Just a note on the Vitamin D you're taking - from the amount I'm assuming it's the soft gels?  Are they green or brown with liquid in them?  If that's what you're taking, they're not useful to us.  The Vitamin D in them is suspended in oil, and we dont absorb the oil, therefore we dont absorb the Vitamin.

The type of Vitamin D you need is called "Dry" Vitamin D.  Vitalady.com is a good place to buy that.

 I lost 100% of my excess weight.  I then had plastics which took off about another 10 pounds.  

I was 45 when I had my DS (48 now).  I have before/after picutres of plastics on my profile if you want to see the skin.

 Hi Gina,

The first few weeks are really rough.  It might just be trial and error to see what your new stomach is going to like, for now.  It will get better.  If the tomato soup isnt sitting well today, try it again in a few days if you want.  It can really change that quickly.

Try soft, mushy things that seem appealing to you, and dont pu**** too hard.  Hydration is the most important thing at this point.

Hope you're doing ok and continue to heal well.

 Here are a few links you should read:

www.dsfactss.com


Below is a link to a presentation done about revision surgery - why the gastric bypass (also known as the RNY), and LapBand fail a good percentage of people.  If you look at failed proceudres and revisions, you will see that there are many people that regain weight witht he gastirc bypass, and it is not always their fault - ie lack of willpower.  It has to do with the mechanics of the surgery.  I only know of one person here *****vised the other way - from a DS to an RNY, and that particlular instance has some sketchy detials.
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4416773/quotDoes-the-Patient -Fail-the-Procedure-or-Does-the/

 Moving around will help with the gas, and your bowels.  Also remember that you're not eating much solid food, so you might not have that much in you to go.  And pain meds will slow down your digestive process.

Sounds like you're on a good path to recovery.  It gets better each day.

Congratulations

Probably not.  The insurance qualifications for a revision are at least the same, if not more strict, than the initial procedure.  With 40 pounds to lose you're no longer morbidly obese.  

I dont want to come across as "I told you so" to people, but this is one of the key reasons why we say "Think Twice, Cut Once".  The "wait and see how you do" with the sleeve only often results in a scenario like this, someone remaining obese or overweight, and stuck in limbo between not being thrilled with their results, but not being obese enough to qualify for a revision.  u 

Hi Gina,

For me, early out, being full felt more like a lump high up in my chest.  Just take breaks between bites and sips to make sure everything is settling with you.  At your stage, one extra bite could make the difference between satisifed, and OMG I'm going to explode.  Learn the quantities you can eat - and know that it''s going to change A LOT in the upcoming months.

My early go-to things were a lot like Major Mom said.

-Tomato soup (try it with melted cheese)
-Yogurt
-Scrambled egg
-Egg drop soup
-Melted brie

Think about things that are soft.  Roslin explained it to me like things that you could mush up with a cheap plastic fork.  Start there

I dont think people will see them if they're not friends with you on Facebook.

You can upload them to your profile here,  (Go up to the top to "MY OH", them photos.  
Then what you can do is open your post in one window, the OH photos you uploaded in the second window, and do a 'copy" and "paste"

 Hi there,
I'm 2 1/2 years out from my DS.  I'll do my best to answer your questions.

1.  Most people return at about 4-6 weeks.  I took off 8 weeks, but mostly because I had great short term disability insurance so didntt feel rushed to return.  I probably could have gone back around 5-6 weeks, but not much before that.

2.  Expect to take a lot, and then consider yourself lucky if you dont.  I take about 18-20 pills a day.  I would rather take vitamins than my old hypertension medication, etc. so it's not a big deal to me.

3.  I assume you're asking about how do you know what vitamins you'll need?  Good question.  Most surgeons dont recommend nearly enough.  Best advice is to start with what we call the Vitalday plan (Vitalady specializes in bariatrics, and really knows her stuff).  You will have to have labs to check your levels, and know how to adjust.  There is a lot of support online to help you.  


4.  You'll have to have your labs done more frequently during the first year, at least every 6 months, if  not every 3.  After that you can move to every 6 months.  My surgeon orders my labs.  I had to educate my PCP with drawings and diagrams.  I also had him talk to my surgeon, which helped.

5.  The frequent poop, and associated problems are grossly exaggerated.  Yes, you will go more often, and yes, it will smell worse.  But it can be largely controlled by what you eat.  Different people are bothered by different things.  For me, I can tolerate everything but white rice.  No one should nottice a thing.  The vast majority of DS'ers go to the bathroom once, maybe twice every mornintg.  I know almost as many that are constipated.  I dont even go every day.

6.  I wouldnt go as far as to say that high fat is a requriement - at least not as in what you might be assuming.  I noticed in the otther thread that someone advised you against hte DS if you dont like to eat high fat food.  Just because we malabsorb fat, it doesnt mean that we're required to eat a ton of fat.  I just eat "to taste".  Meaning I go ahead and use cream in my coffee.  I use a lot of butter.  I use full fat / regular cheese and salad dressing.  But I dont gorge on fat, or sit there eating fatty things.  You will need a certain amount to stay regular, but that's all I do.  If that isn't enough, things like peanut butter on a spoon, an avocado, or even olive oill drizzled on something is just fine.  

7.  My insurance covers my labs, you just have to make sure the lab uses the right codes.  It does not cover vitamins.  My vitamins are about $60 a month.  But I dont have many of the Rx's I had from before surgery (like high blood pressure medication).  I'm not a good value shopper, I bet I could cut some of that money out if I was smarter about it.

Have you been to www.dsfacts.com?

Also, I dont know if you're aware, but most of th DS'ers have left this board to join another one.  We're not allowed to post  the link to it here, but it shouldn't be too hard to find.  I rarely post here anymore myself but popped in tonight and thought your questions were good ones and I wanted to help.  Please feel free to PM me, as well. if you would like  I dont come here very often any longer.

-Joanne

 The problem with the ADEK combo's is that they're not in the right combination for a DS'er.  Your labs and levels will vary from person to person, and taking a combo vitamin like that will not let you individually adjut levels.  

For example, you might find that your A is too high, and your D is too low - so what do you do?  You cant take an ADEK to raise your D, because your A is already too high. 

That's why most people recommend taking individual supplements.  You will have to monitor your labs and tweak what you take accordingly.  Aim to be in the "high" side of normal for each value.  Labs might not tank in one month, three months, or even a year...but they can and do in time and you have to stay on top of this.

You're right!  Far better that he throw caution to the wind and possibly kill her.  How many DS's have you performed yourself?