Channel Length Meaning/Loop DS

Larry, I also have had the loop DS. can you tell us what vitamins you are taking and how it is affecting your labs?

I think most of the regular DS people take between 10 and 15 different types of vitamins. I'm at 15 different types.The think that takes the count up is that the dosages we require are taken by taking multiple pills of the same type. For most of us Calcium is the big offender since we try to take about 500-650 mg at a time. There have been studies that point to around 600 as the max dose absorbed at one time.  For me that means I take 6 (2 each 3 times a day) for about 1800mg.

At 9 months it is not the problem I originally thought it might be. You do develop certain timing and habits to get it done.

For most people with a regular DS the shorter the common length the more malabsorption you have. Some people handle short lengths quite well (50-75) for others it can cause a problem by leading to too much malabsorption. For the people with longer lengths (175-250) they may have a problem achieving goal weight because they have less malabosrption. How a person reacts with a certain CC length can be a highly individual answer but generally smaller leads to more malabsorption and longer to less.

Thanks. So with the longer channels would that compared to a person with a shorter channel would that mean less vitamins (going on a guess?) Would the doctor know? Or would it depend on lab work after the surgery. 

Like I know there is a rough estimate, chart, percentage breakdown of how much the DS malabsorbs. For the people with the longer/shorter channels I'm assuming those percentages vary depending upon length.  Is there a way to know for sure?

For the people with the shorter or larger than standard, was it requested? Is it at all possible? Does the channel get shortened/lengthen for particular reasons?

I would ask the surgeon that but just wondering if I'd expect a definite answer or an " one never knows" type of answer. I'm really not opposed to the ds as I feel as though the malabsorption would help me and after reading more posts I officially feel I won't chose the RNY .

Just keep in mind that the longer cc means that along with nutrients, you will absorb more calories, fat and carbs too, meaning it may take longer to lose your weight, you may or may not reach goal, and it may be harder to maintain.  Revisions are not common and like any surgery, carry significant risks, so this is not like a haircut.  Plus, with something as new as SADI, it will be very difficult to find help if your surgeon is unavailable in the future.  

My surgeon uses the "Hess" method where they base your common channel length on the length of the rest of your intestines (proportionally). My cc is 75 cm. 

There's a really great website that describes all of this but I cannot link to it (I got moderated when I pasted the link last time!). Perhaps another poster can post the link. Or, you can google "Hess method" -- with the quotation marks and it's the first site that pops up. That site has tons of great info on the DS. 

I had my surgery on 11/20/13 and my common channel is 200 cm. I'm only a couple months out and have yet to see what my personal absorption is, but I can tell you that I started VitaLady's full DS regimen (34 pills in all, divided throughout the day) as soon as I could tolerate it. With my longer common channel this may be overkill, but I'd rather reduce what I'm taking after my first set of labs than try to play catchup when my labs show deficiencies. I was told that I will lose slower because I have a longer common channel, but In the past not quite 2 months I have lost 44 lbs, which seems about average, even for people with much shorter common channels. I make a point of getting at least 100 g protein every day and I keep my carbs under 50 g per day. I don't pay attention to my fat grams. I let my bathroom visits determine when to add or reduce fats in my diet (if things are too loose, I reduce the fat and if things are stopped up, I increase the fat). I do not eat low fat anything. I do use protein shakes to help me get my 100 g protein in every day, but mostly because I am not really a breakfast eater, so I like the Premier Protein shakes with coffee for breakfast.

Some people believe calling the "loop DS" or the "SADI DS" or even the Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch a DS is misleading. Based on the research, I disagree and so do my surgeons. All three surgeries are a DS and all three surgeries are effective, but do your research to figure out which one is right for you.

*edited to correct typo

Please keep me updated on your weight loss journey. Also was this a Virgin DS? What was your starting weight if you don't mind sharing?

I have a 125cm CC.  I wi**** was shorter!  I know I absorb much better than most DSers because of my labs.  I don't supplement nearly as much as most people and my labs actually improved from pre-op with that.  I also take no oral iron, yet my iron numbers are fantastic.  My protien/albumin numbers are also at the top of the range without any shakes.  I am also not lactose or gluten intolerant like many.  I can drink milk all day or eat white flour with absolutely no bad effects.  

Because of this, I really have to watch it or I gain.  And I'm only a little over a year out.  I know 5-10 years from now, I will really have to be strict to keep the weight off.  So having a longer CC isn't always the best trade-off.

Hi there. What does your vitamin regime look like? How much have you lost since DS and how much lbs were you when you got it?

I stared with the full Vitalady recommendation except the iron since I couldn't tolerate it.  Since then I have been eliminating things or switching to every-other-day for many based on labs.  No two people will take the same amounts.  You just have to go by your labs.  One of the first things I eliminated was all the extra B vitamins.  1 B complex every other day keeps my labs in high-normal range at this point.  

My weight loss stats are in my signature.