Please comment on my lap band doc email regarding DS
On January 7, 2012 at 1:18 PM Pacific Time, usandall wrote:
I received an email from my lap band doc and I feel like it coming from his heart & now I am torn. My surgical date is either Feb 14 or 21 with Dr U. I was planning on going Monday to the bank to put the down payment in Dr U bank account to book the surgery. I do not feel My lap band doc was up front with me regarding my lap band or maybe I was looking through rose color glasses and wanted the lap band to work so bad I was sold on it without taking into account the failure rate. I am a self pay. I want to make sure I am making the right decision and I thought the best people to ask is other ds pt's. I have to be honest the information I have received from this site has been more helpful then the doctors so I would be grateful if you would take the time to respond as it will assist me with making a life long decision. Thank you sincerely DonnaHere is the email from my lap band doc............ I omitted only stuff which applied to his baby however any thing to do with the DS I kept and did not alter other then protecting some names he offered.
So one last time- consider this all carefully. I don't think you need that malabsorption and all the issues that come with it. You will lose weight fast - and will struggle at first to keep up with the protein requirements, and probably will be protein malnourished for a while.
Do consider just the sleeve portion of the DS or just a plication. They are easier on you, and your body, and do not have the malabsorption.
I won't bother you again with that opinion, but hope you keep it in mind, because I really do have your best interests at heart, and would really like you to think again. Remember, I've done more DS than most people - and one of the reasons I stopped was in 2003 I did over 350 DS and in 2005 only 3 people came back to follow up with their labs. There are still some DS patients who I follow - they are on facebook. I have banded over two (Kim and Bonnie ) (note I removed the pt's last name as they did not give me permission) - and one- Stephanie is doing well and living in Tampa- the other Kathy has regained a fair bit of weight, but is a lovely person, just got her nurses license and is working for a GI doc. So- you might think about asking them. They have given me permission to talk about them. I have asked my old DS patients to identify themselves on Facebook- so perhaps you can interact with them.
First year is a b&^$# (changed the 4 remaining letters as it might not be allowed on this site) with DS - up to ten stools a day. There are some things that can help with it. I have those outlined in my first book. Lots of gas. It is like having Ally all the time without being able to get away from it. It does settle down- although some patients have no issue with any of it.
Me again........I am hoping to make the decision and never regret it any help would be so appreciated. Note I only lost 16 pounds with the band.
Sincerely
Donna
All of them work. Some work better than others, but all of them DO work, for some people. It's important to research them all, so you can figure out which one will work the best for YOU. It's also important to know that you can fight your insurance company if they say they won't cover the WLS that YOU want.
We can help.
I am a band to DS revision and I can tell you... well, you do poop a lot. Not ten times a day necessarily, but when you are losing weight you poop a lot. I used to wonder where weight goes when we "lose" it. Now I know!
Gas and discomfort are pretty controllable via diet though. I'm not yet three months out and I have already learned that lesson WELL.
I spent ten years in misery with the band. I threw up multiple times a day, I could never eat... especially in PUBLIC... so when I got home at night I would sit down by myself with some hot tea and ******g EAT. I was STARVING. And gaining! The band messed with my metabolism so bad. I never really lost any weight with it, maybe about 15 lbs right afterward when I was on liquids. I tried fills, unfills, I was exercising, I did Weigh****chers with it. Because I could hardly ever eat a normal (even a very small, normal) meal, it was impossible for me to really do it. Did I mention the throwing up multiple times a day? Did I mention it was AFTER I got unfilled that I continued throwing up?
Life with the DS is so awesome. I am not scared to eat anymore! It is amazing! I can even go out with friends and while I cannot eat MUCH, what I can eat I can. It's not taking one tiny bite and chewing like crazy and then... uh oh, stuck, and sitting there like a deer in the headlights unable to think about anything else until I finally go hurl.
The DS is so much better. It will take more work to maintain in terms of vitamins. But I'd much rather an effective surgery that takes work to maintain then fritter my life away working like crazy over a surgery that did not work AND made me utterly miserable.
Gas and discomfort are pretty controllable via diet though. I'm not yet three months out and I have already learned that lesson WELL.
I spent ten years in misery with the band. I threw up multiple times a day, I could never eat... especially in PUBLIC... so when I got home at night I would sit down by myself with some hot tea and ******g EAT. I was STARVING. And gaining! The band messed with my metabolism so bad. I never really lost any weight with it, maybe about 15 lbs right afterward when I was on liquids. I tried fills, unfills, I was exercising, I did Weigh****chers with it. Because I could hardly ever eat a normal (even a very small, normal) meal, it was impossible for me to really do it. Did I mention the throwing up multiple times a day? Did I mention it was AFTER I got unfilled that I continued throwing up?
Life with the DS is so awesome. I am not scared to eat anymore! It is amazing! I can even go out with friends and while I cannot eat MUCH, what I can eat I can. It's not taking one tiny bite and chewing like crazy and then... uh oh, stuck, and sitting there like a deer in the headlights unable to think about anything else until I finally go hurl.
The DS is so much better. It will take more work to maintain in terms of vitamins. But I'd much rather an effective surgery that takes work to maintain then fritter my life away working like crazy over a surgery that did not work AND made me utterly miserable.
10 stools a day? Please! I have always had only 1 stool a day, 2 if I eat like a carbaholic fool which happens on occasion.
I myself did have trouble my first year. I vomited and had nausea a lot, and ended up being malnourished. I was on TPN for about three months. I resolved the issue, and I've been doing fine since. I also picked up GERD as a result of the DS--I didn't have it before surgery. These are realities: just like every other surgery, some people have trouble. Very few DSers have had the vomiting issue that I describe.
As far as labs, I do WAAAAYYYY more labs than my surgeon recommends! I send him my lab reports every time I take them, including the weekly labs from my TPN. Patients are likely having their labs done through their PCP and not reporting the labs to him as a surgeon. That's very different than patients not following up at all and having their labs done. A lot of DSers are do-it-yourself types who have learned to decipher our own labs with help and adjust our vitamins accordingly. That's not irresponsible follow-up, that's focusing on our own biz and not waiting for a surgeon to tell us what to do!
We have a saying around here: Your Mileage May Vary. Everyone's experience is a bit different. To get a feel of different types of experiences living with the DS, I would suggest that you do a lot of reading from a lot of different people who have actually had a DS and lived with it. (Your surgeon is NOT one of those people.) The links in my signature are a great place to start.
Nicole Lab rata data link- One-half of a DS couple! - I'M BELOW GOAL!
http://bit.ly/DSExp After a very rough start it's official--I
my DS! Romans 8:28
Looking for DS information? Start at http://bit.ly/newDS and DSFacts.com
http://bit.ly/DSExp After a very rough start it's official--I
my DS! Romans 8:28 Looking for DS information? Start at http://bit.ly/newDS and DSFacts.com
Thank you this is what I am looking for. I truly appreciate your efforts and sharing as I want all the facts before I make a decision which can not be reversed. My surgeon sent me an email and I feel better. He has been awesome. Answering numerous emails, taking my records reviewing them and my upper GI and endoscopy. It concerning to just get the rose color glasses version and this is helpful...............here was his email from today & thank you again, Donna
Enviado desde mi iPhone
El 10/01/2012, a las 18:55, "Donna Landgraf" escribió:
I thank you for taking the time for me to talk with your nurse she is awesome. I was set on my decision as I have done so much research but the reaction I received from one pro board site was so off the wall and my lap band doc I wanted to confirm before I went further. You are right if I remove the band I would gain weight I do not have one doubt. Thank you again and I am off to book a flight. Donna
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