Hi! I had my surgery back in 2008. This last year, I made some changes to my diet that my stomach did not agree with and now in order to keep it from hurting, I have to take ipramine.(I tried to date a vegan and we ate a lot of veggies that apparently I can't eat over time.) Now, It slows the motility of my intestines. Which kind of defeats the purpose of the DS. I'm having a lot of trouble losing weight because at the same time my thyroid also starting having issues.

Now it seems like when I drink my protein shakes I absorb 100% of it, when I'm eating meats and protein, it slows my digestion and I no longer have loose poops. The problem is I'm almost feeling constipated and even though I drink heavy cream and take butter and use olive oil, nothing is providing the same evacuation as before I had the medicine. Sugar just gives me painful gas.
I tried to come off the med a couple times but I absolutely can't stand the pain.
Anyone have any experience with this drug? I'd really love to talk to a doctor about the scientific parts of it, but I had my surgery with Laparoscopic Associates in San Jose and they are closed now. I don't' know who to contact.
I appreciate any help or advice!

Before surgery I maybe went once a week. Now I go every few days. More often, and in the morning, if I've had lots and lots if water, which I can rarely pull off. My surgeon said I have a long colon though. I avoid fats, because I have terrible pain and cramps when I've had some. I also hate the greasy poop, and the extra stinky "stay with you" gas. I have a lot to do during the day. I try to just eat protein and stay away from fake sugsrs. Sometimes I just have milk, cheese, and some fish...with butter, so that's always an exception but yeah, I was sick for a while and didn't eat enough to go to the bathroom, but now I'm doing ok, I still only go once a day with an apple each morning, and lots of water. I forgot the apple part. The least painful or annoying fiber is a good old apple. Of course I can only eat half of one if it's not a tiny apple.

Hi there, still looking for even more feedback! Anyone else with experience on help digesting eggs fully so there is no gas or digestive upset? Thank you guys!

I have a bit of an egg intolerance. It bothers me about 12 hours later and it's incredibly painful with gas/bloating, a LOT and very bad cramps that last hours. 1 measly half an egg WHITE or egg product. If i eat product with no egg at all i have zero gas in my life. But, if i eat an unknown it's pretty bad and painful.
I was thinking of experimenting with /the enzyme supplement protease. anyone have any experience?

no it's not a hyjack, it's good info. I needed to know. I did know about the right kind of calcium, and had been taking the wrong kind at first (something through bariatric advantange so i'd assumed it was the right kind straight out of surgery) but i did discuss it with two doctors specifically and they did check, what i thought was, the right things on my labs and assured me i w s fine. SO now i will indeed be rechecking. my problem is i'm also checking my aklaline phosphatase level and that has always been off the chart. like even before the surgery norms are 35-115 and mine is 120-137...i'm sitting here trying to figure out if i really do have celiac disease, my test came back "inconclusive" and i assume that's because of the DS part...then i have these vestibular migraines, and topamax isn't working, i get kidney stones, i have PCOS, i have hypermobile joints and easily bruised tissue but it's not lupus or not true tender points like fibromyalgia but they're not sure...i fit a lot of auto-immunue disease issues and have a positive DNA DS antibiody in my blood but not for the things they've tested specifically, so...

Anyway, they brush me aside like i'm a head case. And i am because the migrainse make it very hard to concentrate and rememeber all of this.

Also i had to switch doctors a couple of times and every single time i go through the DS they act like they know and understand when i tell them but of course they're just being arrogant and don't want a patient telling them about a medical procedure. especially since it seems like i have so many things i have to tell them about. i should book two appointments then they'll feel like they can give me the stupid time of day!!!

I've had my blood tests out looking through things, last year my PTH levels were good, this year she missed including that becuase she was testing for other things, even though i asked her to get all the vitamins and all kinds of things i hadn't brought in my normal list (i was foggy that day). I am already planning to go back to her. It isn't really her fautl, she's arrogant, but i need to bring my stack of papers with me and give them the tools and hand feed them..lol i'll have her check. i'm just so tired of all of this and my brain not working sometimes has made things a bit difficult! : )

when i went to my urologist he said stop all forms of calcium no matter what form it was and demanded my husband and i be very clear on that and didn't want to hear any more about the DS and scared me into listening. And when you have an 8mm kidney stone in your side and you're vomiting from pain, and your husband is upset he's listening too..... : (

HI all! It's been a number of years since I've stopped by here. Howdy those *****member me, I hope you've been well!
I'm wondering if there are those of you out there that have had the DS and also have Celiac disease. It seems I'm facing this now. Lifestyle? What's it been like for you? Correlations or have you had trouble with diagnosis, like I have, because you have the DS? Testing for celiac is not so easy since docs don't quite get that your intestines function differently.

Thoughts? Thanks! : )

every time i lose weight i think "oh, if i keep going i'm going to be too skinny" but each time i do, and i get to a new weight i think "hey, not bad!" then i think "oh no, not more, i'll be too skinny" *lol*
i say keep going. you had this surgery to get healthy and lose weight! why not see how far it will take you? that's what i'm doing, i stop every now and then, but then i try again and low and behold i lose weight and each time i get happier. I think you should totally keep it up! why not??

*lmao*! hmm i don't think i've noticed it being tighter, but i have noticed it's a lot easier to get deeper, and for him to reach those critical spots! (since that big ol belly ain't in the way anymore). Doggy style's easier now too... and the other day he picked me up!! that was a first!

anyway, tighter i haven't noticed. BUT i have noticed i don't like how it looks in the mirror...is it just me or is it hanging low these days? lol

Nope, honey, you're looking fantastically normal! Not too skinny at all! I did the same thing when i saw my neck..and my collar bones! BLAH!
but i've got the hanging skin to make sure i still have something there *rolls eyes*
lol...you look great! your brain will adjust to the new you in time!

why do you never respond to ANY post someone makes to you? *lol*
and seriously, you've been having gas problems from the beginning! there has to be something you're doing that you're not saying, or you're saying your cutting out carbs, sugars, and sweetener but you're intaking more than you think you are. and why only a couple days ago for probiotics? I know it's been forever on here people have suggested that to you.

You're probably eating too much sugar or white carbs. Or fake-sweetener. Those are the only things that will give you gas. Flagyl is for seriously stinky gas, and that can be taken care of with probiotics, a bacteria that grows in your intestine to "eat" the stinky bacteria. Flagyl, i think, does the same thing but to extremes. None of this will change the amount of gas you have. Cutting out dairy and wheat only matter if you have a specific reaction to them, like being intolerant, and it sounds like you don't, if your'e still having problems and have cut them out.

You have bad gas because your intestines have been rearranged and your food doesn't fully digest. That will always be true, however you can cut down the gas amount by eating a proper diet. I go days without farting once!

You are going to do really awesome, and I'll be wishing you luck! I'm really really happy for you!!!!

with the DS you may go to the bathroom a little more often if you eat a lot of fat...which may in turn give you an odor if you're bad at cleaning yourself. that's about the only reason you would get an odor, since this surgery has nothing to do with glands that's what affects odor.

so, sounds like these people didn't smell too hot to begin with if they don't know how to properly wipe their butts!! : )