Newbie! (Long!)

Hi everyone! I am K, and have been stalking this board for a while now so I decided I may as well quit being a dirty lurker and come join the fun! ;) I have wanted weight loss surgery for a very long time (more than five years) and have been heavy all of my life. This is the heaviest I have ever been (and hopefully since I have surgery coming up on May 28th it will be the heaviest I will ever be again)! I am 5'7 and weigh 364lbs. It's kind of amazing how my entire life I have avoided telling people that and it is one of the things that will probably be relatable to many of you... My goal weight is 155lbs. I just took my nutrition class the other day, and am scared to death! lol I looked at the print out of scheduled nutrition and actually had to wonder if I will be ingesting more in vitamins and supplements each day than I will REAL food?! LOL 

 

I picked duodenal switch because it was the only one that made sense to me. Roux en y might/is great for some people but I am really attached to my pyloric valve! I looked into the sleeve but wasn't satisfied with how much weight I would be likely to lose. Lap band was never an option for me for many reasons: horror stories (I know every surgery has them, but I have been surrounded by them and it just doesn't make me comfortable) as well as average weight loss. I need something a little more... well just a little more! LOL Duodenal Switch came up as an option thanks to the internet and for about five years I have been watching, following, studying stats to see how it compares and finally pulled the trigger last month.What really pushed me into "action" on this was that my husband and I are getting ready to adopt two toddlers. I can't chase after them like this... so I finally pulled the trigger I met my doctor and am now having surgery next month! For those of you who had to wait a long time before getting it- hats off to you because I am going nuts already with only a month wait so I have no idea how you made it through!

I am definately afraid of never getting to eat the things I love again, I also have the (hopefully normal) "how can this be the right thing for my body?!?!" jitters. I worry that I won't lose enough weight to make this "worth it" (vs. the pain and life altering it will take to do it). I also worry that I will lose everything in the "good" spots and not the "bad" ones.... I worry that all I am ever going to do is put protein shakes down my throat... It's so funny, I have been SO SURE about this for so long and now that it's becoming a reality I am second guessing everything, have I researched enough? Have I weighed my other options enough? Am I sure this is the only realistic way I will lose the weight? Anyways- I didn't mean for this to become a novel but I wanted to answer as many of the "get to know you" questions as I could! Thanks for all the information and support you have given me without realizing it while i was a lurker! LOL and GL to you all!!

Welcome and good luck on your journey!  You definitely picked a great surgery.  I LOVE my DS!  As for vitamins, not getting to eat what you like, guzzling protein shakes- eh.  Not so much!  Yes, I take a lot of vitamins (about 20 a day), yes I drink at least one protein shake a day (two usually, but I make one into a coffee and one into a milkshake), and YES I can still eat the things I loved preop now (sometimes they cause GI upset/gas now, and I DO have to limit them to maintain my loss).  I was also afraid to lose from the "good" areas and still be fat in the others.  Nope.  I lost from all over, even my fingers, toes and shoe size went down.  I eat- a LOT.  A lot of real, very yummy food.  Do you like steak, shrimp, bacon, cheese?  Cause thats what I eat the most of :)  Im 3 years out, and can eat a 6oz steak with bites here and there of the sides in one sitting.  Sounds pretty "normal" to me.  And yep, if you do what you need to do (limit carbs and get light exercise, even walking) while you are losing, you will definitely lose enough for it to be "worth it".  Heck, even if you DONT do those things, you will lose.  Not as much, and not as healthfully, but you will lose some all the same.  Nerves are normal, but remember your research is sound.  And if you were going to lose the weight any other way, wouldnt you have done it by now??  I know this was the ONLY way I could do it, and keep it off.  Period.  worth every penny and second and trial and error food and every bit of nerves etc.  And it will be for you too.

Hi! I'm kind of in the same boat, I've been a "lurker" here for quite a while. I've read up on, and book marked, so many wonderful tips, hints, watch out fors and recipes. I'm scheduled to be switched bright and early Wednesday morning! I am going through a lot of the same emotions as you describe. I was so sure and had not an anxious bone in my body and now I'm a little nervous and still a lot excited. I think a lot of the ups and downs I'm seeing now are from my liquid diet phase. I know I did my research and made my lists, i am 110% behind my decision and I am here because this is the best option to live the long and healthy lifestyle I want for myself and my future children!

I wish you nothing but the best, here's to a brand new life for the both of us!

Welcome!  

Welcome aboard!  

One of the great things about the DS is that there probably won't be anything you can never eat again.

Welcome! I know things can be overwhelming when you first look at it, but once you get used to it , things are not that rough.

Having just had my own revision to Ds 4 weeks ago all those questions, thoughts and worries were all pretty normal to me. I think I had every single one  of those thoughts. I  am now adapting to my lifestyle and there is never a dull moment. I know I will have it figured out one of these days. In the meantime I am down 21 lbs as of several days ago so I'm not complaining. There will always be someone who loses faster than me and some will be slower. Its my journey and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to laugh at the moments that I don't have much control over and learn from those too! Good luck to both of you. I know you won't have any regrets. Just be patient and remember its a journey worth  taking and its YOUR journey. The people on this board are full of sage advise so  ask them for help along the way. They have helped me tremendously and and I'm sure I will still be asking a lot of questions in the future! 

Good luck!

Sharon

Thank you all so much for the warm reception, and it is so nice to hear that my feelings are normal! In a few minutes it will be midnight and I will only be 39 days out from surgery!!! I am a big believer in fate, and funny enough from the time I called to the time I will have surgery will be barely over a month- everything has fallen into place so perfectly that I have to believe that this is the exact moment when I am supposed to do this, however it's also nerve wracking! I don't want to complain but who decides to get weight loss surgery and then  has it like 50 days later?!?! LOL Again, not complaining because I honestly don't think I would be able to do it if I had the opportunity to dwell on it too long, but still... it's fast! My husband has actually considered having weight loss surgery (the sleeve specifically) but he has decided to give it "one last go" at losing weight before signing up. I kind of chuckle because he is going to be trying to lose his weight while I lose mine, and all I can think is: "these poor kids, they are about to have a field day!" 39 days. 39days and I will be making one of the biggest changes in my life... give me all the advice you can spare because I will be soaking it all in from now until then (and probably long afterwards)! Thanks again, and GL!  

welcome