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I'm at my wits' end here and hoping for some help/feedback. I am 3 yrs post-op from RNY. I really never adjusted to the solid food stage very well, in fact it took me 3 months to transition from soft to whole foods. Anyway, back then I had many tests (CT scans. MRI, upper GI with Small Bowel follow-through, etc). The only conclusion reached was that my transit time was a bit slower than normal and I was to eat slower, etc.
So, here I am...3 years out and still having food issues. My food gets "stuck' at least every other day and there's no reason. I have tried to keep a food diary to identify problem foods, but nothing is consistent. I chew to the same consistency and never eat quickly.
This past July, I had 3 hernias repaired, my gallbladder removed, lysis of adhesions and my abdominaplasty. Initially, the problem seemed to go away, so my docs and I pretty much blamed the adhesions and hernias for my "sticking" problems. Well, here I am, 5 months post op and my problems have returned with a vengeance. My surgeon refuses to do any more testing on me because he says I am not really losing any weight, so therefore my problems must not be too bad (HIS logic, not mine!)
To summarize, I really need some input here. Has anyone experienced these symptoms? Often times, I need to force myself to vomit, if not, the pain in my back and chest get unbearable. Sometimes, tea helps facilitate, but most of the time, I have to dry heave for up to 3 hours before things improve. Most of the time, I feel like if I can put a plunger down my throat, I would feel better! Yikes!!
Help!
Thanks!
Toni
386/220
I had a massive GI bleed in June 2008, when I was nine months post-op. The only symptoms I had prior to bleeding out was 1) a general feeling of exhaustion that got progressively worse over the course of a week and 2) feeling lightheaded and as if I were going to faint when I stood up from a sitting, stooped or lying down position. Then, I passed a black, tarry stool (it's called melina -- definitely Google the term) and decided to go to the ER. My hematocrit was 17% (normal for an adult female is 38-46%) and I was very, very ill.
I was hospitalized for six days, had four blood transfusions and an IV iron infusion to combat the severe anemia. Seven months later I am still not back to 100% -- I am still struggling with anemia and it's greatly impacted my day-to-day existence. At my last blood test, my hematocrit was up to 27% -- I have another test next Tuesday.
Bleeding = Emergency. Period. Don't hesitate to seek emergency care, even if it turns out to be treatable on an out-patient basis.
Hi, I had my surgery Lap RNY in June of 2006. In December of 2007, I had a tummy tuck. Then in January (about two weeks later) of 2008, I started having vomiting and severe pain in my upper pouch area and around under my left breast radiating through to my back. This happened twice more in 2008 and I was hospitalized each time with a different diagnosis each time...none of which were correct. My last hospitalization included exploratory surgery in my bowel/pouch area...but nothing. I have had CT Scans, Endoscopes, X-Rays, Upper GI's, etc...but nothing. The windows between bouts of pain are starting to shrink and the pain is happening more and more. The pain goes to a high level and then I vomit.
I have taken myself to Boston to a Mass General surgeon and am now going through the motions with her...I have a colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled for Feb. 26th...she thinks it may be a bacterial overgrowth in my gastric remnant which she has seen only once before. Once all tests come back...she wants to go in for a laporscopic exploratory again.
I wanted to put this out there as I have seen lots of docs in NH, surgeon, PCP, Gastroent., ER docs, all of whom think this is just the way it is now...and i just have an sensitive GI tract now. HAHA. Level 10 pain that causes vomiting and keeps you from eating at all is not a sensitive tract. This is an issue that will probably start coming up. The surgeons are trained in this surgery but do not know all the problems that can arise as they haven't been doing it long and the Gastroenterologists in the area are NOT being trained in the new digestive tract of the patients. And NO ONE will treat my pain because I currently have no diagnosis. I have to travel almost two hours to get to the doc who is now treating me...it's just a horror show.
I do not regret the surgery...but I wish people would take us a little more seriously and do the follow up when it's needed.
Karen
I have been having severe problems for over several months now. It affected my job in which I loved dearly and lost because I became a liability due to passing out at work. I have now since passed out over a dozen times or more since August of this year. I had open RYGB almost two years ago on March 28, 2006. I have had sever neurological problems with blurred vision, doubled vision, I have also had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia due to severe pain through my entire body. This has been very depressing for me because no one not even my Surgeon nor the Neurologist, Endocrinologist, Rheumotologist that I had seen knew anything about Nesidioblastosis. My wife had spoken to some lady at our church about a friend of hers that had had the Gastric Bypass surgery and had similar symptoms of mine and it had to do with an enlarged pancreas. So today I googled enlarged pancreas and gastric bypass surgery and here I am on the Obesity Help which I have been on for some time now and I feel blessed that I can turn to people that are or have been in my same situation. My wife just had Laperscopic RYGB and I pray she doesn't nor never will experience these symptoms. I just want my life back. Fortunately my wife works at my Family Doctors office and he is caring and good and when I found this information today I called her crying and I will admit I had some regrets at some point running through my mind like what did I do to myself but I know when I was 473 pounds I was not as healthy as I am now. I had gotten down to about 305 I am now at 325. I have also been diagnosed with Hashimotos disease as well these past couple of months which I don't know but may be a chance of a possible side effect of GBPS too. I am trying to maintain and be active but my body rejects activity and there are days I cant even get out of bed because I am in so much pain after doing so little. Early on I was exercising and walking a lot and going to the gym and then all of a sudden after losing so much so quick it went and did a 360 degree turnaround. I can only hope and pray things will get better after all this is taken care of. God Bless
Can you go to a dental school?
Maybe they can help and be a lot less expensive
they still have to be supervised.
Did you ever have low Vit D after wls?
I did and my teeth had problems after that.
I took all my supplements like I was supposed to and it still happened.
I guess I needed to supplement More.....
Jules RNY 10/30/2007
I am going to google that term.
Hope you can find a solution.
I feel your pain...feel free to check out my blog for some of my drama, and not that I am counting, but you have me beat for number of surgeries in a short span of time. Sometimes it is just comforting to know that we are not alone...hang in there!
Jules RNY 10/30/2007
Aboutt he pain and gas...WALK the more you are able to the less pain you will have. Were you laposcopic or open? I was the latter....
