Post-Op RNY Complications - 7 Years Later

Hi all. I haven't posted on OH in years, but with my recent complications, I need to share and hopefully get some advice. So, here's my story...

I have had problems and complications since my RNY bypass in Jan 08. A whole slew of them over the years. But the past year has been really rough. I started having strange pains under my ribs, vomiting, nausea, digestive probs, and a sometimes a complete inability to eat. After multiple doctors visits, er visits, and tests, I ended up almost dying in October, 2014 from a complete small bowel obstruction/interns hernia. Fortunately, I had emergency surgery to correct it and didn't lose any portions of my intestines. I thought I had survived the worst.

However, since the beginning of January, I started noticing those same symptoms starting up again. And sometimes the symptoms were much worse...and much scarier. So, again with doctors visits and er visits. I was hospitalized twice with partial obstructions and just had to wait it out for things to correct themselves. I missed a lot of work and lost 20 lbs in a month. This past Sunday night, I was rushed to the hospital in terrible pain and vomiting bile and fecal matter. After a ct scan, the doctors informed me that I needed to have emergency surgery again.

When I woke up, the surgeon told me that he basically had to revise my RNY and that it was so bad that he had to do it open (I now have a 6 in*****ision with 22 staples). There was a major issue with the connection made in my small bowel reattachment from my original surgery and he had to repair it and remove several inches of my intestines. I am now home from the hospital and seem to be recovering well, at least physically.

Mentally, however, is a different story. I'm a wreck. I'm afraid I'm going to lose my job because I can't go back to work for at least 2 more weeks and I don't have any time off left because of all the time I've taken off this past 12 months dealing with this. My marriage is stressed for obvious reasons. And I have a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old who need me and i can't be there for them.

Has anyone else been through something like this? How did you survive it all? I need advice, help, encouragement. Sorry about the length of this post. And thanks in advance for any response.

Kate

Pre-op 268/Goal 140/Current 121

Hi. My heart goes to you.

I am almost 7 years post op. I developed some issues.  I deal with food allergies, IBS-C (IBS with constipation - my gut done not move my food very well, and l have with daily gut pain, and deal with constipation).

I had a lot of tests done to determine what foods and additives i developed allergies to. The list is very long: from dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, whey), to soy, vanilla, cayenne, pineapple, bananas, ets etc. 

I Folow FODMAP free diet (google that),  avoiding carbs, starches, most fruits...and fiber. Yes - fiber may and does cause a lot of pain in my gut. I follow LCHF (low cards, higher fats) type of low FODMAP diet. I use miralax (2 capfulls a day in my morning coffee ) o make sure things move in correctly (i rather have runny loose BM than a solid one.)

I suspect i have SIBO (Google that) That is causing a lot of my problems.  

How do i deal with all of that?  Special Diet, gentle exercises, supplements, and Miralax. 

That allows me to have rather normal life. I even went on vacations skiing and had a great time. 

Btw: i finally found a group of docs that i can trust, that are on the same page as i am and who take insurance. 

Try to find a doc in your area that specialized in Functional Medicine. (Google that).

Pm me if you can't find more info or you want to brain storm with me about your findings. 

Wow,

In reading your story I am reliving mine!  Last year I went through the same things as you. For over a year I have been having issues with pain when I ate.  During my pregnancy I lost so much weight I was put on a PICC line and as soon as I delivered her they took out my gall bladder thinking that was the reason for the pain.  It was not.  I continued to see my doctor and several others with no answers.  Finally, I was rushed to the hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting nothing when I was sent into emergency surgery.  I too had a volvulus and almost died due to the amount of tissue that had died and all the bacteria in there from that.  I had two surgeries back to back. One was to reverse my RNY bypass then the other to finish cleaning up and check to see if my organs were returning to normal color.  They say this was due to an undetected hernia from my original RNY surgery in 2006.  So here I am a year later and have had no issues other than extreme rapid weight gain.  I entered the hospital last March at 155 and now weigh 255.  My eating habits have not changed due to having RNY successful for over 8 years and those habits still with me.  My doctor just says my body is now back to absorbing food the way it always has and offers no other help.  I am very thankful to be alive but dealing with being obese again has gotten me severely depressed.  Other than work, I avoid people like the plague!  I can see the look on their face when they see me and I have gotten so big so fast.  It is crazy!  I have been on diets and just like before surgery, they are not helping. I went on a month long extremely strict diet and GAINED 4 pounds!  I am at the end of my rope and have no options left.  I sincerely hope this does not happen to you.  Good luck to you!!!!

Hi Kate,

I'm hoping that by now you are recovered and doing well. I got out of the hospital a week ago after having surgery for a small bowel obstruction also. I had been throwing up everything I ate or drank for a solid week. I had lots of scar tissue and a kink in the intestine. I was post RNY seven years but did not have any problems until this one, though the doctor was amazed that I hadn't had issues before. 

I am doing well now, almost back to my normal self. I'm hoping that I won't have anymore problems. If you check here please let me know how you are doing...

Julia

Your story mirrors mine....I am sitting here now in my bariatric dr's office with another hernia. I've had two hernias rupture and emergency surgery in 2007 and 2009. Now with mesh holding stomach/intestines together, I sit here back to original weight(which is humiliating)wondering what now? I am worried about my mortality and I have 2 kids who need me. My surgery was 2001 and thru 2 pregnancies and 6 years all was great. I was slim and even lost quickly after pregnancies.  Life was great!!!! Then all hell broke loose on my health. Ruptures, surgeries and gaining all weight back at rapid pace. I avoid people at all costs cause I'm so humiliated by way I look. This is the most terrible depressing thing to live with.... I try to think positively cause I am thankful I'm still alive but it gets hard to fight. I know what you r going thru!

I never thought I'd be here, posting again, but here I am. I am having problems again and was just in the ER yesterday. Of course, I had a young PA who obviously doesn't have any experience with gastric bypass patients. She sent me home with "gastritis" and nausea meds. I've also lost all of my teeth. Im 38 and had beautiful, perfect teeth before RNY. I have a partial on the top and a full denture on the bottom. I got this in the last 2 weeks and the denture doesn't fit at all. Because of this, I've only been able to eat around 200 calories a day consisting of mashed potatoes and grits. I've lost about 12 lbs since then. I'm also losing all my hair. I used to have long, thick hair. Now I can't stand taking showers because of all the hair I lose. I feel like I am dying everyday. I can't work anymore and I can hardly take care of my kids. If you are reading this and haven't had surgery yet, PLEASE reconsider. It's the worst thing I've ever done and if I could do it over, I would NEVER do it. Thanks for reading.