Almost 4 Years Post Op...Regrets, I Have A Few

I know I am the exception but I had a DS and managed to regain 100 lbs.  I did it by eating constantly and almost exclusively junk carbs like bread and sugar.  I also had a very large sleeve so I could eat large amounts and my surgeon wasn't very experienced with the DS and may have not done it as well as the experienced DS surgeons do.  That said, I blame no one but myself for my regain.  I ate every bite and earned every pound.  The DS is not a license to eat freely.  There may be some "lucky" people who can but more often then not there is a price to pay.  For me the price, other then the weight gain, was constant gas that stunk beyond anything human, terrible diarrhea with incontinence to the point where I was close to adult diapers and was afraid to leave my house.  Plus, because I wasn't as diligent about supplements as I should have been, I was very sick and fatigued to the point of not functioning.  For me the DS was no walk in the park.  I get flamed terribly when I talk about my issues but there are many others who have had the same issues, they just don't feel free to talk about them.  No matter what surgery you have there is a price to pay if you don't follow all the rules.  I got to the point where I could care less what I weighed.  There are worse things then being fat and believe me, I was living it.  I went back to my surgeon and begged for a reversal.  I didn't care if I lost another pound.  He told me I couldn't be reversed, only revised so I didn't malabsorb as much.  He also made my too large sleeve into a RNY pouch.  In hindsight I probably would have been better off with a very small sleeve and a longer common channel.  My common channel is 200 cc now, from 100 cc and I have lost too much weight at this point.  I have no more issues with gas or diarrhea, in fact I deal with constipation, but I also want to add that I changed my eating habits completely after my revision.  I don't touch sugar or flour or any gluten products.  Maybe if I still ate all those refined carbs I might have the same issues.
I'm not trying to discourage you or anyone else from a DS.  I think it's a great surgery for those who can follow the rules when done correctly by an experienced surgeon.  But like all WLS it is not an excuse to eat whatever you want, whenever you want and as much as you want, not unless you want to pay the price.  Also, there are some who, no matter how compliant, have had major issues.  It is the luck of the draw just like there are those who talk about eating what they want and not gaining weight and others who still have to watch whatever they eat or they will regain weight.  There really is no free ride.  And there is no WLS that will allow you to eat refined carbs freely and not pay a price either with weight gain or intestinal issues or both.
There is a myth going around that WLS is the easy way out and a get out of jail free card when it comes to eating.  There are people who think they will never have to diet again after WLS.  I am sure there are some out there with that experience but the reality is WLS really is a tool to help you eat in a way that helps you lose weight, not a way to not change your eating habits and not be overweight.
As far as your feeling like a failure, the truth is you are a great success.  You have kept off 100 lbs for many years.  You probably would have never been able to do that without WLS.  In fact, if you are like me, you may be looking at 400 lbs right about now without surgical intervention.
Like the other person said, you may find the excess weight will be easier to lose once you wean your baby.  Also, please don't take this wrong, but if you are eating any refined carbs, you may look at cutting them out.  I know calories count but where those calories come from count, too.  I have personally seen people who avoid sugar and gluten do very well.  Also people who get in a lot of protein and fluids seem to do very well, too.  I get in at least 100 grams of protein a day and 100 oz of fluids.
Good luck to you.

Ladytazz........your online name doesn't give justice to your posts.  You always have very kind, from the heart, posts and I always know when I see your profile name come up  there will come caring,  words of wisdom.  I liked your previous avatar......the one you have now doesn't replicate the way I see you as a person from your posts.  I think you have suffered through many things in the name of "weight loss".  I'm sorry to hear you failed at the DS.....I'm sure you've studied the statistics,.....you know you are not the norm......but I just want to say I appreciate the posts I have read from you on OH. 

 Thank you. There was certainly a lot of wisdom in your response. It is certainly something to think about. I know that all of my friends with the DS deal with the gas and diarrhea.  I'm going to overhaul my intake again for a last ditch effort.

My heart definately goes out to anyone who struggles.

I really felt it a lot with the chocolate cake, thoguh to be honest, if I could be my current weight AND eat cake, well I'd happily give up my size 10s and move back into 12s and 14s. Eating cake is worth it.... but alas, I can't even do that because cake is just not okay when you have Reactive Hypoglycemia.

The whole gas and diarrhea thing was one of the big fat negatives when I was still looking into surgery... I'm a high school teacher and the thought of having issues with loud smelly gas in a room full of teenagers...well that's a dis-incentive right there.

Good luck. Come back, share your struggles, ask for thoughts on your daily food and exercise routines (I don't exercise, so I couldn't help you there) 

There is a lot of breadth in the field of frequent posters here now. It seems to me that it is friendlier for long-term-postops now than it used to be....even if they have issues like I am having and you are having.

Yeah, RH is not fun.

I ate a Zebra Cake the other night before bed (yes, I KNOW it isn't "good" for me, but it tasted good and I wanted it).

Well, an hour after I went to bed I woke up in a "crash".....stumbled to the kitchen to get a few crackers with hard cheese.....not fun.  And what if I hadn't woken up?  I COULD'VE GOTTEN INTO REAL TROUBLE.

That damn zebra cake wasn't THAT good.  Lesson learned.  (hopefully)

 My insurance doesn't cover the DS, so I never even bothered to look into it.  Maybe self-paying would have opened more options for me, but I just have to be grateful I can give the RNY a try.  Sorry you've had bad luck with it, but I seem to see a lot of successful people here too.

You are in my prayers. 

I don't think it's taboo. If my insurance had covered the DS, you better believe that's the surgery I would have had. But, as it did not and there is no was I could have afforded it out of pocket, I got the next best thing.

I am sorry to hear of your loss.

 In 2001 I weighed 587 lbs and searched and searched before I found a Dr. that would and could help me. In a little over 18 months I went down to 216 Lbs and was literally reborn it would seem. Then all sorts of trials and tribulations happened and my parents also passed away. I turned to my old friend food. I had one and only one friend who told me I was making a mistake but I was dumb and totally ignored him.  Years later I was thinking that perhaps I was around 380 lbs. To my surprise I was all the way back to 561 lbs. I had sought help from my original surgeon but he just told me to eat healthy and that obviously was not the council I needed.

I again had to search high and low for a new surgeon and finally found a good one on a whim.  I am back on the road to health, down around 130 lbs. But I know this will be a lifetime struggle and if I drop my vigilance even for a moment I will be back to square one. I only pray I have some good years left and will again get some 'health' again. I have learned from the follies I had before when I lost and hopefully will not repeat the same dumb mistakes,

I will say you probably need a support group or at least some council and you should take things one day at a time.  You didn't put the weight on in a single day, but the only way to deal with things is moment to moment.

Hope you can make peace with your demon and find a happy place both mentally and physically. I only pray I to can do that also.

Sincerely
Allen Yoder

 Your story is very inspirational!