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I started dieting pre-puberty, but despite also being athletic, I still gained. My mom and I were doing diets together since I was 8, on and off. I still gained. I understand your plight. I also understand a surgeon being hesitant to do a DS on you at such a young age, despite it is likely the only thing that will give you success.
You're older now, wiser, and they can now believe that you are perfectly willing and capable of doing what is needed to be healthy. I concur with everything the two before me said.
The terms for the hybrid versions that surgeons (that never EVER did a real DS) are peddling are called SIPS, SADI and Loop-DS. We are already seeing revisions from these to regular DS, and the last thing you need is a 3rd procedure, right?
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
At my lowest, I didnt look very vivacious, according to others. Regaining 15 lbs filled my drawn facial features back up, then the next 10 lbs made me look normal, even though I'm officially overweight by the BMI charts. I'm comfortable as a size 8-10 right now. I'm not perfect, but I'm maintaining this comfortable spot with no effort at all.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
I visit weekly, but most have moved on to other social media to converse.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
If you want this next surgery to be your last surgery, I suggest you talk to a real DS doctor. You shouldn't have been recommended the VSG in the first place at your starting weight. IMO - that was irresponsible and just wanting your money. The Loop is by any other definition still "experimental". The DS was experimental for 20 years before it got respect from insurance. Less than 10 years of data isn't anywhere near a guarantee, especially since there are unsucessful Loop DS (aka SADI and SIPS) people who have revised to a standard DS because of lack of results. Others are learning that they are having way more challenges nutritionally than their surgeon's led them to believe, and they find themselves needing as many vitamins that we have. Add to that the reality of bile reflux, which is a common problem with Loop.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
You can make it more straight forward. your are overanalyzing too much.
Don't even - with the calories. I can consume 3000 without even trying.
Bravo on hydration, now protein, fat, veggies (for garnish). Some have added intermittent fasting if the body resists. You know how to eat. Just don't stress over it so much.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
Fat and hydration are the keys to avoiding constipation. Adding MCT oil is adding fat. You can probably do that with food just the same. I can get in 64 oz before lunch, and I'm working on my second 64oz. Everything wet counts in my book, so not jus****er.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
I hate that surgeons are recommending VSG to patients with that much weight to lose! So many are just like your sis. Being that she is self-pay, another option is surgery outside of the DS and will probably be half the cost. Mexicali Bariatrics is the only place to trust in Mexico. Dr. Ungson is one of their surgeons and he trained another surgeon to do DS, but the name escapes me. I wouldn't recommend PS if she intends to lose more weight, or else she will need it all over again.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
I've not had any problems at all (13 yrs out). Some do find a need to tweak extended release dosages (but some don't).
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes
We see new people wanting/needing to revise from VSG to DS all the time. While your situation is more extreme in terms of your metabolism from hell, you are definitely not alone.
I think the DS will allow you to lose some weight with a much more normal level of effort. It will help with a lot of your metabolic issues (the VSG doesn't do this, and gastric bypass helps to a much lesser extent). It's the logical next step for you.
As for myself, I've lived with the DS since 2006 and have absolutely no regrets. I do take a bunch of vitamins and minerals every day. It's not difficult, it simply becomes part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth. I get labs done once/year and adjust my vitamins and minerals if needed.
I agree with Patty - make very sure you are consulting with a surgeon who does the real, standard of care DS and given your struggles, get the shortest common channel you can get. The non-standard operations are experimental, and involve a much longer common channel, which, in your case, is the last thing you need.
Larra
Ah yes. A fellow superabsorber. I got my first diet when I was 6 weeks old and I was a breastfed baby. I knew the meaning of the word obese at the tender age of 2. Yes, I understand. I congratulate you for doing the best you could at the time but the sleeve is just another diet with a smaller stomach. You knew when you got it that it probably wouldn't do the trick for you.
What will a revision do for you? Well, it's not likely you will get down to a size 6 but it will make your issues easier to manage for a longer period of time. Chances are you will be able to eat and exercise more like a normal person. Will you lose weight? Probably some. My best guess would be 50lbs or so but you will have to work at it to stay there. Health wise, you will most likely be better off and you will benefit from the metabolism reset the DS will give you. I would be looking for the most extreme surgery I could get with the shortest CC. This also means you could be looking at deficiencies down the road. Make sure you can afford all the supplements you will need. And you may need iron infusions at some time in the future. At your young age you will have to manage that DS for a long time. And postop you need to lose as much as possible as fast as possible because chances are your surgery will run out of gas sooner than most. Every carb you don't eat is a victory. Most likely you will be able to get off the metformin.
I wanted a 50cm CC. My surgeon wanted to do 100. Supposedly we compromised on 75. But who knows. I wasn't awake when he did it. I have never had a single deficiency. I had surgery in 2003. After all this time, it is probably safe to say I still absorb plenty. I have to diet, low carb, pretty consistently to stay under 200lbs. And I work out too. Right now I am in the 170's. Still fat but an average looking old bag. And just like almost all women on the planet, I am still trying to lose weight. I will probably never see that elusive normal BMI.
My DS was open and the recovery was easier for me than what I was expecting. YMMV. Regrets? Oh hell no! It made my problem manageable. I would probably be much worse off if I had done nothing. I do have a hernia that needs to be fixed, probably next year.
I would encourage you to do some serious surgeon shopping. You need to find someone who actually understands your problem and is willing to do the surgery you want. In other words, don't settle just because they are down the street. That was my big mistake. I would have gotten a better DS if I had had a different surgeon who was willing to do the shorter CC. Be really careful. Many surgeons are pushing hybrid, look alike, surgeries. So far the research says, and there has NOT been enough done because these procedures are experimental, the patients lose too much malabsorbtion of fat too fast. And what that should tell you is these folks are going to have a harder time fighting regain.
My best recommendation would be that you consult with Ara Keshishian in California.
