surgery for DupDenal Switch scheduled for April 2015 and I am terrified

I apologize, my BMI is 57.4

With a BMI that high, the DS is definitely going to be the best chance for you.

however; you have to be committed and be able to afford taking the necessary vitamins for the rest of your life. Being healthy, to me, is worth far more than the inconvenience of having to take a lot of vitamins every day. 

You also have to be committed to getting in enough protein and fluids every day. 

Both of those things are true for any WLS procedure, but even more so with the DS because of the malabsorption. 

I had the sleeve only first almost 5 yrs ago. I thought the DS to be too extreme for me then and was hoping the VSG would be enough. I did well with it..started out at 292. Surgery weight was 273. I got down to between 155-160. Then life stuff happened and I stopped trying...I had to take care of a good friend who was dying of cancer who had chose me to be the one to make all of his end of life decisions. It was a 3 month bedside vigil basically and that was my priority. I ate what and when I could. I wasn't in a position to be picky. I didn't lose but I didn't gain either. After that over the next year I had back surgery and then a hysterectomy and I suffered with severe anemia during that time also. I gained some then. After all of that I was so happy to finally be feeling good that I just lived and was happy. This summer I ate a lot of fruit...it was very refreshing in the heat. Lots of watermelon, grapes, canteloupes, etc. I gained another 15 lbs. I didn't hardly ever overeat, but I didn't always make wise choices about what I ate. I've always been mindful of carbs...rarely did I eat any bread, pasta, or rice. But even going back to basics and cutting out all the things I shouldn't have I couldn't lose a lb. my metabolism is way screwed up. 

Thats when I decided to go for a revision. They re-did my sleeve and added the switch. 

You have to be mentally ready to make the necessary lifestyle changes in your eating habits. At first it will be easy because your tummy will be so tiny and you just physically won't be able to eat a lot and you won't want to. You won't be hungry and you'll be amazed at how little it takes to satisfy you. But over time you will be able to eat more and some of the hunger will return.

you have to commit to a life of high protein, LOW CARB.

you won't need to concern yourself with calories or fat...but you need to make sure you're getting in lots of protein and staying away from simple carbs and only having moderate complex carbs from green leafy vegetables. 

You also have to be diligent about getting bloodwork often and making sure all your levels stay up. 

Good luck to you...research research research. Read all you can find. Educate yourself. Knowledge is key. 

Star, I requested you as a friend.

Thank you so much for all of the information and sharing your story with me. 

I hope that I can help support you as well with future decisions and we can become friends.

I appreciate your honesty and courage.

It is important since you are scheduled to be an informed patient who understands what a Duodenal Switch, DS is.  this is not a surgery to take lightly and requires patient compliance with PO vit/min and blood work for the rest of your life.  Do some research, look up dsfacts.com, then post some specific questions that people can answer for  you

The DS has the best statistics of any bariatric surgery for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss (very important!) and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. It works well for the "lightweights" but is especially valuable for people with higher bmi's, which is probably why your surgeon recommended it. Your chances of getting to a normal or near normal bmi with other procedures are not nearly as good as they will be with the DS.

You were very fortunate to find a surgeon *****commended the DS for you.

Larra

Thank you for the positive feedback Larra.. 

I first found out about the DS when my surgeon brought it up. Several weeks of research convinced me that I could
handle any issues that came up but I was still scared right until they wheeled me in to the operating room.

It's the best decision I could have made, for me. I'm good with my vitamins and it has helped me out at least a little
on all my other health issues. Diabetes - gone. Sleep apnea - gone. Foot ulcer - healed (only partially attributable to the 
weight loss). Very happy - check.

I was most worried about regain and the DS had the best stats on that. Post-op I have done pretty well. The first 6 months
were a big adjustment period for me but now I feel like I have the whole routine, if not under control, very close.

Let us know if you have other questions but I also strongly encourage you to use the search function to see past answers to your questions too. The archives can be fascinating and informative. 

Pete

Pete.. 

Thank you so much for sharing your history with me. It's so hard being that I work 40-50 hrs a week and then go home to my children and hubby.  I don't like to sit on the phone or computer to research when they need Moms attention too.  I will definitely be researching now as much as I can.  I am worried about the cost of the vitamins also.  I was out at the pharmacy last night (due to bronchitis) and I looked for the four vitamins the Dr suggested that I take when surgery is done.  They did not seem too bad however I do not know how many a day I have to take.  It would be a small price to pay for my health.  

Feel free to add me on here.. I am definitely interested in hearing more from you 

Brandao,

   If you are posting here than you are added. This is a little different from FB. You'll see a lot more
about vitamins as time goes on but I suggest doing a search on this forum. Most Doctors aren't that
good with vitamins so you may want to do additional vitamins. Whatever you do with vitamins make
sure you adjust according to your labs. Even if your Doc starts you off at a level that many of us might
think is too low as long as you track your levels and adjust when necessary things will work out OK.

When you are up for a rousing discussion you might post the vitamins you are starting with. I can tell you 
4 is a lot less than I and pretty much everyone else on the boards takes. I'm guessing 2 of them are a multi and calcium.
If you are looking for good prices on those check the Kirkland brand on line or Costco.

Happy Holidays,

Pete

But your food bill will go down so actually you will save the cost of the vitamins easily.