Hey Sandi... I forgot to log on yesterday.  Too busy playing in the snow.

I did good on the fluid and the viatmins and my food..... till right before I went to bed.

The peppermint icecream was calling.  I am the only one who likes it.  It has been calling to me in the freezer for days. 

So... a mostly good snowy day

Hello there!  Since you're early along in the process, I want to be sure you've researched the duodenal switch.  Many people have surgery without knowing the DS exists as another option.

Like RnY gastric bypass, DS combines restriction which allows you to lose the weight with malabsorption to keep the weight off.  Instead of disconnecting the stomach and creating a pouch, DS simply reduces the size of the stomach to create restriction leaving  you with a fully functional, but smaller stomach.  The second part of the DS is an intestinal bypass which creates malabsorption, and keeps the weight off.  Of all the weight loss surgeries, it has the best statistics for the greatest amount of weight lost and kept off long term.   You may have seen from the boards that weight regain is a huge issue with gastric bypass AND lap band - not so with DS, because we only absorb 20% of the fat we eat, and about 60% of the protein and complex carbs we eat.  We can eat larger meals than lap band and RNY - what amounts to a normal, but smaller, meal.  Finally, for me, it had the most attractive  postop way of life with NO dieting, NO counting fat or calories, NO dumping, NO vomiting, NO foamies, NO fills and unfills, NO "port" under my skin, NO stuff getting "stuck" and NO chewing food into mush.  DS has the best resolution of comorbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.,  An added bonus is that the portion of the stomach that is removed is the portion which produces most of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, so you are less hungry postop!! 

The keys to DS are these few, very critically important rules:

1.  You must eat at least 90 grams of protein every day;
2.  You must take your vitamins and supplements every day;
3.  You must drink at least 64 ounces of water every day; and
4.  You must get regular lab work to make sure you are taking enough vitamins.

Most of us watch our carbs during the weight loss phase because we absorb 100% of simple carbs like sugar and it can slow the weight loss.  Most of us also can't go hog wild on carbs after we reach goal, but no food is off limits in moderation, as long as we have no individual intolerance to it.  Many of us get stinky gas when we eat certain carbs, like those with white flour such as bread and pasta.  However, gas is certainly an issue with RnY also.  And our poop smells pretty bad, but whose doesn't? That's pretty much it. Sound too good to be true?  That's what I thought too, but the DS is the best decision I ever made!

I think it's important to caution you that if your surgeon does not perform the DS, he/she is not likely to give you fair or accurate information about it.  On the DS forum, we have heard story after story after story of doctors that do not offer DS trying to scare people away from it, simply so they can retain a paying customer.  Fortunately, you have one of the very best DS surgeons in the world right in your own backyard - Dr. John Husted in Somerset, KY.  He is truly brilliant, very talented, and a super caring surgeon. 

Check out www.dsfacts.com and www.duodenalswitch.com for more information, and hang out on the DS forum here on OH to ask any questions you have.  Also be sure to check out the Revisions forum here on OH.  You'll see there lots of folks revising to DS from other surgeries.  There are NO folks revising FROM DS to anything else.  I think that speaks volumes.

Here's some reading material for you:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=13 60120

http://nyp.org/news/hospital/884.html

http://www.springerlink.com/content/u11438757w123722/

http://www.duodenalswitch.com/procedure/1998hess/1998hess.ht ml

http://www.duodenalswitch.com/procedure/clinical_data/Annals DS042303.pdf

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=19374425

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w812n693rq8v83m0/fulltex t.pdf

http://www.duodenalswitch.com/baltasar.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19093625?ordinalpos=11&it ool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_ DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18752029?ordinalpos=19&it ool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_ DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11589248?ordinalpos=2&ito ol=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_D efaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://bariatrictimes.com/displayArticle.cfm?articleID=artic le110

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=136012 0&blobtype=pdf

http://www.empireblue.com/medicalpolicies/policies/mp_pw_a05 3317.htm  (this is empire BCBS guidelines for surgery it has EXCELLENT reference materials in there about the DS, etc)

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASMBS/14874

http://www.springerlink.com/content/363065077k025330/fulltex t.pdf  (start on page 5)

In the Empire one there's lots of good studies listed in the references section look up the following #'d peer reviewed pubs:  5, 7, 11, 19, 28, 47, 63, 91<- good one for diabetes resolution, 92, 103, 104

If you'd like more articles/ peer reviewed studies/ medical publications, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask!  All my best to you in your decision!!