Newbie with some DS questions

Hello everyone! I have been researching the DS procedure and had a few questions I was hoping to get answered.

First off, I have been trying to get WLS since 2008 and keep hitting a few dead ends with pcps, surgeons, etc. I finally got in to see a surgeon but am not sure he is the one for me. He is the only one that accepts my insurance in the city. I was researching surgeons outside the city and came across one that does a procedure called the DS and have been researching it since. My BMI a month ago was 46.9, around 44 now with some weight loss but it keeps fluctuating, trying to go up again. I have the kind of metabolism that doesn't like me losing weight and holds on to every bit possible. I remember one time I went from eating fast food 2-3 times a day to eating 1200 calorie diet and not losing any weight, other times sticking to the diet I was on and gaining for no reason, so I think I need a WLS with malabsorption but just not sure GBP is for me. Health things I have are: hypothyroidism, diabetes, high cholesterol/triglycerides, severe sciatica and back pain, arthritis in knees, hip, feet, sleep apnea. At one point a wheelchair was ordered for me due to my lack of mobility and the pain is still bad sometimes I can't sleep well at night but am trying to push through it.

In my reseach I found that sometimes a nasogastric tube is required for a day or two. Is this in every case? How bad is it?
Can I expect the pre-op testing to be any different than with the bypass?
Is there anything that could disqualify me for this surgery, other than heart/lung issues?
The closest doctor that performs this procedure is 2 hours away. Is it best to stay in that town for 2 weeks afterwards to be safe, assuming everything goes as planned and there are no complications? Is it bad to have a surgeon this far away as in the event of something goes wrong, local doctors wouldn't be familiar with this procedure? Is it rough and painful to be traveling 2 hours after having surgery?
I currently don't have any couch/sofa/recliners in my apartment. I heard a recliner may be more comfy than a bed. Would it be worth getting one?
Will all of my medications (pill form) need a different route of administration due to the malabsorption?
What forms of birth control do any of you recommend? (IUD is not an option)
I know going to the bathroom may change after surgery. Will my periods be different after surgery?

Also if anyone can recommend good sites for researching the DS I'd appreciate them as well.

Thanks for reading!

Welcome aboard. You have a several great DS surgeons in CA, and yes, most folks have to travel. It'll be ok. Read all you can here and on www.dsfacts.com . You can even make sure your surgeon is listed as a trusted DS surgeon on that site.

I didn't use our recliners since they weren't the kind you could reach down and pull open and closed. My hubby and son parked me in the living room on the pullout couch right between the bathroom and the kitchen. lol  They were helpful when I needed them but we were out of each others way.

If you need pain meds for your back that are NSAIDS the GB is not a good idea at all. You'll want to talk to your surgeon about your pain meds and such. We don't do well with slow release pills or those squishy capsules filled with oil. 

Keep reading and asking questions.

--gina

Most of your questions can be answered by reading DSfacts.com. I'd start there, and when you've read the whole site, come back to us with any lingering questions!

As for selecting a surgeon, there is a list on dsfacts.com of vetted surgeons. If you decide that the DS is for you after your research, ONLY GO TO ONE OF THEM.

Congrats on starting your journey!

I drove 2 hours for my surgery. I went home the same day I was discharged (I had the DS). I made sure that I had a plan if there was an emergency that I couldn't get back to my DS surgeon immediately.

I worked at our local hospital for 6+ years, and before I had surgery I spoke with one of the 3 surgeons who work there and made sure he knew what the DS was and gave him more info...just in case I needed to be stabilized before being sent to Charlotte. He knew what the DS was and agreed to read up on it a little more.

I had no NG tube. I had hardly any post-op nausea, and what I did was controlled by IV meds. I used our recliner, but by the end of the week I hated it! I was ready to burn it in effigy!

I can't comment on the birth control or periods. Hubby is fixed, and I am going thru menopause.

Read DSFacts.com, read every post you can on this site, use the search on this site, and then ask any questions you couldn't find the answer to. Becky posts a "Newbies, lurkers, and pre-ops" post that has a lot of threads collected on it that is highly informative. Read that post and look at ElizabethN.'s posts. On her siggy she has some threads that are helpful.

Good luck! 

Hi and welcome!
    I think you've done a great job so far with your research. Given that you have a metabolism that resists weight loss, the DS is far and away the best choice because it provides the most metabolic improvement. A purely restrictive operation will likely get you nowhere, and gastric bypass provides mostly restriction with just a little malabsorption and metabolic help. Also, with your joint problems, you will likely need NSAIDs even with weight loss, and you can't take them safely after gastric bypass, for life.
     In addition, the DS provides the best rate of resolution for your diabetes (assuming this is type 2 diabetes, there is no operation that resolves type 1), and will get the most excess weight possible off those bad joints. All in all, a great decision on your part.

To answer some of your questions, NG tubes are sucky but I never had one with my DS. Different surgeons do things differently and you would need to ask your surgeon what he does.
     2 hour drive - I know where Carmichael is, I think you would do ok. My drive, quite possibly to the same hospital, was about 1 hour, and it wasn't fun on the way home but it wasn't bad either.
     Pre-op testing - up to the surgeon, but probably about the same for either operation.
     Meds - the only meds we generally have problems with are the "extended release" types.
      Recliner - didn't use one. I was thrilled to see my own bed at home, was very comfy and had no difficulty getting into or out of it. Some people do prefer recliners, though.
     Birth control - there should be BCP that will still work for you, but definitely something to discuss with your GYN.
     Periods - having major surgery may cause you to have your period early, but once things settle down you should get back to "normal" , whatever than means for you.

Are you looking to have surgery with Dr. Rabkin in SF?? He's excellent.

And read everything at dsfacts.com, best site for researching the DS, along with this forum, of course.

Larra

PS the DS support group meeting for Dr. Rabkin's practice is on Wednesday the 21st. He does an educational presentation for new people which I think you would find very helpful. You can pm me for more info.

I think the PacLap meeting is wed. 12/14 in San Fran.  But check with Pac Lap tp be sure.

You're right - my bad, and thanks for correcting me. I'm so used to checking for the third Wednesday for the San Jose meeting that that's what I did.
     So anyone interested in the SF meeting, it's THIS Wednesday the 14th, and the San Jose meeting this month was cancelled as it's too close to Christmas for most people to attend.

Larra

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Welcome. I think most of your questions have been answered.

I traveled half way across the country for my DS and stayed 2 weeks. It's a hassle but doable. Many folks have traveled much further.

I have stayed in contact with my surgeon by email and phone over the last year.

 
Hi there!  Welcome!

As others have said, DSFacts.com and the other link in my siggy are great places to get started reading.

I traveled 3 hours to my WLS site, and so did my husband.  For his, I was in a terrible snowstorm, and had to travel 12 hours the other way for a family emergency.  Whew!  We made it.  

Do what you have to do to get the surgery that you need.