Could I loose too much weight?

My BMI is 37% and I am 5'6 inches tall.  My goal is to be between 135 & 140.  If I have the DS is it possible I will get below this goal?  I want to look fit and healthy but I do not want to look sickly.  Has anyone experienced this (loosing too much weight and looking sickly)?

Yes, it's possible you could lose too much weight. But that is generally a self limiting and easily treated issue, by adjusting your diet and possibly adding digestive enzymes to your supplement regime. In rare recalcitrant cases, the problem can be helped to some degree by surgically lengthening the common channel of the small intestine.  It's quite remarkable how for most people, the DS provides an almost self-limiting and self-sustaining weight loss, with a bounce-around window of under 20 pounds--rather like someone of normal weight!

it's a POSSIBILITY with pretty much ANY procedure... depending on how YOU handle your post-op eating, and/or how your body handles the metabolic changes that come with WLS. The DS is adjustable, at least in the malabsorpion... the common channel length can be tailored (to a point) to suit the needs of the patient at the determination of the surgeon.... my surgeon normally does a 100 cm common channel, but because I was relatively a "lightweight" (BMI was about 43 at time of surgery) he made mine 125 cm.  If a DSer exceeds their goal with no signs of slowing down soon, there are several steps that can be taken... increase carb intake... both complex and simple carbs are still fairly well absorbed by DSers (thought is that we absorb roughly 75-80% of complex carbs, and close to 100% of the simple carbs) which is why it's important early out to limit carbs. add a meal.... rather than 3 meals and 2 snacks, have 4 meals and 2-3 snacks. adding pancreatic enzymes to your supplement routine.... these help break down fats, protein and carbs as soon as they hit your stomach so they can at least partly be absorbed in the alimentary limb (where normally post-op DS, the food goes through there with little to no absorption at all. Finally... the last resort.... the intestinal part of the DS can be revised (common channel made longer) or, in extreme cases, the intestinal part can be completely reversed, turning you from a DSer to a VSGer. edit to add: your BMI is 37... if you have one or more comorbitities (type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritic weight-bearing joints, high BP, etc) then you qualify for bariatric surgery (as per the N.I.H.).... therefore, you qualify for ANY WLS procedure

I was a lightweight too.  And did loose to 15 lbs. below my goal of 141 and my doctors goal of 145.  That is 100% EWL, meaning I had a BMI of 18 at one point.  YIKES!  I went on enzymes and started eating really high calorie foods like smoothies with 350 calories, grape juice,  and carbs and I did take enzymes for several months.  Now I'm at 141, GOAL, and have no problems maintaining this weight even though I'm very active.  Getting too skinny is fixable for most of us.

When you say enzymes what are you talking about??  Is it a prescription you get from the doctor or over the counter?  Please explain I know so little about this procedure.

There are lots of variations on enzyme preparations, some OTC, some on a doctor's referral only (kept behind the counter at the pharmacy), and I suppose there are some prescription varieties too, though I haven't heard of any. Some of the simplest enzyme supplements are simply take from pineapples or papayas, for example.  There are loads of different combinations of these substances, designed to support digestion and metabolism in different ways. There are a few pharmacists and doctors who use enzymes for therapies to help with various illnesses as well.  You can start looking at these products just by Goggling "digestive enzyme supplements."

just to add on to what Elizabeth said... the most common "big 3" pancreatic enzymes (enzymes made and excreted by your pancreas) are LIPASE: breaks down fats PROTEASE: breaks down protein AMYLASE (sp?): breaks down carbohydrates. most enzyme supplements contain a mix of these three, and sometimes some others as well. I was thinking the other day (and might ask my surgeon at my 1-year checkup).... I wonder if these are available separately.... we already don't have a problem absorbing carbs, so we don't really need to supplement Amylase.  We don't necessarily WANT to absorb any more fats, unless excessive loss becomes an issue.  What I was thinking is if it were available to get a supplement that contains ONLY Protease (without the others)... not only for us, but for RNYers as well.... whether you're getting your protein intake from actual food, or from shakes/bullets, adding protease would enable better and more complete breakdown and absorption of the protein... less issues with hair loss/thinning, and for those who seem to have trouble getting in that 80-100 grams per day (to compensate for the malabsorption)... then we wouldn't NEED to shoot for 80-100g/day sorry... off-track for a moment.... carry on

Is Pancrease one of the brand names for a combo of those three enzymes? That's what my dad took whenever he ate after his pancreatic cancer surgery. (He was one of the lucky few who got to keep part of his pancreas, so the enzymes were all that he needed....pretty amazing story.)

Did you really ever think you'd hear yourself ask THAT question? 

It's possible, but not very common to be uncontrollable.  Once I hit my goal, I added more carbs to my diet and I've stablized nicely.  Some people take digestive enzymes to increase absorption, and a very rare few may need another surgery to lengthen their common channel.