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Thanks for your comments. I am comparing the Hess DS and the SADI as I move toward surgery.
I started to get a lot of bruising when I started to take baby aspirin daily.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
I had VSG in 2012 with Dr Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center in Mexico. It was the best decision -
Last year I noticed that i was no longer able to maintain my weight loss so before it got out of control I decided to have the DS with Dr Cottam in Salt Lake City. It was the modified surgery. The surgery was a success and my recovery was not too bad.
It has taken me a long time to fine tune what I can and cannot eat - luckily I have been working from home this past year!
I have slowly lost weight - I have about 10 more pounds that I would "like" to lose but I am at "normal" BMI now.
on 9/19/22 4:03 pm
Hello DSers!
I had my first post-op bloodwork on August 29th at around six weeks. I've been perfectly compliant on all vitamins and supplements including timing and doses. I had just started being able to add some vegetables in.
I came back low on vitamins A, B1, and K. Plus protein. I'm now taking extra A and Thiamine. I've upped my protein goals to 90g since I still can't eat a lot.
My concern is the vitamin K. The last week or so it seems that everything I do causes bruises and pain. Pic below of what my thighs look like two days after my 33 pound dog sat in my lap for a half hour. Today I got the copy of my bloodwork that includes the results of the analysis for K. I'm at 55 out of a range of 130-1,500. All the nurse said when they called was to eat more leafy greens, which I am now. She also said you couldn't supplement K, though the vitamin I'm taking now is an ADEK.
Dr. Google seems to think this bruising issue could be a low K thing. My question is whether any of you have dealt with this, and if so, what your experience is with it? My next appointment is October 10th for another draw. I'm going to be eating extra spinach and greens until then but would love to hear your opinions.
Thanks!
HW 282, LW 123.4 (8/29/23), CW 144.4
Pre-op-33, M1-12, M2-17, M3-14, M4-11, M5-14, M6-5, M7-6, M8-5, M9-22, M10-6, M11-5, M12-2, M13-2, M14-5
I had the SADi DS (Single Loop DS) about 8 years ago. It's been performed successfully for the past 14 years and most DS surgeons prefer it over the Hess DS due to lower surgical risks, fewer vitamins required and very similar weight loss to Hess DS. My surgery even now, eight years later will eliminate any amount of calories I eat over a normal days intake.
You won't get objective opinions on this forum since the majority of the posters are well intentioned but old school Hess DS with 10 to 20 year old surgeries. It's not a criticism but most struggle to keep the weight off. I have found the SADi to be 100% effective at dropping and keeping the weight off no matter what I eat or do.
It's worth at least asking your doctor about it given the numerous benefits of newer procedure options. If they are not familiar with all the WLS options, find another doctor. A real pro knows and can perform any of them.
I had a proximal RNY but I was a lightweight and I had diabetes and severe GERD and my RNY / hiatal hernia repair is still working great for me 12 years post op .
That said I did a Lot of research 
into the REAL outcomes of the various options - how much weight the average recipient loses and keeps off, what kind of diet and vitamins they need to comply with forever and whether I could do that and be happy with that ?.
and yes I agree with the previous poster that if you like the post op DS diet ( and PLEASE post and lurk and ask questions on the DS forum every day)
and you think you can comply with the serious lifelong vitamin and blood level monitoring followup requirements ( and are physically healthy enough now to expect a good outcome surgically) the DS may be the best surgery for you .
((((()))))hugs and best wishes making your ideal choice !
Had mine about 20 years ago and there is nothing better available. Read and do a lot of research. Read old posts here till you can't take it anymore then start reading other sites as well. You can't be too informed. One thing you need to know right up front is there are quite a few look alike surgeries that surgeons will try to sell you as being just as good. And for some, they are. But you need the real thing to get the weight off and keep it off. Make sure you get the 2 anastomosis traditional DS. No look alikes. Ask your doc right up close and personal and if you don't get the right answer move on. Don't settle for less than you need.
After doing some research on weight loss surgery and figure out what surgery was right for me i finally decided which one im going to have. At first i was going to pick gastric bypass surgery because my aunt had it done lose 160 lbs, but she told me bypass is not for everyone and since I have bigger bmi and weight over 500 lbs, She told i should do some research on Duodenal Switch. So i did my research on it and I said that's the surgery going to get my life back. So i hope soon or in future i will have surgery. Also any who DS surgery could you tell your experience with the surgery.
Please research SIBO and Candida. That can cause major issues. And after DS - or almost any WLS - we can be prone to that.
High FODMAP foods can give me wicked gas, bloating and pain. Any SA are very high FODMAP foods. A lot of veggies, grains, legumes, even some dairy are a big NO-NO for me. I learned what are the worst offenders for me.
i.e. any type of cruciferous vegetables or any legumes type food would give me wicked gas. Gas that is even offensive to me. And in case I wouldn't mind some gas, the pain and bloating I get can be horrible. "Crying while pushing my fists into my gut" horrible. Raw cruciferous veggies are worse, but even cooked, or fermented are causing lot of trouble for me.
And before someone advises me that I can ease my body into digesting it by eating small amounts and taking digestive enzymes and probiotics, supplements, specific for that type of foods - trust me - over the years I tried it all and nothing helps. I grew up eating cabbage, sauerkraut, cauliflower, beans and peas...etc. I love that food. Or rather I used to love that food. Now - considering the gas and and pressure-pain, I no longer risk it.
FODMAP:
FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, which are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars)
When people say ?FODMAP diet,? they usually mean a diet low in FODMAP ? certain sugars that may cause intestinal distress. This diet is designed to help people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) figure out which foods are problematic and which foods reduce symptoms.
Cabbage family cousins
Many common vegetables belong to the cabbage family (genus Brassica). The edible members of this family are called cruciferous vegetables. That's because their four-petaled flowers look like a crucifer, or cross
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Hi there. It has been forever since I visited this site. I just read your post and decided to write.
I had DS surgery in June 2001. I weighed in at 330 lbs. I got to 140 for about a minute. That is ok. Today I maintain about a 168 to 170 weight.
About a year ago, I was experiencing a great deal of gassiness and flatulence. I began taking Probiotics for my gut. Guess what???? No more gassieness and flatulence. Sure, I have regular disturbances....but not like before. I also would like to recommend a company called Wio. They make a ton of products that taste delicious. Check them out.
My biggest happiness was the probiotics. Look into that for yourself, and best of luck.
Marsha Friedberg
