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Surgeon: Dr. Daniel Herron, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City
Surgery date: September 22, 2000
Pre-op weight/BMI: 293/53.6
Current weight/BMI:199/36.5 (as of May 1, 2001)

 
Left: Pre-op; Center/Right: 7 months post-op (199lb.) Down 94 pounds

by Carrie:

I weighed only three pounds when I was born two months premature. I wasn’t heavy as a young child, and I was only slightly overweight after going through puberty. But because I went through puberty so young, I felt different and huge next to other girls my age. I got my period when I was 10 years old and had to start wearing a bra in 4th grade. Funny thing is that I’m just 5’2” tall but at twelve years old, 5’2” felt like a giant.

My mother is a beautiful woman from London, England and my father is a handsome, dark Greek. I look very much like my Dad and I had a lot of trouble with self-image because I didn’t feel pretty like my Mom. I always felt there was something wrong with me because I was so different from my mother. She was very fair, slim, and so dainty. I was dark, hairy, and felt very awkward and large. This was the beginning of my problems with weight. I always saw myself as fat even though I look back on pictures and see that I wasn’t. Well, I eventually fulfilled the prophecy.

I met my husband, Frank, when I was 15 years old. I fell madly in love with him and lost any excess weight I was carrying around—around 25 lbs. I stayed thin while we were dating but I still had very low self-esteem and thought I was ugly and fat.

We got married when I was 20 and I slowly went from a size 9 to a size 30/32 in 22 years. I put on most of the weight during and after each of my pregnancies. We have five children: Christopher, age 18, Dean and Anthony, both age 14, Nicholas, age 9, and Hailey, age 6. I started to move into the background and hide myself as I showed off my children who are my pride and joy. I did the yo-yo dieting and beating myself up each time I gained back more than I lost.

My husband is the love of my life and never complains about my weight and I know that he will love me at any size. But I hate myself for looking like this and feel guilty for putting my family through the humiliation of living with a morbidly obese person. My children have been made fun of because of my weight and I know that bothers them. And there is so much of life that we are missing out on because I can’t participate.

During the past six months, I have been going for counseling and uncovered some of the problems that I mentioned above that I have been harboring for many years. I feel much better about myself and want to start enjoying my life. I’m sorry that I let so many wonderful years go by before coming to this point.

My psychologist was the person that actually started me investigating WLS. I can’t thank her enough for this. She didn’t say much to me except, “Have you ever thought about WLS?” I said yes but I never investigated it. About three months later I saw something on TV about the Fobi pouch and it peaked my interest. I went on-line and surfed through information about the fobi pouch which lead to information about the RNY and finally I found the DS. I just knew the BPD/DS was the surgery for me.

My family is very supportive in my decision about having this surgery, even though my children are a little scared. My surgery has been approved and is scheduled for September 29, 2000 with Dr. Daniel Herron at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. I’m so excited, but at the same time, very nervous. I have been through so many emotions while on this DS roller coaster ride and I’m sure there are many more to come.

I’m so excited about the new life I have to look forward to. I work full-time as a Marketing Coordinator for a major computer company. I have the opportunity to travel all over the world but I don’t do it very often because of my weight. I’m embarrassed on airplanes because I can’t fit into the seatbelts or open the tray-tables. When we go to trade shows all employees get a different shirt to wear everyday. The shirts never fit me! I just want to be like everyone else and have the same opportunities they have. My boss is really supportive about the surgery. He asked me how much it will cost. Right away I was afraid that there might be a problem with our insurance company paying for it. He said that no matter what it costs, I deserved to have this surgery. He is the greatest boss.

I am thankful for a wonderful husband and family that supports me. I am also thankful to all the great people on the DS web site that have answered my questions and inspired me along the way. I want to stay connected to the DS web site so that I can help others find a new and healthy life through the duodenal switch surgery.

FROM SURGERY TO 6 MONTHS POST-OP:
I am six months post op now and I feel great! I've lost 86 lbs. Having WLS was the best thing I've ever done and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I am so happy that I had the BPD/DS. There are a few reasons why I choose the DS over the RNY. I was impressed with the studies done on long-term results, which showed a higher percentage of post-op patients keeping the weight off after having the BPD/DS than those having the RNY. I didn't want to go through this surgery only to lose weight and gain it back again. To me, that would be just another "diet". Because the DS has the malabsorption part, it should be easier to keep the weight off forever. I also liked the idea of keeping a more "normal" stomach, without a stoma that can sometimes get blocked or ulcerated. One other important feature of the BPD/DS is that I don't have the dumping syndrome from eating sweets or carbohydrates that many people have after having the RNY. Many, many people have the RNY surgery and they do very well with it. I think both surgeries are wonderful and you have to weigh the pros and cons of each against your lifestyle and habits to make the decision that is best for you.

The best thing about the BPD/DS is that I can eat anything and normal-sized portions. This is very important to me because I enjoy eating socially and didn't want to have to give that up. I have lost 86 lbs. to date and feel great. I had some of the usual problems after the surgery like nausea and gas in the first three months and difficulty taking vitamins during the first month.

The BPD/DS surgery does have some side effects but most are temporary and bearable. I would say that my bathroom habits have changed the most since having the surgery. I haven't found it to be a problem though. I have to travel for work and I've been able to fly across the country without using the airplane bathroom (even though I was worried about it). As time goes on, I've figured out what foods affect my bowels more than others and when I have to travel I'm more careful about what I eat the night before and the day of my trip. Just keep in mind that almost all the initial post-op problems are not long term and they go away in the first couple of months after surgery. It is kind of like giving birth--after the initial adjustment period is over you forget all about the problems you had and you are just thrilled with the results.

A typical day of eating:
2 pcs. Bacon, a sausage patty, 1 egg, and a little bit of hash browns, 1 tall cup of decaf tea with French vanilla creamora
1 roast beef sandwich on white bread with tomato and mustard (sometimes I get too full and discard some of the bread but I still eat most of the meat)
1/4 cup of potato salad or macaroni salad
2 oz. almonds or cashews
2 pcs. Roasted chicken (thigh and a drumstick), 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, 1/2 cup veggies

Once or twice a week I have a snack at night - 1/2 cup of ice cream or a small piece of cheese cake.

Dinner out at a restaurant: At the end of this meal, I'm stuffed!
Fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers and tomatoes appetizer (shared with 3 people)
One thin piece of Italian bread with butter
Shrimp Scampi with rice or linguini (6 large shrimp, sometimes I need to take home a doggy bag) I don't usually eat more than ¼ of the rice or pasta
Cannoli (shared with 2 people)
Decaf tea with cream

My cholesterol went from 260 to 171. I take 12 vitamins a day, which include iron, ADEKs, Calcium, and a Multivitamin. I have so much energy now I can climb stairs and walk for miles without becoming out of breath. When I travel for work I am able to fit in the airplane seatbelt and pull down the tray table! I can cross my legs! Everyone notices the differences in me, especially my family. My husband loves it. I have so much more confidence now and finally feel 'normal.

I guess I should have told you something about my recovery. I was in the hospital for 3 nights and 4 days. For the first week I thought I was going to die and was really questioning what I had done. My husband was really worried about my eating and drinking which was next to nothing. I just wanted to sleep and take pain medication. My 7-hour surgery performed by Dr. Daniel Herron was open, not laparoscopic, due to a prior open gallbladder surgery that left multiple adhesions. I know that other people who had laparoscopic surgery had it much easier so don't consider my recovery to be the norm. I was so happy with Dr. Herron, I recommend him highly. He is a very compassionate surgeon who really cares about his patients.

By the second week post-op I started to feel a little better. I was able to shower and blow-dry my hair. I was still having trouble sleeping because I was so uncomfortable. By the third week I was able to go out on my own (driving) and started working, but I worked from home. It was a little hard for me to concentrate.

By the end of three full weeks post-op I returned to work in the office and felt fine. Eating was easier at work because I could order anything I wanted in the cafeteria. I was also able to eat very slowly sitting at my desk and doing my work between bites. That worked well for me. I also made sure I drank as much water as I could, but it took a while for me to increase my fluid intake to 64 ounces per day. I found that I could no longer drink tap water and like bottled water only. Every week got better and better as far as eating went. I threw up about 3 times in the first month and felt nauseous a lot until around week 5. Then it got better and the nausea never returned.

I get full very quickly when I eat my meals. I try to slow down and take my time so I can be sure to get in the protein I need. I do the best when we go to dinner parties that have a lot of appetizers. I find that I can pick for a couple of hours without getting full. I think it is because the portions are so tiny and there is some time between bites. I actually leave food on my plate now, rather than feeling the need to stuff myself until it hurts.

My hair started falling out at 3 months post-op but it isn't noticeable to anyone but me. I understand that it is common to lose hair after having anesthesia and losing a large amount of weight. The good news is that it is beginning to grow back. I used to be hot all the time and now since having WLS I often feel cold. Dr. Herron said I should increase my iron to two pills a day because I could be anemic. That seems to have taken care of the "chilled to the bone" feeling I was having.

At my 3-month check up, my labs came out pretty good. During the first month and a half post-op I wasn't that diligent about taking my vitamins, especially when I was nauseous but since then, I never miss a pill. My protein level is normal along with everything else except for my calcium and iron levels, which were a little low. Nicole, the nutritionist in Dr. Herron's office, said my calcium and iron levels should be normal by the next time I have my blood drawn. Based on Niccole's recommendations, I change the type of calcium and iron I was taking to ones that are better absorbed. Niccole is brilliant when it comes to knowing what vitamins and foods are best for the BPD/DS patients.

If you decide to have WLS, remember the first week and a half is the worst and it all gets better a day at a time. I feel perfectly normal now except I can't eat as much--even though I eat about a quarter of what I used to, I still feel satisfied. I never feel like I'm dieting, I just always think about getting in the protein first. It has worked well for me. If you have the BPD/DS you need to remember that you can become seriously ill because of not being compliant with taking your vitamins and eating enough protein. As long as you make that commitment to your doctor and yourself and you are compliant, then you will be healthy.

I hope this helps other people find their way to having WLS and enjoying life as much as I am.

send email to Carrie

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