I am one year post op and have battled constipation since month three. I went on Thursday to see my surgeon regarding this issue. He has me drinking Miralax everyday now and has ordered a stool analysis to check fat content. He was very shocked when I told him about the constipation. I have also had a significant weight loss stall for the past 5 months. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

You read it as hypersensitive and prickly because you fail to understand that bad advice can be lethal.

I make sure my comments are ONLY on the DS forum and are to DS patients because that is my experience and my focus.

The number one cause of death in Bariatric patients is failure to follow guidelines for their surgery. Do you want to be the one that gives bad advice that leads to someones death? I don't. I'll be hypervigilant as long as people insist on giving out dangerous advice. I'm saving lives. What are you doing?

No, I don't fail to understand anything about it. You repeated yourself enough times that I'm pretty sure EVERYONE understands your point. However, if I am asking for medical advice on a forum, I'm not going to follow the advice without significant research into it first. And if I had a surgery that was this different from most everyone else on here, I certainly would be even more vigilant about it.

As for what I'm doing, I'd have to say I'm enjoying most of the interaction on these boards. Regardless of the fact that you feel like you're a special little life-saving snowflake, the fact is that the DS forum is part of the larger Bariatric Pal community. If you can't deal with that fact without acting like a major bitch, then you're probably not going to get as much from the community as it has to offer. And that's sad, because I find the camaraderie to be the biggest help of all, and judging by how knowledgeable you seem to be about your chosen surgery, I feel like that's something you could be a part of.

Serious question: it sounds like you are suggesting that miralax or other such remedies can cause death for a person that has undergone DS surgery. Is that actually true?

I'm sorry it seems farfetched.

Edited February 4, 201511 yr by woo woo

The DS causes serious malabsorption of fat, Protein and complex carbs. Many Vitamins require fat to be used in the body and because we absorb fat so poorly it means getting the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain good health is very difficult.

Our diets differ widely from the lap band and the sleeve as they are only restrictive and do not inhibit absorption. Gastric bypass has a mild mal absorption issue but one Multivitamin fixes that.

The DS regime requires two regular chewable Multivitamins daily, 1500 mg of Calcium Citrate split through three doses per day, B-12 sublingual, Vitamins A, D, E and K daily in dry format since the soft gels won't absorb. I also take Biotin and Selenium and prescription Levothyroxin to combat my thyroid issues.

Required bi annual blood tests.

Dietary recommendations minimum 120gm Protein, 100gm Fat, and limit carbs that can cause painful excessive gas.

Laxatives cause a disruption in the lining of the large intestine. We retain our hydration through our large intestine. It's bad to do anything to mess with it. Excess Fiber can contribute to dehydration as it takes more moisture to eliminate it from the body. coffee is dehydrating. Sodas are dehydrating. It's alm guaranteed that a DS patient will be in the ER for dehydration within the first three months.

Edited February 4, 201511 yr by dsdesigna

The DS causes serious malabsorption of fat, protein and complex carbs. Many vitamins require fat to be used in the body and because we absorb fat so poorly it means getting the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain good health is very difficult.

Our diets differ widely from the lap band and the sleeve as they are only restrictive and do not inhibit absorption. Gastric bypass has a mild mal absorption issue but one multivitamin fixes that.

The DS regime requires two regular chewable multivitamins daily, 1500 mg of Calcium Citrate split through three doses per day, B-12 sublingual, Vitamins A, D, E and K daily in dry format since the soft gels won't absorb. I also take Biotin and Selenium and prescription Levothyroxin to combat my thyroid issues.

Required bi annual blood tests.

Dietary recommendations minimum 120gm Protein, 100gm Fat, and limit carbs that can cause painful excessive gas.

Laxatives cause a disruption in the lining of the large intestine. We retain our hydration through our large intestine. It's bad to do anything to mess with it. Excess fiber can contribute to dehydration as it takes more moisture to eliminate it from the body. Coffee is dehydrating. Sodas are dehydrating. It's alm guaranteed that a DS patient will be in the ER for dehydration within the first three months.

Thanks for taking the time to explain. It seems like there are more commonalities amongst the surgeries than differences. I had the sleeve and my program also requires 2 multivitamins, 1200 mcg calcium, no caffeine, and no carbonation, 60-70 g of protein, limiting carbs, and blood work 4xs/1st yr, twice per subsequent year. B12 is prescribed in the cases of extreme fatigue. Biotin supplements are up to us as biotin is already in the multivitamins but also, has been proven to help regrow hair but not keep it from falling out. But, I did learn more about DS through your post but am not sure if the DS forum should be inaccessible to non-DSers, as we really can all learn from each other...including what does/doesn't work.

Edited February 4, 201511 yr by ProjectMe

Ok so we are talking about dehydration. Uh huh.

Good to know.

Please read the reply of the original poster who has taken the advice of veteran DSer's and it has HELPED! Fat is key in a DS diet, rny methods do not work. If you are not educated on the particular surgery why would you give advice?

I'm sorry that I gave the advice about the coffee. At the time I didn't realize I was on a DS site. That's a poor excuse because with it happening so often and with my length time on BariatricPal, I would know better. I do look more closely at were I'm at before I throw out a response. But alas, we aren't all infallible in what or where we input our thoughts so it'll probably happen again somewhere else. I am sorry again.

Edited February 5, 201511 yr by catdaddy

I try and use olive oil when I cook and that has been a big help to avoid constipation. I had a different surgery type, so the fat need is not as critical. That being said, lubrication is always good for the plumbing!

For those that would like a DEDICATED DS forum, here is a link to a GREAT one. It's free and full of helpful info. Hope it helps!

http://weightlosssurgery.proboards.com/board/43/duodenal-switch

hello. you know before I got surgery, my doctor said that in order to get things moving and clean out, some bacon or cream cheese would work wonders. That's what I do now. When I feel constipated, I have bacon or cream cheese and wala. hope it helps!

Potassium is also important for ensuring that your GI tract is moving along.