anyone unhappy with their DS

I am happy to have lost 55 pounds so far in 4 months but I worry constantly about getting all the supplements in and I seem to have aversion to them and my mind plays tricks on me and I do it some days and not others or do it in the morning and not the rest of the day. Or I barf up the pills if I take too many at once. I keep buying different ones that are chewable or liquid or powder and think it works better and then still cant force myself to consistenly do it several times a day everyday. If you have no trouble with self discpiline and taking pills the DS in a dream come true. I will either have to make big changes after getting labs done as far as doing it or going on TPN or maybe even reversing or revising the DS or it can be fatal if we get malnourished. . . .

What is TPN?

Total Parenteral Nutrition is nourishment by tubes.  You want to avoid this at all costs.

Getting the DS was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life - I only wish I had gotten it done sooner.  Life is great for me now - I eat without guilt; I am at a normal size/weight for the first time in my entire life; and I can do things physically that I couldn't do before.  I may be in the minority here, but the vitamins don't bother me a bit.  I take a lot (around 30 a day), but it's just habit for me now, so I don't even really think about it.  If it keeps me healthy, what's the big deal?  I say it's a heck of a lot better than the crap that I was taking to try to lower my triglycerides and cholesterol, and it's certainly a lot better than having to deal with taking insulin, which is where I was headed real quick.  I do have to deal with being lactose intolerant, but it's definitely something that I can live with.  Other than that, I really don't have any food issues, and I don't have any of the bathroom issues that people love to say that we DSers have to deal with.  I love my DS and the life it has given me back, and I probably can't say that enough.

I have struggled my entire life with my weight, it has totally consumed my daily thoughts.  My self worth was tied to what the scale said, I hated myself and my body.  I had a Lap-Band (or should I say Crap-Band) in 2006, only to lose a total of 20lbs., vomit comstantly and feel like an even bigger failure!

Now, I have to say my life is not perfect, but I feel soooooooooooo much better!  I can wake up and actually eat every day, while still being able to wear whatever is my closet.  Its an amazing feeling to have that monkey off my back for the first time in my life.  My co-mormids are gone.  Yes, I take a lot of vits, but its much better than all the meds I was taking.  Now I am a size 8 (from a tight 22) can shop anywhere and they actually have my size in the style I like, its very freeing!  I am happy.

That having been said, nothing is perfect!  I can not eat whatever I want without "issues."  I can eat some sugar, but flour of almost any kind kills me.  I get terrible stinky gas and loose stools.  I worry if I have to go out in public and have a BM or gas, so I try to be compliant if I am going anywhere.  I do wish I had a longer common channel (mine is 100 cm) if I had to do it again, I would have gone for 125cm and maybe had less issues.  But, I wouldn't go back.  I would much rather miss a portion of pasta or a slice of bread and have my life back.  I am grateful every day!

Love it Love it Love it.

You're blessed to have at least two great revision surgeons in your state--Rabkin and Keshishian. Go see them and see what they say about your case.

That said, I love my DS heartily. I lost and have kept off nearly 200 pounds. I am no longer diabetic and lost my sleep apnea. I am a fully active participant in my life again!

Nicolle

Here's what I tell people about how I chose the DS:

I was originally on track to have RNY back in 2002, but got derailed after preop testing revealed that I had pulmonary hypertension. It's a long story, but it's on my profile if you'd like to read about it.

Even though I was off the track for RNY, I continued to attend the program my then-surgeon required of all his patients. I'd paid for it, so I figured I could benefit from it anyhow :-).

I saw some disturbing trends there. This was a big group, as several surgeons sent patients to it. There was, of course, a cadre of very successful patients (all RNY). They finished their year of program and went on with their lives, and as far as anyone knew/knows, all is well.

There were a surprising number of people, though, who fought and fought and fought to comply with what was expected of them, and the weight didn't come off well. At every meeting, there was word of someone else in the hospital with this or that problem--usually an ulcer or a stricture.

I listened to stories of dumping episodes, of getting food stuck episodes, of the mental/emotional challenges of having to live on highly restricted diets.....and I thought, "There's not a chance in hell I could live with this." (I should add that I have a major vomiting phobia. I'll do just about anything to not vomit. Not a good thing in some cases.)

Well, time passed, I got fatter and sicker, and eventually (again, story in my profile), it came out that the pulmonary hypertension was caused by the fat on my torso squashing my heart and lungs. It went from, "You cannot have any surgery at all," to, "You must have surgery or die."

I came back here to OH, feeling desperate because the lap band wouldn't give me enough weight loss to have any real hope of curing what was ailing me, and the RNY seemed to me like foolish butchery for not enough good results.

Someone told me then about the duodenal switch, invited me over to the DS board, which at the time was pretty much brand new, and the rest was history.

What I like about the DS:

1. 98% cure rate for type II diabetes. This was a major biggie because I had very bad diabetes.
2. Normal stomach anatomy and function is maintained. The stomach is reduced in size, but the normal stomach outlet, the pyloric valve, remains intact and functioning. There is no "stoma" with the DS or the vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG).
3. The intestinal changes that are done in the DS "jump start" the body's metabolism. Mine was shot to hell from a lifetime of PCOS, dieting and other factors.
4. I'd already done many years of low fat, low carb, highly restrictive dieting and I knew I sucked at it. The DS gives an eating quality of life that I find easy to live with: eat a primarily animal protein based diet. I'm a happy carnivore :-). I had to learn to restrict my carb intake, but it was a lot easier to do when I could eat meat, cheese, fish, eggs, etc. with abandon, with little regard for fat content. (DS'ers only absorb about 20% of the fat they eat, so for most of us, fat is almost a "free" food.)

I felt so strongly about the superiority of the DS to any other procedure that I traveled and paid out of pocket to have it done, rather than have the RNY done fifteen minutes from home and covered by insurance. It's been four years, and so far, so good :-).

I had the DS for the 98% cure rate for diabetes.  It worked.  The DS also got me off all meds for hbp, cholesterol, diabetes.  Yes, I take lots of vitamins and get to eat lots of protein. 

I am one of the few that do have BM issues, but I had them going into the DS, this wasn't new.  I was also lactose intolerant going in and lactose and whey intolerant coming out.  I do try to watch my flour intake, unless I'm going to be home due to the bloating and gas.  I use eggwhite protein shakes instead of all the whey protein powders that are out.  I'm trying to go more gluten free and it seems to help.  I deal with the multiple BMs daily and sometimes the frequent diarrhea, that I take chia seeds and that helps.  I have problems with probiotics and do need to take maintenance doses of Flagyl when the smell starts peeling the paint. 

Overall, would I do this again - In a heartbeat.  My body responds well to vitamins and very few side issues, where as with the prescriptions I had to take for my comorbids, I was a mess. 

You can't go wrong with Dr Rabkin!  He's a sweetheart.

I am a revision from the RNY to DS.  I feel better now than ever.  As long as I avoid a lot of carbs, all is well.  

Yes, I must take vitamins/supplements, have periodic labwork and eat carefully for the rest my life. 

My labs are consistently normal, energy is great, no uncontrollable diarrhea and gas.  I don't stink.  I've experienced none of the scare tactics disguised as warnings.  the DS gave me back my life. My only regret is getting the RNY in the first place instead of the DS.