Veteran RNY ers ( or others ) do you still have malbsorption and volume restriction years...

I find I still malabsorb fats nine years or so post op - ( sorry to be graphic) - my poo comes out soft and very light yellow in color the next day ( sometimes urgently ) if say I eat full fat cheese or a restaurant meal which contain usually several times the amount of fats and oils I?d ever consider using at home .

My ex husband who had a distal RNY said the same thing ( he was operated on a few years before me ).
He also still has significant restriction- he always has to bring most of his restaurant meals home like I do .

I?m just very curious- what makes our bodies keep this gift and if we have it why do many folks significantly regain after the two year honeymoon period ?

Since my surgery I?ve made it a point not to overeat ( not that I can ) nor to test ? dumping ? by eating sugar or say fried or most fast foods .

what is your experience?

I will be 14 years out later this month. I now malabsorb just a very small amount of fat (it isn't even noticeable unless I eat something with a lot of it... and even then it doesn't result in the stools you describe).

I do still have pretty good restriction (knowing that the pouch would naturally be expected to stretch a bit), though. I can still only eat about 3.5-4 ounces of a dense protein.

Lora

I don't have that issue, either.

I know you've frequently mentioned on this site that you follow a very low-fat diet. So maybe that's why you're seeing this when you DO eat fat? As in your body's just not used to it? Not sure.

re: the weight regain during year 2 or 3 - part of it may be due to the malabsorption ending, but that only happens in bypass patients. VSG patients also experience "rebound", so part of it may also be due to bad habits creeping back in - or just eating more in general (even if we haven't reverted to bad habits).

I still have restriction, but not like I did the first few months post-op. I doubt anyone could tell at this point that I've had WLS. I eat about as much as my never-been-obese women friends who are watching their weight. For example, at restaurants I'll typically just eat an appetizer - or order an entree and take 1/2 - 2/3 of it home. Or I'll eat 1-2 pieces of pizza (that's all I can handle now at one sitting) vs the half a large pizza that I used to be able to eat prior to surgery.

I can eat three bites of a slice of pizza and have to put it down due to sneezing and sniffling ( my pouch?s indicators that she?s had ENOUGH lol) .

It literally takes me two hours to eat half of it and usually I throw the rest out .

I find I?m a constant food hoarder - my eyes want this and that .... I plan this great meal in my mind and aquire the ingredients and 9/10 gets left on the plate . Since my pouch can?t tolerate leftovers I throw out ( or compost ) an unconscionable amount of food - every single day .

Yes my natural predilection/ preference is to eat very low fat or ( preferably ) fat free.

I think you?re right this might be why I still have malabsorption when I do eat ? normal ? amounts of fat .

In any case I?m grateful for my pouch?s touchy temperament. She keeps me slim, ? fighting weight ? and super healthy and ridiculously energetic .

10 years in and I still sneeze if I've eaten too much. If I had to put a number to it, I'd say that my pouch is still 90% as restrictive as it was during year one.

I'm 18+ years from my DS and I still have significant fat malabsorption. I'm still at the same goal weight I reached 16-1/2 years ago :) Not much restriction anymore (having the sleeve with the DS) but definitely not back to pre-DS volume. I say I eat like a "normal" person volume-wise.

I had RNY is 2007. I have no malabsorption or restriction. I only control my weight with diet and exercise. Just like before surgery.

The DS does give lifetime fat malabsorption. The RNY gives about two years of calorie malabsorption. When the surgery is new, there is tremendous restriction. But it is similar to a new born baby. The RNY pouch or VSG/DS sleeve grows up and becomes an adult pouch or sleeve.

If I wanted to, I could eat as much as before surgery and if I did not control my eating, I would weigh as much as before surgery.

Hi, I just read your reply, and thought..wait..another person who had RNY awhile back like and never felt restricted or malabsorption etc. I haven't either! After 1 month post op I was able to and unfortunately chose to go back to the same foods pre op. I am a bad patient though, and I post 60 lbs in like 3 mos but then regained most of it. I eat large portions give or take, eat very slowly and don't drink and eat at the same time etc..but I am a sugar addict and addicted to dark chocolate!

If I have malabsorption I do not know it, I don't have a lot of really loose stools. I still take a lot of vitamins and supplements and several Rx meds which I hope are being absorbed properly. However, I assume I must not absorb all the fat because despite the way I eat, I do not gain more, I stay in the same weight give or take 5lbs for years! I do get dumping often from sugar and my blood sugar drops at times too. If I eat too much esp if it's sugary, I will feel super tired or just fall asleep.

Anyway I know this has been alot to write and for you to read! I just wanted to reach out as it seems most post op rny'ers have some sort of restrictions and malabsorption issues that make it very uncomfortable to over eat etc. I think .did I have the same surgery?? I was told that when I had an endoscopy post op for chronic reflux, it was noted that the opening to the pouch was a tad larger than the usual protocol. Supposedly this was done to reduce complications..but did it make this whole thing useless?? Sorry again for dragging on, thanks for reading all this!

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What you say White Dove is EXACTLY why I was terrified to get this lifesaving WLS.

I read ( here) that RNY ( and VSG ) patients have to diet for a lifetime..... not that I wasn't dieting ALREADY but why risk my life and longevity to basically get the same issues back a few years post op?

For me this nine year journey has been AMAZING.

I've attempted and succeeded at so many dreams that as a struggling-with- their weight and health person I just couldn't BEGIN to do .

i just wish I could bring the peace I feel around eating now to others ... the incredible joy of sharing healthy homemade meals with my family and friends ... the wonder of working with homegrown produce and eating in and enjoying that beautiful garden .

I think my WLS NORMALIZED me . I still have excess fat cells and aging issues .... I just had a well deserved reset . I'm SO happy I did it and SO GRATEFUL every single day :)

Hi!

I am almost 5 years out from bypass. I have had to stop most of my vitamin supplements, I have no malabsorbtion and have had very little since the begining.

I first had a lap-band in 2007 which caused a lot of damage. My pouch was larger than routine due to this damage. (4oz) My surgeon sent me to a trained bariatric physician; she specializes in finding out why some bypassers aren't successfull.

I now follow the " intuitive eating" program. It works for me! This is trying to fix the brain part, the hard part of our journey!