disco stu

I encourage you to do some research on the connection between alcohalism and Bariatric patients. For some reason, it's not something people seem to want to discuss much around here, but it's a major problem and something you should be on the look out for...

Pros: It actually works, even if you're lazy and cheat./
Cons: It makes you poop a lot.

Hey guys,
This may be a tough subject, but if it can't be discussed on an anonymous forum where we regularly discuss our bowel movements and farts, were else can it be discussed? I've kind of hinted at this in a couple of my previous posts, but four weeks ago, my issues with alcohol had gotten to the point that I finally had no choice but to start attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, as well as various addiction treatment options provided through my health plan. For background on what I'm talking about, see:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/popular-weight-loss-surgery-roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-linked-to-alcohol-problems/
According to some studies, the odds of a post-bariatric patient having alcohol struggles goes up 28%. Wow.
I've done a couple of searches on this board for alcoholism, and come up with basically zilch. Given the increased odds, how can that be? I can't possibly be the only one on here who can directly correlate my increased drinking to the date of my surgery.

I bring this up, mostly because it's what I'm living right now, and I have a lot of information to share and well as unanswered questions. NOTE: I'm 13 days sober since making a few key changes in my Vitamin intake, which has me very excited. Would love to start a discussion and share with anyone out there who is struggling. PM is fine as well.
-ds

Thanks to all of you for this discussion. I had bypass, but am having some real issues with fat malabsorption and low D level which was 15.1. Doc prescribed 50,000 units twice a week of the green capsules, but it looks like maybe this is not what I should be doing. I'll check out the dry form.

Pros: It actually works, even if you're lazy and cheat./
Cons: It makes you poop a lot.

The struggle is real. I just had my first 'slip' after 54 days of sobriety. Sucks.

I would recommend speaking to a psych about anti-depressants...specifically an SSRI. You have to play Russian Roulette a bit to find what works for your brain chemistry, but it's worth it. Made things a lot lot easier once I found the right combo. (low dose Celexa for me, but everyone is different)

ALCOHOL
One last thing: If you have any history of alcoholism in your family, be very very careful. Dr's haven't exactly figured out why, but rehabs are filled with Bariatric peeps. Some reports claim your odds of becoming a alcoholic after bariatric go up by 80%. Eighty.
Much easier to never start than it is to quit.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY UPDATE:
Wow. What a year.
Bad news, good news.
Bad news: I'm 3 lbs away from my goal weight. Bad news part II: It's clear that my goal weight was set to high. I need to lose at least another 10-20lbs. ack!!!
Good news: Wouldn't change my decision to have SIPS in a million years. Yes, there are occasional "bathroom issues", but so worth it compared to my life beforehand.
Bottom line for anyone still sitting on the fence: Unlike band and sleeve, SIPS works! And let me tell you why. I still have zero willpower, which is why I got fat in the first place and why after one year I have yet to reach my goal weight (although very very close). BUT. ... DS\SIPS gives me breathing room. If I wanna loose weight, I still gotta work for it. No free pass,. I have to eat healthy, and no over indulge.
BUT....
When I'm can't take dieting any longer... I'm done with that **** and just want to eat pizza and wings and other yummy food....there are no consequences?!?!. I don't lose weight during these periods, BUT I DON'T GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK during these periods either. That has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world!!!!
Let's face it. I doubt there's a single person on this board that hasn't been able to string a diet together for a week, or two or six, only to finally give it up. And then see ALL the weight they worked so hard to lose come back... within days!!! ... or worse, and all too common, come back 3-10 lbs heavier than when they started the diet in the first place?!?
Well, kiss those days goodbye.
My weight loss is on me. But it's always a loss. never a re-gain. Wow! what a difference!
For any of you out there contemplating DS\SIPS vs some other "less invasive" procedure - i.e. Sleeve - stop f**king around! This is the the solution. Go big or go home.

Quick Update for anyone following my progress on this thread:
I've more or less been stuck on the scale at 211 for the last couple of months, which is partially due to the holidays but mostly due to the fact that I've been hitting the gym really hard. And it shows. I've started to buff out, and people are noticing. At the same time, it's been frustrating not to see the scale move.
Well, two weeks ago I had an accident on one of those Bird electric scooters and blew out the ACL in my left knee. Ouch. I stopped going to gym, and guess what? I seem to be losing weight again. The first sign was, I ran out of belt loops and had to go buy a new one. On a lark, I bought a pair of size 30 jeans too, and guess what? They fit! Checked the scale this AM and I'm at 207. Cool! Gonna stay out of the gym till I break 200, then re-evaluate, because I really do enjoy lifting weights, and some of this weight loss is my hard earned muscles disappearing. Sigh. Balance.
My one year anniversary is in April, so still have a couple of months to hit my goal of 190.

"transference" in an interesting notion, but based on my current experience, I've become convinced that there's a brain chemical explanation for my alcohol increase post-bariatric......
First off, let's acknowledge that heredity has a lot to do with addiction. Some of us are just born wired to fall prey to over drinking. Study: If neither of your parents were alcoholics, you have a 1 in 10 chance of developing alcohol issues. If one parent was an alcoholic, your odds move to 1 in 2, and if both parent were alcoholics, your odds move to 4 in 5. ack!! Guess who drew that last lucky straw! AA calls it being born 'allergic' to alcohol.
Second, alcoholism is a scientifically provable brain chemical disorder; not some kind of moral failing or weakness of will-power. Here's a snippet from a great video that really helps explain.

Third: There have been studies which link Vitamin deficiency with an increase in alcohol abuse. I'm describing this study from memory, but it goes something like this: Back in the 50s, they did a study where they placed rats in a cage with a bowl of Water and a bowl of alcohol and then fed them Puppy Chow. About 10% of the rats turned into alcoholics, which is in line with the general US population. Next they re-ran the experiment with a new set of rats, except this time, they extracted all the vitamin nutrients out of the food. About %85 of the rats turned into alcoholics. Finally, the re-ran a third time, but with Puppy Chow mega fortified with Vitamins, specifically B and C. None of the rats turned to the alcohol.
When I read this study - true or not - I was inspired. It made a connection in my head. What is one of the major issues facing post-bariatric patients? Vitamin deficiency. And who hasn't been a very good boy about taking his bariatric vitamins for the last two years.... the exact time frame where my drinking went from the occasional bender, to daily drinking? Me!!
So two weeks ago I started getting really serious about my vitamin intake, including getting B-12 injections every two days.
Wow! what a difference! My craving went from a scream to a whisper. This last 12 days of sobriety has been a piece of cake compared to all my other attempts (none of which lasted more than seven days before giving in to the cravings).
Your milage may vary, but if you are struggling with managing your alcohol cravings, give B12 injections a try. Hopefully it makes the same difference as I've experienced the last two weeks (knock on wood)
I'll keep this post updated and honest.

Sure. I'm at about 18 months.
FOODS
Not nearly as sensitive to foods are I was, but I still feel like avocados do me in. Ice Cream. Beer. Basically sugar, carbs, wheat.

Vitamins
I take two normal chewable bariatric Vitamin in the morning (dosage is two). That seems to keep me covered for everything except D and Calcium. Based on advice from this board, I now take 50,000 iu of D3 every day in capsule form.
NOTE: THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT AND TOOK A YEAR BEFORE SOMEONE ON THIS BOARD CLUED ME IN: After this surgery, anything oil based goes through you like **** through a duck. This is in general a good thing. I can literally eat a stick of butter at every meal and it will not show up on waistline. BUT, this means that any vitamin or other drugs that are "Gelcaps" run through you without effect and do not absorb!! Most D3 is sold in gelcap form so you need to find a version that isn't. (I dont know what brand im using offhand, but if you ask I will go upstairs and figure it out.) . SInce switching to non-gelcaps, my D3 is right where it needs to be.
I've also had issues with calcium, which is common. I recently switched to the more expensive version. Haven't been re-tested yet, but will report back after my next test.
Lastly, I take generic Prilosec for heartburn. I didn't need to before surgery, but now its a must.
I take one more 'vitamin' for joint issues, but that IMO is unrelated to bariatric.
THat's it. Not the fistful of pills you sometimes see others taking. But Im SIPS- not full DS - one of the advantages of which is less vitamin issues

BATHROOM
Yeah, that's still major issue. 12 to 20 times a day. Usually explosive. Not quite as smelly as the early days, but....yeah... i **** A LOT.
I usually have to get up 3 to 4 times a night still. And It isn't pretty. I carry wet wipes with me at in my back pack at all times, along with poopouri. Also, having a toilet brush in every bathroom in my house is a must. Sometimes I have to do cleanup duty in restaurant or other public bathrooms, just because I feel guilty about the damage I have created. Its really really wrong
NOTE: I still eat fast food and all types of garbage. If I cleaned my diet, I assume things in the bathroom would improve. But I like fast food, and I still keep getting skinnier, so I guess the trade off is worth it.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY UPDATE:
Wow. What a year.
Bad news, good news.
Bad news: I'm 3 lbs away from my goal weight. Bad news part II: It's clear that my goal weight was set to high. I need to lose at least another 10-20lbs. ack!!!
Good news: Wouldn't change my decision to have SIPS in a million years. Yes, there are occasional "bathroom issues", but so worth it compared to my life beforehand.
Bottom line for anyone still sitting on the fence: Unlike band and sleeve, SIPS works! And let me tell you why. I still have zero willpower, which is why I got fat in the first place and why after one year I have yet to reach my goal weight (although very very close). BUT. ... DS\SIPS gives me breathing room. If I wanna loose weight, I still gotta work for it. No free pass,. I have to eat healthy, and no over indulge.
BUT....
When I'm can't take dieting any longer... I'm done with that **** and just want to eat pizza and wings and other yummy food....there are no consequences?!?!. I don't lose weight during these periods, BUT I DON'T GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK during these periods either. That has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world!!!!
Let's face it. I doubt there's a single person on this board that hasn't been able to string a diet together for a week, or two or six, only to finally give it up. And then see ALL the weight they worked so hard to lose come back... within days!!! ... or worse, and all too common, come back 3-10 lbs heavier than when they started the diet in the first place?!?
Well, kiss those days goodbye.
My weight loss is on me. But it's always a loss. never a re-gain. Wow! what a difference!
For any of you out there contemplating DS\SIPS vs some other "less invasive" procedure - i.e. Sleeve - stop f**king around! This is the the solution. Go big or go home.

Best decision ever. It's a little tricky to talk about actual number of lost lbs for me, since I'm a dude and I started working out on weights a ton, and getting semi-jacked. but what a difference this has made in my life. Transformative. You should feel confident.
I deleted most of my "fat pics", but I attached something that should give a general vibe...

I probably don't count as 'long term'....I'm at 18 months.... but I eat pretty shitty and haven't regained.

I'm sleeve to DS (SIPs, actually.) . The recovery was a breeze. 1/10th that of sleeve. I was walking the same day and eating solid food two days later.
Best decision I ever made.

Well maybe some of us just don't assimilate things as well as others. I have been on prenatal Vitamins with Iron from the very beginning, take additional Ferrocite, long past menopause and still required an Iron INFUSION in March. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? One of the ways I can tell when I am getting low is I feel sluggish and complain that I AM COLD!

@disco stuThat is such great news. You really did it! I’d continue it. Generally, once you reach the level you need to be that’s where you stay dosewise. If your numbers go too high or too low then you adjust accordingly.

Pros: It actually works, even if you're lazy and cheat./
Cons: It makes you poop a lot.

Pros: It actually works, even if you're lazy and cheat./
Cons: It makes you poop a lot.

Quick Update for anyone following my progress on this thread:
I've more or less been stuck on the scale at 211 for the last couple of months, which is partially due to the holidays but mostly due to the fact that I've been hitting the gym really hard. And it shows. I've started to buff out, and people are noticing. At the same time, it's been frustrating not to see the scale move.
Well, two weeks ago I had an accident on one of those Bird electric scooters and blew out the ACL in my left knee. Ouch. I stopped going to gym, and guess what? I seem to be losing weight again. The first sign was, I ran out of belt loops and had to go buy a new one. On a lark, I bought a pair of size 30 jeans too, and guess what? They fit! Checked the scale this AM and I'm at 207. Cool! Gonna stay out of the gym till I break 200, then re-evaluate, because I really do enjoy lifting weights, and some of this weight loss is my hard earned muscles disappearing. Sigh. Balance.
My one year anniversary is in April, so still have a couple of months to hit my goal of 190.

Six month anniversary. Down 45lbs. only 25 away from my goal weight.

Weight loss has sped up quite a bit the last few weeks since I quit drinking, started Intermittent Fasting, and working out in the AM in a fasted state. Hoping to keep it going!

UPDATE: Happy to report for the last 4 days, I've lost a pound each day, so looks like the "three week stall" is a real thing, and I was a victim <grin>.
Not expecting to maintain this pace forever, but glad to go along as long as it does.

Finally dropped 1 more pound after 6 days stuck at the exact same weight (which is in itself, kinda weird. Normally I bump around 1-2 lbs day-to-day) . I still don't understand why it's this slow, given that my eating is significantly curbed, and I hit the bathroom at least 5-6 times a day with frothy orange diarrhea; I haven't had a solid BM yet. I assume this is the new normal, and is the DS doing it's malabsorption thing
Also, since posting, I spent some time reading through a ton of older posts, and it looks like sleeve to SIPS revisions is more common on this board than I would have thought (Is this a clue to anyone considering sleeve vs SIPS that Sleeve alone has high failure rate?) Seems like the results of SIPS revision are generally positive, but more Tortoise then hair. It's feels a little frustrating compared to how fast I remember the lbs dropping initially with the sleeve, but then again, those came back after 6 months. So if the DS lbs come off and stay off.... totally worth it.
Something to note: My BMI was under 40 when I got this latest revision, which is unusual. As a result, the Dr gave me a longer channel than he would have if I was in the 50's. Also, a couple of people have noted that speed of weight loss is slower the closer you started to goal weight, so I'm probably in that boat. Just gotta be patient i suppose.

@disco stuI agree. I feel the DS is the gift that keeps on giving. I'll be two years post op this June, and I haven't regained any weight since my surgery. That in itself is a miracle for me. I'm not a perfect eater, but the DS keeps the weight off. I have a handful of funny bathroom stories since having the surgery, but I have zero regrets. I love the fact that I'll never wear a size 2x shirt again. I wear a size 8 pants and medium shirts. I read about sleeve patients gaining 20 pounds to half their weight back their second year, so I definitely feel the DS was the right surgery for me.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY UPDATE:
Wow. What a year.
Bad news, good news.
Bad news: I'm 3 lbs away from my goal weight. Bad news part II: It's clear that my goal weight was set to high. I need to lose at least another 10-20lbs. ack!!!
Good news: Wouldn't change my decision to have SIPS in a million years. Yes, there are occasional "bathroom issues", but so worth it compared to my life beforehand.
Bottom line for anyone still sitting on the fence: Unlike band and sleeve, SIPS works! And let me tell you why. I still have zero willpower, which is why I got fat in the first place and why after one year I have yet to reach my goal weight (although very very close). BUT. ... DS\SIPS gives me breathing room. If I wanna loose weight, I still gotta work for it. No free pass,. I have to eat healthy, and no over indulge.
BUT....
When I'm can't take dieting any longer... I'm done with that **** and just want to eat pizza and wings and other yummy food....there are no consequences?!?!. I don't lose weight during these periods, BUT I DON'T GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK during these periods either. That has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world!!!!
Let's face it. I doubt there's a single person on this board that hasn't been able to string a diet together for a week, or two or six, only to finally give it up. And then see ALL the weight they worked so hard to lose come back... within days!!! ... or worse, and all too common, come back 3-10 lbs heavier than when they started the diet in the first place?!?
Well, kiss those days goodbye.
My weight loss is on me. But it's always a loss. never a re-gain. Wow! what a difference!
For any of you out there contemplating DS\SIPS vs some other "less invasive" procedure - i.e. Sleeve - stop f**king around! This is the the solution. Go big or go home.