Postop

@SAsurgery
Hi. I'm 15 1/2 years out from a traditional DS.
- What foods do you avoid? (Fatty foods? Carbs? Can you tolerate small amounts?) I eat fatty foods. It helps to "grease the wheels" so to speak. For instance, I buy 80% chopped ground beef as I need the fat. It does generally takes me 2 sittings to finish a meal.
- Do you have diarrhea? Sometimes. My doctors classify diarrhea as going too much and/or going liquid. I'm more in the too much area. This will occur if I eat junk and/or too many simple carbs. That's why I eat them pretty much only at home. If you have diarrhea and you're not sure why, it can signify it's time for a dose of Flagyl. Many DSers I know take it yearly and I probably should, too. Just to keep things even.

- How many Vitamins do you take? Have you experienced Vitamin deficiencies? Have you had to get infusions? I take over 40 a day. It's second nature. As a matter of fact, when I wasn't permitted to take them while going through gb surgery, I went a little nutty. I'm just so used to it after so long.
I've had some issues with my bloods. Sometimes the numbers are too high, other times too low. My surgical group has me do them every 6 mos. so tweaks can be made to what I take.
The only infusion I take is Reclast. But I know a good many DSers who need Iron infusions. That's never been an issue for me.
- Do you struggle to maintain your weight loss? Do you feel like you are constantly on a diet? No and no (and we don't count calories). I kept a food log for the first 6 mos., now I have a Protein ticker in the back of my head that just checks off protein grams. I eat 125-150gr/day so I'm constantly eating protein. Just had my mid-morning snack which was cheese and nuts. I also keep it low on the simple carbs. I don't want the weight gain or the gas/stool issues. I'll probably grab a triple cheeseburger w/catsup from McD later if I'm hungry in the afternoon. I just eat the meat. First, bc the bun is too filling and I always eat protein first. Second, bc I don't want what will come with the carbs.
- Anything else you wish you had known before surgery?
Do a Dexa scan preop. So you can have a baseline.
Keep all your blood work. I have it since preop. It allows me to look for trends (esp. the last 3 draws) and also can help out if there's an issue. Some DSers I know have made a spread sheet for their blood work.
I've never missed a day of supplements. I expect as a Dr. you won't either. 😊

I don’t eat many, but the roughage can make me visit the bathroom more.

Hi All!! Lol I have not been on this page since my surgery date. Want to see how other DSers are doing they had a revision from sleeve last July. It has been an adventure for sure. I am down 75 pounds so far. Lots of hard work, but loving it.

yes! Gastric sleeve for years was phase 1 of the DS, back in the days when a lot of surgeons did the DS in two stages - first, they created a sleeved stomach, and then, several months later, they'd go back in and bypass most of the small intestine. However, enough people lost enough weight on stage 1 alone that they started offering it as a standalone surgery - and the VSG was born!
long way of saying - of couse you can, since the sleeve is the first stage of the DS.

The only things I’ve eaten are yogurt, eggs Protein Shakes and I had 2 string cheese for the first time yesterday. I will definitely buy that spray. Thank you!

No I have never heard of that before. Thanks, I’ll have to look it up.

One of the beauties of the TDS is you can eat anything. Just not as much. And if you eat things like too much sugar or simple carbs, you’ll most likely have foul smelling gas and/or stool.
Of course, you can have caffeine.
You’re also able to take NSAIDs & all other medications - which was important to me, in case I ever needed them.
TDS 2005.

It took me about 2 years postop till I decided it had been the right thing for me.

I had my DS on 3/30/21. Surgery day weight was around 300. This morning I was 228. So that is 3 months +17 days. My initial weight from the first appointment weigh in was 324. I lost about 10lbs during the preop diet. So 95lbs total so far. I have had a steady loss of between 3-5lbs average per week since surgery date.

I had my DS on July 12 but, one of my intestines was being cagey during laparoscopic which forced my surgeon to finish the surgery open. This has caused a three day stay in the hospital and obviously a much much larger scar. I’m stapled from my boobs to my belly button. So it goes.

On the flip side, I can stomach anything so far with no nausea. Ice chips, cold Water, four different Protein Shakes, broth, SF Jello and SF popsicles.

Just waiting to poop. Otherwise, I’m healing well and on schedule.

Definitely talk to your dr. I’m only 3 days out and my nausea is getting better. I hope this doesn’t last too long for you!

@TeRo Everyone is different. I do know a few people who were starving, postop. At 4 days out, I realize you're limited in what you can eat. If you're on pureed foods, I'd puree chicken, tuna, etc. Protein is OK.

It took me about 2 years postop till I decided it had been the right thing for me.

It can be distressing. I had the traditional DS 15 1/2 years ago and had all those concerns and still sometimes do. I, too, am religious about my supplements which will stand you in very good stead. If there are changes in your blood work you can tweak things with your supplements and head off issues before they become more serious.
I am a good deal older than you and sometimes worry about what might be. What I did before the surgery was make a list of the pros/cons of having it. It wasn't a snap decision for me. I waited and researched for 2 years before having any type of WLS. Do you have any of your initial meeting notes that can show you why you picked the DS and why your health is likely to be better now and in the future than if you kept gaining?
I think besides going over this with your PCP and surgeon (which I think is a great idea to really get the factual science behind your body and the DS); it's time to speak to a therapist to help lessen your anxiety. I remember the first year postop, I was extremely worried about pooping so much and was that bad for my body? My therapist and I went over the actual benefits of eliminating waste more quickly than holding it so I was able to focus in on that. That's just one example of things I needed to discuss those first few years.

It took me about 2 years postop till I decided it had been the right thing for me.

@TXDS I had the traditional DS.
At 3 mos, I’d lost about 45 lbs. Looks like we’re just about the same. 😁

When you have a distal bypass more of the intestine is bypassed than a Proximal Gastric Bypass. If more of the intestine is bypassed then more weight is lost through the process of malabsorption. So it's kind of in-between a proximal bypass and duodenal switch.

it's actually spelled "distal". I believe it bypasses more of the small intestine than the standard bypass does, giving you more malabsorption.

When you have a distal bypass more of the intestine is bypassed than a Proximal Gastric Bypass. If more of the intestine is bypassed then more weight is lost through the process of malabsorption. So it's kind of in-between a proximal bypass and duodenal switch.

Are there any tele support groups you could go to? Is your practice's nutritionist offering telemed? Perhaps either or both of these could help you get back to your "weight-loss mindset".
The fact that you lost that 5 pounds says to me that you have nothing to be ashamed of. But something to be proud about. You know what you're doing. You could just use a bit of encouragement.

i went with the second. The first was an intro to what types of WLS there were but then only wanted me to have 1 type and I didn’t want to be boxed in. The second was more open-minded and had a good aftercare program which was incredibly important to me.

Same here. My family doctor had been suggesting the surgery to me for over 10 years now because he saw how hard I was working trying to lose weight with nothing happening (he had me in the gym, trying different diet programs throughout the years, keeping food logs, seeing an endocrinologist, etc) . And even at his suggestion, giving me statistics, etc. I was still scared of the surgery. So I would do my own research here and there through the years but still chicken out when it came time to do anything more serious with it. It was until this year that I got more serious in the research because my A1C was reaching Type 2 status. I had always teetered on the edge but I was scared to finally go over. I didn't want or need another problem (already have high BP, PCOS, Insulin Resistance) so I bit the bullet and reached out. I was even more on board with doing it once I got to speak with the surgeon and had all my questions answered by him. I felt so much better about it all.
However, sadly during the pre-op testing I discovered I was now in fact a Type 2 diabetic. Something I did not want to happen and was trying to avoid. But this makes me want the surgery even more now.
This is a very personal thing and you have to do it in your own time. I wish you luck in whatever you decide. It's not an easy choice either way.

I also was referred by my doctor years ago and thought about it but was too scared. I lost 100 lbs on my own then gained almost all of it back over 5 years, the last 30 lbs during COVID; that was the final straw I guess. Calling the surgeon isn't a commitment. You will still have a long time to decide assuming you have to jump through all the insurance hoops most people do. And you will need that time to prepare yourself for all the dietary and mental changes.

I spent over a year researching and working through the fact that I didn't want WLS. My Dr. had recommended it and I was angry about that. It finally came down to me going to different hospitals and attending the presentations concerning WLS. Then some more time writing up a pros/cons list to see what I could live with and what I could not live with regarding having WLS and not having WLS.

Are there any tele support groups you could go to? Is your practice's nutritionist offering telemed? Perhaps either or both of these could help you get back to your "weight-loss mindset".
The fact that you lost that 5 pounds says to me that you have nothing to be ashamed of. But something to be proud about. You know what you're doing. You could just use a bit of encouragement.