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Both my sister and my H had surgery with Dr. Balthasar. He is retired now but he still teaches and if you send him an email, he will respond. I have known DSers all over the world and I have never heard of what you are describing before. I think the doc who told you this is mis-informed. Contact Dr. B.
My Experience is almost identical.
Sleeve was done in feb 2013 at the time I was 400lbs - went down to 245. 5 years later I was at 299 - had the DS in August of 2018 - Goal weight was 200 and current weight is now 190 - but I cannot stop losing no matter how hard I try.
1- with the DS, your bowel movement changes a lot - I didn't think it was a big deal before the surgery, but it is life-altering for me. EXACTLY how I feel
2- I need to consider what type of food to eat before I go out and I need to go out, would I be comfortable using the washroom if I have to - the odour is awful and the frequency could be a lot. I CAN do NOTHING with DAIRY. I soooo love cheese and milk products. but the instant I swallow anything dairy I Bloat to painful proportions and then the hours of flatulence is unreal. It is almost as if it causes my intestine to become inflamed and swell near shut, because the passing of the gas is painful and needs forced out to relieve the pressure on my stomach.
So yeah - no ice-cream, cheese of any sort, or milk products.
Taking of Vitamins is easy peasy and nothing to it. It becomes a daily routine.
I do find that now 2 years out the emergency bathroom runs are not as bad. but I still wont go out in public without know where the nearest bathroom is and how long it will take me to get there. Some events I simply avoid.
It's a hard decision for sure, but It cured me of type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease... So no icecream and cheese but a prolonged life..
Have you tried lactaid? or goat dairy? often goat dairy is tolerable for people with lactose intolerance.
Hi all,
Real happy to have found the group here.
I am new here but a grandpa in DS, i am 53 and and a Greek, living in Greece, and had the DS 20 years ago, from Dr. Baltazar in Spain.
It was and still is a huge success and i lost 100 kilos and got to 80 kilos that i currently am from 180 that i was.
I eat everything and being a very naughty patient, i never had any vitamins, apart of iron infusions once in a blue moon,
meaning maybe every couple of years and so on. All blood tests are fantastic by the way, apparently after years imho
our body finds ways to cope with vitamins deficiencies etc.
Been feeling fine all the time and had 2-3 bowel movements a day after the 1st year and remained at that ever since.
But in the last 8 months or so i developed a peculiar uncomfortable condition having greenish, whiteish puss coming out of my (sorry), anus, and being forced to wear special incontinence underpants. My doctor here (an Internist and gastroenterologist said just, that its a side effect of my operation and there is nothing he can recommend apart of some enzymes for my guts (pancreas), that didn't do anything.)
So i am asking for some help here and if there is any one that has had similar side effects and how they dealt with it
if they managed to reduce it or get rid of it.
Thanks to all, good luck with the operation for the ones prepping for it.
Sincerely and with respect to all,
Antonis
When it is my health that is being compromised, I will pay out of pocket and argue with the insurance company later. Most of the time, if your surgeon writes an appeal explaining why the tests are needed, the company will back down and approve.
It is worth looking into another health insurance plan to see what they will cover and decide if switching is right for you.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
Hi DS'ers,
I had DS surgery about 1 1/2 years ago now and it's great. I now have Kaiser in SoCal and they are giving me major push back on my labs. Basically they are not wanting to do all labs requested by Dr. Keshishian, and just being hard to work with in general. To be clear, I did not go thru Kaiser for DS surgery and paid out of pocket. But I am wondering if anyone know how hard I should advocate for myself regarding this issue, it really does **** me off, just seems unreasonable. Is it worth it to switch to another insurance provider, or fight harder, or pay out of pocket? Any who has dealt with this issue, please chime on in.
Hi fellow old-timers! I had the Lap Band way back in '05. It literally broke and fell apart inside of me after a few years. I still haven't had it removed or been revised to another surgery for fear of going through everything again. My OG surgeon is still around and covered by my insurance, though, so who knows, maybe I'll be brave enough to finally have this trash band removed and get the VSG. Don't think RnY would be a good choice for me due to my lifelong battle with low iron and vitamin D levels.
I had a DS 2008. I also had same problem. Did a stool sample for fat content which had large amount of fat ( I could have told them that). I have PEI (pancreatic enzyme insufficiency PEI). Started taking enzymes Creon). I wasn't absorbing Ca (osteoporosis) or Iron ( anemia). What a difference my stools have been (formed). I went to a gastroenterologist. Getting iron infusions also. Taking liquid Calcoum. Hopefully I will starting to absorb more calcium as it is also causing secondary hyper parathyroidism. Good luck in your search for a solution
'Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid insideways ... half a bottle of vodka in one hand ... a fat cigar in the other... a body thoroughly used up and totally worn out ... and screaming;'whooooohooooo what a ride'!' HW/251 SW/242 CW/134 GW/140
WOW!! 117# Gone
DiAnna T.,...might want to see what i just posted below...there s a reason ppl do not absorb iron!
Hi aiiyana,
It's been a long time since your post. I'm just checking in to see how your're doing.. I have found after a massive early gastric surgery- i had a long slow drop in HBG &HCT.I am 25 years post op.
.there is an enzyme that is produced n the stomach, it is called the intrinsic factor.People wth type A+, blood frequently lack this enzyme. Intrinsic Factor is absolutely necessary for everyone to absorb iron.There is ONE natural source. it is liver. they do make liver extract capsules ( beef and buffalo) ..and i have been on them for15 years on some level... a couple of double 0 capsules 2 x a day with meals..will give iron and allow absorption. There are other options, which i did for a while i ate 2 oz liver 6 days a week for 6 weeks and it raised my HGB by .6. There are other liver that can be used, and one can make their own. organically raised,...chicken, rabbit or pork also work. meat should be sliced very thin. and sliced in strips... and dehydrated at 135 -140 degrees when so dry t snaps, it can be run thru a spice grinder and powdered and encapsulated..
I NO LONGER tolerate any commercial preps. there is a rx'd one " Foltrin", also in a generic, that has the ingredients and it is a size that is easy to swallow.If you can gt a rx it would be a good one to try. if levels are falling you need to address this NOW since you ar symptomatic.
.. walgreens has a mvi for pregnant women- that has intrinsic factor in it.. it is huge. and i can't consistently swallow it without having sensation that it is hung in my throat.
