common channel

Explain the lengths and reasons why. I think I am 75/250

I think you mean the common channel. The longer the length, the more area for absorption. The shorter channel usually means less can be absorbed, so you typically lose faster and malnourishment is the result.

trumanorme -

I have to speak on this, because you've got it totally wrong!

Malnutrition is *not* automatically the result of having a shorter common channel.

Mine is 75 cm, the shortest my surgeon does.  It just so happened that I measured out to that by the Hess Method. I lost my first 200 pounds in a year.  The other 57 came off gradually over my third year out.

Doing the DS successfully takes lots of work, period.  Educating yourself with regard to nutrition, and taking ultra high potency vitamins, especially A, D, E and K are non-negotiable. My program recommends 4 Centrum-type complete multis daily along with a minimum 2400mg of Calcium Citrate with D, B12, and Thiamine (aka B6) for the *bare minimum*, every single day.I'm more comfortable with taking each vitamin in a separate capsule - they're more easily adjusted according to levels from my lab results.

I do over and above that, with my vitamin regimen. 13 to 15 capsules, depending on what day it is. some are taken on alternate days. 

Even though I'm five years out, I still drink a couple 8 oz. protein shakes a day (25g of protein each), just as insurance that I'm getting all my protein in. 

Any WLS patient can become malnourished, by simply not taking care of themselves nutritionally. I would venture to say this can even happen to Sleevers, who don't have the malabsorption component, but reduced capacity means the system doesn't have much to work with to pull nutrients from.

Common channel length can effect your bathroom issues as well in my opinion. 

Some surgeons prefer a shorter common channel in hopes that their DS patients will lose more weight and be better able to maintain that weight loss.

Some surgeons prefer a longer common channel because they believe that will less malabsorption there is less risk of nutritional deficiencies.

BUT - the bottom line is that malabsorption does NOT equal malnutrition. It is up to each patient to take all the necessary vitamins and supplements, and to recognize that this is a life long committment. It is up to each patient to consume plenty of protein every day. It is up to each patient to get regular lab work to make sure he/she is maintaining good levels. No matter how long of short the common channel, the surgeon can't do this for us. We must make this committment pre-op and then see it through.

Larra

CC is a crapshoot for the best DS surgeon in the world and the worst.  Your bowel is motile, it moves.  It lengthens and contracts all by itself to help move ingested food through your system.  It's called peristalsis.  You can actually see the intestines move.  Because of this, CC length is the docs best effort at that time.  You could have 10 surgeons measure the same CC on one patient and come out with 6 or 8 different results.

We are all different.  My CC is supposed to be 75 and I wi**** was 50.  I have never yet had any deficiencies.  Never reached goal either.  Many people with longer CC's can't supplement enough to stay ahead of the curve.  There is no way to say where you will will end up.  The shortest CC I know of is 40CM and the longest 250CM.  And both these people reached goal and are doing well.

So here's what I tell everyone.  Lose all the weight while it's easy.  Don't worry about losing too much unless your BMI is actually underweight.  This almost never happens.  We are used to being heavy and the weight loss can be frightening.  You will hear that you have lost enough and that's usually baloney.  Everyone is used to seeing us fat!  If you can get to 10% under goal that's wonderful.  The bounceback will probably put you right where you want to be!  There are no carbs that are your friend till the weight is gone.  You have the whole rest of your life to experiment with food and carbs but your time to lose easily is finite.  Use it wisely!