For Vets More so than Newbies

Post Date: 11/29/10 9:36 pm
Sia, first I want to say Thank You for this thread.  I would also say how sorry I am for the grief, physical, mental, and emotional hardships you have been experiencing.
I am one of these pre-newbies.  I am a nurse, and as a nurse, I want to gobble up and absorb any and ALL the info I can on anything!!
I wish more of the vets would be more informative about their post DS complications and issues.
Of course through research you read of what "could" happen, but for the most part, it is the same as with any major surgery with the exceptions of the labs, protein, vite...etc deficiensies.

It takes all of you vets to give us the "low down" and to let us know what your complications and problems were and have been or still are!  So much of this we don't get from research.
That's why I dearly love and appreciate Maddie so much.  She has given us a different look at this dream world we have pictured in our heads, but her positive attitude lets us know that no matter what, it's doable.

You vets need to realize we are just like you when you were in our positions.  We are sick and tired of being in these bodies we so hate, the feeling you can't stand to be in you own skin. 

So no matter how drastic of a surgery the DS is and knowing there is a risk for complications, it seems like anything has to be better than living like this (even though that's not true), and we have to believe that we will be complication free, that that just happens to someone else! 

It's just human nature to believe this way!

Sorry this is so long, just had to get on my soapbox, which I rarely do.  I'm normally pretty laid back.

BTW, if you vets do not get on here and inform us of any of your complications, how are we to know.  Research is not the same as real life experiences!

I was lactose intolerant pre-op...I'm more so now.  My iron has been low my whole life.  (Thalassemia.)  It's a little lower now and I've had two rounds of iron infusions.  I have kidney stones...my uro says it's because I do not absorb enough citrate.  (But a book I read said it's because we don't absorb enough calcium.)

I get really bad gas when I eat overprocessed foods, especially wheat flour.   (It's often easier to go gluten-free, but gluten-free donuts, for example, cause the same problem.)

That's about it.

I'm hyper-vigilant about labs and vites.  (Not so about protein supplements because of trouble digesting SOMETHING that's in most of them.  But my protein numbers are good anyway.  I'm still pissed that I can't just OD on those shakes like Lori B makes because they are good.)

My weight loss was pretty good and then I had a DAMNED lousy year...with four different small surgical procedures in the past year and another one pending.  I've gained weight...some because I have pent WAY too much time sitting on the couch while sick and a bunch more because I think that chocolate cures something.  (It "cures" a Normal BMI.)

But I'm still down about 100 pounds from my highest weight and that ain't too bad. 

And one other thing...ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE TREATABLE AND NONE OF THEM MAKES LIFE AS MISERABLE AS THAT SUCK ASS LAPBAND DID.

hth,

Sue

Thanks Sue, I do so value you and what you have to say.  You are straightforward and I appreciate that.  Thank you for being more explicite about your journey.  It gives us newbies something to look at.

You're a true leader for the rest of us, again, Thank you!

Sue, I was thinking about you when I went to bed last night.  Were your other surgeries DS related?  If so, would you mind sharing what they were and why?  If you would rather not share, I respect your privacy and understand.

Prayers as always...............

I'm not a vet (barely 15 months out now) but I'll respond to your post.

I think the message to take from the discussions recently is one of balance.  People post about living the best life they could have ever imagined.  They also post about entering a personal hell of food intolerances and medical complications.  I think it's very important to be able to read both experiences and know in your gut that whichever direction you go, it's an improvement to the life you'll have if you take no action. 

My statement above is in no way to be miscontrued as minimizing the very real and very serious complications that some have had.  I would guess that some of those who have serious and ongoing complications wonder if it was worth it.  I think that's a question only they can answer.   

When I had my DS, I was so desperate for a different life that I was willing to risk the complications I had read about on the boards. 

I imagine most of the vets remember the desperation of being unable to be in your own skin very well - I certainly do, and I don't think that memory will fade much over time.  I think the message is more to take this very seriously.  It's not a whim.  Treat yourself like a baby immediately post-op.  Introduce foods as if you are a baby.  It's not a race to see who can have steak first, for example.  I posted recently about eating steak at Cattleman's in El Paso - it was meant to reassure pre-ops and baby post-ops that there is life after the DS.  Again, it's about having a balanced view of a life changing event.  And believe me, it is life changing.  Even if you have the easiest recovery ever, no food intolerances, no complications - it's gonna change your life.  It's a BIG DEAL.  And I think that's the other issue that I'm seeing come out - there are some (not you) who seem to be treating this like having a cavity filled. 

They are not prepared for the changes they will experience, even if they have the easiest DS journey in the world.

The stories are out there - before I had surgery I read EVERYTHING I could find.  I read this board all the way back to page 999 (then - I think you can only go to page 500 now).  I'm not kidding.  I started with posts that were over two years old then, and worked my way back to present day.  It gave me an interesting perspective on the ebb and flow of this board.  I read posts from people who have been inactive now for a few years, and posts from those who still post here.  I also joined all the Yahoo groups that dealt with the DS, DS complications, DS revisions.  You name it - if it had DS in the name, I joined it because I was so afraid I would miss a vital piece of information that would have influenced my decision.

Then I mapped out a vitamin plan for my pre-op period, and an initial plan for immediately post-op.  At three months, I started modifying that plan based on my labs. 

So as for my personal journey - I had an easy surgery and recovery.  I didn't get dehydrated, I didn't struggle overly much with food.  I was also very careful.  I didn't cheat on my pre-op diet.  I was told to have liquids for 2 weeks prior, so that's what I did.  I also followed the post-op diet.  I'm sure I could have pushed things, but why would I rearrange my guts to act like I could eat sub sandwiches less than a week out?  It didn't make sense to me, so I followed my post-op guidelines.  I didn't take my vites until I was about a month out - that was the one thing that bothered me early out.  At one month, though, I made a mental commitment to myself not to die slowly because I hadn't yet figured out how to keep down my vites.  So I worked my way into my full schedule, and it got easier over time.  I weaned myself off of my PPI at about 3 months out, because I was concerned about calcium absorption and the slightly increased risk of c. diff.

Today, I am working to improve my vitamin A  - I'm now taking 150,000 iu's per day.  My vitamin K is off the charts low - I'm taking about 2200 mcg now, and my next labs will tell me if I need to up that.  I take two Proferrin Forte a day, because my ferritin is trending down.  I don't need an iron infusion - yet.  I'm hoping to avoid it, but we'll see. 

I think I'm a super malabsorber.  I'm 5' 9 1/2" and this morning I weighed 145 pounds.  I never intended to lose this much weight, but I'm anticipating bounceback, so I'm not panicking.  I'm not underweight, and my protein labs look good, so there's no need to panic.  I'm also not going carb crazy.  I eat a bit of whatever I want after I eat my protein.  That makes me feel like I eat whatever I want, but in reality I don't eat that many carbs.  I have changed my habits, and to ensure my long term success, I don't plan to go back to my old habits.

I hope that my super long post helps.  I remember the uncertainty I sense in your post.  I took a long time to decide on the DS, because I was (and still am, to a certain extent) afraid of it.  Malabsorption allows me the freedom to eat in an envy inducing way - but it's a lion, not a lamb, and it will kill you if you ignore it.  I think of that, fleetingly, nearly every day - usually when I'm taking vites.  I am cautiously optimistic about my good health and the fabulous changes I've experienced, but I know that I can't ever become complacent about my labs, vites and protein. 

Thank you for your openness and to the point!  I appreciate it much.  I am  bookmarking this thread because of the many important points you've made.

The best way to read about personal journey's on this site is to visit each contibutor's data page.  Or sift through hundreds of pages. The other site that I read daily, the Duodenal Switch Information Zone, is structured differently and allows you to access particular information that you may be after more easily. Once you become a member and log in, the search engine is very useful.

Both sites are full of  experiences, information and sharing hearts.

I have been reading, on and off, for 4 years. The tone on both sites ebbs and flows. But pretty much one thing remains consistent: people jump  in to help those who ask for it. The only flaming that I see is when people put up roadblock after roadblock, excuse after excuse and choose to disregard Sage Advice. Sometimes I think those folks are just needing a place to vent /  whine, not really looking for advice.

Thank you so much for your response.  I've never heard of the Duodenal Switch Information Zone.  I appreciate this info so much!!

I am not speaking for anyone in particular, but have you ever considered the possibility that when stuff is crappy and hard that the last thing you wanna do is come to a public forum and post about it so others can be educated?

i don't know, when stuff is hard for me, the last thing i wanna do is talk about it. especially in front of people i don't know... just a thought.

No surgical complications at all. What I struggled with early out was low vitamin levels from pre-op. These low levels were probably from my Celiac but my surgeon was less than stellar at being able to treat them. Thank God Vitalady came to the DS board and started answering questions when she did. And, thank goodness my surgeon respects Vitalady. My labs are great even though I did develop osteoporosis in the 2nd year post-op...again probably more from Celiac and weight loss in general than from the DS as my labs for D, calcium and PTH were perfect. So, my PCP finally read the DS literature and started treating me aggressively for the osteoporosis.  Happy story so far.

--gina