Intro and info

After having lurked around OH for literally YEARS gathering information and weighing my options (pardon the pun), I finally decided to take the plunge and start the trek toward Bariatric Surgery AND toward finally introducing myself here. Hello!

I freely admit that when I went to the bariatric consult with the doctor I finally chose (Dr. Jawad at ORMC), I was not expecting to be told I was a good candidate for DS. I had done all kinds of research on bariatric surgery but DS was nowhere on my radar. I'm so glad he recommended it because after learning all I could about DS without actually having had the surgery, I'm really excited. What was I waiting for?!?

Anyway, that is my intro. I look forward to folding some of you into my triumphs and struggles as I move along this new adventure!

Welcome and I congratulations on your new adventure.

Susan

Welcome aboard!  

--gina

That's great Hedgie. Just don't do what I have done almost twice. That is let yourself get into malnutrition. It cost me both of my legs, nearly dying and my insurance company 100s of thousands of dollars. Luckily had good insurance at the time. Also cost me my job although they found another place for me after I lost my legs. Make sure you listen to people and get your protein, vitamins and don't let your guard down. I had the BPD-DS in 2001 and at my worst got down to 120 lbs. Got back up to 174 then started losing again the 1st of this year. Lost 34 lbs before I started seeking help. It's amazing how litlle that doctors don't understand about this surgery. I am on the mend again but having to take in 200g of protein, 50g of complex carbs and after 2 weeks I have gained 3.5 lbs. Got down to 140 I'm a 5'10" male and not good at 140 with me build. Your life is going to change drastically, just remember that. I wish I had been able to lose the weight another way but never had success with it. Had my stomach stapled in around 1990 and while I did lose 70 lbs it became really boring only eating a few tablespoons of food at a time. Had it reversed and I balooned up even higher then I was pre surgery.So there you go. My wife had the surgery 6 months after me and she has different problems. None of them life threatening. And finds a work around for it.

Patngin, I really wish you wouldn't tell people that your problems were from the DS. As we have discussed before, the operation you almost surely had was NOT the DS, but a Frankensurgery done only by your surgery who was infamous for it, which involved, among other things,  removiing (not bypassing!) much of your small intestine. A far more dangerous operation than the DS which is NOT a standard of care operation, and which Hedgie and any other pre-op reading this surely is not going to have. Yes, we do need to be concerned about maintaining our nutritional heatlh, but the real DS rarely causes severe nutritional deficiencies like you experienced, and which you are still struggling with.

For those with a real DS, or considering it, malabsorption does not equal malnutrition unless you let it. Severe nutritional deficiencies are uncommon with the DS and are usually, though not always, due to noncompliance. If someone learns what we need to do to maintain our nutritional health and commits to the lifetime needs for extra protein and specific vitamins and minerals in the right amounts, it is unlikely that nutritional deficiencies will occur.

And if you want me to review your operative report, I did send you my email address in a pm and would still be glad to look it over.

Larra

Did I say it was because of the operation. I don't think so what I said was keep your guard up and get the supplements and food you need. You and I both know it wasn't the operation it was me letting myself get to that point. I think it is good for people to realize how important it is too keep track of your labs eat what people who have had success  have told you and for them to realize what can happen at its worst with this operation if you don't. I think you got this wrong Larra. I still have doctors that use my case as an example of what can happen if you don't follow instructions. This surgery is a major life change and I think people should understand how bad it can get albeit I am an extreme case but this second time of getting myself into trouble I knew where to turn to dig myself out. I just think people should realize when they go into this this is a life changing thing more so than just being skinny. It is a lifetime commitment. I am also saying this is one of the mostintrusiveweight loss surgery there is. Me and my wife have both had it and it is a lot of work to stay on top of things its easy to poopoo it for a while and if you do  and let it go a long time it can be life threatening. Also my operative report sounds like a standard BPD-DS including removal of my gall bladder. My common limb is 75cm and eveerything else is pretty standard. He started his mini DS after we had ours done.

Pat

Pat, I agree completely with much of what you are saying. It's a lifetime commitment. Anyone having any kind of bariatric surgery should go into it well informed and ready to commit to whatever their choice of operation requires, whether it's a specific diet, exercise, vitamins, protein, labs, whatever.

    But I think when you shoulder all the blame for your complications, you do yourself an injustice. Yes, you probably could have stayed more on top of things - only you can say how much better - but you also had an operation that was not standard, and I suspect were not properly informed about it, which was NOT your fault. This may have also meant that your other doctors down the line did not understand the true nature of what was done to you. These are factors in what happened. I'm very glad that you are acting sooner this time and taking steps to improve your health before things get really bad again.

    I do also worry, though, about the effect your posts may unintentionally have on someone considering the DS, among other options, i.e. that your story may scare people away from what is their best hope for permanent weight loss, resolution of serious comorbidities, and leading a normal life. If you make it clear that the operation you had is NOT the same as the operation they are considering, that will make a big difference, and allow the point you are trying to make about staying on top of things and dealing with problems before they get out of hands stronger. As things stand, when you tell people you had the DS and these terrible things happened to you, people may blame the DS, which in reality is not the operation that you had. That is my concern.

Lifetime commitment? I agree. About more than just being skinny? Absolutely! Just make it clear that your operation wasn't a true DS are we're good.

Larra

I emailed you the report see if it doesn't sound standard to you. I am not defending Heap because you are right we were not informed before we had it but what he said sounded good. If I would've known how much trouble you can have would I have had it, probably but I just ignored the signs for so long thought I was smarter, Just want people to not go into this blindly and that it does work and you can eat pretty much what you want as much as you can with 80% of your stomach removed.

Welcome!  I look forward to sharing the journey with you!

Thanks for the welcomes. I probably should have mentioned I'm four months in to the insurance-required diet process, two more months to go!

As far as the malnutrition is concerned, I was concerned about the supplement requirements for bariatric surgery when I started the journey. I had been taking meds three times a day for the last 20 years for a pituitary tumor and I was elated when they came up with a new drug that I would only have to take twice a week. Being put back on a regimen requiring multiple pills several times a day was something I really didn't want to do.

Being obese is something I want even less, so I've been taking multi-vitamins, calcium supplements, iron and protein shakes every day for the last year to get back in the habit of multi-daily dosing. I can't say I like it, but I can say it's part of my routine and I view it as just one of those things I have to do.