Roux-N-Y & Colectomy

Hello everyone!
In spring of 2005 I have my surgery. 2008, I was dx with "mega Colon", and had to have my large intestines removed. I successfully maintained my weight until the mega colon which was a birth defect BTW. I am reaching out to anyone who might have had a similar experience. I was at goal, 155-160. and now I am about 200 from 311. I started at. each day id a struggle for my to try to maintain under the cir****tances. How do I eat for Gastric surgery & Having no colon, eat that way (high fiber) and such? Its all so confusing and I am overwhelmed. I am very upset. I was in in so much pain b4 the colectomy, but Sometimes I feel It thew me off track for weight loss. Live in an area that caters to the lap band so I have been to so many Doctors, and I always walk away feeling discouraged. IDK...Any one care to share? 

I might be of some help. Minute, but some. I know what a colectomy is and you still need to nourish. I assume your small bowel is still intact? That's the one that does the absorbing of nutrients. The colon had a purpose, but if it's gone, well, it's gone. We move on and work with what you DO have.

I am sorry you went through this.  My situation is different but thought I would share my experience with you.  In October I was rushed to the hospital (an hour away - local hospital couldn't help me and my surgeon is in NYC), so I went there.  I had been constipated for about 5 days and nothing worked, so my Gastro doctor sent me for a CT scan and I had a bowel obstruction - not sure what else or what caused it - it is a big blur.  I was rushed into surgery and it was fixed and thought all was fine.  After a week they sent me to rehab to get my strength back and recover. Well, all went downhill from there and that is when everything a total blur for me.  They tell me that I got much sicker and eventually was unresponsive.  They rushed me to the local hospital and ran tons of tests.  Decided I needed more emergency surgery but they couldn't do it. I then had a perforated colon, was septic and if I had the surgery at that hospital I had about  a 20% chance of surviving.  So, they transfered me back into NYC to the original hospital.  My surgeon was out of town but one of his associates operated.  They gave me a 50% chance of surviving.  They started the surgery - cleaned out my insides, fixed the perforation but I was too sick to complete the surgery.  They left my abdomen open, covered it with guaze and put me in ICU for 3 days but left me unconscious.  Finally 3 days later when I was a little stronger and they felt I could get through the remainder of the surgery, they completed it.  I am not sure which procedure they removed part of my colon but I do still have the remaining part.  They were forced to insert an ileostomy, a feeding tube into my remnant stomach and they didn't close the wound.  I was in the hospital for almost 2 months.  I am still recovering - in pain all the time and looking forward to having the iliostomy reversed on February 15th - after 3months.

I do have to share that we are the oppposite in one main way, I can't stop losing weight.  While in the hospital, I lost about 25 pounds and since coming home, I have lost another 9 pounds.  I am now too thin - never thought I would ever say that.  I can't eat anymore than I am eating, so to try to slow the weight loss down or atleast to maintain, I am trying to eat high calorie foods.  So far this week, it has worked.  I can't lose anymore weight or my surgery might be postponed and I might have to go back on the tube feeds at night - I hated them, they made the iliostomy go  nuts, I had to empty it every 45minutes to an hour.  Got no sleep.

I am not sure how the colostomy is different from the iliostomy, do find that the food comes out into the bag the same as you eat it?  I have been eating macaroni and cheese this past week and it is really weird, the elbows come out of the stoma - it is very annoying.  I really have no one to talk to about this.  I just read not to eat any fresh fruit other than bananas and I found that out the hard way - the other day I had a tangerine and that was actually painful - the entire pieces of pulp were coming out and getting stuck - I had to pull them out.  Never again.

I do hope you are adjusting better.  I know our situations are different but there might be some similarities. Keep up your spirits.