Does anybody know of an experienced and respected surgeon in AZ that can do an RNY to DS revision? I have found a couple of surgeons in CA and I can drive out there is they will see me but I have 2 daughters that are young so I would love to find a doctor that is here in Phoenix or at least a bit closer than California. Thanks!

If you have any advise for me about insurance, I would also appreciate that. I have Aetna PPO.

It's great that you're making the effort to improve your vitamin intake, but I would caution that these all-in-one products, even if marketed for bariatric patients, and even when ok'ed by the surgeon, tend not to work well for us. Our vitamin needs are different from,and greater than, those for people with the more common gastric bypass, for whom these vitamins are marketed (and they don't always work so well for them either). Also, you can't adjust for too much of one component and not enough of another. That's why most of us take lots of separate vitamins -we get enough of each, not too much and not too little. Yes, it's more effort, but that's what we need to do to maintain our health.

So, check your levels again soon, and be ready to take the separate A, D, K, multi, calcium, zinc, etc. And you don't need yucky tasting powders, just pills. It's well worth the effort, which is to say, YOU are worth the effort.

Larra

Thank you! Every day I say I'm going to do this and every day I get side tracked and eat whatever I have time to..(I know ..my fault) can't control it. Dr didn't do surgery on my brain, only my stomach. I need to learn discipline!

I'm 99% sure this is something you're eating causing this problem.

First, look at your protein drink since that's a constant daily thing you're consuming:

• Artificial sweeteners can cause some people distress.
• If you're mixing with milk instead of water - try changing that. Plain milk puts my guts into a terrible state every time even thought I have no problems at all with other dairy.
• Some people are just sensitive to whey protein - even whey isolate (I know I am). Egg white protein tastes better and also lacks that horrible aftertaste.

Next, analyze the beverages you're drinking every day:

• Anything mixed in milk?
• Any artificial flavorings?
• Anything sweet - natural or artificial sweeteners?

Now with any food you're eating:

• Any fiberous fruits? Tomatoes? These can cause diarrhea
• Veggies - What are your staples? It took me a couple of years to realize that my daily staple of onions was causing me daily gas and horrible stinky poops.
• What kind of carbs? Rice and popcorn are guarantees of loose stool for me. Oatmeal in the evening means I will wake up between 5-6am to poop (nice and loose) when I usually don't go until around 8:30am. Popcorn may even get me up in the middle of the night to go when I usually don't have to at all. Pasta and especially whole wheat bread make me blow up like a balloon. Some mystery food on an Indian buffet made me look like Faruka Salt before she turned into a blueberry. Now that I'm 13 years out, I've noticed that I can tolerate some pastas better than others, but I still am wary of them overall. Even whole grains like quinoa may not give gas, but may give diarrhea because of the fiber.
• Fat - too much of a good thing at the early stage isn't always good.

I highly recommend a food journal to start pinning down your contributors. This is easiest if you go down to nearly nothing for a couple of days to what you know isn't causing gas. If you're convinced it's everything or just don't know where to start, go to water and protein drinks made with jus****er and see what happens. If you're still getting it - then switch protein drinks and try an egg based protein. For milk effects - they came within an hour feeling overfull, then gurgles, then bloating and diarrhea came a little later. For carbs, the gas comes around 3-5 hours later. Bloating can come on quickly though. Rice and oatmeal will expand more in your stomach and suddenly make you feel like you're gonna die even when you didn't feel full as you were eating it.

Once you are confident what you are currently eating is not causing problems, you introduce one more food and see how it affects you. You continue doing this daily until you figure out your contributors to the problem and you know what to avoid.

• Fiberous veggies can take 4-5 hours to affect me.
• Artificial sweeteners don't affect me, but others report just an hour or two for effects.

ADEK were on my list when I first had my surgery. I take both the K1 and K2, I take mine a different times but with my calcium. Have you check the vitalady website? It's a good starting place then adjust as needed after blood-work. Since starting two years ago my b12 is way high so went down to once a week, everything else in high-normal range, so I just keep everything else the same until my next set of blood-work. Raise and repeat as needed.

Liz