Hi,

I am 3 months post op RNYGB and am having a very hard time adjusting.  I had this surgery for severe diabetes, to save my life, not for weight loss (I weighed 185lbs pre-op and now weigh 155lbs).  I am happy that it has improved my diabetes significantly (still have higher than normal blood glucoses but on less insulin and Metformin than pre-surgery) but I have issues now that I did not see coming.  I have constant and severe neuropathy now, that doesn't respond to meds (my neuropathy prior to surgery was severe in that I had total numbness).  I also have severe bone pain and cannot take any meds for it, no ibuprofen, no narcotics (I'm allergic to them).

 I also am having difficulty eating solids and drinking- the dietician said I only get 3 cups of fluids in a day (so dehydrated) and 1/2 the protein I need and less than half the carbs I need to keep energy levels up.  I feel like I am slowly starving to death, have trouble drinking anything!  I have nausea and vomit lots and I get these weird episodes similar to hypo's but I am NOT showing low blood sugars, also get at the same time dumping like symptoms (heart racing, cramps, cold sweat).  The docs don't know what is going on, at least they say they don't know why and to just give it time.  I am getting worse not better.  I also get these episodes every time I have a BM or exert myself at all.  Weird too, I get a runny nose and sneeze with them.

Has anyone else had these symptoms and do they go away with time, like the docs are telling me?  Please HELP!

I have no advice for you but I do suggest you post on the RNY board instead of the regrets board.  The ppl. On the RNY board are the ones who will be able to help and advise you. It does get better with time but you need some real life help from. Ppl who have been there and done that. Sounds like your surgeon is pretty useless as they often are post op. GL,

Hi Speckle. I am not an MD. But do you think using capsaicin or resiniferatoxin injections would help with your bone pain?  Check out US Publication 2003/0104085 in Google Patents (free) and WO 98/040070 (or WO 98/40070) at the WIPO website (also free).  If they look promising, print them out and give them to your doctor. He can do the leg work and get in touch with the inventors.  One method injections the stuff into the spine, the other into the affected joints. 

Notably, these may not FDA approved. So your doc is going to have to do some research of his own to find out if they have been.

Good luck.

Have you been feeling any better since you last posted?

I too regretted my wls but there ARE people that do get better with time, and then there are some that don't.

Hoping you are the former rather than the latter

Grace

Hi Everyone,

I have good days and lots of bad days- I have been diagnosed with Dysautonomia now.  I continue to struggle with nutrition intake- am down to 130lbs now.  Still get sick lots and can't get enough fluids in- making my dysautonomia much worse.  That is why I have those weird episodes I was talking about in my other posts.  The pain is excruciating still- no help for it!  I am praying to get into a specialist for this condition here, if I can't I don't know what I will do.  Since being diagnosed with this I think I had it all along, even before my rnygb, that is the reason my diabetes wasn't getting controlled.  I wish I hadn't had the surgery now!  I guess I have to live with it as best as I can and for as long as I can- not sure what the future holds now.  Take one day at a time.  Please really get as much info as you can before going ahead with this surgery- even though there wasn't much info out there for it for diabetes treatment alone- I wish I had did more research and talked to more surgeons/internist/endo's who have had it done on pts.  It was a first of it's kind here in Alberta, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else get it done.

Thanks for all the advice though.

Debbie

Debbie,

Sorry to hear you aren't coming out of it very well. From what you are saying about your problems, I'm wondering if any of them are really related to the RNY. Neuropathy is an unfortunate side effect from prolonged high blood pressure and a common issue with Diabetics. If I may ask is the Neuropathy in your feet and legs ? If so that's a dead giveaway. Your other issues sound suspicious as well. Make sure you are seeing a good Diabetic control nutritionist at a hospital that has a program for diabetics and not just going to a Weightloss center. They tend not to be real experts in long term diabetic issues.

Hi Dashmatrix,

I have been followed by experts in Diabetes care all along (some of the best in the world) and continue to do so.  I am very confident in my knowledge of diabetes and everything that goes with it.  I am pretty sure I had the Dysautonomia all along too now.  I was diagnosed with severe peripheral neuropathy many years ago (the neuropathy in the feet, legs, hands, arms) but also have autonomic neuropathy.  Dysautonomia is a more advanced case and involves all the systems of the autonomic nervous system.  The RNY would have been helpful in stabilizing my blood sugars because of the intestinal changes it makes (changes the way hormones/enzymes involved in insulin processes are utilized) but I was told I would be given a larger stomach pouch (which I never got) so that I would be able to eat more to help stabilize after the surgery and so that I wouldn't loose too much weight.  Now that I have less stomach I have a really hard time getting enough nutrition in.  I get lows and highs lots and have to eat or drink pretty much every minute of my waking hours.  It is a FT job.  I think the stress of the RNY on my body made the Dysautonomia worsen by lots!  That's why I am telling others if they are looking at it to treat diabetes and they are NOT obese, to be very careful!  Thanks though for your comments and support.

Yeah, I'm on your side, for sure. I hope things turn around. I hear alot of stories where people were sold on RNY's or VSG when they really weren't seeking them out in the first place. I also hear stories from folks who never really wanted them in the first place. I think some of the intolerant folks may lose sight of that. I know I wanted mine, and I went through a lot of flaming hoops to get it. But I needed mine to lose weight to save my life. Diabetes is a terrible disease and my thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope things improve for you. I really do.

Hi, I am two years out and all I can offer you is that you need to stay on top of your nutrition, vitamins, and water. There are some days I do not stay on top of this and regret it because of weakness, but the upside is that if you are diligent with the vitamins such as sublingual B then you will feel better. A good B vitamin is a liquid B complex. I use Natures Bounty and hold it under the tongue for 3 to 5 minutes. It greatly helps. I also take in a lot off protein to help me supplement my protein levels. The one thing you want to do is drink lots of water and make it a habit to to sip as if you were a chain smoker. Keep a bottle that is 1 liter in size with you always and drink drink drink. I hope this helps you out some. Over time the good habits like these become a way of life and they will replace the bad ones.

Thanks Jeff and everyone else for your advice.  I do stay on top of all my nutritional and supplemental requirements, like I said it is a FT job. I had diabetes so bad that I could not afford a "bad" habit so don't have them! I have come to accept that this is what my life will be now and I am happy to still be here, I just had my 1 year anniversary of the RNY on Jan 29th.  The RNY has been pretty amazing for my diabetes control- I am no longer on any insulin (was on 500 units a day before it) and just take oral meds now- so that is a VICTORY!  I don't need to take needles anymore!  There is always a give and take I guess in everything. The other health issues I just have to deal with and hope for the best, my faith will see me thru.  Thanks for all your support, I appreciate it and if anyone who is going for the surgery for diabetes treatment wants to contact me feel free to do so.