Re: 16 week update and other info--long

[Guest guest]

Dear Deborah,

Thanks for the update. I am so happy that you are starting to feel

100% again. I look forward to keeping tabs on your progress because

right now as a " newbie " post-op I just cannot believe that I will

really lose all of my excess weight. I too know I will and should,

but it is not yet a reality.

Jane J.

BMI 42 and Shrinking

Lap BPD/DS

April 26, 2001

Dr. Ren

NYU Medical Center, NYC

www.thinforlife.org

www.duodenalswitch.com

> Hi all,

>

> I use to post to this list a lot--pre-op. Now that I am post-

op, I

> decided to post only monthly updates (sorry skipped last month). I

> did unsub from the list, but lately I have " lurked " so I think will

> add some of my thoughts on some threads. Oh, I did that at the web

> site--so please excuse my awful spelling--without spell check I am

> hopeless.

>

> This Friday, made it 16 weeks since surgery. Dr. Ren was my

surgeon

> and she and her staff are excellent. I have lost over 50 pounds and

my

> BMI is now 28. The results of my bloodwork was that everything was

> normal. Dr. Ren took into my account that I am not normally a big

> protein eater--so she made my alimentary limb 50 cm longer. I try

to

> eat 6-8 ounces a protein a day, but I probably am closer to 6

ounces a

> day (before surgery I probably ate 4 ounces a protein every other

> day). I am happy to say that the blood results showed that my

protein

> level is now higher than it was pre-op. I think Dr. Ren made the

> right choice because 6-8 ounces is tolerable for me--more would have

> been annoying.

> In the last three weeks, I started to get my old energy

back. Until

> then I did not feel " well. " I did feel okay enough to work, but I

> just did not feel alright. I did have problems with mild-moderate

> nausau. And I think I have some gas problems that I did not

> acknowledge--since it stayed inside my stomach--I was not expelling

> it, I thought it was a " raw " healing stomach problem and did not

think

> it was gas. Geo--Dr. Ren's nurse, said it sounds like gas and I

think

> he is right. Anyway, during the last two weeks my stomach feels a

lot

> better and my energy is a lot better.

> I had not have any complications (knock wood), but I

was surprised that

> it took so long to feel like my old self. So all of you post-ops

who

> are still not feeling " great " don't worry--it will happen. I would

> feel a little worried when people would say " 10 weeks and I feel

> better than I ever did pre-op. " I was thinking--I don't. But I

think

> now I am starating to--so it will happen.

>

> Food:

> First off, so far, I do not worry to much about how much a

food is

> being absorbed. I figure I am eating under 1000 calories--I know

that

> even if all those calories got absorbed I would lose weight--the

> malabsorption is just a bonus. Of course, I do pay attention to the

> malabsorption interms of getting enough protein. That being said.

> Somebody wrote that we absorb 100% carbohydrates. That is not true

(

> I once thought that too.) We aborb 100% simple sugars. Not all of

the

> calories from carbohydrates get converted into simple sugars. I have

> found no difference with my weight loss when I eat carbs or not. I

do

> emphasis protein first, but I never stinted on my carbs. Of

course, I

> eat less carbs than pre-op because I need room for protein, but I

have

> cerial, rice, bread, etc. I also have had sweet rolls,croussants,

> brioche,waffles, donuts, poundcake, icecream sandwiches, icecream,

> without any noticable effect on my weight loss. Actually, when

ever I

> have the richer breads--croussants, sweet roll, I have found I would

> lose weight (could be coincident). No I do not have these foods

every

> day . And yes, it takes me two days to eat one sweet roll, two days

> to eat a slice of pound cake and I eat 1/2 an icecream sandwich at a

> time. Basically, my only food concern is to get enough protein--

after

> that, if the food won't make me to full and agrees with my stomach--

I

> eat it. I do try not to have to much simple sugar and sweets, but I

> do have them. So far I have not had a plateau and my weight loss

has

> been steady. If I start to have problems I would quit the sweets.

> I just wanted people who are not protein " lovers " to

know that the

> protein needed is not that bad. 6-8 ounces is reasonable. You

might

> ask your Dr. to elongate you alimentary limb so you absorb more

> protein (but that also means you will absorb more calories.)

Finally

> remembe YMMV (your miliage may vary.) Different people's body

absorb

> protein differently, you might need more. The same can be said with

> carbs and fat.

> Well I am 15 pounds to my personal goal. I now weigh

what I usually

> weigh after I lose weight (I would always try to lose more and then

> after 4 or so months I would start to gain weight). So if I stay

here

> and never gain anymore weight--the surgery would be worth it. If I

> lose 15 more pounds and get to my goal, the surgery will be that

much

> better and if I get to the weight Dr. Ren said I should get to (in

the

> 140's) I will faint from shock. As an adult, I never weighed in the

> 140's. I need to lose less than 30 pounds to get to that goal.

And I

> have over a year to do. So I am a pretty happy camper.

>

> I wish all you pre-ops the best, post-ops keep on healing and

getting

> better. This surgery is quite an undertaking. Your bodily

functions

> are changed and are different. Until you do it, it is hard to

explain

> how weird it is not to know how your basic functions will work.

But,

> at least for me, it was worth it. To know that I really will not

> gain this weight--I have to admit I still don't feel that is

> true---though I know it is. Hopefully, time will convince me.

>

> Dbbr (Deborah)

> NYU, Dr. Ren, Jan12

> LAP DS BMI 38, Now 28

> Bluecross Healthchoice

> 50+ pounds gone