Melissa Mermaid
NEVER Too Late
Apr 19, 2012
I have taken most of my life off-OH and onto FB but this is an important message that is ESSENTIAL TO ALL DSers and DS wannabees. I'd shout it from the rooftops if I could.
KNOW YOUR BODY, KNOW YOUR SURGERY, KNOW YOURSELF!
I say this because--as a post-op for more than 7 years--I just had a bowel obstruction caused by abdominal adhesions and ended up in a situation where no one basically had a clue about the DS.
Although in relatively close proximity to go back to my rock star God bariatric surgeon (Mitch Roslin), I had no choice at the time but to go elsewhere for surgical assistance. The bariatric surgeon who ultimately removed the adhesions ("adhesion lysis") knew about the DS but does not perform them. At least he knew my doctor and they consulted swiftly, professionally and knowledgeably.
But all the years of carrying around the card with a diagram of our anatomy, my surgeon's name & phone paid off in spades. I clutched it like a prayer card in my hand (and keep a copy on my smartphone) until I made sure someone made a copy of it to put in my hospital file since it was the first time there.
Still, I had to educate staff ad infinitum about my specific needs (e.g., I take mostly liquid and powder supplements whenever possible, avoid unnecessary sugars, and protein ALWAYS first). (You wouldn't believe the mess of sugar and sugared water they handed me for my first clear liquid meal. Mermaid don't do that. Kindly asked that they replace what they handed me with everything sugar-free. Imagine, an 8 oz protein drink with 45 freakin' carbs??)
First, the symptoms: For me, it was what seemed like gas pain starting about 8pm and escalating, refusing to dissipate to the point that I could feel my intestines throbbing from the stress with my hands. I took two chewable gas relievers and sipped water. At first I could pass a little gas and a little loose bowel movement. Then the throbbing got worse and the pile of intestine felt hard and totally immobile. I sweated through a night of this before throwing up the gas relievers and water and starting to bring up food I had eaten nearly 24 hours before. Then I knew I had no choice but to go to the ER.
Being a NYC girl you take for granted that even on Long Island they have a working knowledge of certain things--especially in the bariatric community--but when you find yourself versing a surgery intern on the procedure (and one more time justifying "Why the DS?" while in virtually unspeakable pain), would I have made any other choices?
Absolutely, unequivocally, NOT.
HOWEVER, prove to others how smart you are by making this decision: DSers, EDUCATE YOURSELF TO THE POINT OF INSANITY because another's ignorance shouldn't be our fate. We shouldn't settle because others don't know ALL the options available but we did.
With all this being said, don't just have the DS because you believe it's a foodie's dream. Believe me, I enjoy food more than ever and have multiple FB postings of my international culinary achievements but that has made it less important and less of a priority (i.e., to eat the world). I have the freedom, that's what counts.
What did I have for breakfast as soon as I was back in control of my food? A big juicy red grapefruit and 20oz of my homemade coffee-protein elixir. I now have homemade chicken soup steaming away in the pressure cooker and hard boiled eggs ready for a beautiful egg salad. Because that's what makes me stay 175 lbs lost and convinced I did the right thing. It's also the best way to eat for me. Five small meals a day (with some as small as an apple) but I never stretched my stomach much--nor felt the need to. I proudly call myself a DS success story because why go through this $hit to be anything less?
Let no one else decide for you, judge you, or convince you. Just GET informed. STAY informed. Share information and allow yourself to learn. Be able to back up what you know in your heart, mind and soul is right for you--and you alone.
Blessings to you always, whatever your place you might be in your journey.
