DS recovery time

Hi all,

I'm just wondering how long it takes to be back to work after this surgery.  Also if you could share your reasons for choosing DS.  What vitamins do you have to take? Thanks again :)

Every single person is going to have a different recovery time. It *seems* to me the younger and healthier, the faster recovery. I was 29 and only took 9 days off work, came back to desk job and reduced hours. So depending on work, etc. You'll hear 2 weeks to 12 weeks.

I chose DS so I could take NSAIDs and for the most part not be afraid of sugar. It also has the best stats for amount lost and least regain. I also just really wanted to keep my stomach instead of bypassing it, for some reasons just sounds awful to me.

 Hi Happiegirl,  
I am 43 and had Open Ds and and emergency lap exploratory surgery a week later and was back to work  in three weeks. 
I chose DS because I know my own history and the long term results of both RNY and DS.  I've seen too many people who have had the other procedures (LAP band and RNY) and regain their weight. Many people here have had multiple surgeries to get to the DS. I only had one shot, so I wanted it to count. 
As far as vitamins- Many here will tell you to follow Vitalady's plan.  That is probably the best advise, if only to be on the safe side.  

I wish you luck with your decision. 


Ginger

I had a rough recovery from a lap procedure because I couldn't get/stay hydrated.  YMMV.  I probably could have gone back to work about week 6.  I'm retired so I still haven't gone back to work lolol.

Reasons I chose the DS:
Able to take NSAIDs
Best CURE for Type 2 Diabetes which killed both my normal weight parents
Best weight loss stats
BEST stats for keeping the weight off
NO DUMPING...keeping my pyloric valve functional was VERY important to me.  
Able to drink with meals.
Best long term eating.... LOW carb, HIGH protein, Moderate fat diet for life.  A "diet" I can live with.

Vites we recommend: www.gblcreations.com/Resources/Gina/ProgramDRNY_ERNY_BPDDS3- 2010.pdf

A couple of links that I recommend you read carefully:

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4280788/Repost-Request-Advice- for-Pre-Ops-with-Links/  Tons of info and links on the DS life.

www.lenoxhillhospital.org/press_releases.aspx  Why there is regain following the RnY gastric bypass

www.dssurgery.com/procedures/compare-surgical-procedures.php  One very respected surgeon's opinion of three surgeries.

Tell us more about YOU and we can help you more.  Age, weight, BMI, co-morbids, etc...

~Becky

HI! 

I am 46, was 43 when I had my DS.  I had it lap so my recovery was very short, I was totally disabled so no work to go back to, but I was up and going very shortly afterward.  Doc wouldn't let me do what I wanted to or felt like, but overall probably 2 weeks and I was up and running.  

As to why!? 

Most of all I wanted to live longer than my overweight mother, who died at 56.  

I had tried everything literally and was looking death in the face, with a less than 10 year life expectancy stated very blunty by my doc, at the same time my daughter informed me she was expecting our first grandbaby.  THAT wakes you up if nothing else does!  

I debated on the Lap Band, and when I went to the information seminar I found out about the DS.  After doing research I realized that this was more than likely the best fit for what I wanted and NEEDED.  I had high blood pressure, hitting the uncontrolled point, borderline diabetic, from which ALL of my father's side of the family have died from (including diabetic coma, losing limbs etc) and my mother's family also had a history of (juvinile as well as late onset, with blindness included).  I had severe depression, couldn't work and couldn't even walk any more.  I spent days trying to stay out of pain because of severe arthtiris.  I hadn't been able to attend a lot of my kids' programs because I couldn't even get far enough to the school walk to get into the building.    Overall LIFE SUCKED!!!! 

The DS was a fixer if you will that had the most likelihood of helping.  Diabetes, is a horrible thought when you look it in the face, and the fact that the DS is a big fixer of this alone would have caused me to get it done.  I just wish my uncle would have, he had to lose both legs and end up in a care home by age of 60, he died last March diabetes related complications at age 63.  Makes me thrilled that I did what I did when I did it!  

I wanted ONE surgery to help me, knowing that I didn't have the time left to play around.  As I told me kids, I got the Cadilac of all Cadilac's, all the whistles and buzzers and get to enjoy what I want to eat, when I want to eat it and still LIVE!  

Hope this helps you a bit, sorry so long....still at home and alone most of the day....LOL  working on that one though, graduate from college Dec 2012.  :) 

What a great testimony! Glad to hear you will be graduating from college. What a way to rock your DS!!!

Nika

I had DS lap when I was 59.  I took a max of 3 vicodin post-op.  I had appendix and gall bladder removed at the same time and the gall bladder area was rmore uncomfortable than the DS site.

I'm a widow and had 3 young kids at home and needed to more than less helpful. (LOL) For me, recovery mainly involved fatigue.  However, I think that had I worked in an office I could have returned by week 3.

I chose DS because it was the only surgery that had the best statistics for weight loss, maintained weight loss, and freedom of diet.  Plus, all the smart people seemed to be those who had it. More LOLs)

I just had lap DS 12 days ago on 6/8/11, and I feel great, considering! I'm going back to work next Monday at 2 weeks and 5 days post surgery (moderate job; on my feet all day but no significant exertion other than that). Now, don't let me mislead you. I am pain free, I can drink fluids normally, and I can eat enough to get by, but I do not feel STRONG. I can go out and run an errand or two and then I get very tired and want a nap. So, although I am going back to work out of necessity, it won't be a walk in the park, and my colleagues will be picking up some slack for me for a while. I will need frequent breaks. I will not be at my normal volume work-wise (although I will be at a lower volume as far as space I'm occupying, lol). I am also a single mom and my mother has had to help me a lot with my toddler, as far as lifting her into the crib, high chair, etc. Most people seem to have a tougher time than I have had, so I'm considering myself lucky. I'm 38, just to give you perspective on that. You can hope for, but not count on, an easy recovery. Everyone is different.

I chose DS because it has the best STATs for long term success, I can take NSAID medications if needed, and the postop diet (after the first few weeks) is much closer to normal than with RNY. Also, keeping my pyloric valve (the valve that controls food going from the stomach to the intestines) was very important to me.

Hope this helps!
Karen

I just finished talking to my case worker. She feels maybe I'm not ready for wls. Since she's the second person to say so maybe she is right. It's not the survey you get but the life style change. If I'm going to bypass my intestines I want DS. It seems more logical to me to leave the stomach in a semi-normal state. If I want DS ill have to have the medical directors approval to see an out of network Dr. and was talking to her about this. Maybe it doesn't matter?

Tomorrow I'll be 3 weeks post-op from an open procedure. If I worked a desk job, I could probably go back later this week with maybe shorter hours because I do get tired. BUT, I am a nurse, work in GI and Surgery,  and there is no way I could be lifting patients, bending over, crawling on the floor, moving heavy equipment and all the other physical things I do. My surgeon said 6 weeks with my job, and possibly 8 if I need it. I'm lucky, I work part-time so my PTO actually lets me be off for 4 weeks at full pay then my short term disability is another 3 - 5 weeks at partial pay.
The reasons for the surgery are about the sam as everyone elses that posted. I wanted to pick the best surgery from the start. I had a few co morbidities I wanted to be gone, and the DS had the best statistics for that. Also a couple of the GI doctors I work with recommended ONLY the DS, they absolutely steer anyone away from the band and rny due to the complications they see. 
I'm only taking a couple of vites right now, but I am working my way up to the full vitalady plan.
Lisa