Duodenal Switch Surgery Forum

802 topics in this forum

Hi all!! I had my DS surgery about 5 years ago and lost 165lbs, praise the Lord! I was right at my goal weight! 🙌 But then three years ago I was in a horrible car accident and broke my back in several places. I had to have back surgery and it’s been a painful road to recovery. Unfortunately, I went from a super active person to a complete inactive person, I gained 60lbs of it back ☹️. I’m trying to reset my DS (without another surgery of course). Any suggestions?? Has anyone been able to reset theirs by going back to basics or following the pre-op diet and then the post op diet? I welcome any suggestions and advice!! 🫶🫶

I'm looking for the 'Switch Sisters' and brothers who started their journey at 400 plus lbs. I am currently 488 lbs and moving toward a Duodenal Switch. I'm a former athlete and a single mom, and I need to know the 'real' on a surgery.

Hi everyone, I am scheduling my DS surgery presently. I am revising my Sleeve to the DS. Being self pay, I needed to find the best price to help out. Here in Washington, it runs about 30/40K. I found that just outside Orlando I can get it done for about a third of the price. (not going to Mexico..had a bad experience already) I am very worried about the plane flight back right after surgery. Can't imagine needing to use the bathroom to poop on the plane. I would die of embarrassment I think. Please tell me your memories of right after your procedure etc. Also, will this surgery mean that I will need to be near a bathroom whenever I am out and about??? Thanks so much!

Almost I had it in 2018. Here is a list of my surgeries and diagnosis's from just this hospital stay. Duodenal switch with cholecystectomy and small intestine surgery (11/21/2018) - Hernia repair, diagnostic laparoscopy, hiatal hernia repair, Botox injection, and upper GI endoscopy with biopsy (09/09/2019) - Pyloroplasty (09/02/2020) - EGD with Botox injection and balloon dilation (08/07/2020) - Limb lengthening and resection of redundant afferent limb with EGD (05/18/2022) - Hiatal hernia repair with fundoplasty (laparoscopic, no mesh) (06/18/2025) - PICC line removal (08/09/2025) - Modified upper GI with marshmallow (08/16/2025) - Esophageal manomet…

Without going into great details, we all hear about the texture/consistency of our stools and what we are to aim for. Then on the other side of that conversation, we all hear about how the color is also important. So what's the priority if you can't have both be perfect? Texture/Consistency or Color?

Ok, so this is a gross question but when should I expect to start having normal-ish bowel movements? I'm 6 days out now from my SIPS with Dr. Roslin and so far am only going about teaspoon (if that) of pretty soft stool once a day. It doesn't feel like enough. Is that normal? I've been eating/drinking Atkins protein shakes, bone broth, and Vitamin Water Zero and sometimes some sugar-free jello or popsicles. But my appetite is pretty non-existent. I'm focusing more on getting my liquids in than my protein at this point at the advice of my PA.

Hi everyone! Sorry for the information dump, I'm just incredibly overwhelmed right now and would love to hear any experiences you've had. I've been talking with my surgeon about all this. I just need to get some thoughts from other people who've been through it. I'm in my 20s, autistic and ADHD, and got the SADI early May. It's been 5 weeks. I've basically failed almost every instruction (except to lose weight, I've done great with that! I've lost over 30 lbs post-op). Like protein shakes. I'm very lactose intolerant, and intolerant to several fake sugars, AND allergic to yeast (which is in every soup known to man). After surgery I became intoler…

This is my first post here. I am Lisa. I am 42. I am six months post surgery (Duodenal Switch) and I have some questions. Did anyone just NOT lose the weight afterwards? I had to do a diet three months prior to surgery and I lost about twenty pounds doing that. However since surgery in February, I have only lost 9.2 pounds. Yes, you read that right. I am so frustrated. Even in the first two weeks post surgery where I religiously followed my liquid diet, I GAINED weight. From what my doctor told me, most people lose during that period. I have tried to follow my plan of 700 calories and no snacking since then but I haven't done the greatest at it. The PA and I have discover…

Hi! I got a SADI 5 weeks ago and have really been fighting nausea ever since. The nausea pills make it worse for me, and I'm on the double set of PPI to keep the GERD down (which is only working moderately well). I'm not nauseous constantly, but it's inconsistent enough to confuse me. I've been struggling to know what's causing it when every issue seems to come with nausea as a symptom. I'm trying to stay hydrated but not drink too fast, eat but don't eat non-tolerated foods, take my meds but do it with food, etc. Since the nausea goes away each morning I'm guessing it's not an ulcer or something like that. I'm in talks with my surgeon ofc, but I just wanted to…

So sometime ago i posted about this to see if anyone was expierincing these problems basically when i poop it burns. Well it finally got so bad i went to er they said its proctitis he did not give me anything at all just left me in pain. then went to see my doctor said the same thing but he gave me some muscle relaxers and stool softners and valium and of course doing sitz baths but still nothing helps. I keep telling them i think its my poop burning me but they just disregard me even my bariatric surgeon said it was not an issue with the surgery so he is not concerned. I am so worried waiting on a gastroenterologist to see me but in the mean time i have to go back to wor…

I'm in the UK, but looking to pay privately for a DS abroad.. Any ideas anyone?

Okay so I know that one of the side effects of surgery is gas and stinky bowel movements but my dr said that I would need to be near a bathroom. I figured most places I go have a bathroom so I didn’t think much of that until now fhat I am having doubts. Does he mean that I can’t do things like go on road trips or go to theme parks where I may not be able to get into a bathroom at a moments notice? Is it that bad?? What is the problem, exacrly? Do you just have to go more often or is it little to no warning?? I absolutely hate going number two in public restrooms so I know that this is going to be an adjustment for me but I don’t want it to limit my life.

Newbie and SO excited about surgery....at least I think I'm excited! Initially went to my first appointment thinking I would have the gastric sleeve, but left leaning toward having the Modified Switch. Would love to hear how others surgery went - I want the good, bad and ugly. I would love to hear from any other "switchers"!

Not sure how new this is but I just stumbled upon a multi vitamin that is specifically for DS/SADI that includes 60mg of iron, ADEK and some other stuff that is specific to the switch surgeries. Just thought I’d share in case someone else didn’t know about this. It’s made by procare health. They actually sell it in the bariatric pal store but currently it’s cheaper on the manufacturers site if you do multiple months and/or subscribe for auto ship.

I am pending a Sadi revision to my sleeve and I know it’s pretty close to DS so I am looking for info from people with knowledge of both surgeries. I have read a couple of people mentioning issues with meds not absorbing properly making it difficult to treat common medical issues. Is this common post SADI or DS?

Hello all o/ I am hoping some of you can help me with some questions about life post SADI. I had RNY in 2013, and on 6/2023 I had it converted to SADI. This is a new procedure at my doctor’s office. They’ve never done duodenal switch procedures and I was one of the first people to have SADI. The Dietary information given to me was the same they give for RNY/Sleeve patients. There isn’t anyone for me to really talk to at the support group about it and while my nurses try to be helpful, it’s not the same as getting info from people who have lived through this. Ever since surgery I have been extremely hungry. I haven’t had any kind of restrictive feeling you…

Hey everyone! I'm about a year out from surgery. The past year has been a pretty steady increase in my capacity for food. I know that that's normal, you're stretching your pouch out. For the past year, I'd joke with my husband that my capacity was "enough to eat until I felt like I could explode, but I could still send a meal back in a restaurant under the pretense of not liking it"* The past month or so, I feel like I've reached a slightly larger portion size. I always measure my food out before the meal and lately I feel like I'm able to eat more off my plate. I went from being full after half of a small chicken breast to being able to do the full 4oz and…

Hello everyone - I need advice. The 16th anniversary of my surgery was yesterday. It's been a wild and wonderful sixteen years. I have lost 90 pounds. Many changes during these years. Mostly all good. I turned 60 years old in April. I have noticed in the past few months that I feel hungry more often, and I've seen my weight go up. It's not going up by much but just the fact that it seems to be increasing is concerning to me. All these years I've been able to literally eat ANYTHING I want with no gain at all. I don't know if my insides have changed or it's the fact that I turned 60, but I want to put a stop to whatever this is RIGHT NOW. For those of…

Hello everyone I am considering the Sadie over gastric bypass. I spoke with the dietician about the Sadie procedure and everything seemed good but then she tells me I might have involuntary diarrhea. Also I may have very smelly bms and gas. Does anyone have any info about this? I really don't want to end up in diapers Thanks

I would love to know what questions you wish you had asked prior to Duodenal Switch surgery?

The surgery went great, I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and hurting, They gave me an anti-nausea shot with Toradol. I slept from the time they woke me up, around 1pm until about 4pm. I was finally able to hold my eyes open for more than a few seconds, I got up and used the restroom, and then they took me for a walk around the nurse station, which went well. Then the nurse sat me up for a little bit in the recliner in the room. Then I started dosing again for another two hours until my sister came back to sit overnight with me. Then they got me up to use the restroom again, we did another walk around the nurse's station, and then they put me back in bed. I w…

Hi, my name is Krislynn, Kris, or just K., I'm new to this forum. I found it researching more about the duodenal switch. I turned 42 in July this year, and my highest weight before my first surgery was 536. I had the gastric sleeve in June 2017. The first year was a great learning experience in learning about healthy foods, changing my mindset, and what I needed to do to get healthy. That first year, I lost 221 lbs. But, then when I went back for the 2-year check-up, the surgeon that took care of me, had left the hospital and program and they informed me they had no one for me to see. But, then Covid hit shortly after that-- then I lost my job and ended up sitting home 2 …

At what point post op were you able to eat a normal size meal (i.e. sandwich) in one sitting?

Hello. I recently had revision surgery from a band to the duodenal switch on June 9, 2017. Since surgery, I have lost 17 pounds, but I have hit a stall at three weeks post-op and it's got me wondering if my body won't respond to this surgery just as I failed with the band. Will I be the first person in DS history to actually maintain my weight eating under 1000 calories? For breakfast, I usually eat one scrambled egg with mushrooms and grated cheese. It goes down easily and fills me up. For lunch, I usually have something like bean and bacon soup or a few slices of deli meat. Sometimes I've had refried beans with melted cheese. In between meals, I'm drinking, drink…

Hello everyone. My name is Tom and I have been a lurker for years. I had my surgery 11-22-22 at 471lbs. I weigh 214, for the moment, as I continue to lose. What a powerful tool this has proven to be! I am so blessed and thankful I couldn't possibly articulate it. With that being said, I feel I could help anyone that needs it just based on my own research for years into nutrition, fasting, and the many diet plans out there. I would be happy to give my own anecdotal experiences as well through losing the 255 lbs so far. But the point of this post is for me to lean on some of the vets of duodenal switch. I am approaching maintenance phase in around 35-40 more lbs…

Has anybody had surgery in Mexico bariatric Center in Tijuana Mexico? Could you share your experience? Thinking abt getting a revision DS there.

I am 13 days post SADI and I made some veggies with a terriaki sauce and thought I would purée them and try a bit. I started with just a couple of bites because I’ve never had any of the veggies or the sauce and my face needs a little hot. Is that a sign of dumping? It only has 6g sugar in the whole serving and I had like 3 tiny post op bites.

Hi everyone. I'm a bit of a complicated outlier, as my duodenal switch will be a modified duodenal switch with Demeester adjustment. I'm getting a duodenal switch for biliary diversion ( bile reflux). And I have a herniated stomach, so it will need a hernia repair. This means my stomach will not be reduced, but it will be restored in terms of hernia. And the new bile limb will only be around a 100 to a 150cm down. Enough to prevent bile from flowing into my stomach, but less malabsorption and weight loss issues. The issue is, that my stomach gas gastroptosis ( which means it is very elongated and stretched down towards my pelvis) this means it is q…

I got the SADI 2 days ago and I'm having lots of back pain. I know it's similar to the duodenal switch and I was wondering if anybody else had back pain.

Has anyone had their gallbladder removed after losing weight quickly? I just had mine removed after dealing with constant pain and gallstones. Any tips on what to eat? I had my gallbladder removed on Monday.

Good Evening All! I am almost 3 years postop from my Duodenal Switch w/ Biliopancreatic Diversion. It has been a long 3 years but it has been worth all of the effort I have put into this. I recently had to have emergency surgery to fix a wall hernia/bowel obstruction and something with my mesentery. I am scheduled for my excess skin removal on July 8th 2024. I am excited and I am proud of myself for all of this hard work. Its not easy with this surgery and anyone who has gone through it or is about to, remember one day at a time and YOU CAN DO THIS!!

For DS. which if I’m understanding correctly you can just have a little more fat than SAD, what carbs can you have. Like can you have fruits and veggies. Obviously not potatoes but what about zucchini or strawberries. Stuff like that. I’m thinking if I have to limit fhaf idk it sounds really hard.

I just had surgery right after new year's and I haven't told any of my family yet. I typically see them about once a month and call/text at least 3+ times a week. I'm not sure if it's because I wore pullovers and pants, but they haven't noticed anything different. On the other hand, my boyfriend knows I had surgery, sees me everyday, and tells me how much/what changed all the time. His co-workers also know (I see them a few times a yr) and they said they could hardly recognize me. I don't know what to make of this... I'm about 2 months post op and down about 45lbs. Personally I can see a noticeable difference from my waist down, but I think other than that…

I am contemplating a revision surgery from sleeve to SADI. I am in the research process now. I asked my doctor what I could do to get started and he said to keep my carbs below 40 for now. Well I have questions what about net carbs? I am looking at a package of wraps and it’s only four net carbs but it’s 32 g of total carbs. I understand that it has a lot of fiber, and that you subtract the fiber from the carbs to get net carbs, but does the post surgical body care that you’re getting the fiber as well. in other words, if my post surgical plan was 40 carbs a day could I have this tortilla and would it count for 4 g of carbs or 32 g of carbs towards my goal?? als…

I am 8 years out from my sugery. I had great results, went from 280 to 135. But i am having trouble holding my weight, have lost about 5 lbs over the past month. Im trying to cut back on fat and sugar. Trying to avoid pancreatic enzymes, any suggestions?

Hello All, I'm 24 years post-op and I'm getting some out of range lab results and wanted to hear about other people's experience in these areas. Specifically....high ALT value. My liver panels have been all over the place for many years. I had an ultrasound last year which said "probable fatty liver" but it also said it was hard to be accurate because of so much gas in the way. My doctor told me to lose weight and that would clear it up. I lost 25 lbs (yes can you believe it) but my ALT is still high and this was drawn this morning. I was hoping to hear about other long timers' experiences with this. Years ago my old internist wanted me to get a liver biopsy but I saw a h…

Many people are under the assumption that every time you eat after the DS procedure, you run to the bathroom. This is a huge misconception. The majority of people "go" once or twice a day. The key to weight loss with DS is watching the carb intake and resisting eating in between meals. The reduced size of your stomach keeps you from eating a lot and the intestinal manipulation keeps you from absorbing all the calories you take in. What are other peoples' experiences with eating with the DS? Liz

Are there any people with MS who can share their experience with modified duodenal switch surgery? Have there been any challenges that you would have liked to know about before surgery? Has nutrient deficiency been a problem? Also do you have a surgeon recommendation? How much time would you suggest to take off of work? Thank you kindly.

So I eat 4200 calories a day. Long story short. 456 pounds at age 19 had DS 39 now and I weigh 178 pounds I've been working out 3x a week for two years. Lifting weights. At first I lost muscle, because I was eating 2200 calories most days maybe 60 grams of protein. I now I eat 4200 a day and get 250 grams of protein easy but even with gaining muscle I don't gain weight on the scale yet. I've gained in the past but once I started lifting weights I stopped. I just stay at 178ish.. my doctor wants me to take enzymes but I want to be able to gain weight with food... It's annoying to me I can't even gain a pound. …

Almost 5 weeks post op. Occasionally I will start dry heaving or retching. Not necessarily after eating or drinking either, it almost feels random. This happens 3 or 4 times a day usually. I don’t actually throw up, I’ve only puked once or twice post op. 
Is this normal? It really sucks. Reposting in this forum because I had no responses in the other.

I had my surgery the 16th of May lost 25lbs the first week (I don’t see it yet) but Im truly struggling to get my protein in and my water. Any advise on this would be amazing! I have spoken to the dietitian and she said it’s completely normal and not to worry but I am really worried I’m not doing this right and I don’t want to fail! My dr has me on the soft diet already and I did explain my stomach doesn’t handle the protein shakes well and he even advised maybe try beans, eggs, etc. just looking for some advice or maybe others who have or are struggling too.

So, when I had my first follow up, my Dr and I talked about the common channel. Mine is approx 250cm. He said that there are opposing schools of thought on this, because my weight loss may be slower, and I will need to be more diligent to stop regain. But, that I should also have little to no diarrhea issues, and less malnutrition worries. He also pointed out that if need be, this can be altered in the future. Does anyone have a CC of this kind of length, long term

Had DS urgery april 2018 .. lost a lot of weight . and well since covid hit I gained almost 20 lbs back in a year i cant believe this happened. what do i do? I am making appointment with surgeon ASAP. I have no idea on how to lose this again and fast! Im sorry I let this happen. 20 lbs is a lot!!!!!

Actually, I have 2 questions: 1) I had a gastric sleeve almost 5 years ago; after losing 60 lbs., my pannus changed size & shape, becoming EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I stopped losing weight, gained back 20 lbs., and fortunately maintained my net 40 lbs. weight loss. Does anyone know if I can has DS after a gastric sleeve? 2) I originally wanted DS but the bariatric surgeons in my area did bypass or sleeve only. I live in eastern Washington State; does anyone know of surgeons anywhere around my area (WA state, Idaho, Montana, or Oregon) that perform DS?

Has anyone had the duodenal switch surgery and used Peach state medicaid?? i have a consult Sept 5th and really want the switch instead of the bypass.

Hi, All - I recently relocated to Texas and do not know people here who have had DS. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in helping to support each other with daily check-ins, support, encouragement, tips, etc. If so, feel free to introduce yourself on this thread! I am 40 years old woman, single, and dealing with infertility (I am trying to freeze my eggs). I had DS 8.5 years ago and lost 50% of my excess body weight at the time but did not push myself to lose even more (I was in grad school and my mom was deemed terminally ill at the time). I would like to re-commit to healthy eating and working out and have been flying solo for about a month now. I …

Hello, I am trying to find a DS surgeon here in northern KY who can perform my surgery. The doctors I have found so far do the RnY but not the DS. Does anybody have any suggestion? Thanks.

I had BPD/DS surgery in 2016, leaving 1.5 meters of common channel. Following this surgery, my Vitamin D levels plummeted to deficient levels. This had a cascade effect, where my hyperparathyroid (PTH) levels rose to dangerous levels, and although my calcium levels were ok, my body could not metabolize it due to low Vitamin D. So my body began to pull calcium from my bones. I now have full osteoporosis as a 55 year-old male, and break ribs and toes regularly in addition to pain. Through the years, my physician continued to increase my oral Vitamin D dosage, eventually reaching 50,000 IU per day, but it made little difference in any lab tests. I am just not absorbing …

I've been a DS patient since 2017 and was wondering if other DS patients have noticed that salads are troublesome. I love salads of any kind, but leafy green salads can create unintentional surprises. Is this just me?

Is there a network of surgeons who perform DS surgeries? I posted a question earlier about having DS after having a gastric sleeve and was happy to know that it was possible. My next challenge has been to find a surgeon who performs this kind of surgery. None in my area do this; Seattle is the closest big city with Portland being the second closest. How did you find your surgeon? Do you know of anyone who does this type of surgery in Washington (state), Oregon, Idaho or Montana. One person told me of a surgeon in Utah; who knows - perhaps Dr. Cottom is the closest surgeon for this procedure. I appreciate your help and any information you might have.