fat Am. cheese.   Lunch:  3 egg omelette with ham.   Dinner:  2 turkey burgers w/no fat cheese and catsup.  Snacks:  nuts, cheese, peach, sf candy, sf fudicles, potato chips/pretzels. 19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery?  Same basic personality, just much more confident and willing to put myself out there.

20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life?  New job, more friends, more confidence.  Cholesterol was very high and is now very low.  Have had several operations to rebuild ankles and shoulder.  Now, no pain in any joints and no pain in back.  Preop I walked bent over due to severe back pain.

1. do you have diarrhea or loose watery stool?   NO

2. do you go 4-6 times even more a day? NO - 2-3 times in morning.  Sometimes once in evening.

3. do you pass gas all day long? Only if I eat a lot of white flour, rice, etc.

4. is your fart or bowel movement so offensive that it lingers on you 5 mins AFTER occurence?  The morning bms are strong, so I burn a candle or spray deodorizer.

5. do you have body odor that is due to having DS? In the first few weeks, I think I did.  I would not wear my clothes more than once without washing.  Now, that is not an issue.

6. do you suffer from pain or bloating?  I did once.  It was when I tried a new green tea blend that has rice in it.  I have not had the problem again.

7. do you have hair loss that was consider alot?  I did from month 3-6.  My hair is coming back now, but I don't think it is as thick as before.

8. do you have intolerance or get sick eating any type of food?  Yes, I can eat a little rich ice cream, but very much gives me a gurgling stomach.

9. do  you wear diapers?  Only when I was less than three years old and that was quite a long time ago.

10. do you have any intestinal problems or other complications since having DS?  No, I used to have some problems with constipation, but have only had it once since the DS.  I also used to have constant, terrible heartburn.  That is gone and I am not taking Nexium anymore.

11. what is one thing you have daily to eat or drink?  I drink lots of water and coffee.  I know, BAD me. 

12. what are things you are able to eat?  I can eat anything in moderation.

13. is there anything you are unable to eat or tolerate regarding food?  I am somewhat lactose intolerant now (was not before), so I limit milk and ice cream.  Other products, such as cheese, do not bother me.

14. how much protein are you required to take?  I try to consume about 100 grams of protein daily.

15. what are some things you take/eat to get in your daily protein intake?  Eggs, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, meats, beef sticks, yogurt.  Sometimes, I will have a protein drink or bar, if I know it will be hard to get enough in by food.

16. what vitamins and supplement do you take on a daily basis?  Vita4Life, Calcium, Dry A&D, and iron.

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- peanut butter on toast, Snack - cheese  stick or nuts, L- chicken nuggets, cottage cheese with fruit, Snack - Val's trail mix, D - grilled hamburger with cheese, salad with Blue Cheese, Snack - beef stick.

19. has your personality or preceptions of things changed since you had surgery?  No, I am the same wonderful person I was before.

20. what are some things you can say that having DS helped you with your health and life?  I have the energy to do more now.  I feel great, not tired all the time.