Journey to Duondenal Switch! Any advice or tips that will help?

Hello All!

I have struggled with my weight for many years. I am 34 and am lucky that I have not had any real health concerns yet. The last time I lost a lot of weight too fast. I eventually became sick and it took my doctors awhile before we found out it was my gall bladder. After it was removed I was better. Later, I began gaining most of the weight I lost back. I am back to about 335! I am still active with my two children. I just would like to do more with them. Just riding a roller coaster is not possible because of my size. I have never had surgery for weight loss but have been researching it for the past few years. I think the turning point is when I went to see my regular physician after some lab work was done and he had a young women who was studying to be a doctor "shadowing" him on the day of my visit. She was looking over my chart and said, "Wow, you are really healthy considering your BMI is over 50! I was expecting to see that you had high cholesterol or diabetic." After she said it she apologized for her comment. She explained that her perception was that because I was overweight I must be unhealthy. I did not take offence but it made me think I really should be concerned. They explained that I may be healthy now but soon I could develop health problems as I get older. After hearing my dad is now diabetic, I decided I need to make some changes now before I begin to have health problems too.  I finally made the leap and scheduled the free seminar with GHP. I was really impressed with the surgeon and decided I wanted to learn more. After learning more over the last couple months I just had my behavioral assessment and surgical consultation 10/23/14. I will find out in the next couple weeks on when we can schedule surgery. I know that the goal is before the New Year. I am really excited for this next step.  I am aware of the need for extra vitamins and protein to my diet. I believe in preparing for the journey ahead and welcome all advice and tips. Thanks in advance for all your support! :)

Correction: Journey to Duodenal Switch!

Typing too fast and misspelled it! :) I cannot find where you can edit so I guess it will stay this way. :) 

I researched the DS for over a year and decided on GHP as well.  I just had my DS w/hernia repair with Dr. Kemmeter three weeks ago.  I have nothing but absolute good things to say about him and the whole process.  It is a bit overwhelming with pre-op and post-op stuff but he was so fantastic and took a lot of extra time to clear scar tissue and fix my hernias- very thorough and professional.  I felt very confident and safe.  The first week is the hardest  and you wonder what the heck did I do but I'm doing better and am so glad I chose him as my surgeon- he is very experienced.  It took me ALOT of second guessing and going back and forth but it has been a good choice for me so far.

It is great to hear that your experience was a positive one. After speaking to Dr. Kemmeter after the seminar I was really impressed. After meeting him again during the surgical consult I knew I made the right choice as I was still comfortable with him. To me it is worth the 2 hour drive to GHP if I am happy with the staff. :)  I am still nervous about the whole process but figured the more information I have going into it, the more piece of mind I will have. I know that life always can throw curve balls but I noticed it is easier to handle when I do as much research as possible. I was second guessing myself for the first year I thought about surgery. Then it took me longer to convince my husband. I wish you lots of happy thoughts on your journey as I know it is still a long road and a life change. Let me know of any useful tips you have. :) Thanks again for the response! It was very encouraging to see someone from GHP with the same surgeon. :) 

Welcome!

I'm glad you're doing your prework!  The mention of vitalady's vitamin regime is a great start out of the gate.  Even if you don't buy her kit, you can get an idea of what all you need.  From that point, you can adjust according to your bloodwork.

For protein, I recommend getting several different single servings of brands and flavors and hold them until you're post-op, because your tastes are likely to change, and you don't want a giant of something that tastes like poison.  Also get egg white protein to try.  The whey protein has much variety, but the egg white protein is good for people who discover lactose intolerance, and that may cause less gas and doesn't have the strong after-taste.

Thanks! After reading many posts and blogs I really started to understand the need for the samples! I never thought about how much our taste buds can change. I am also thought about getting a variety of different decaf teas as it is one of my comfort "go to" items. I was reading that in the beginning it may a good way to drink some of the powder protein if I have trouble. Right now I am increasing my vitamin A & D right now. I never took vitamins before even though I knew as I getting older and I may need the extra help. It is a new experience for me but I am keeping my lists and handy dandy notebook as my "go to" during this process. Egg white protein, is that something that you can get at Kroger or Walmart? Or is it something I may need to order online? Thanks again for your response. Every little bit is helping make this process easier. :)

You've made a great decision! The DS has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. And as you have figured out, it's really about your longterm health, because even though you don't have those comorbidities now at some point they will enter your life if you don't take action.

Dr. Kenmeter has a stellar reputation. You are in good hands.

Larra

Thanks for your response! My biggest fear right now is that if I do not take the necessary steps that I will eventually develop serious health issues. Both my parents are diabetic and both were diagnosed late in life. My dad just recently and he is almost 64! I am not getting any younger. My husband does not like the idea of any form of surgery but I finally had to explain that if he wants me to live longer and healthier than this is my next step. I basically made him sit with me and go over the information from the seminar that GHP offered. It gave me a few good starting resources so I could talk to my husband about the journey I wanted to take. Since then he has been supportive, if a bit reluctantly. I am really hearing great things about Dr. Kemmeter. He is the one who gave me some new websites to learn more about DS and for support like this one. So far, it has been a great help! :)

Good for you I think it is a great decision to take this step now instead of putting it off.z

My advice on the whole thing is not to get too panicked at any single point. Most things 
You can just work through one step at a time as long as you don't ignore any issues. Between
all of us there is usually someone who can help with any questions or thoughts you might want 
to talk about. Don't be shy about it.  Congrats! 

Pete

It is great to have a good support system during this process! I am very happy that my surgeon suggested this site. :) It is always important to know you have other people out there to turn to for advice and tips. I have already learned so much! I am sure I will have tons of questions and concerns as my time gets closer. I think the first reaction usually is to panic but hearing stories and obstacles that I may encounter are actually helpful. I am keeping my notebook close by and after reading your post, I wrote STAY CALM at the top. It is good to remember that panicking does not solve problems.  Thanks for the response! :)