Looking for encouragement, Not a lecture!!!!

I read OH alot. I lurk most of the time, but ask questions once in awhile.

Please, no one give me a lecture from the questions I ask, I guess I am really looking for encoragement since I am so scared and nrevous.

From what I have read, Do I understand correctly that once you have a DS surgery the only thing keeping you alive is a bunch of vitamins and high protein meals? I read on OH that a person said your lifestyle is more like the Atkins diet plan.......Is this true?
 
I know we have to cut the carbs and watch the sugar intake, but what about a variety of vegetables and fruit daily? I also enjoy frozen yogurt and a cookie or something sweet sometimes.  Are no sweets ever allowed? Are you ever allowed a mix alchoholic drink or wine?
(I like a drin****asionally)

I am already anemic , take iron  get B12 shots monthly, and lam ow on potassiam & magnisium and I supplement. If I do the DS surgery will I be at a higher risk that theses deficiencies will increase and will I get more deficiencies despite all the Vitamins I would have to take?

I have read many sucess stories, even though a big part of me wants to go through with the DS
(I already had the sleeve surgery in 2007) and know I will feel better and look better, I am so nervous and afraid I may not make it.  Please , Please , Please, I am looking for DS encouragement!  Thank you all in advance!

Elaine

The only thing keeping me alive?  The only thing keeping me alive is the fact that I can now do all the things I only dreamed of.  I can hike.  I can garden.  I can be normal.  I can LIVE. 

Yes, I take a lot of vitamins.  I have labs done regularly and adjust my vitamins accordingly.  Yes, I struggle with anemia and yes, I have trouble absorbing protein.  I'm not the walking dead because of it.  It's a lot of work, but I signed up for that.  I'm pretty darn close to getting it all right.

I don't have an Atkins lifestyle.  I eat high protein.  I eat carbs.  I eat fruit, vegetables and sugar.  In moderation, of course.  Some days more moderate than others. 

I don't drink often, but if I want to, I do.  I get buzzed VERY quickly, and am sober just as quickly.  Kind of makes it not worth the trouble. 

Everyone is different.  Some people take very few vitamins and do just fine.   Others struggle with everything.  No one can know for sure where on that scale you will fall.  You educate yourself, plan for the worst and have Plan B and C and D.  Know where to ask questions - don't burn your bridges here, it's your best source of information.  Your surgeon/doctor/whoever doesn't always know best.  You have to be your own best advocate and take advice from the people who LIVE it.

It's a wild ride, but I'm alive to take that ride and that's what's important.

Edited for a typo.  :)

Thanks for your advice and information. I am sorry if I offended you in my questioning, sometimes my wording doesn't quite come out the right way. You have given good advice.

As a DSer you would malabsorb (not absorb) some key vitamins, A, D, E and K.  You'll also malabsorb protein and fat.  So you will need to eat and supplement to make sure your body gets what it needs.  Some people on here take as few as a handful of vitamins a day, some take 30+.  Personally I take about 20 (that is a total count, some are multiples of the same vitamin, like A and Calcium, etc).  Some people absorb one thing very well, while not absorbing another.  Everyone seems diffferent in that regard.  You'd have to watch your lab values and make changes based on your levels.

If you can, I'd suggest having your doctor run a full panel of labs for you, so you can see what your levels of these important vitamins are and start tweaking them sooner than later.  Once they get low, some of them are a bugger to get up.

Several DSers eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Some find them hard early out.  Protein is your #1 priority, then you add complex carbohydrates, and if still room, whatever else you'd like.  Some carbs cause some DSers to have gas and other intestinal issues.  

I am currently on a sweet binge.  This whole Easter thing has thrown me.  Of course before that was the Girl Scout Cookies.  And before that was Valentines.  My only saving grace (so far) is that I can't eat much of it.  But I do enjoy the indulgence none-the-less.

I hope you find some answers to the questions you have.  Good luck to you.

You have answered my quetions and have given me good advice from your life experience, Thank you!

I think my sweet binge was the same as yours, I am trying to get under control!!!!!!!

Hi Elaine.  I've spoke with you a little bit before.  I would say that my diet is quite similar to Atkins, but not quite as strict.  Atkins is 20 carbs per day.  I may have days where I go that low.  I'm usually in the 30 to 70 range.  I have cookies, a bit of rice, a couple of glasses of wine- occasionally- it's not my norm.  Nor are they forbidden.

High protein is absolutely mandatory.  Ya' got to get at least 90 grams a day for good health.  Some need more.  My protein labs are in the optimal range with me averaging 90 to 110 grams per day.  I usually drink one protein shake a day to make sure I stay in range.  Many do it with food alone.

I can honestly say that I am healthier now than preop.  My labs are definitely better.  Do I take vitamins- Yes.  A lot of vitamins- Yes.  But it really has become habit.  I feel like it's a small price to pay.  This is coming from the woman who had to find an alternative to birth control pills because I wasn't consistent enough with them pre-op.

Remember I said that I thought that Dr. S's DS's were cut a bit more conservative than others?  I owe you an answer on why I thought that.  I think it's relevant to this conversation so I hope you don't mind that I am answering here.  Just on my personal observation of meeting and talking with patients of Dr. S's and other surgeons...this is 100% just my opinion:  We seem to have less of the food intolerance/malabsorption issues that I see other post-ops having.  As a trade-off, I think we have to work a bit harder to get to goal.  That is not to say he doesn't have patients that get to goal- he absolutely does.  He also has a lot of patients that I feel were compliant and did their best that lost about 70% of their excess weight.  I can say that I don't think I will lose down to a normal BMI.  I'll be ecstatic to get to 165 lbs which would put me at about a 28 bmi.

I think you will find that DS eating is less restrictive than VSG eating.  We eat a lot of meat, but we get to eat fat.  A lot of fat.  I put butter and sour cream on my steak.  I use half and half in my coffee.  I eat a boat load of cheese.  I have full fat dressing on my salads.

Please keep asking questions until you feel comfortable in your decision.  Good luck to you!

Hi Ann,

Thank you for your kindness and understanding of my questions and concerns. I thought I responded to your  last emaill but I think cyber mail man stole it....HA...HA....
I certainly never wanted to offend anyone with my questions or concerns.

Thanks for sharing the knowledge you have about Dr. Shcweitzer being more conservative, in your opinion.  I will just work harder. I think he is a great surgeon and he is my top choice!
I would be ecstatic to see 150 lbs for the rest of my life.

It is really amazing that you can eat all this fat and still loose weight, I won't have any problem with adding butter, 1/2 & 1/2 to my tea and eating lots of cheese.

You have made me feel more at ease, I am still pndering the surgery. Once I get over the hebijeebies, i can move forward.

Yes we take vitamins.  Some take more than others and that part is an absolute.  But as to protein shakes and vitamins keeping us alive -- well -- not quite.  Many do protein drinks but I eat food.  I never really did the protein drink thing.  The beauty of the DS is nothing is completely off limits forever.  Yes, there are some things that are better choices than others but most DSers eat a good variety of food.  And more important we enjoy it!

Thanks for your imput. I certainly don't mind protein drinks , I drink one daily. I also love chicken, craab meat and pork chops, I don't think the protein will be an issue for me.

With the DS, you have to eat more to live a healthy life than if you had RNY because you would malabsorb more and the things you malabsorb are: Fat 80% Protein 50% Complex Carbs 40% so to get the protein you need, you have tat a lot of protein. Because you malabsorb so much Fat and the AED& K vitamins are Fat soluble, you need to take big doses of those vitamin to be healthy.

You also need to get blood drawn and labs done every 6 months for the first two years and once a year after that to make sure you're getting the vitamin supplements you need.

You can and should eat a varied diet of fruits, nuts and veggies to go with your meat and cheese and you're not going to die if you miss your protein sometimes, but if you want to be your best, you do have to eat a lot of protein and take the supplements your labs say you need.

It's really no big deal, it all gets to be a habit.

I would do it again in a heartbeat, hell I would take 4 times the pills I take now and not even flinch about it to have the life I have now. It''s more than worth it, way way more than worth it.

Kerry