Re: misc - long post, lots of questions PERFECT POST!!!!

[Guest guest]

Perfect post....to the point, honesty and informative...dan

> That surgery is not a new surgery, just done lap now. I did not

want any bands or silicone in my body.

> LEAKING orange oil is not as common as all that. Oil does go right

through us so it does create and oil slick in the toilet (ugh! what a

thing to talk about before breakfast) but that is the sacrifice I am

willing to take to be able to eat anything I want. I am not willing

to give up sweets as I would have to do with the RNY. I want a more

normal approach to life. This bowel business settles down with

time. I have firm stools everyday even with the addition of fat. I

only have diarrhea when I have something like ice cream. I have been

avoiding it, not because of the diarrhea but because of the cramps

associated with it and the gas. I call them elephant farts. I am

able to control where and when I express my gas, I have yet to

embarrass myself in a public place. I take Devrom to control the

odors associated with the bowels and it really works. My stools

still smell but nothing compared to before. I carry a small bottle

of the fragrance imposters (body spray) and spritz a tiny amount in

the air if I am in a public restroom.

> I chose this type of surgery over all others because of the high

rate of keeping the weight off. I have read of tons of people that

have had the RNY just to regain all their weight. I have a friend I

went to church with that had the banding and he gained all his weight

back too. This surgery is forced portion control and the

malabsorption we need to lose all this weight. I never expected to

lose down to 170 pounds which is what Dr Ren says I will probably

weigh. But I am now beginning to believe that that is really within

the realm of possibility. I am already planning ahead to possibly

have a tummy tuck and breast reduction in February/March of next

year. This surgery has such a low incidence of regain that my hope

of the future of being normal is skyhigh. I have no thoughts

whatsoever of ever regaining this weight. Maybe that is why we love

this surgery so much. There has been some slow losers on the list

and some that have had to have a revision but it is few and far

between. My surgeon gave me a 75 cm common channel because of my

size and the amount of weight I needed to use. I guess you could say

this surgery is custom fit for the individual. No cookie cutter

surgery as with the RNY.

> PROTEIN: Because we malabsorb we must concentrate on protein. It

sounds like a hard job to do but it really is not. Small amounts of

chicken, fish, etc have large amounts of protein. I have not had a

protein shake in a month. I believe that you must supplement for a

time but after the swelling goes out of your stomach and you are able

to start to eat real foods again that you eat enough protein per day

to meet the quota. I eat about 70 grams per day now and my labs are

perfect. I take 2 Tums (I like the sugar free orange ones) after

each meal and my calcium and PTH levels are perfect. When I took the

cal citrate I had horrible gas. If I have hot cereal for breakfast

instead of an egg w/cheese I take 2 tablespoons of this horrible

protein syrup. Toss it back like medicine and follow-up with a quick

gargle of lemonade to remove the taste (hey, it works!).

> I planned with my supervisor for the time off in conjunction with

the surgeon. I took off on the family medical leave act which allows

12 weeks off per year. The FMLA allows you can not be fired from

your job but you might lose the position you held if you are off for

too long. I went back to work 18 days after surgery.

> I have BCBSM PPO and have not had to pay for a dime. I got

permission from my benefit coordinator in the Human Resources dept of

the company I work for and that gave me the right to have the surgery

out of network.

> As for the other questions you have about Dr Hess, someone will

cover those.

> Good luck to you in your research. I suggest going to Dr Ren's

website and checking out the flash drawings of the RNY and the DS and

you will see for yourself the difference between the two. She has a

pros & cons of the 2 surgeries listed that also draws a real

comparison.

>

> Viau

> http://www.angelfire.com/on/wannabemagic/WLS.html

> 3/29/01: 316

> 6/16/01: 260 (-56 lbs)

> Dr Ren, NYUMC http://www.thinforlife.org

> To join the new group for Dr Ren click on the link below

> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYUMC-thinforlife