Scared to death

Hi

I am a past vertical sleeve patient which this VS surgery  did not grant me much success so now my Dr says that my next option is DS. But I am scared to death due to all of the talk of malnutrition, diarrhea, foul smelling gas etc. It seems like most of the DS patients on this forum dont regret their decision but how did you overcome these issues? Are these minor issues that are easily overcomed? 

I've lived with the DS for over 9 years and have absolutely no regrets. That's not to say that it's easy, or that there aren't bumps in the road, but that's true of life in general.

     Studies involving large groups of people with the DS have shown that the rate of nutritional deficiencies is actually quite low, and in most (though not all) cases due to noncompliance. In other words, if you know what vitamins to take, take them faithfully, and eat plenty of protein, chances are good that you won't get into trouble. We do take a lot of vitamins but that doesn't mean that it's difficult. You get into a routine, like with brushing your teeth every day. So it's extremely important, but not difficult. and since we absorb little of the fat we eat, we can eat any type of protein and not worry about the fat content or about the cooking method. That makes food choices much easier.

There is no perfect operation, but DS has the best results of any bariatric surgery for percentage excess weight loss, for maintenane of that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. We are seeing people with other operations wanting/needing revision to the DS all the time.  As far as I'm concerned, taking some vitamins every day and eating protein is well worth the results.

Larra

Thanks Larra

hOw about the gas \ diarrhea.  Was that a big issue for you now or ever?

For me, if I eat DS healthy, problems are few and far between. If I eat more carbs, I have issues. So it's under my control.

Excessive fat intake can also cause diarrhea for some people, because we absorb only about 20% of it and the rest has to go somewhere. what equals "excessive" is something each person has to determine for herself/himself. There is a learning process each of us goes through. People also tend to have trouble with sugar alcohols, which are used in some foods (esp protein bars and similar products) to sweeten without adding calories. I avoid these foods on general principles, but others have reported problems with sugar alcohols so I'm mentioning them here. People without the DS can have the same problem.

Larra

Thanks again Larra. Much appreciated!!!!

Hi,

   I'm two years out. While everyone is different I think the people that don't either get over most of the issues or figure out how to handle them are pretty rare. I was more concerned with losing as much weight as possible and keeping it off. Not that I wasn't scared until they wheeled me in but I still kept coming up on the positive side when weighing the pros and cons.

   Experience with my labs has shown me that if you are compliant and watchful malnutrition/vitamin deficiency is rarely an issue. Like Larra added it just becomes part of your life to take your vitamins although I still poke into what vitamins work best and why but taking the vitamins is just a standard practice starting when I wake up.

   For the first 3 or 4 months the rest can be a somewhat unpredictable problem. For me things started settling down from there. No uncontrollable DH after that and only one or two times past the first couple of weeks. More a part of the healing process for me. Yes, eating something high in sugar can put me in the bathroom for multiple trips but very predictable. A little more involved than the stories about eating Chinese or a good steak and knowing that when you get home you'll need a BM.
Aside from sugar overload nothing much sets me off like that. I have one or two movements in the morning and I'm good to go. Not that I don't still think about it but if I try and avoid food choices that will put me in an uncomfortable position.

Yes, the BM's, at least mine, can come out pretty smelly but I use air fresheners like Ozium and Citrus Magic and that seems to work well enough. Multiple flushes help too.

I know people have tried products like Devrom and Chlorphyll pills to control gas odor. I haven't done that yet. They seem to be hit or miss for people. They either help someone or have no effect. I keep up with yogurt and a probiotic. When I eat mostly protein this isn't an issue but I've had some embarrassment. Usually with my family and they overlook my occasional faults. Although, I'm not above letting someone else take the blame. Saturday the combination of birthday cake and diet coke gave me a quick gas attack and I didn't get private fast enough. By coincidence, the one year old had a full diaper and monster that I am I let him take the blame.  

So, in the end I think they become minor issues that you deal with. Easily overcome might be an overstatement but manageable in most cases.

Pete

Thanks Pete.

Your comments are very helpful

Note to self: acquire a 1-year old to take the blame.

Just kidding.  Felt the need to comment because that was particularly funny to me. Although I didn't ask the question, I read your reply and appreciate the detailed information!

Try Poopouri. It knocks the ztink out before it begins.😷😁

More than 12 years post here.  No worries, no issues.  Most of this claptrap is spread around by people who wish they had the DS.  It's the only surgery that works long term!