Two Year Surgiversary! 215 pounds lost! GOAL!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Two years ago today I underwent biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (DS) weight loss surgery (open) the day before Thanksgiving 2008. I truly believe the DS surgery saved my life. Today, I am so thankful that I had the DS. I am also thankful for the wonderful and supportive people I’ve met here on OH. Most “DS’rs" are so knowledgeable about our surgery and our very serious compliance requirements. We need to get our protein (100+ grams per day), watch our carbs and, most importantly, take our supplemental vitamins, which are essential to our health. Before my DS I was 380 pounds, with a BMI of 67, and wore a size 34 or 5X. I was super morbidly obese and had difficulty just getting around. I now weigh 165 pounds, with a BMI of 29.2, and wear a size 12 or medium. I am very, very thrilled with my results and I feel wonderful! Earlier this month I had surgery to repair two incisional hernias, which my insurance paid for, and a tummy tuck, which I paid for. My tummy is so flat now! I lost a good bit of weight from that surgery and it jump-started some additional weight loss – YAY! I set my first goal at 170 pounds because that is the lowest weight I remember being as an adult. Now, I think I will set my new goat at 163, since that will put my BMI at “overweight." I am very satisfied with where I am though, even if I don’t lose one more ounce!   P.S.: I was scheduled for RNY, but after reading all the research, here on OH and elsewhere, I realized that the DS was the BEST option for me. As someone who was super morbidly, I realized the DS would give me the BEST chance for losing the very large amount of weight I needed to lose and the BEST chance to keep it off. Also, I was self-pay, since my insurance specifically excluded any form of WLS, and I knew I could not afford to have more than one surgery if I needed it (i.e., if I didn’t lose enough with the RNY or if I had significant re-gain after RNY & then needed a revision). If you're considering WLS, especially if you are super morbidly obese, please check out the DS (www.dsfacts.com, www.duodenalswitch.com) for more information!  

Congratulations.  I'm very proud of you!!!  You are doing awesome..

Thank you Angie! You are doing so well yourself - congratulations!

Hey girl...
How was the recovery from the TT?? Did you do the muscle tightening? I'd really appreciate any info.
Thanks!

Lisa

Hi Lisa! The recovery was not TOO bad... It turns out I had 2 hernias (one huge one to the right of my belly button) & a new smaller one (to the left of my bb). So, I was in surgery for a total of 5 hours (including the TT), which is quite unusual. Because of this, I had an overnight stay in the hospital, which is also unusual. I was supposed to get my two drains removed at 7-10 days post-op but it was longer than that (14 days) because of the extent of the hernia repairs. I will be off work a total of 3 weeks. Yes, I did have muscle tightening as part of my TT & I'm still wearing my binder. I was on pain meds for about a week & a half. Once I was done with them, I was allowed to drive. The worst pain was getting out of bed - needed help the first 2 days. Then I could do it on my own. I think this is pretty normal, from what I've read here on OH. I had no bathroom troubles - it hurts to sit down & get up in the begining, of course. I seemed to have a lot of gas issues though - not sure if that's DS thing or "normal"... I had no problems with eating or drinking afterward., thank goodness & I still lost about 8 pounds. The areas where my incisions are feel a little bit "numb" which I hear is normal & eventually goes away. The scars look really good already. I am pleased with the results already, but then anything is better than having that huge hernia! Good luck!