Re: Questions about DS ()

November 6, 2001

Hi ,

I was afraid to tell my family at first but let me say they were SO

supportive. I totally expected my father to be the naysayer and not

even listen to me, but he asked the best questions of everyone.

About complications, benefits, etc. and when it was all over he was

behind me 100%.

Maybe you can say to your mom " I know you don't approve of surgery

but I want it and I really need your support, can you put your

personal feelings aside and help me? " Maybe once she realizes that

you are going to do it she will switch gears and get behind you.

Your questions.....

What was it like going for the surgery? What did you feel like right

before they put you to sleep?

I was a little scared. I had total faith in the surgical team but

there is always the unknown. As they were getting me ready I calmed

myself with the Lord's Prayer and some meditation.

When you woke up?

I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, lol. Due to a complication of

my anatomy the surgery had taken 9 hours. I was very stiff and sore

from simply being in one position so long.

How long were you in pain?

The pain from the actual surgery was minimal (it was laproscopic).

In fact, I don't think I ever had any real " OUCH " kind of pain. I

had much more disomfort in my back from the positioning and length of

surgery than I did abdominally. It actually lasted a few weeks. I

also think it was compounded by the fact that I'm a total tummy

sleeper. I have a very difficult time sleeping on my back but had to

for several weeks after the surgery. I would try to sleep on my side

but then there was some pulling in my side that would become painful

if I remained on my side. Once I was finally able to sleep on my

stomach the back pain resolved completely.

Did you regret the surgery at first?

Not at first. A couple of weeks out when my energy levels were low,

diarrhea was high, stool smell was awful, I hadn't weighed, and I had

difficulty eating, I started to think. " CRIPES what did I do?? "

That's where my family and friends really came through for me,

reminding me that I had JUST had surgery and that I hadn't realized

any of the benefits yet, that I needed to be patient and just hang in

there. Now I'm six months out (and 120 pounds lighter) and MAN did I

do the right thing!!!

How long did it take to be able to eat again?

I was eating when I left the hospital. But it took some time for me

to learn my new digestive system. Trial and error. At first, for a

month or so, I seemed to have no signals from my stomach. It was in

a constant state of a strange mix of hunger pangs, discomfort, and

butterflies in the tummy feeling. I carefully measured my food so

that I wasn't eating more than 4 ounces at a time, but I don't think

I was eating often enough. But to that end, I wasn't hungry either.

I also had a difficult time getting enough fluids in and taking the

vitamins. I didn't like the food I was eating and I really wasn't

hungry, so that made it a bit more difficult. (I'm allergic to dairy

so my choices for protein are pretty much limited to meat and I was

trying to eat pureed junk, didn't like it AT ALL)

My nutritionist suggested I try peanut butter and that was GREAT. I

ate a lot of peanut butter. On crackers, bananas, toast.....lots of

it.

Then a friend who had the surgery the same week, Jody, suggested I

try Chinese food. It made sense. Meat in Chinese food is very

tender and we would just microwave the veggies a bit to make them

softer and it worked GREAT!

The bottom line is, everyone is different and you just have to learn

what works for you. It's very challenging at first but focus on

protein and water and the rest will come around.

How does your post-op eating compare to your pre-op eating?

Now, at six months out, it's pretty much the same as it was, just WAY

less than I used to eat. The only thing I really do differently is

focus a lot more on protein. I can't stand the soy drinks and bars

so I have to get it from food. I've tolerated all meats from the

beginning but I eat much less hamburger because of protein levels. I

also seem to want more fresh fruit. Before I seldom bought it, but

now there is always something in my fridge (right now it's apples,

oranges, and melon). I didn't even like apples before but now I love

them and I eat them with peanut butter to get some extra protein.

When I eat out I now skip most appetizers and salads, wanting to save

room for my protein filled entree. Plus, the meal is plenty of

food by itself and I seldom eat more than a few bites of what comes

with the protein. And now I don't feel in the least bit guilty

ordering a piece of pie or cake. I take a couple bites, and pack the

rest home with me, or just share it with someone. They don't mind,

they get to eat almost the whole thing anyway! lol

Do you have problems with digestion, diarrhea, flatulence, etc.?

At first it was pretty awful. Greasy things had me racing to the

bathroom with cramping diarrhea, the smell was awful and seemed to

permeate my existence, and once in a while I would have such horrible

gas that I wouldn't even leave the house.

That has gotten so much better now. Almost everything has changed.

I have much less problems with greasy food, it doesn't cause the

cramping it used to. My stools are not as loose as they used to be,

on rare occastions they are even firm. I used to have heartburn ALL

the time before surgery and I've only had it twice in six months

after the surgery.

Do you feel healthy? Do you have more energy?

I sure do. I feel free. I can now put on my shoes while standing

up. I can cross my legs. I can wear my seatbelt. I had to slide my

car seat closer to the steering wheel so I could reach it and the

pedals. I don't need an extender on the plane anymore. I can use my

airplane tray. I walked in a Breast Cancer walk - FIVE MILES - where

before I couldn't be on my feet for more than 15 minutes. I have

more energy and I can do the stuff I've always wanted to do but just

didn't have the fortitude to do.

Good luck to you !

Barbi

> Hello listmates!

>

> I have not posted in months, as I moved and then was out of town,

so I have been

> way to busy. But I wanted to get back in touch as some of you were

so helpful

> to me a few months ago, and I wanted to share my good news...

>

> I'm thrilled to say that I *finally* got an appointment for a

consultation with

> Dr. in Marietta! It's in a couple of weeks. It took me

forever just to

> get that first appointment. I am planning to have the DS as soon

as possible.

> I am crossing my fingers that my insurance company will cover it.

>

> While I was on vacation last week and read Carnie 's book,

which was

> awesome. Have any of you read it? I related to it so much. It

was very

> healing for me to read. And affirming about having gastric

surgery. However,

> it was obvious that she was more pro-RNY. This worried me a

little. I very

> much prefer the DS, but she made it sound like the malabsortive

aspect was bad

> for you. I don't mean to suggest that she bashed the DS, but she

had the RNY

> and she touted it as the better surgery.

>

> Also, right before I went on vacation my mom told me that she was

not in favor

> of my having the surgery. She said that it was " drastic to have

someone

> rearrange my digestive system " and that " exercise would help me

loose weight,

> but just not as fast. " I am an adult and it doesn't matter what

she thinks, but

> no matter how old I am it just feels better to have mom's approval.

>

> So anyway, here's the deal: I very much want this surgery. But I

am also

> afraid, and hearing from the naysayers makes me afraid that I am

possibly making

> the wrong choice. I am scared to have the surgery. It also makes

me scared

> that they will botch the surgery and my mom will be thinking " If

she had

> listened to me she wouldn't be sick. " It takes a huge leap of

faith to trust

> someone to rearrange your insides. It is so scary. I want to do

it so much

> though! So I would really like to hear from those who have had the

DS and how

> it was for you then and now . . .

>

> c>

>

November 6, 2001

Barbi,

Thanks for much for the detailed info. It really helps a lot. Like

everyone else, I'm scared, excited, and going through a whole jumble of

emotions, though without a doubt I know this is what I need to do. The more

specific info helps me to put things into prospective. Unfortunately, I'm

not going to be able to rely on a lot of support from my family. We just

learned that my mom has breast cancer and has had a lot of complications (a

mini stoke after surgery, some indications that the cancer has spread, etc.)

so I will not add any concerns about me to their burden. I will be relying

on my close friends and support from this list to get me through the

hurdles.

Keep the info coming.

Thanks,

ann