Hiddenroses

Hello! Thank you for posting here as well! I'm scheduled to have my 'virgin SADI/sleeve' on Monday morning and I was SO happy to read your post so I could get a realistic idea of what my life will be like post-surgery. I hadn't gotten much feedback yet on what to expect after a couple of years and had only read that the malabsorption would diminish after 18 months. Your experience seems to match up with that pretty closely. I've got the same three week diet guidelines to follow post-op; do you remember any particular foods that gave you trouble as you were adjusting to life post-op initially? Or do you have any suggestions on what to start with in the soft food week? For the liquid diet I've almost entirely relied on shakes and a few helpings of sugar free jello. Today I got some zero sugar yogurt and added that, and had a sugar free popsicle. I know that I'll have to be eating / drinking room temperature for at least the first week if I remember right.

Hello there! First of all - congratulations! Your progress is so exciting - and additionally it is especially helpful for me to know to track my progress with measurements more than the scale. I've already been eyeballing it throughout my liquid diet. My surgery will be Monday morning, early - probably the first one of the day that my surgeon will be doing from what I was told. I'm trying not to be nervous about having missed a call on Friday from the hospital; I'm sure it was something about my pre-surgery check in but since I can't access my voicemail I don't know. I did get the pre-registration call the day before, though. Honestly, all of the information that you have shared is incredibly useful and I'm so grateful for it. I'm a little nervous because I'm supposed to be a bridesmaid for a good friend's wedding on September 8th, only right at a month post-op. I may have to hop on Insta just to review your tips, even though I rarely use it. I'm curious as to whether you've found any good cheese substitutes because I do have a great love for cheese! Thank you for taking the time to share about your experience with us!

Oh wow! I'm on full liquid for a week pre-op - I'm on day two today! So far I haven't wanted to claw anyone's eyes out (lol!) Like I said, I messed up on my first shake of the day yesterday and had one that had an insane 20g of sugar and 50g of carbs in an 8 oz serving! Since then I moved back to my 30g protein shakes that have 1g of sugar each; I had three yesterday and have had two today. I'm surprised that taking 100mg of colace morning and night hasn't had me running for the bathroom yet, so there's that! I had about a cup of sugar free jell-o yesterday throughout the day and have had about a half cup of it so far today. So far my plan is to shower with the Hibiclens Sunday morning, then when I get to the hotel that night. I'll wake up early Monday morning - no fluids after midnight at all - to shower again with the Hibiclens and head over to the hospital. Sunday is my normal sheet change day anyway, so that's good. I expect to be in the hospital for 2-3 days, hopefully getting released on Wednesday the 7th to ride home with my driver. I'll have my fella change the sheets for me at home again before I get settled in. Good thinking on packing light - I know I'll want warm comfy socks (I hate hospital 'socks' though they may make me wear them for traction, idk), the meds I am still allowed to take, and a robe that zippers all the way up the front. I don't plan to take a lot - I'll bring a set of earbuds in case I want to watch something on my phone to pass the time but other than doing the sip-sip-sip of liquids and restarting my Bariatric vitamin I imagine I'll rest as much as I can while still getting up as much as they prompt me to for walking around to work the surgery gas out. I figured I'd just toss a few changes of underclothes, socks, the robe, some comfy clothes to wear home, and meds in a backpack. Oh - And of course my phone charger. Can't go anywhere without THAT! You must REALLY be feeling it about now with your surgery tomorrow morning! Wishing you the very best!

Checking in! I started my liquid diet today and I'm feeling fine so far. I did initially mess up this morning because I'd bought some Equate lesser protein shakes (13g/protein rather than my standard 30) and failed to realize that the one I drank this morning had 20 grams of SUGAR and 50 grams of CARBS! In one little bottle; I was very angry at myself for not checking the nutrition facts better - I got a 24 pack of them, too! *Facepalm* Thankfully I still had some of my Max Protein 30mg/Protien & 1g of sugar ones, so that's what I had for lunch and 'dinner'. I'm waiting on my sugar-free jello to set up - Here's hoping it hurries! I hope you other gals are doing well! @Rosslyn @Shop Girl

Hey, I think I got confused with all of the quoting - @Rosslyn, you're the one who chose to get the 'virgin SADI' right? I'm wondering if this matches what your scheduled surgery looks like - Wish I knew more medical terminology! Anyone feel free to chime in who knows - is this scheduled surgery the SADI or the DS? I'm supposed to be getting the SIPS/SADI-s and this is what it shows on my app: "I'm wondering about the medical terms I see listed in my healthcare app for what they are calling the surgery and hope I'm getting the one I WANT - also they did tell me I'll need to take an A, D,E & K supplement because of the surgery I chose. Does your scheduled surgery look like this? "GASTRECTOMY LONGITUDINAL LAPAROSCOPIC" + "DUODENAL ATRESIA REPAIR LAPAROSCOPIC" + "ESOPHAGOGASTRODUODENOSCOPY" ? I saw the Duodenal and was worried they might be doing the DS as opposed to the SADI - Anyone else who knows, feel free to chime in!

Thank you! Now I know what LSD means in this regards (Lol) Thank you for the encouragement not to go back to smoking! I definitely still have some psychological dependency on it, even after going the four months without thanks to my Chantix! I notice I start to crave a cigarette when I see someone smoking when I'm late to take it and have to watch myself and prompty redirect and go take a Chantix. I did get my insurance confirmation just a few days ago in the mail and took it with my to my pre-op appointment yesterday; I offered it to them but they said they already had it! (Which is a huge relief!) Yeah; I was kind of surprised as well that I have to start the colace with my liquid diet, seems redundant and makes me wonder what that week is going to be like, honestly! I'm forseeing a lot of time spent near or in the bathroom, as it stands >. The nurse yesterday did my EKG the same way, under one breast, and they seemed to have trouble getting a good reading because I had to stay SUPER still. They also had to jab me 5 times to get the blood they needed; I was patient and know my veins can be tricky but ngl - I feel like a human pincushion today and have multiple bruises on my arms. I was simply received when they finally managed to get the needle in a vein! They also were telling me to stop taking my vitamins like, yesterday, and I thought I was supposed to keep up with them until I START the liquid diet, Calling my surgeon's office to get clarification on that today. I'm certainly nervous and excited about how quickly this is FINALLY coming together! I read that eating lots of jell-o keeps up the illusion of fullness and I'm counting on that and the 'strained cream soup' to keep me from feeling famished. Crossing my fingers I don't turn into an angry hungry hyena this next week for the sake of my family! I'm also a bit uneasy about whether I'll be able to keep enough in my system to keep my meds from making me queasy. Wishing us the best of luck!

That's so smart - I have been trying to get my house in order this week, too - this sounds like great motivation to me because I TOTALLY would be doing the same thing; you're right - going crazy about everything I see that needs done at the worst possible time to deal with it! I hope your EKG is good as well! I'm sure it will be *crosses fingers* I go in on Monday for my Pre-Admission Testing; I'm not sure if they'll do an EKG or not but I'm glad you mentioned it! I was just reviewing my paperwork and it says that "You will have non-fasting labs drawn at this appt. and may have other testing done." so I guess it's possible; I hadn't even thought of it. I'm sure they mentioned it and I lost it in the overwhelming amount of information I've been trying to process. It really is a LOT to keep track of. I lucked into hearing about that app I mentioned, Finch, from another friend who also had WLS. (Weight Loss Surgery - it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that abbreviation! ) She had the sleeve, and another friend of mine had the Roux-y about a year and a half ago done by the same surgeon I'm using. I've watched her recovery, and it's been rocky. I think doing a 'virgin SADI' as you called it will be way better for me. She's already got an ulcer due to continuing to use NSAIDs and drinking way too much coffee. She also went back to smoking cigarettes. It's been quite the motivator to do this right, I'll say that much! I start Colace and the Liquid Diet on 7/29, so we'll be on about the same track! I've got the one week pre-op diet, and then surgery on Aug. 5th as long as I get the insurance and other clearance! Best of luck!

Oh my gosh, me too! But: We got this!! I'm going to get my lab work done next week and I know it should look really good with as long a path I've been on to get to this point and all the vitamins I've been taking! I've been taking the Barimelts multi w/iron (dissolved crazy easily, best I've found) the Calcium from BariatricPal every other day, and some Multi-collagen Peptides w/Probiotics for like, two months. I also had to quit smoking cigarettes and with the help of Chantix I've managed to do it, and just passed my fourth month of not smoking! I use the Baritastic app for my food tracking. There's SO much to the process! I'm nervous and wondering if I'm going to end up feeling like a stranger in my own skin but I'm trying to keep focusing on my reasons for doing all of this - better health, longer life, better quality of life, etc. Feel free to message me; I can be bad about checking my emails but I found an app called Finch that is helping me keep track of everything, thank goodness, and reminds me to CHECK my email. Sorry for the delayed response!

I'm starting with the SIPS/SADI if my insurance will allow me to do so. I was slated for the Roux-y full Gastric at the beginning of July but after doing a LOT of research I came to the determination suggested above. I spoke with my surgeon, who tried to lightly dissuade me by saying they were both essentially the same results, etc but he was willing to do the SADI, it just pushed things back like I said while they make sure insurance will do their part. I went to my mid-month appointment and all things are moving ahead so far.

I'm so excited to see activity on this thread! I made the choice to postpone my surgery for a month in order to change from the gastric bypass to the SIPS/SADI-s . (And I agree, there REALLY needs to be a better name for this surgery!) I'm scheduled to have mine on August 5th, so I could definitely go for having folks to talk to who are on the such a similar journey.

YES! I see you!! I'm super curious as to how you are doing after your revision surgery, because I'm on a similar path. Right now I'm waiting to see if my insurance will approve STARTING with the SADI-s/SLIP rather than either going with the Roux-y or a sleeve and then a revision. I don't really WANT to go through two surgeries (sleeve and later revision) but with a BMI in the high 50s/low 60s I keep getting nervous about which surgery to choose. I've posted elsewhere about my concerns with the Roux-y (higher chance of hernias / dumping syndrome /long term malabsorption/no longer taking NSAIDs) and read probably the EXACT same sites you have cautioning about the SADI-s and its main two possible side effects being 'bathroom issues/gas'. I came to the same conclusion myself; seems like a better, less complicated surgery, especially if I can START with it. After hearing a bunch about the Duodenal Switch I started second guessing yet again. Choosing is SO hard. How is it going for you?? I hope fantastically!

That's wonderful!! You did it!! How is it going? Still keeping up with the vitamins and hydration? How frequently would you say you use the protein shakes as opposed to eating mechanical soft foods, etc? I'm trying to figure out how many I ought to plan on needing for the weeks up to and after my surgery at the beginning of August.

I spoke with my doctor and honestly - I'm perhaps more on the fence than I was before! It's so HARD for me to commit to which surgery to get when given a couple of choices. I was scheduled for July 2 for the Roux-y myself but since I backtracked, asking about the SADI/SLIP (variant of the sleeve for folks with a higher BMI) it's now pushed off another month while they see if they can get insurance to cover it. Honestly I think I got spooked from seeing a friend of mine not follow her aftercare properly and end up with a hernia due to continuing to take NSAIDs and drink coffee post Roux. Now she keeps dropping weight and seems to not feel like she cannot control how much more weight she loses. I know logically that her experience wouldn't have to be MINE with the Roux; lots of folks have had it and been thrilled with the results. I'm SO excited for you, having your surgery date locked in! Right now I'm bound for August 5th - IF my insurance approved it. Otherwise I think I'll be getting the sleeve. I keep telling myself I'm not chickening out to take a possible two step approach rather than getting the Roux-y initially. I just don't know, but either way looks like we'll be recovering and going through the process at roughly the same time!! Please share your progress, if you feel so inclined! Do you feel ready for the liquid pre-surgery diet? I read somewhere that cream based soups, strained, make a good filler during that time.

Hello and welcome! Also -- congratulations!! How exciting it must be to be at that stage of seeing the weight peel off, and past the point of initial recovery, and past the point of choosing which surgery to get. I noticed that you chose to go with the sleeve as opposed to the Roux-y surgery. I think that's where I'm likely to begin, myself. I have bounced around, investigating what they call a SADI-s / Loop / SIPS surgery which has an extra component with the intestine beneath the sleeve, often done as a revision of the sleeve for those who regain weight or aren't satisfied with their results. It SEEMS to have fewer side effects than the Roux-y (full gastric) but I just don't know. I've also been given a fair amount of advice suggesting I try to find an expert to do the duodenal switch (DS) due to my BMI being in the high 50s/low 60s. I'm certainly willing to try to go that route but as someone else said -- there is usually a LOT of back and forth before committing to surgery and I'm almost 7 months into the program I'm at with my current surgeon. How long would it take me, realistically, to get this far again? WLS is such a difficult and scary commitment, and then getting on here BEFORE having a surgery has filled my brain with so many more complicated options. Its kind of hard for me to commit to big decisions and sometimes I wonder if learning more and more is making matters harder for me. I love to feel in control of what's happening with my body and try to inspect EVERY detail such as to avoid any regrets -- but sometimes staring at the water for too long makes one less likely to jump in, doesn't it? But you've DONE it! I think the sleeve is a great option and respect your choice, and am so happy that it has gone smoothly thus far. It could just be my perception, but most of the men I've seen post about their surgeries seem to indeed have a bit more gentle recovery, with fewer complications. I've seen a lot of folks caution me (this forum and others) about whether I'd be satisfied with the degree of weight loss if I were to go with a base sleeve, Roux-y, or SADI-s. This makes me really appreciate where you talked about that dark spiral and maxing out at 407. I say this as someone who feels like I understand pretty dang well what you're talking about because my max weight was 435! Being 'down' to 366 feels a heck of a lot better by comparison, and I got this far by myself, so maybe I don't need to be as concerned about satisfaction with the numbers as I do making sure I'm comfortable with the process of surgery to help me continue my weight loss journey. Please keep us in the loop as you continue on to your goal! Also - congratulations to the rest of you posting here who are inches from your goal weight or have already made it there!! No matter what surgery (or surgeries) helped you get there, you DID IT! Definitely an inspirational group of people here!

I spoke with my surgeon today and was glad I'd read a few people's experiences with trying to get the SADI-s/Loop! I felt knowledgeable enough to discuss the difference and did encounter a bit of pushback as though they really wanted me to just go along with the game plan rather than introducing a new obstacle of insurance pre-approval before being able to move forward. Which, from their perspective, I completely understand. The surgeon told me at different points that 'there wasn't much difference' and implied I'd need more Vitamins than with the Roux-Y surgery. I'm glad I read several medical studies and the Centre for Bariatric recommendations that this surgery be approved by insurance, explaining how for some folks it is MORE beneficial. I may have to get to the SADI-s/Loop via a two step method; getting the sleeve and later a modification (if not satisfied) to the SADI-s/Loop. Time (and insurance requirements! will tell!) It's definitely worth it to feel informed and in control of what choice I'm making regarding such a major surgery. I did make sure to let him know that I appreciated working with him and tell him that I certainly didn't consider myself an expert because of things read on the internet, and that I made sure to read reputable medical journals. I feel like he was much less dismissive after I spoke at length enough to make it clear that I actually knew what I was talking about.

Thanks!

I'm so glad that I found this thread. I've been reading about the SADI-S as my surgery date approaches and wondering why I hadn't been told about this as being a possible option. Years ago when I started exploring WLS my doctor suggested the sleeve for me, and now that I've finally gotten in and far along in a program I've realized that my surgeon has been very 'it's up to me' in regards to which surgery I should get. I assumed (incorrectly, I now see) that I needed the gastric bypass rather than the sleeve because I wanted to 'lose a LOT of weight' but now that I'm reading more ... Maybe that isn't the way to go? I have family history of GERD, PCOS, and a lot of inflammatory muscular conditions/degeneration. Losing the ability to take NSAIDs is a big deal to me, and the family history of GERD has made me nervous from the start. Am I maybe acting too rashly? Isn't a Gastric Bypass still possible if you aren't happy with your results from the sleeve?

Howdy - I'm scheduled for July 2nd - it's coming up quickly and NGL, I'm nervous. I was planning on the Roux en-Y gastric surgery and since reading about the SADI-S (Loop) I've been wondering if that's a surgery option for me, or if it is solely a revision of the Classic Sleeve. Does anyone know this answer?