Almost 4 years out and still having problems.

I take all my vitamins, still drink protein shakes most of the time, but have fallen back to eating regular foods quite a bit. I have also started having major sugar cravings and have been eating chocolate truffles to get through them, mostly at night. Is this why I feel bad all the time? I am always tired and dizzy and have trouble keeping my blood pressure up. However, I actually had not had an episode of dumping in months then all of a sudden I had one this weekend that almost landed me in the emergency room. I had eaten 3 small chicken strips, a few fries, and some celery in ranch dressing. I have been eating like this without any real probems for quite a while. This time though, my chest was hurting, my heart was racing, and then came the stomach pains. I promise it is worse than hard labor! It came in waves for about an hour and then I finally was able to us the bathroom some. The pain still came and went and then I heard a gurgling noise in my intestine(it always does this during one of these episodes) after which I had diarrhea. I know this is graphic yall but I seriously need to know if others of you who had surgery this long ago are having the same problems or if something is wrong with me. Please give me any thoughts you may have.

i am doing the same things. i have went back to eating regular foods again and no****ching what i use to eat. i have the same exact feelings and don't know what to do about getting back the way it was right after i got out of surgery. i know i hadn't helped any, but also to let ou know you are not alone. i am almost 6 yrs out and have gained about 50 pounds back. i hate it but just can't seem to get in the right frame of mind to do anythng about it. i hope to get my mind in the proper place here soon or i don't know what i will do. but you are not alone.

Thank you for your reply. I have only gained about 4 lbs. back thus far but it scares me to think about going back to the way I was. Also, feeling bad physically all the time is taking a toll on me. I appreciate your letting me know I am not alone and I will keep your situation in my thoughts.

Dr Bo did my surgery too.  I also have gained wiegt back, about 60 lbs.  I lost 175 lbs to begin with, but have gained 60 back.  I am wondering about a revision.  Does anyone know anything about these?  I have had a couple of MRI;s and am wondering if my staple lines were disabled.

Robin Jarvis-Easley SC now

I am 3 1/2 years out and experience some of the same things on occasion. I can eat a particular food  many times with no problems, then suddenly, out of the blue, it will cause dumping. I know it has everything to do with how our new system processes carbs and sugars and all I can figure out is that at certain times we don't process it right, maybe because we shouldn't be eating it, lol. It is so much like diabetic insulin reactions in the way it makes us feel, so I'm just guessing that is what it is. It seems very common place with a lot of RYN patients. Call your doctor if your really worried, but I bet they will tell you its all in what your eating.

Take Care!
Mary

Thanks so much for letting me know that you experience this too. I wonder too if it has anything to do with the fact that I recently started drinking diet soda. I had avoided carbonation all together since the surgery but over the last few months have started enjoying diet coke quite a bit. Do you feel like an alien instead of a human? I mean, nothing is the same in our bodies anymore. I knew that going in I guess but it did not become really clear to me until afterwords. I am just tired of feeling bad all the time Mary. This was supposed to be a good change in my life!!!

I started having problems with weight gain when I started drinking Diet cokes also.  I wonder what the relationship is?

Robin Jarvis
Greenville SC

Hi Sunnie

I'm going on 3 years out. and I was going through some of the same things you're having. I found out the hard way that diet coke will dehydrate you really fast, I was having the dizzy and tired feelings alot and my blood pressure wa****ting very low.. I cut out the diet coke and alot of carbs and now those feelings are gone...  As for the gurgling and diarrhea I think might be coming from a sudden rush of liquids into the intestines, mine will do that if I have drunk a soda on an empty stomach and also if it's been awhile during the day that I've not had any water...

But I'm with Mary if it's really bothersome, please contact your doctor... Also be very careful with soda and the formation of ulcers, they're very painful...

Good luck sweetie
Stephie

You all have been sooo helpful! Thank you all! Stephie, I guess I will cut the carbonation back out and see what happens. I did not realize the diet coke could cause ulcers. Also, I am not really a smoker but I do smoke sometimes so I am not going to do that either. I have already stopped with the chocolate truffles and cut back down on the bread some.  I guess I just have to take better care of myself. It is sometimes depressing to think of all the things we can't have but I need to remind myself of all the things I have gained...lost almost 100 lbs, down to a size 10 from a 20, no more heart meds, less arthritic pain in my knees, met the love of my life. Okay, maybe things aren't so bad. :)

Glad I could help some, as for diet coke yeah it will eat away at your stomach lining sooner or later it will cause an ulcer in the weakend tissue. I smoke and I wished that was something I never started back after surgery.. It's a nasty habit..

I'm not much of a chocolate eater I'm a crackers and pb girl and live alot of times just on those.... You have done a great job and you're right things aren't so bad when we stop and think about how far we've come and all the health issues we've gotten rid of....


Stephie