Hi everyone ! My name is Gia and I’m currently in the process of doing the Duodenal Switch. I’m 20 years old. 5’3 and about 345 lbs right now. I have been approved by my insurance but I need two more tests done before I get scheduled.



I have a few questions for people who have already had the surgery , anything you wish you knew before you did it ?

Anything I should remember to keep my head in the game ?


Tips on the dealing / getting over the worst things ?


Tips on mental health maintenance ?


I’m sorry for asking so much considering I haven’t gotten the surgery yet but I’m doing a notebook beforehand. Thank you in advance !

Hi everyone ! My name is Gia and I’m currently in the process of doing the Duodenal Switch. I’m 20 years old. 5’3 and about 345 lbs right now. I have been approved by my insurance but I need two more tests done before I get scheduled.



I have a few questions for people who have already had the surgery , anything you wish you knew before you did it ?

Anything I should remember to keep my head in the game ?


Tips on the dealing / getting over the worst things ?


Tips on mental health maintenance ?


I’m sorry for asking so much considering I haven’t gotten the surgery yet but I’m doing a notebook beforehand. Thank you in advance !

Just make sure you're mentally ready for everything (meaning the good and bad). Focus on staying positive and follow your doctor's instruction. It's not really all that bad but not being able drink a lot or eat as much can be a bit frustrating. You will be fine in the end. It's worth it!! Good luck. There are a lot of good stories on YouTube. Don't get caught up with the horror stories...

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you for that ! Most people on YouTube have horror stories so it was making me a bit nervous but I’ve been prepping for this for a long time so I’m hoping everything will turn out just fine. Thank you so much for replying !

I wish I knew the number two struggles. I guess, I’d say to make sure you stay on top of making sure your bowels are moving.

Tips for staying in the game, mental health, dealing with the good/bad... remember that the difficult times will be short lived.

My first week post-op was rough, but after that first week I started feeling better and seeing results. It was worth that brief period of discomfort. Also- remember stalls and plateaus will happen. It’s normal. So is seeing your weight loss numbers decrease as you lose weight and time passes.

I get stressed because I’m having to work at losing every single pound at this point. I’m no longer losing 10 or 20lbs a month, but I’m 50lbs from my goal. I started 210 lbs from it. These last 50 will be the hardest, but if I stick the the program I should be able to do it!

Thank you for replying ! I honestly haven’t thought about bowel movements so I’ll definitely have to put that in my notes. I knew about plateaus , I think that will be a little rough on me but I’ve written down tips to help with that (i.e wearing old clothes just to see how far I’ve gotten and/or focusing on health rather than numbers) but I have faith in you ! You can do it !! If you want, you can inbox me and keep in touch. I’m fairly new to this app so I don’t know much about how it works lol.

For me, before surgery (I had the sleeve btw) all I heard were good things. I watched tons of youtube videos and even in my support groups, everyone talked about how easy the recovery was and how they were back to work in a few days. I really wish I had heard some stories of people having a harder recovery so I could have mentally prepared myself, because I'm one of those people who has not recovered easily.

I'd say brace yourself - know that there's a possibility that for months after surgery you may not feel well. And that's okay! Just prepare yourself for it. A few months of discomfort/hardship is worth a lifetime of health.

You will likely go through a period of regret, and wonder why you did this to yourself. That's okay! It will be worth it once you feel better, and you WILL feel better.

Have a good support system - people you can cry to when you're struggling. For me, it's my mom. Be prepared for your relationships to change. If you have a significant other, you'll have a whole new set of challenges to deal with.

Always do your best to drink your water! If you don't drink enough, you'll get dehydrated, and that will make you nauseous and it'll make it harder for you to get your water down, starting a vicious cycle.

You'll likely stall in your weight loss anywhere from 1-3 weeks after your surgery. Don't sweat it! The weight WILL come off. You can't control the number on the scale, but you can control meeting your liquid, protein, and exercise goals - so focus on them instead!

Most of all, be kind to yourself. You're giving yourself a wonderful gift of health. Enjoy the journey - it's like being given a second life ?

Thank you for replying !!! It’s made me feel so much better to know that I will have a hard time but it’ll be over before I know it. Lol. I had a cornea transplant and for the first couple months I was really regretting it ?? but once everything got better I was soooo happy that I did it. I’m only planning on weighing myself 1 time a week because in many videos , I heard that if you do it too many times then you get depressed and I’m trying to avoid that as much as I can. I’m also planning on keeping a journal on my food intake / activities. Thank you so much !

Can hardly wait to read the journal of all this, please keep us updated.

22 minutes ago, GiaGambi said:

Thank you for replying !!! It’s made me feel so much better to know that I will have a hard time but it’ll be over before I know it. Lol. I had a cornea transplant and for the first couple months I was really regretting it ?? but once everything got better I was soooo happy that I did it. I’m only planning on weighing myself 1 time a week because in many videos , I heard that if you do it too many times then you get depressed and I’m trying to avoid that as much as I can. I’m also planning on keeping a journal on my food intake / activities. Thank you so much !

My boyfriend has had a cornea transplant - the good news is you'll probably recover much faster from WLS than from the cornea transplant! The stomach has better blood flow

Edit: I weigh myself daily usually, but I don't let stalls weigh me down. I just use it as motivation to keep up with my water, protein, and exercise. Just remember, unlike previous weight loss attempts, the weight WILL come off this time as long as you stick to your doctor's recommendations, so don't sweat the number on the scale - just make sure you're doing your part! ❤️

Edited January 9, 20197 yr by Starry*Night

That’s so reassuring that it’ll be faster than the cornea transplant. I feel like I’ve been thru that horrifying long time so a terrible short time won’t be as bad. I plan on following everything to a T because I want to fully and completely take advantage of this surgery !! I will definitely keep you guys updated on the notebook and the surgery. How do you add friends on here ? Lol I’ll try to follow you guys if that’s ok

You are doing well making your notebook ahead of time, I wish I did that! I've said before I don't think my center did a good job of preparing me. And you don't know what you don't know. And my first post op poop was scarier and worse than childbirth and my first kid had a big melon and I had no anesthesia. So buy a bottle of those little glycerin bullets you can put in your butt and it melts the log so it doesn't turn into a granite poo. I never used a suppository in my life so I had no idea there was a simple cheap preventative tool available that would have saved me the agony. Worse than kidney stones I am not even kidding.

Don't stick up on loads of things you think you will need unless you buy it from walmart and keep the receipt so you can return it. I stocked up on protein shakes which I loved the taste of beforehand and which I hated and still hate after. I ordered a case of clear protein from Amazon and it could be a wonderful way to have a light and refreshing way to get in protein but I absolutely hate their sweet taste. And I was a sugar freak before! Also I bought a bunch of the calcium chews that taste like starburst and come in a ton of flavors and now they are worthless because I hate them but before surgery they were delectable. So maybe wait and see what your tastebuds want after surgery so you aren't stuck with a ton of product.

I didn't know you didn't have to stress about protein or vitamins the first week or two and it would have been awesome to just focus on water and not feel like I was failing.

Buy a thin short sleeved robe for the hospital because you will need to walk around and go potty a lot after surgery and you wont have to worry about your butt hanging out. If they allow it maybe a short sleeve jammies or nightgown would be a good idea because the hospital gown is so uncomfortable with its high neck and stiff fabric.

I am a slow loser but I am no longer a non-loser. Be happy about every single pound that is let go. Don't judge yourself by comparing to others who may lose super fast.

You might feel panic and regret for a bit afterwards but everything gets better in some way or other. It's normal and it will pass.

You might lose weight in places you dont expect and out of order than what you would think. Like my feet are skinnier to the point i am donating some now floppy shoes. And my wrists are skinnier. It would be nice if the universe would focus on my thighs instead but I am not worrying about the things I have no control over.

I read about not bulking up on food / supplies beforehand because your taste buds change. I’ll be writing in my notebook about your advice !!! Thank you so much