Hi everyone,

I was just approved for the surgery. I am so elated! I have been working for my employer for about a year now. They did not know about my previous gastric sleeve which was done many years ago and self paid. Any advice on what to tell them about upcoming surgery. I am really private but I know I have to tell them something.

Thanks!

Chris

I'm in the pre op stage going through all the hoops with social worker, dietitian, PT and nurse practitioner along with taking a mindful eating class, food logging and exercise. I need to have all of them sign off on me before I get to see the surgeon.

Anyhow - the surgeons in the center I use, do the duodenal jejunal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy, and that's been proposed as well as a traditional DS. I've had a lap band for 15 years with no success.

I've read lots of articles, but haven't talked to anyone who's had the DJBS surgery.

Does anyone know the big difference between the two and benefits first hand to either one? I'd like to be prepared as possible for when I meet with the surgeon.

TIA

I had my surgery in 2005 and the day I had it I weighed 478. So I guess is was 23 then. I have always hovered around 235-245 without trying all that much. Admittedly, my diet was not too strong because I didn't have to try that much. Over the years, I got married and had kids and slowly but surely I creeped back up--especially in the last few years. I guess it goes with being almost 38 now. When I started back to full-time at work around 6/7/2020 I weighed 260 lbs. I decided enough was enough and have gotten back down to 232 since then and dropped 2 pants sizes. I'm not suggesting you do this, but I also separated with my wife during that time, so the stress and not wanting to eat played a part. However, the biggest thing I have done has been to take charge of my diet again. My wife was a very picky eater and she always threw things in the crock pot or otherwise handled dinner. Since I've been on my own, I'm back to choosing foods that are better for me. In all honesty, I prefer healthier items, like vegetables and such, but I had a hard time resisting an already prepared meal. Some other things I've done is incorporate some of the basic principles of the Mediterranean diet. I eat a lot more fish, hummus, olives, and those sort of things. I make sure if I eat fats that they're healthy, although it doesn't matter too much with the DS. I downloaded a reminder app on my phone to remind me to take my vitamins. I started supplementing a lot more with getting more protein and have been hitting the gym at least 3 days a week. I have also experimented with intermittent fasting with good results. I find that once you get used to that, it's easy to skip breakfast. However, even if you don't 100% stick to the 16 hour fast just eliminating those calories makes the rest of the day a lot easier to attain. Since I've been working out more these days, I've kind of given the fasting up and I'll have a low carb protein supplement before I go to work in the morning because getting enough protein is hard enough as it is. I also supplement that protein with a digestive enzyme to help absorb more of the protein at one time. I don't really stay away from carbs so much as I try to eat more complex carbs and limit them when I can. Probably the single biggest thing for me has been to eliminate simple carbs. I had a period of time where I was drinking one or two regular sodas a day, putting like 4 tsp of sugar in my coffee, eating fast food for lunch. And this far out from surgery I can eat a good bit. It was just simply making me feel miserable both from the sluggishness it caused and the gas and other issues it caused. I can't tell you how much better I feel eating real foods and drinking more water. Now that I am used to a sweetener in my coffee, I can't hardly tolerate the sugar in it. So, it's really just all perspective. When you are able to just start and hunker down, you'll probably find you have an easier time than those without the surgery, in spite of the fact that you've been gaining. Add on top of that the exercise and weight lifting and I feel like a pretty much new guy.

Good luck to you!

have you had any testing to shoe any malformation or mechanical problems?

many plans cover revision of there is a mechanical malfunction on the original surgery. They often don't cover revision if there is no surgical problem. As in, they don't cover it if the problem is that one eats off plan and has gained. Don't know your situation but this is what I know.