Liver Anyone?

I know Reenie and a couple more are having liver issues. Have you gotten to the bottom of this? I ended up in te emergency room last night in extreme pain. My pancreas and liver are both enlarged, but no clue of why. My blood work is perfect. I had everything from CAT scans to sonograms to MRIs yesterday, but there's no explanation for my liver and pancreas. The wls diet is perfect for people with pancreaitis so the doctors can't figure out what is causing this. Any of you get to the bottom of your liver issues? Hugs, Connie

God, Connie, this scares me. First of all, are you OKAY? My doctor remains perplexed about all of this; he called me at home a couple of weeks ago after reviewing my latest bloodwork. My liver function is not good--although he continues to tell me to not be alarmed. I love this man - we'd be dating if I wasn't married (he isn't). Anyway, he said that my liver is--for lack of any other explanation--injured. He suspects it has something to do with being so heavy for so many years and then the shock of such rapid and significant weight loss. He said we just have to continue monitoring the situation but that I shouldn't worry (he knows that I do) and that he's on top of this. He said I've "challenged" him to be more vigilent about researching wls and all its wondferul rewards--and potentially hazardous consequences. Please, please stay aware, everone. Connie, how are you, how long were you in the ER, what is your follow-up? Love you tons, M.

Reenie, I'm better today. Just a sore abdomen, but I tell you that I was one hurting puppy last night. I'm really wondering if pancreas and liver disease are not related to wls or at least obesity beforehand. I knew that I had an enlarged liver before surgery, but just presumed that it would all go away after surgery. Actually, the pancreas thing bothered me more. The liver is pretty good at rejuvenating itself, but the pancreas is SOL. I did a little reading on webmd.com about the pancreas, more on the liver later. http://www.webmd.com/content/article/103/107181.htm I didn't realize that the pacreas came right after the duodenum, which is detached in us RNYers. The biggest cause of pancreas disease is alcohol abuse, but that's not the cause in my case. I consume virtually no alcohol. The diet for pancreatitis is ironically the diet that I follow most of the time anyway, high protein and little fat. I have a theory about the liver issue. I'm wondering if Tylenol doesn't have something to do with this. I don't know about you, but since surgery, I've taken nothing but Tylenol products on the advice of my surgeon. Since my back is a disaster, I take one Tylenol product or another, including Vicodin which is Tylenol and Codeine, every single day. When I get a cold, as I have now, I use Tylenol products. My surgeon strongly recommended not drinking because since the duodenum is detatched, they don't know the effect of alcohol on the liver. Wouldn't it stand to reason that the same caution should be used with Aceteminophen since it has been proven to damage the liver the same way that alcohol does? http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Acetominophen.pdf As for my follow-up and time in the ER... I was there from about 10:00 pm until 4:00 am. Almost none of that time was spent waiting because they got me in and started working on me right away. I had CAT scans, MRIs, sonograms and blood workups. They really went over me with a fine tooth comb. Honestly, I don't think the ER doc has a clue about what to do about this. Her advice was not to drink and eat a high protein/low fat diet. I explained that I already do that because of the wls, but I don't think she believed me. Both diseases are closely tied to alcoholism so I'm sure she thinks that they are probably alcohol related because she kept asking how much I drin****pt telling her that I seldom drink and she kept asking me the same thing over and over again. I'll follow up with my PCP, but I think this is going to be something that I just have to take care of myself. I'm really not looking forward to the morning because I will be having another epidural for the non-existent disks in my back and I'm usually in quite a bit of pain for a few days after. I'm cutting out Tylenol to see if that helps. I love you huge! Connie

Connie i'm so sorry that you've had such problems! more and more as i read the differetn postings about these possibly related illnesses from wls it scares me. we really haven't been told what the extra could haves were. but i dont think they knew. what they did know were some big of the benifits and some maybe what if's. could they have happened if we didn't have the surgery? what would have otherwise happened without the surgery? gee i go back and forth with all of this. i'm still very happy with the surgery but sometimes i feel like i'm carrying a time bomb. etiher way that bomb was just there being. argggggggg i'm struggling with gaining weight. i'm up from my lowest at 157 to now at 167. not alot i know its only 10 pounds and my doctor had said that a year after the surgery he expected his patients to gain at least 10 pounds. i dont' want them! and i'm having a hard time losing them! granted i'm back to working out after having a wicked whip lash last year. i've had to go slow if i work out too much then i injure the neck again. so far so good in the past 2 weeks i've worked up to working out 4 times a week and have added my nighttime crunches and worked them up to 50 a night. my clothes fit me differently since the weight gain. i do not see the scale budging it continues to stay were it is or go up a pound or two which is water fluctuation. i know we are all goign through this. i know that and expect to from reading everyones postings that this is normal. that i need to continue to work out and watch what i eat. keep away from the sugar free shortbread cookies! thank god for this site because without it i would be stressing and feelign like i was the only one going through all of this. reenie and connie you both and everyone who posts have been great with helping to keep us peoplle who are terrible at research educated with what to expect. good luck and god bless pammy

Hey Pammy, I'm still thrilled that I had the surgery and the crap that pops up once in a while is still worth it. I'm just going to have to keep an eye on this. I'm sure that whatever health issues I would have had if I was still a big girl would be far worse. I'm not dealing with Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and I can roll out of be the morning without moaning. Life is still wonderful. Because if my back, I can't take long walks anymore and I'm having a tough time getting to the gym because of my work schedule. I just got a stationary recumbent bike and flopped it right down in front of the TV. I'll see if that is any kinder to my back. I'm not noticing the weight gain as much as I am being out of shape and not toned anymore. The scale is basically the same, but clothes don't fit the same. Hugs, Connie

I'm not sure if it's PC to say so, but I believe it was a "God thing" that I checked this web site tonight. I had my WLS in March 2004 but rarely get on to check the site. Yet, when I do, I always see the few of you who have stuck together through all this and I admire you for that. Sorry that I haven't been a part of the group. And I almost feel like I'm imposing to get on now. BUT back to the "God Thing"...Connie, I pray that you ARE and WILL BE OK. And I agree with Pammy about how you and Reenie (and I know there are others of you that have "stuck" with the "group", sorry I don't remember your names) have kept this site going, kept us educated. ANYWAY (I tend to ramble,can you tell) tonight something told me to check out this site. And I was INSTANTLY drawn to the "re liver" message. As for many of you, these past 2 years have been challenging. I don't struggle with weight issues anymore. But food was my COMFORT. And in the past year,my family has gone through MANY UNEXPECTED MAJOR stresses (one at a time, I can handle, but 4 or more and I seem to crumble). Well, FOOD used to be the one I ran to when stres**** I can't run to it anymore. I was NOT a drinker, even socially. THEN I had a panic attack. (Have any of you experienced that? It was the FIRST time for me and it was absolutely terrifying). My family doc Rx anxiety meds but honestly they didn't seem to help. So I turned to wine...PLUS on top of that I am taking Tylenol for occ aches/pains.what a dummy I am, wine and Tylenol can cause liver dysfunction, I KNOW that, yet I keep thinking "not me". Connie, I feel so BAD for you that the hospital staff continued to question you re alcohol use, as if they refused to believe that you do not drink. This happened to my 78 yr old father when he was unable to get off the ventilator post cardiac surgery ..the staff KEPT asking ask us HOW MUCH DOES HE DRINK? And we kept telling them NONE..NOTHING. They just don't seem to believe it if the "numbers" show different. They kept insisting that my father was a" closet" alcoholic and I KNOW FOR A FACT that he is not. Lately, I've had chest pain...my lab work came back ok. But your posts were a WAKE UP CALL for me. I MUST stop drinking. And stop the Tylenol. I had been wondering if other WLS pts were suffering with this and now I have my answer. And I do NOT want to contribute to my own liver/pancrease problems. Like Pammy said, I also go "back and forth" on should I have had the WLS. The answer is yes, yet i do wonder about the long term effects. If you had the time to read this rambling post, thank you. But mostly THANK YOU for opening my eyes to the problems our WLS may cause to our liver/pancrease and that I MUST stop drinking! And Rennie and Connie, I so ADMIRE you for your POSITIVE attitudes ,not to put pressure on you to be always optomistic (no one can do that) but it is such an encouragement to read of your trials and yet you somehow maintain a positive attitude. MANY THANKS and MANY PRAYERS, ellen

Ellen, Call it Fate, God, divine intervention or luck, I'm glad you stopped in and the post helped. I hope you keep coming back and please don't feel like you can't post, ask advice, give advice, and be a part of the group. We need you. I know that we're all busy living our lives, but we need to hang together because the obesity war rages on for most of us. Chest pain can be caused by anxiety. Maybe you need a different script? Different doctor? With all the stressors that you and your family have had, I can understand the anxiety. Studies show that continuous stress is actually more dibilitating that an acute traumatic episode. Sounds like you've had your share lately. I've been off the Tylenol for the last week or so. Sounds like I've given up Crack doesn't it? Hello, I'm Connie and I'm a Tylenoloholic. Of course I decide to go cold turkey when I have a cold and back issues so I can't say I'm the most pleasant person to be around lately. That's OK, my dog loves me. Actually, I'm feeling better so the Tylenol abstinence hasn't been a big deal the last few days. Ellen, I hope that things get brighter in your world and I hope you keep in touch. Hugs, Connie

Ellen, I just found your post, so sorry I've not responded until now. And so glad you popped in; we need each other, plain and simple. I am really dealing with the mighty fact that life simply marches on. I will NEVER regret I had this surgery but I have said from three months "out" that behavioral change is ultimately what keeps us healthy and maintaining our weight loss. If I didn't get that early on I would absolutely have regained much, if not all, of the weight by now. Like you, food has always served a purpose in my life; it soothed me when my emotions were difficult to manage, which is so much of the time for me. THAT's the part I'm working hard on now--dismantling the "old" structure, the old mechanisms for coping and trying to replace those behaviors with new, vital, healthy choices. I'm not working on maintaining my weight loss as much as I'm working on addressing the very real issues that caused me to live in a body that at one time topped 400 lbs. I'm a 50 year old woman and I am just now learning so much, I feel like a baby trying to walk for the first time. The liver "damage" as my doctor calls it might have more to do with carrying all that weight for almost all of my life than with the actual surgery. And we might never really know what's causing the problems; but I'll keep an eye on it and in the meantime, I just wake up every morning (when I've been able to sleep) and recommit to taking care of myself--my mind, my body, my soul. That's all I can do. It's a very difficult struggle at times and I am more depressed than I care to admit--perhaps exhausted and defeated is a better description for what I feel too much of the time. But we can work toward SELF-CARE every day of our lives. PLEASE do whatever you need to do to stop drinking; I understand needing to cope. I have in the last 6 months become addicted to the sleep aid drug Ambien--I got to the point where I could not go to sleep on my own and I took myself off the drug 3 days ago and am suffering severe withdrawl, just like an addict. But I was able to go to sleep on my own last night and even go back to sleep every time I woke up, which was several times. Addiction is addiction is addiction and for those of us who have spent our lifetimes cultivating relationships with substances that help us cope by "numbing" our feelings or allowing us to "check out" so we don't have to deal with debilitating emotional pain, it is a very real and constant battle. Take care of yourself. Just wake up in the morning and make a promise to yourself, "today I will take care of my body (exercise and eat well), my mind (stay focused in your work life or challenge yourself with reading about something you've always been interested in), and my soul (give of yourself to others). Sorry for the rambling, I am very touched that you posted and so want the best for you. Take good care, Maureen

Thanks for your replys. Connie, I hadn't thought about chest pain being related to anxiety. I will ask my dr about that, thanks! "tylenoloholic"? I like that you can have a sense of humor despite your struggle with the pain. You and Reenie are so brave to go cold turkey, I am impressed and encouraged and will try to be as brave as you both are re my addiction. Reenie, that was a powerful statement re dealing with the REAL issue that caused the weight gain and that addiction is addiction, no matter WHAT (alcohol, food,etc). Somehow I'm going to have to learn to FACE the emotional/physical pain without turning to alcohol. I like your morning promise Reenie and plan to use it! Thank you both so VERY much for welcoming me back to the group and for your encouragement. You have NO idea how much it means to me. I'm going to be away for a week but will post when I get back. You're in my prayers....ellen