I am in my ninth month an...

I am in my ninth month and have not lost any weight in the last 3 months. I have had problems with acid and bile and had co-morbidities of gastric parisses and esophagial spasms before the surgery. My doctors nursing assistant blames my "slow" progress on these things. The surgeon is always worried about being sued and is constantly blaming any problems on the patient so talking with him seems usless. (by the way i would not sue over wls) I have tried to explain my worries since just after my surgery that I could eat much more then the normal person and never feel hungry. I could take huge pills with no problem. I have mentioned the enlareged stoma theroy but everybody just says there is nothing you can do about a problem like that and dismisses me. I had a upper gi but all it said was small sized stomach from Gastric Bypass and no stricture. However it did take over 6 hrs to perform the test. Most of that time was a slow down in the small intestines. This is very unusual according to the radiologist. How come no one will help me out. I am feeling very lonely and depressed about all of this. I am swimming four times a week and walking twice a week. I try to stay under 1200-1300 calories a day but it is just like dieting all over again. I would have to eat less then 1000 to be able to loss weight and I am hungry all of the time...even 10 minutes after eating. Everyone at the "support meetings" say things like you must not be in compliance other wise you would be losing weight....There is no support. I feel very let down. Is anyone out there experiencing the same thing? I am worried that my food is dumping right into my intestines due to an enlarged stoma, and unless somone actually takes me seriously this will cause problems later in life.

Hey there! You are not alone! I am right there with ya! Your story is almost exactly like mine. I had surgery in Nov. have lost 68 pounds and have had to work for every bit of it! I have always been able to eat much more then they say you can, so I littlerly have to force myself to eat only 800-1000 calories a day, and only 20 carbs. My doctor says I must be eating way too much, or eating sweets or not excercising....but all of this is untrue! I am doing what has been asked of me. It is depressing and hard to talk about cause no one wants to hear it. Lyn send your e mail adress to me at [email protected], I formed a group on yahoo for people like us called WLS_Struggles, might help to know there are a few of us out there. Robin

I had slow weight loss for 6 months and then just stalled for the next 4. I was drinking 1-2 small glasses of wine a week (thought ok), and following all the other instructions from the doctor. Finally I went back to the old tried but true Atkins diet, and cut out the wine. That was the trick - now I'm losing about 10 lbs. a month consistently. Just a tip!

Hi Lyn! I am very sorry to hear about your struggle. You may want to check out some other message boards on this site such as "Complications" and "WLS Regrets". These have been the places where people have talked freely about not being heard, about being dismissed at support group meetings and about feeling like they have to go "underground" to tell their stories. I don't think it should be that way. I am pre-op and doing my homework. I had to do some looking to find the stories that weren't full of instant and immediate "success." I really don't want to go through all of this pain only to end up having to diet and exercise (which is what I'm doing now). I don't know what the right answer is for me yet but I do greatly appreciate the courage of those like you. People who are not having an easy time and are not being taken seriously by their doctors.

Lynn, I too am pre-op, but have the gastroparesis, a short esophagus, and history of ulcers (from NSAIDS). At this time I am looking at the lap-band. Because of my problems, my doc is doing an EGD/Colonoscopy next week to see, just what sort of candidate I truly am for WLS. I also know that with the band, I am looking at a slower loss rate. Though everything is currently falling into place that this should be a "go." Hopefully you have found an answer/resolution to your difficulties.