Anyone Know Anyone who has had the DS Reversed?

Anne-
I used my feeding tube for six months because I could not eat enough.  Nothing seemed to taste right or sit right in my stomach.  But slowly things did turn around.  Some of us just have a rough start.  I just had my four year anniversary last month -- and I just found a protein powder I could stomach.  In all of that time I just could not do the powders or drinks.  They would just gag me.

I hope that you will talk to your PCP and your surgeon about this.  I think some times we get a little depressed after surgery and if it is not caught it can snowball into all sorts of issues.  I would be the first to admit that I think that might have played a role in my issues early on.  The rapid weight loss and poor nutrition makes you a pretty good target for depression. 

The thing about a reversal is that to me it would seem that would not help your eating.  All a reversal is going to do is help with absorbtion.  Have you had an upper GI or endoscopic exam to rule out any stomach issues?

Red

 Thanks, Red.  I do have Jay Robb's Egg White Protein powder just about every day.  And I like shrimp & tilapia so I am getting some protein, just not enough.  

I know very little about the reversal process, which is why I was asking.  I suspect that depression is probably at the root of my problem.  Guess I need to go back on the Cymbalta.

Anne, please tell us in detail how much protein you're eating. Could it be that you aren't as far off the mark as you think?

Three ounces of fish has about 20+ grams of protein. A 3-oz. piece of fish is about the size of a deck of cards. Three ounces of shrimp is approximately what you could hold in your cupped hand.

I'm adding my voice to those who are urging you to get back into treatment for your mental health issues. Don't just rely on medication, either, although it sounds like you need to get back on a med regimen. If you aren't currently in therapy, I beseech you to get with a therapist and do some work on this stuff.

For many people it really takes some time to find a new  "normal." I had a flawless procedure and recovery, but I still had to find the things that worked. I also had a beast of a depression episode that lasted for several months and required quite a bit of tinkering with my meds. I believe it was largely a body chemistry thing.

Hang in there, it WILL get better.

It is also pretty hard to get used to eating so little and it being enough.  That was an issue for me.  I would eat a couple of bites and be done.  Somehow I did not think it was enough but it was.  Since having the DS I eat my meals off a salad plate and if I eat something in a bowl it is generally a custard cup.  Try to hang in there.  75lbs at six months is not out of the ordinary so you may be doing better than you think.

Red

Protien shakes are one thing you don't like, now what else is bothering you with the DS?

We want to help but you gotta talk to us, we can't guess what the condition is.  You said you don't know where to turn, well you turned here and I think it's one of the best places to go when you need help. 

PM Me or anybody if you don't feel like talking on the forum, but the forum will get you the most and best answers.

Betty

Just out of curiosity, if you did get the intestinal portion reversed, what do you think your eating will be like? What do you plan on eating? While a sleeve is a normal mini tummy, you still need quite a bit of protein with a sleeve. You may want to head over to the vsg board and see how they are eating.

I am acquainted with two people who have had reversals done due to really dreadful health problems. One is so recent that there is nothing to report yet. They other one is, as far as I know, still suffering with the dreadful health problems, unfortunately, though with some small degree of improvement.

But, let's talk about why you'd consider doing this.

So, you've lost 75% of your excess weight in six very short months. How do you feel about that part of it? It took me over a year to get to that point, and two years and two months to lose 100% of my excess weight. So, I fervently hope that you are not dissatisfied with the way you're losing weight.

Now, about the repulsiveness of protein....what do you mean by that? Supplements? Meat, fish, fowl, eggs, cheese, soy products....? What do you mean when you say you find it repulsive? Does it taste bad? Bother your gut? Something else?

What specifically are you unhappy with?  The fact that you have to eat protein and it repulses you?

I am hesitant to encourage you to throw in the towel at 6 months out.  I don't think your surgeon will be keen on that idea, either.  I think they would put you on TPN before they tweaked your innards again.  When I was in the hospital for dehydration at 1 month post op, my roommate was someone who had a botched RNY from a no-name surgeon.  She looked like you could snap her in half.  She was severely anorexic and lived life in the hospital.  She refused to eat anything other than potato chips, candy, and soda.  She'd then go throw it up and ***** on the phone about how she wasn't able to keep anything down.  It was self-sabotage at its finest, and one of the biggest eye openers for me as a WLS patient.  It was really quite sad and I still wonder about her and if she's even alive.  TPN was the ONLY thing sustaining her.  Would it have really been so hard to plug her nose and chug a shake or two? 

I, personally, would find living life in a hospital on TPN, or having my common channel lengthened and regaining the weight would be a far worse prison than acknowledging that protein isn't pleasant, and sucking it up and doing it anyway.  As Kerry once said in a post to someone else a while back, "The DS isn't for sissies." 

I feel you, it sucks.  I'm sure you aren't enjoying food very much, right?  You're not alone.  It happens to a lot of people.  But it's a sacrifice.  More than likely it's just a temporary one, but a sacrifice nonetheless...and a relatively small price to pay to not be morbidly obese anymore. 

Not much of a scientist here, but it sounds like it leaves you with a few choices

1)  Have the intestinal component of your surgery altered, regain the weight, and probably still be somewhat averse to food.  Also, since you'll still have a sleeve, you'll still have to get in protein, and it still won't be pleasant.  Regaining the weight + still needing protein and hating it sounds worse, to me, than just hating protein.

2)  Continue on the path you're on and get severely malnourished to the point of hospitalization and needing TPN.

3)  Sucking it up and doing what you have to do to take care of your surgery and your life.  A lot of us don't like taking medicines for ailments, but it's something we must do in order to survive.  Since you are repulsed by almost all protein, think of it as medicine.  Not pleasant, but you still have to do it.

Again, I ain't no Einstein but the third choice seems to be by far and large the best option.

Now, with respect to the 25 more lbs you have to lose....you'll lose them.  Don't worry about it.  Although, you'll probably lose it faster if you were taking in a lot of protein.

You do sound depressed, which again isn't uncommon post op.  Lots of people post on here about it.  I was one of them.  You do need to address that component, though.  Your mental health is just as important as anything else.

All that said, you're in a great place on this forum.  We're all here to support you, even if we dole out tough love.  You can do this.  Don't give up.  You're only 6 months out...your DS still has the new leather smell!  Give it a chance, (and eat your protein!)

Aw hun,

6-months is not long enough to make a decision to reverse.  My friend Tiffany is just now 8 months out and starting to get protien and her vitamins in.  She just freakin gagged at everything from day 1.  But with support from me and others she kept trying. 

Now she is happy and her health is going wayyyyy up hill.  The DS is a gift not to be taken for granted.  You have to decide to be determined to follow the DS routine. 

When I had mine done, Dr. G told me if I was not going to be determined to take my vits, drink the water and do the protien then he would not do the surgery.  I promised him I would do my best.  It took me several months to get it right. 

Depression is kinda normal because hormones are just spilling over into your bld stream because you have lost enough fat that it has no where else to go. 

Please don't give up and get reversed.  You have diabetes and you need this DS.  Keep posting how you feel and we all will help you. 

Carla

If you have depression, please get it treated--whether by medication or not.

I can understand not liking protein, especially protein drinks. They gave me very bad diarrhea in the beginning, but I could eat basically nothing, so I was forced to drink them anyway and tolerate the diarrhea. As a result I developed a real aversion to them. Once I could eat more and could stop drinking them, I did immediately, and I was very grateful to be rid of them.

As I have been working out more I realized I would never eat enough protein to meet my body's basic requirements plus the amount I need to build muscle. If you look at the amount of protein non-DS'ers consume when trying to build serious amounts of muscle, and then double it to account for our malabsorption, it's ridiculous--I would basically need to eat a whole cow a day. I had no choice but to try protein drinks again.

I did, and now no diarrhea. I'll never love the things, but I can at least tolerate them now. In your case, it doesn't sound like it's really anything physical--you just don't like the protein, in whatever form. That is still the kind of thing that can change over time, so try some things that you didn't like before or got tired of. You might be surprised.

If too much meat doesn't do it for you, look into vegetable proteins. It's very difficult for a DS'er to get in enough protein that way, but it might give you variety that you feel you are missing.

Most of all, though, you need to get your outlook improving. I think you'll be surprised that you might be much more interested in food of all kinds once that happens.