Someone may have already mentioned this... but have they tested you for gastroparesis.  While for many people its a wasting disease and they shrivel away to nothing, for a small number of people actually GAIN weight even though they are suffering from terrible malnutrition.  All your symptoms are the same as those of gastroparesis and its commonly not diagnosed for years.  Going on a gastroparesis diet may ease some of symptoms and a digestive aid supplement might help with the absorption of the vitamins too.  If you can tolerate it.  I hope you find some health and well being soon.

Sounds like esophageal spasm.  I have stomach spasm and the way I describe it is like LABOR pain (that's exactly how many describe these types of spasms).  Esophageal spasms are more common than stomach spasm and hurt like nothing else.  I have had stomach spasm attacks that have lasted as long as 13 hours and as little as a half an hour.  I would talk to your doctor about getting something to take for esophageal spasms.  I know for my stomach spasms the GI ****tail they use at the ER, called a grasshopper, sometimes works if I get it soon enough.  Otherwise massive pain meds are needed to end it.   The other thing that has worked (and I can have on hand at home with an Rx) is a viscous lydocaine mixture.  It's literally liquid lydocaine.  It really works when taken soon enough but tastes AWFUL.  I also have really bad side effects from it so it's a worse case scenario... but better than dealing with that pain again.  

BTW, I finally got my spasms under control by changing my entire diet.  I currently have to be on a liquid/pureed diet with low fiber.  But that's for stomach problems, I'm not sure what, if any, diet changes are necessary for an esophageal spasm.

I don't see any post after Feb, so I am not sue that you will even see my note. I have no opinion as to what is or may be going on, but I DO know this~ you are in one of the BEST states to find out! You may have to travel to Dallas or Houston, but there are MANY Bariatric specialists who have been doing WLS for years there. If it was me having all the problems you have, I'd be finding the one who has been dealing with RYGB for the longest time and it's a good chance that he/she may have seen some of the 'issues' you have had since your surgery.
I hope you find out what is going on and soon.
Holly

I am 13 years S/P proximal RYGB. I have kept almost all of my weight off all these years and have been happy ALWAYS in that aspect. I have been having some 'issues' and my surgeon is now retired. I just want to pass some of MY side- effects on to others...kind of a BOLO (be on the look-out) of what may be some things you, too, may experience.

1.Osteoporosis: this was just recently diagnosed. I'm 58 yrs old and post menopause (hyst 1999). I had been on Fosamax for 3 yrs for osteopenia (diagnosed after a bone density scan) and only stopped it last year when they began to find a number of women with spontaneous fractures of their femurs; some from just stepping off a sidewalk. Long story short, now I am on FORTEO injections, daily, for the next 2 year,s to try to stop the osteoporosis and build new bone that is close to the bone our bodies build. There is a 2 yr LIMIT for life on taking Forteo. One of it's 'bad' side effects is the possibility of causing Osteosarcoma ( bone cancer). It's given SQ (subcutaneously) by me in my abdomen daily...NO pain, the needles are so tiny these days.

2.BILE reflux: I have most likely had it from day one. I chose to have my revision (prox RYGB) in another state, by a Bariatric doctor who had been doing these surgeries since 1978. My original stomach stapling (April 1992) had stenosed at the GEJ (gastro-esophageal junction) and I spent 5 yrs vomiting anything larger than a grain of rice. My surgeon is now retired  so I am having to do my own research into this. I thank God that I am a RN and can do the research and understand it. 
 When I first had the reflux he told me that in 1% of proximal RNY bypasses the roux limb ends up not long enough for that specific person and bile shoots up and gets into the tiny new stomach and can get on up the esophagus. My gallbladder was removed during the RYGB surgery). The 'fix' is going back in and making the roux limb longer. We tried all sorts of meds and it settled down to where it only happened occasionally. In the past 5 yrs it's gotten a LOT worse. Since I was not with any specific Baritaric doctor for a long time and there are no WLS support groups in Charlotte, NC (except with the specific groups doing these surgeries- now done laparoscopically) I was just seeing my Family MD. He put me on H2 blockers(Prilosec, Zantac, etc)  first for a year and when they didn't work any longer, I was on the proton pump inhibitors for the last 7+yrs (Protonix, Nexium, Aciphex and more). None has worked for long and I've had several bouts of 'aspiration pneumonitis' from inhaling bile into my lungs when asleep. I finally had ENOUGH last November 2010, when I ended up with bile shot up into my ear drum and was deaf for a month! I know bile has no place in the inner ear, but  my MD then told me that it couldn't be there, too. As my hearing returned, over a 2 month period, I had tinnitus...a roaring in my effected ear. I can hear fine again, thank God! 
In March I took the bull by the horns and saw a new Family MD AND also referred myself to a colleague, who is a Gastroenterologist. He did an Endoscopy last week. He is familiar with WLS and I feel he at least LISTENS to me and what is going on. The Endoscopy showed moderate esophagitis and gastritis and he took sample of both my esophagus and stomach and those results are pending. At the time of the 'scope' BILE was in my stomach 'pouch' so he took pix for me of it. I've been blown off as 'crazy' that it was bile by so many other doctors that have no real grasp of WLS, and taken 10 yrs of PPIs  that I probably didn't need. DO I now have Barrett's Esophagus ( as pre-cancerous condition)? Do I have actual cancer? We shall see.

And to ice the cake, all the YEARS on the PPIs may just BE the cause, or part,  of the Osteoporosis I've been diagnosed with, despite 3 yrs of Fosamax (one of the bisphosphates).It's possinly a combination of WLS, the nutrition changes that come with WLS and menopause. 
 In the meantime, I am taking back control of my life and care living with the BILE REFLUX. For now, I take NO meds, aside from Tylenol I need for Arthritis pain daily. I have always taken a daily multi vitamin, calcium, vitamin D3, as part of my post-op care.  I am keeping a food diary again this time to keep track of what foods/drinks cause the bile symptoms (severe heartburn, pain, coughing) and then what I do to try and alleviate them. I'm also back online doing LOTS of research on bile reflux, as I really do not want to have another surgery that large especially by some doctor I don't know IF at all possible.

I post to let others know what can happen this far out that is not a weight issue. I'd love to hear from others 10+ YEARS  post any WLS to see if I am alone or not. I bet there are others with bile reflux. Maybe you, too, have been diagnosed with early osteoporosis and have had WLS of some kind. Maybe we can help one another. ALL opinions welcome.

I just came home from the doctor and it turns out the locking mechanism on the band has come unlocked. 

This all started about 3 fills ago when I was feeling little to no restriction. Needless to say, I have been steadily gaining weight since my surgery. Still not at my pre-op weight, but damn close. At that point I had 4ccs in a 10cc band and the doctor kept reassuring me that this was a "big one" and should do the trick. I went for another fill this past Tuesday (March 22) and the PA gave me another 1cc fill, bringing me to 5ccs. She gave me a glass of water, which I drank no problem in the office, and she was baffled as to why I wasn't feeling anything at all. I told her that I never have felt any restriction before, so I wasn't as surprised as she was that I was able to get down a bottle of water. She gave me a protein bar in the office and that too went down no problem. After seeing that she scheduled me for a barium x-ray which I went for yesterday.

I dropped the CD of the films off at the office, and while I was there, the surgeon gave me another 1cc fill, for a total of 6ccs. Still felt nothing. He said he was going to take a look at the films and call me today.

He called me about 4pm and told me he thought the band was unlocked based on the xray, but he wasn't totally sure. So I went into the office and asked the PA to give me a BIG fill, and if I still felt nothing, I would be convinced. She gave me a full 10cc fill in my 10cc band, which she said would cause me to not even be able to swallow. Sure enough, I was able to take quite a few sips of my water bottle. SO, she took all of the saline out of the band, and I am waiting to hear from the doctor as to how to proceed.


Needless to say, I am devastated. My surgery was just this past December, and already I have had a complication. The doctor said this has only happened 1 or 2 times in all the surgeries he has done. He said fixing it is no real trouble, but still, it's another surgery, going through another round of anastesia and recovery, etc. etc. 

I am requesting a new band altogether, but only if he can leave the port intact. The PA said he should be able to do this, but she wasn't 100% sure. The worst part about the last surgery was the incision pain, and if I can avoid that, it won't be sooo terrible.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? The PA said this isn't anything I caused, just a faulty band. 

Any advice would be helpful!
Alyssa