Weight Loss Surgery If you've had it, or are considering it, share your discussions here

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Old 11-16-2008, 09:15 AM   #1  
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Default anybody know someone who had the Duodenal Switch?

I am 130 lbs overweight. I had the RNY surgery in 2001, gained it all back. This new surgery says you can eat what you want and still lose 85% of all your excess weight and keep it off even 5 years later. I am looking for anybody who had it and to tell me if you know something bad about it. I can't find one bad thing about it from anybody, anywhere on the web. So, I am hoping to find some info here. Thanks, Pat in Kentucky
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Old 11-16-2008, 09:47 AM   #2  
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I would recommend asking in the Weight Loss Surgery Forum.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=78

I know Jillybean is looking at getting the duodenal switch.

Honestly, I'd be concerned slightly if you are looking for this surgery in order to eat 'everything that you want', lose weight and maintain that weight. From what I know of any weight loss surgery, it'll give you a boost, especially in the beginning but you will still need to exercise and control your food in order to keep losing and maintain that weight loss.

Realistically, with any 'diet' you can eat 'whatever you want' basically as long as you eat small portions of it.
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Old 11-16-2008, 10:25 AM   #3  
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Hey Pat! How've you been?

I would definitely agree with everything that Nelie's said to you.

"Eating whatever I wanted" got me to be 287 lbs. Ummm, because apparently I wanted a real lot. More then most people, that's for sure.

It was finally realizing and accepting that I couldn't eat whatever I wanted if I also wanted to be fit, trim and healthy. You simply can't have it both ways.

Eventually I decided that I no longer wanted to be a person who got to eat whatever she wanted. I finally wanted to have limits and boundaries and control. I wanted to have food "guide lines", in order to be that fit, trim and healthy person.
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Old 11-16-2008, 06:26 PM   #4  
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I had the DS over 3 1/2 years ago.

Sorry, but you can't eat whatever you want. It's protein first, second & third. Then fruits/veggies, then breads, junk, etc. Some people can eat more than others (remember 75% of your stomach is removed & while it does stretch back somewhat -- most can't eat what they did before. However, some can. We're all different. Then there's the whole malabsorption aspect - another topic altogether).

I can give you a list of what I've experienced as the positives and negatives of the DS if you like.

Plus, there are several websites/boards dealing with the DS (I don't know which you've already seen).

Last edited by AAAA; 11-16-2008 at 06:35 PM.
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Old 11-17-2008, 01:44 AM   #5  
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Default DS Surgery

I would also love to know more about your experiences. Both positive and negative.

Debbie
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Old 11-17-2008, 09:48 AM   #6  
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Please send me the list you were talking about. I have gone to all the DS boards and everybody tells me they were able to eat whatever they wanted and everyone has lost 80% of their excess weight. You can't absorb fats or starches and that is a huge thing for me. But, they tell me the RNY failed them as it did me and the DS is what got them down to their goal weight. I am taking vitamins due to the RNY surgery, so that is not a problem with me. Now, I have had some people say they have diahreah after a fatty meal, but the surgeon's nurse said diahreah is not normal and the doctor will make you take probiotics if you experience that to clear that up. Please send me the list because I want to hear 100% truth from everybody as I have already 'signed up' to have the surgery, yet I am still researching at the same time. Thank you so much, Pat in Kentucky

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Old 11-17-2008, 05:15 PM   #7  
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I'll post it here so both of you can see it.

You do lose a great deal of your excess weight & it's harder (but not impossible) to regain a great deal.

I rarely, if ever, have diarrhea. Some people do. It's very individualized but often (not always, but often) your surgeon & nutrit. can help you out if it's chronic with food choices, drugs, etc.

These percentages are not hard and fast but they generally go like this:

Absorb 20% fats
Absorb 60% protein
Absorb 60% carbs
Absorb 100% sugars

Also, revisions can have different results. You need to find someone very experienced in revisions (I know 1 or 2) as it's a more difficult operation.


Here's what I post when someone asks for the good/bad of the DS:

The Good:
I didn't want to dump (although more and more RNYers I know don't dump).
I wanted a stomach and pylora.
I wanted to be able to eat just about anything.
I wanted to lose more and have less chance of regain.
I like protein and welcomed the chance to eat a lot.
I can't eat nearly the quantity I used to. But I can eat enough to feel full.
I don’t count calories.
I drink with meals.
I look good and this gives me confidence.
I can still eat junk. I just have to eat less (smaller stomach) and choose to eat it a lot less frequently.

The Not So Good (As you need to know both):
My gas and stool stink more & it can be difficult in a public setting.
I go to the bathroom more times a day than I did preop.
I’ve had a couple of ‘accidents’.
I take a ton of vits/minerals each day (it's not cheap).
I have bloods taken every 6 months (more if needed).
I eat protein first, second and third. I generally don't mind but once in a while it gets tiresome.
You can have vitamin issues no matter how diligent you are.
If I eat junk I get gas and/or spend time in the bathroom.
I have some excess skin.
I see more doctors and have more tests than I did preop. But I'd prob. be seeing a lot of doctors as time went on anyway for the physical problems that were beginning to creep up when I was heavy.

I'd estimate I spend about $1000.00 per year on vits/minerals (including protein supplements) plus more on things like acidophilus to help with gas/stool smells at 3 1/2+ years postop.

BTW, I can't PM you till I have 10 posts, so I'll answer your PM by emailing you.

One more thing: Tonight on the Discovery Channel 9PM & 1AM/Eastern is a DS Story. It's called, Extreme Bodies
Super Obese
. As there have only been a couple of DSers [ever] profiled on Discovery you might want to catch it. I know the guy (from the boards) so I'll be watching.

Last edited by AAAA; 11-18-2008 at 07:31 PM.
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Old 11-17-2008, 06:52 PM   #8  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goincrazyinky View Post
Please send me the list you were talking about. I have gone to all the DS boards and everybody tells me they were able to eat whatever they wanted and everyone has lost 80% of their excess weight. You can't absorb fats or starches and that is a huge thing for me.
I think you may need to do a bit more research. I am having the DS hopefully in the spring (I'm almost done jumping through insurance hoops and then my surgeon is scheduling about 3 months out for the DS since he only does 1 a week). Yes, there are a few who can eat whatever they want, but that is not the majority.

Protein is priority #1, 90-120 grams of protein a day. AFTER that, if you have any room left, you can reach for other foods, but know that simple sugars are absorbed at 100%. You eat a donut, you get ALL of the cabrs and sugar in that donut. Period.

They DO absorb fats and starches--about 20% of fats, 60-70% of complex carb, and 100% simple carbs.

Some DSers who eat too many carbs get major gas as a side effect. Some DSers who eat too much fat can get diarrhea as a side effect. Some DSers who don't eat enough fat may get constipated. It's all trial and error as to which foods affect you and which don't, as everyone is a bit different.

DSers also malabsorb different vitamins/minerals than RNY patients. I believe for RNYers, B vitamins and iron are usually the biggies, but for the DSers it is primarily calcium and the fat-solubles (A, D, E, and K). So you would have to add more supplements to those currently being taken for the RNY.

If you really want to know more, check out www.duodenalswitch.com and www.dsfacts.com (recently created by a DSer in Canada) and, for all types of WLS, www.obesityhelp.com.

I have yet to find more than 1 DSer who actually regrets having their DS. I have met a couple DSers who DID gain some weight back, but they've found it easier to re-lose it than it was to lose weight before the surgery. It is not a magical cure-all, and the average is 85% excess weight loss--some do better, some do worse.
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Old 11-18-2008, 03:33 PM   #9  
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Default Ds - You Absorb 100% Of Sugar??? Are You Sure??

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CAN ABSORB 100% OF THE SUGAR? My biggest problem IS sweets. So, do you absorb 100% of the calories?
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Old 11-18-2008, 03:41 PM   #10  
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Originally Posted by goincrazyinky View Post
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CAN ABSORB 100% OF THE SUGAR? My biggest problem IS sweets. So, do you absorb 100% of the calories?
Yes. There is NO surgery that results in malabsorption of simple sugars since sugars begin breaking down as early as in your mouth (think about holding a sugar cube in your mouth--your saliva alone will begin breaking it down, and it will melt away and be processed by your body).

Last edited by jillybean720; 11-18-2008 at 03:42 PM.
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Old 11-18-2008, 03:58 PM   #11  
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Friend of mine had lipo but the weight came back within 6-9 months.
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Old 11-18-2008, 04:02 PM   #12  
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I have been reading about the diet following DS. You have to carefully get your proteins in. That's easy. But the diet of being careful to not ever eat any breads/starches or simple carbs...well....if I could eliminate those and stick to a diet, I could lose the weight anyway. So now I am quite confused. I do eat healthy lean meats and veggies and fruit, but my weight problem is due to overeating the starches, sweets. I know how to eat now, but have never been able to stick to a strict diet. And if you could, why would you need gastric surgery. Like Weight Watchers, I write everything down I eat and I can do well for several days, but then I have a desire to eat a piece of cake or a cookie or well, maybe even a dorito or two. Not everynight, but it does happen. I remember my surgeon telling me I would lose weight in spite of myself with the RNY surgery. I lost 50 pounds but that's it. I can exactly exactly the same amount as before I had rny surgery. The first 3 months i couldn't, but my stomach kept stretching. I don't know HOW you are ABLE to stick to a strict diet after weight loss surgery if you could not do it before the surgery. I don't know what to do.
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Old 11-18-2008, 04:17 PM   #13  
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Pat,

There is no surgery that will allow you to lose weight while eating whatever you want, in whatever quantities. Really! It simply doesn't exist. All bariatric surgeries are tools to help you, but aren't cure-alls that will cause you to lose weight without intentional eating restrictions.

As for how you'll be able to stick to a diet - well, something just has to CLICK, is all. Something in your brain has to say "You know what? I can control this. I have the power to choose what I eat and to get my body into the kind of shape that will keep me happy and healthy for years to come. I choose every bite and every step or lack thereof. There are plenty of tools out there to help me, but no one can do this for me. I have to do it myself".
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Old 11-18-2008, 05:04 PM   #14  
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okay, okay, I confess. I ate an entire Peppridge Farm cake within an hour.
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Old 11-18-2008, 05:50 PM   #15  
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Pat,

I'll make an assumption here and say anyone who is 100 lbs or more over weight has issues with food. Of course there is the small minority that do have medical issues that could cause them to gain that amount of weight, I believe they are the minority.

So I will say that you are not alone in having issues with food. I've had issues with food since around age 6. I do believe that things like PCOS didn't help the situation but I was the one that learned how to binge my weight to well over 300 lbs.

I also had to learn how to get myself down to nearly 200 lbs. Every day is not perfect. There will be days that I eat way too much and don't get in enough activity but I have to balance those days with the days that are good. Its been a struggle and a learning process. I feel a bit defeated because I am stuck. I know why I'm stuck though and it is because of my issues with food. If I could get past it, I could lose the rest of the weight I want to but I struggle. Each day though I'm mindful that I can't live like this forever. I've become so much better at using the tools I've learned but I know I need to perfect my tools or learn new tools to battle the weight that is left.

Anyway, I'd say that you probably weren't prepared for your RNY surgery. You expected to be able to eat whatever you wanted to eat. I would suspect that anyone with that mindset going into surgery would end up gaining the weight back. For your upcoming surgery, in order to be successful, you should prepare to be in the right mindset once the surgery is done. Prepare to eat the right foods, nourish your body, etc etc.

One thing I'd say about refined carbs is they are something I can't allow myself to eat because they make me crave more and more and more. I think you need to help yourself by learning what foods you can eat that will be helpful to your weight loss and what foods will not help you.

This website has been a large help for me in getting the support I need as well as helping me learn the tools I need to learn. I hope you can also utilize the support here for your weight loss journey.
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