After duodenal switch, Krystal’s ‘ah-ha’ moment comes with favorite pair of jeans

Krystal’s height, weight, goals, and relatively good health all checked out.

Dr. Masoud Rezvani, MD, FACS, FASMBS, identified her as a candidate for Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD-DS) also known more commonly as a Duodenal Switch.

The Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS) is a two-part procedure.

1. A portion of the stomach is removed to create a smaller stomach pouch, similar to the sleeve gastrectomy procedure.
2. The bottom part of the small intestine is brought up and connected to the new stomach pouch, bypassing a large portion of the small intestine.

“BPD-DS is a very unique procedure,” explains Rezvani. “First, it’s an extremely, technically difficult procedure. And number two, it requires patients who have a very high [body mass index], persistent obesity without any treatment or response to other treatments. It’s not for everyone, but bariatric surgery works if we choose the right procedure for the right patient.”

Dr. Rezvani is one of only a handful of doctors performing this operation not only in Virginia, but also the U.S. The procedure requires more maintenance for its patients, but the results are more significant and longer-term than other procedures out there.

Krystal, who likes to weigh her options, did her homework. She investigated the different procedures and decided the duodenal switch (DS) would not only be ideal for her, but also a good fit for her lifestyle.

“It’s something that you can maintain your weight loss and you can maintain your results better overall. And that’s what I wanted. I didn’t want to lose a whole lot of weight the first year and then you see me in five years and I’m back to 200 pounds, which is sometimes what you’ll see with a sleeve or with the gastric bypass.”

Rezvani performed Krystal’s surgery in May 2017 at a hospital outside the Sentara network. At that point, she weighed 387-pounds, but her road to recovery wasn’t an easy one.

On the day Krystal was to be released, Dr. Rezvani noticed she was breathing irregularly. A CT scan discovered she had blood clots in her lungs.

Krystal was eventually released but spent the summer dealing with that, and gastritis. That’s when she was brought to Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.

There, doctors were able to get her clots and gastritis under control, and Krystal later returned to work. At first, she didn’t realize how much weight she had lost.

“I don’t weigh myself, I would only weigh in when I had a doctor’s appointment. So, when I got back to work everyone’s jaw dropped and I was like, ‘what? I haven’t even lost any weight yet!’ And they were like, ‘Are you kidding?’” said Krystal.

Her “ah-ha” moment came when she went to put on her favorite pair of jeans.

“I’m a girl that loves jeans. And I put on my favorite jeans and they fell right off me! My husband was like, ‘Yeah, it might be time to go shopping.’ And when my husband tells me to go shopping, he doesn’t have to tell me twice!” she said, laughing.

“I recommend Sentara because they were able to take care of me, from the time I got there in the ambulance –everyone was very kind and more importantly, kept me abreast of what was going on. That was important to me because I like to be informed, I’m the girl who does research on everything. They explained everything to me in a lot of detail,” she remembers.

Krystal has gone from size 24 to a 10 and-a-half. But, it’s not just the size of her clothing which has changed, it’s the quality of her life.

“I feel awesome, this was actually the best thing I’ve ever done,” she says smiling. “I had a vision of how I wanted my life to look,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who wanted to be active and get up and go, but I think even more so now, I have that drive. It makes family vacations better. I’m a girl that loves roller coasters and it would devastate me when I couldn’t ride when I was heavier, so now I’m like, ‘Let’s go to the amusement park!’ I’m outrunning the kids!”

Surgery isn’t for everyone. To learn more, ask questions of a board-certified surgeon and discover if weight loss surgery is right for you, join us for our free, in-person seminar at the Homewood Suites in Woodbridge on Saturday, May 4 at 10:30 am. – 11:30 a.m.