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NovaLuna

Duodenal Switch Patients
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Posts posted by NovaLuna


  1. Ask for a prescription for anti-nausea pills. I have had horrible off and on nausea since my surgery and the dry heaving thing happened every time. Mine is due to meds I take and also my MCAS. I once went on a two hour road trip and gagged the entire time lol. For almost 3 and a half years I wasn't able to actually vomit even once. Until yesterday, that is. When I threw up yesterday I was actually happy about it lol. I'm taking a huge amount of meds due to my trigeminal neuralgia and they make me incredibly dizzy and nauseous so actually throwing up made me feel sooooo much better! But yeah... ask your doctor about anti-nausea meds.


  2. Not sure what to say about how to get your insurance to cover a revision, but if you're having reflux problems then maybe have Bypass instead.

    I had the Sadi-S myself, and have lucked out that my EOE didn't cause the acid issues to get worse (I have acid issues at night due to EOE a.k.a Eosinophilic Esophagitis). If you do get the Sadi-S here's some advice... 1. don't go too long without something in your stomach even if it's applesauce or fruit, etc. because if I wait to long inbetween eating my bowels decide to empty everything in them. (TMI, but you should know so you can avoid it happening to you) 2. Always take a probiotic every day because it helps with keeping you regular 3. I don't know if it's a common thing for Sadi-S or other surgeries or if it's just me... but I haven't been able to throw up since my surgery... 3 years ago (and yes, I've been sick and dry heaved for hours, but couldn't throw up). 4. having any WLS with a malabsorption factor gives you a 3% chance of developing a wheat allergy or Celiac's (I got the wheat allergy because my luck is ****). And, 5. I don't know if it's just a DS or Sadi-S thing, but there is a chance after surgery that you will vomit old blood (if this counts as vomiting then this is the only time I've thrown up since surgery. It happened three or four times while I was in the hospital after surgery. They didn't warn me and it scared the **** out of me). Anyway, yeah... I'm happy with my surgery choice, but if I'd had another chance I think I'd have gone for the original DS since it has slightly better weight loss results. I had the normal gain back you get going into your third year and straddle between 188-193 which I've been for 9 months. Also, any time you have surgery, ANY surgery, you risk the chance of health problems popping up that you would have got a little later in life. I developed Mast Cell Activation Syndrome after my WLS and it's been a b***h to deal with. I mean, technically the doctor told me she thinks I probably already had the beginnings of it before the surgery and the surgery itself just... made it progress to a more severe case (apparently they noticed a trend in people with EOE developing MCAS so it was pretty much going to happen anyway). But still. Health issues can pop up after surgery. So just be aware of it.

    Hopefully everything goes well for you and sorry for the word vomit.


  3. It could be that you're dealing with stress or anxiety and both can cause you to eat more. Maybe you don't register the fact that you're having issues with stress or anxiety, but your body does and thus the urge to eat. I'm just using my own experience here so it could be different for you, but this is just my own perspective.


  4. Well, you could revise to a duodenal switch or loop duodenal switch surgery. The biggest problem, of course, would be finding a surgeon who would do it in the first place, and also one who would be comfortable doing a RNY revision to DS or Loop DS. The DS is the most aggressive surgery and one of the biggest downsides is having to take more Vitamins. Also, if you wait too long in between eating... your bowels will decide to empty everything in them after taking about two to three bites of food and you'll be in and out of the bathroom for an hour or more, so if you do decide to do the surgery keep something like a granola bar or something next to your bed. I had the Loop DS 3 years ago and am incredibly happy with my surgery choice.


  5. I lost 53 pounds in the first 12 weeks and an additional 68 pounds for a total of 121 pounds the first year (not counting the weight I lost before my surgery). The second year I lost another 26 pounds. Then this year I gained back some weight and am up about 13 pounds from my lowest weight (but this is common to gain back in your third year).


  6. Look at it this way... you lost more than 10% of your weight in 10 weeks. That's a huge accomplishment! You're doing great! We all experience self doubt and wonder if we're on track or if we're losing slower than normal... that's incredibly common and I went through the same thing. But, trust me, you're on track and doing fantastic! You lost 10% of your weight in 10 weeks! Celebrate that!


  7. Most insurance now days requires a medically supervised diet. Generally it ranges anywhere from 3 months to a full year. My own was 6 months, but it also took an extra 2 month to schedule my surgery due to the fact that they were overbooked, so for me it was 8 months. Maybe your surgeon is just used to patients having a longer requirement and is just concerned that maybe you'll struggle with the dietary requirements and getting used to eating in a new way? But, honestly? Although I DID diet before my surgery I don't eat the same way as I did now during that time. I took my weight loss phase of my surgery to learn how to eat healthier and how to do it in a sustainable way since this is not a 'diet' but rather a life change. You have to learn to eat in a healthier way for the rest of your life, but you want to do it sustainably. I had to learn how to work in foods that I loved, but do it in moderation. Because I do not want to be a statistic in weight loss surgery failure. I do NOT want to gain my weight back! Hell, I cry if I'm up 1 pounds over what I consider my 'comfort range' (the top of my comfort range is 191. My secondary maintenance weight range is 186-191. I say secondary because my original maintenance range for an entire year was 179-183, but in your second year leading up to your third year post op you gain some weight back. It's normal. It sucks and I had massive issues with it which is probably part of what is causing my chronic anxiety, but I'm allowing myself to not freak out as long as my weight doesn't go over 191 at the heaviest. I'm 189 today. And sorry if that's TMI. I'm an aspie so sometimes I overshare what others see as pointless info.).

    Anyway, you are the one who knows yourself best and if you feel that you can be successful in three months then go for it! Also, welcome to the forums and I wish you the best on your weight loss journey! It's a difficult one, but incredibly fulfilling! 😊


  8. How much you lose during your first month depends on numerous factors including age, starting weight, comorbidities, how strictly you follow dieting guidelines, exercise, etc. I was well over 300 pounds starting out and lost 23 pounds my first month. Everyone's results differ and comparing your own progress to someone else can drive you nuts (from personal experience). Every pound you lose adds up over time and focusing on yourself and your own weight loss is far better for your mental health (trust me, I drove myself crazy comparing my weight loss to others. I was a chronic staller and my weight loss slowed significantly after the first 3 months. Which is normal, but the fact that I started losing in single digits when I still had so much weight to lose drove me nuts). A common problem is that people (myself included) seem to think the weight will just fall off because of series like 'My 600 pound Life' in which those people have MUCH more weight to lose and thus their numbers are much higher. My advice is to try and stay realistic with your weight loss goals and try not to stress if it takes longer to lose what you want to. Like I said, every pound adds up over time and I met my goal in 18 months so I'm sure if you follow your plan that you'll be able to reach your goal too.


  9. Some people lose less, some lose more, but you lose more pounds per month the higher your BMI. I lost 23 pounds the first month, but I was also well over 300 pounds. I lost 16 pounds the second month and 17 pounds the third month and only 7 pounds the fourth month and 11 pounds the fifth. My point is... your weight loss isn't going to be steady. It'll be all over the place. And even if your numbers are smaller... every pounds adds up. I reached my goal weight in 18 months (admittedly I did have the gain back that happens during your second year leading up to your third, partially due to a med that made me gain weight, but I'm still satisfied with my weight loss which is maintaining at 186-191. I'm 189 today. But I'm also having my monthly so I'm sure it'll go down again after the fact lol. TMI, sorry.). Technically speaking I still lost over the amount that was projected for me. My lowest weight according to my surgeon's office was estimated to be around 189 pounds (where I'm today) but I got down to 175 at my lowest. It was estimated that I'd end up at 199 during the gain back period when I hit 3 years. I'm at 189 currently and my 3 year surgiversary is about 2 weeks away. So you can certainly lose more than you surgeon says, but it's very much about your own body, metabolism, and dedication. I mean, I honestly feel like I could have lost another 10-15 pounds if I'd been super strict with my diet, but I didn't feel like I could have maintained that and kept my sanity. During the weight loss phase I took that time to learn a new way to eat in a sustainable way. Being super restrictive just is not something that I can do for the rest of my life to keep off an extra 10-15 pounds. My dietician says that the way I chose to go about things is healthier and sustainable and my blood work looks great so I'm clearly getting enough nutrition with my diet and my weight has been steady and maintained for the last 6 months (for almost a year before that it maintained at 179-183, but the stupid med made me gain weight. It's been maintaining where it's at now though for 6 months, so that's good).

    Just, take your doctors numbers into account and then try and smash them if you can lol. Also, sorry for the long post. I'm an aspie so sometimes I do give out what some think of as pointless info that they feel they don't need, but hopefully this did help you in some way. That was the intent, anyway.


  10. I was put on anti-anxiety meds a few months ago due to chronic anxiety and frequent panic attacks, and I got into a really in depth convo with my PCP because I'd already been on a med for my TN (trigeminal neuralgia) that made me gain weight and I was only able to lose half the weight that I gained so I absolutely did not want to go on a med that had a high possibility for weight gain. She told me that basically anything for anxiety or depression could lead to weight gain. So we ended up choosing a med that had less potential side effects and moderately low risk for weight gain which is the med Celexa. I take 20-30mg a day (20 for good days and 30mg on bad days). The holidays f-ed up my med cycle and I had to go without my meds for a solid week (the pharmacy f-ed up my refill order and due to the holiday couldn't get in touch with my doctor) and I had multiple panic attacks in that time and during that week it really hit home just how much the meds had been helping because without them I was an absolute disaster (the worst day of the week I had four panic attacks in one day. FOUR. IN. ONE. DAY). Anxiety is a terrible thing to have to deal with and I'm glad you reached out for help (I waited. I allowed it to get worse and worse and for 3 months I just dealt with it until the panic attacks that were one a week or one every other week started happening almost daily. I hope you don't have the panic attacks with your anxiety. Because it's scary. And sucks. So much.)


  11. 14 hours ago, TimberlynnVSG said:

    I had VSG back in June of this year and at first I thought the acid reflux was going to be a temporary thing.

    Unfortunately the acid reflux is awful, I am on RX medication for it that is not working and nothing seems to be helping at all with it.

    Has anyone else had major acid reflux and found anything to help with it. I guess I will be sending a message to my doctor regarding this to see what can be done.

    TIA.

    Did they put you on Omeprazole? It had the opposite intended effect when they put me on omeprazole and it made my acid WORSE so I went back to taking famotidine (which is what I took prior to my surgery) and I have no issues with acid as long as I take 2 famotidine before I go to bed at night.


  12. Due to my specific surgery I have to eat every couple of hours or my stomach gets f-ed up (if I wait to eat until I'm actually hungry then my bowels decide to punish me and I literally empty everything in there and I'm in and out of the bathroom for around an hour. And this usually happens after just a few bits of food after not eating for 7+ hours. Bright side of this is that if I get constipated I know how to solve it lol. TMI, sorry). So even if I'm not hungry, I'll munch on a rice cake. They're 50 calories and at least I'm putting something in my stomach so I don't end up angry at myself later for the stomach ache.


  13. I still suffer body dysmorphia and I think the loose skin doesn't help (but skin removal surgery seems like too much of a hassle because I don't like the idea of having drains. That's a no), but when I see pictures of myself now I'm always surprised at how small I look. Because when I look in the mirror I see someone a lot bigger than the person in the pictures. I don't run and hide when people take pictures anymore like I used to when I was at my absolute heaviest (417 pounds in late 2016).


  14. I had the Loop DS, but my stomach is a VSG stomach, if that counts? And, I'll be 3 years post op next month so I don't know if I count, but... my tip is to take the weight loss phase and use it to learn how to eat in a better and more sustainable way. Make healthier choices, but allow yourself the freedom to eat the things you want in moderation (i.e not all the time). If you start to put on weight then monitor your calories (though in year 2 you WILL put on anywhere between 5-20 pounds back on average, or so I've been told by my surgeons office. I originally put 21 pounds on due to a med I was taking and once I stopped taking the med I worked on getting the weight off and was able to lose half the weight I'd gained, but I can't get under 186 pounds no matter what I do. I'm okay with it though as long as I stay in the 180's, but if my weight creeps into the 190's I start monitoring my calories closely to see if I'm eating too much. Which I usually am lol. I cut back and the weight comes back off, but stalls once again at 186 😒).


  15. Maybe a new food allergy or intolerance? I developed a wheat allergy post-op, which is a 3% chance for anyone who had a WLS with malabsorption, but VSG doesn't have malabsorption (so it's very likely not that or Celiac's). Surgery can also bring about health problems you WOULD have had later to the surface sooner then they otherwise would have (I'm assuming this includes allergies or perhaps making mild allergies or food intolerances into more moderate or severe ones. i.e I've always had a mild milk intolerance as it messes with my stomach. The surgery didn't make it worse, but it could have...)


  16. There's a little upside down triangle next to your profile name at the top of the page. You click on the upside down triangle and under the settings section you'll see 'My Surgery' which you input all your surgery details. 'My Tickers' is also found under the upside down triangle following your profile name under settings and that's where you add the signature.


  17. I'm not quite 3 years out yet (that'll be next month), but there isn't a 'typical' day for me. I used the weight loss phase to get into a new mindset and learn to eat in a sustainable way. Which is what I do. I eat around 1600-2000 calories depending on the day (but only count calories if my weight goes up past what I allow myself, i.e my comfortable zone). I'm 188 right now and as long as I'm still in the 180's I'm okay (if it goes into the 190's I start counting calories. I put on some weight after starting a med for my Trigeminal Neuralgia and was only able to lose about half of what I put on, but I figure that's probably the normal weight gain I heard you gain in your second year anyway so I just shrug it off or try to, anyway). What I ate today:

    Breakfast: Granola bar & 2 Caramel Rice Cakes

    Snack: No Sugar Added Mandarin Orange fruit Cup

    Lunch: Leftover chicken Fetticini

    Snack: Protein Shake

    Dinner: Turkey Potato Skillet

    I just had blood work done and my blood work is almost perfect (have low sodium, but that's due to my anti-anxiety meds. They told me to drink more lol).


  18. I'm reading your post as it's about 2:30 AM where I live... and I'm eating lol. My nutritionist knows that I have f-ed up sleep patterns due to my health issues and although it's not really the best choice to eat at night it's not the be all and end all if you're hungry and not just snacking to snack. If it's a bad habit of yours to eat at night just to snack and not due to actual hunger then yeah I'd consult someone, but we're only human. We can fall off sometimes, but the point is that you recognize that it's a problem and are will to work on it. Don't stress yourself out! Admitting a fault is the first step in correcting a problem and that doesn't make you a failure at all. If it's a problem then work on it. Get help if you need to. We are only human, thus mistakes can and will happen. You got this!


  19. I had the Loop DS/Sadi-S surgery. I actually take less Vitamins then the average person for my surgery... I take 1 Multivitamin with Iron and 1 (one a day) multivitamin without iron, two calcium citrate, and every other day 1 Vitamin A. If you do for some reason decide to have the Loop DS/Sadi-S I recommend a probiotic every day (it helps your stomach so much and I swear by them). Either surgery has malabsorption and what they don't tell you is that ANY surgery with malabsorption (RNY, DS, Loop DS) has a 3% chance of giving you either a wheat allergy or full on Celiac Disease. I have terrible luck and ended up with the wheat allergy, but honestly? It's been a blessing in disguise as I quite literally can't eat fast food and any restaurants I go to are very, very, VERY limited because they have to full on either be a gluten free restaurant, Celiac friendly, or a restaurant that deals very carefully with food allergies. I have two conditions that cause acid reflux issues (not GERD. One is an autoimmune disorder and the other is an immunological condition) and my acid issues were actually improved for a good two years before going basically back to normal (no better or worse).

    I recommend going with your gut. If you've decided on RNY then go for it. It's YOUR body and YOUR choice in the end. You are the one that has to live your life, not your doctor so go with whatever choice makes you happiest.


  20. I had the Loop DS (which is a little different) January 23 2020 (right before the Covid crap storm). From what I remember... I didn't poop a whole lot the first two or three weeks since I was on liquids and then puree and barely ate anything so from my own experience maybe your plane ride will be fairly normal. I did have overactive bowels once I hit stage 3, but hell, when I hit stage 4 I actually got Constipation issues (and then learned it was because I was taking too much Iron. Went from taking 3 multi's with iron to 2 and then finally down to 1 multi with iron. My family actually tends to hyper absorb iron and I forgot about that so... I actually don't need as much of it and still test in the normal range. Smack dab in the middle of normal at that).

    They probably won't warn you, but there is the rare chance it'll happen to you too so... 1. I vomited old blood after my surgery. It hurt like hell, but only happened 4 times so... not too bad, I guess. And, 2. Any surgery with malabsorption has a 3% chance of you developing either a wheat allergy or Celiac Disease (I got the wheat allergy). Also, when you do get put onto general diet try to avoid fatty foods because they will likely cause stomach issues (at least they did to me earlier on. And still kinda do that to me now). And if you wait too long to eat your stomach may decide to empty everything in your bowels (I can't be the only one who had this surgery that this happens to. Also, I'm not joking). It's incredibly annoying, but if I have constipation issues I know how to solve it lol. Problem is though that you will be in and out of the bathroom for a few HOURS because your stomach will not settle and my surgeon warned not to take imodium because it can cause bowel blockage and with this surgery you REALLY don't want that. So you'd be stuck at home. Best thing to avoid this is have something like a granola bar next to your bed so you can eat if your stomach wakes you up (mine does. but I'm stupid and ignore it sometimes because I'm tired and I pay for it later... bright side, if you can call it that lol, is that after the day spent in the bathroom you'll drop 2-4 pounds and no, I'm not joking. You really go that much. Or I do, at least. TMI, sorry).

    Also, regarding needing to be around a bathroom... not necessarily, but make sure you know where it IS. If you need to go then you will get a rumbling in your tummy and you will know when you need to rush to the bathroom. So make sure you do know where it is just in case. Also, the thing they say about never trusting a fart? Don't gamble because you might lose lol (I'd say 80% of the time it's an okay gamble, but the other 20% could be embarrassing if you were in public).

    Again, sorry for the TMI, but I figure it's info that you'd probably need to know. I'm happy with the surgery I chose, btw and have no regrets (other than wishing I hadn't had to take a med for my Trigeminal Neuralgia that made me gain 18 pounds back and even if I lost half of that since I switched meds I still can't lose the other 9 pounds for the life of me. But really that's not the surgery's fault, it's just my stupid ass TN that decided it was going to crap on my happy parade and send me into absolute agony and force me to take meds that make me gain weight... and yes, I'm still upset about it since the flare is still going on 7 months later and even if it's mostly under control now it's a progressive disorder and I REALLY don't want to have brain surgery AGAIN! Sorry. Rant over).

    Anyway, I wish you the best and hope everything goes well for you!


  21. I have EOE and was diagnosed with it in 2015 so I was already used to taking about 45 minutes to finish a meal and chewing my food to mush so that I don't choke so... nothing has changed there. It sometimes only takes me 30 minutes to eat now since I eat about 1/4 (or less) of what I used to. I tend to stop after a few bites to let it settle a bit in my stomach due to my eating too 'fast' a few times and overeating and since I can't vomit (no idea why, just have not been able to vomit since my surgery and trust me I've TRIED) it's incredibly uncomfortable to eat too much. So yeah. On average it's about 30-45 minutes for me to finish a meal.

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