Hi,

Are you the one who emailed me directly?

 I was revised from a band to a VSG and then finally to a bastric bypass because of incredible complications from the VSG surgery.  I have been on and off strong pain medicines for the last 2.5 years.  I am STILL having the same pain and none of the doctors can tell me what it is.  It is inconsistent which makes it terribly hard to figure out what the cause is.  But since it is not a constant pain there MUST be a cause. 

The pain starts in my upper abdomen below my sternum, almost like heart burn but pain.  Then it slowly goes around to my back and hurts really badly in my mid-back (and the stomach still hurts, but the back hurts more than the stomach).  It usually slowly moves down the back and then the entire mid to lower back is in intense pain.  If it happens once in a day it is more likely to happen again that day and the day following and I have to be super careful about what I eat thereafter.  I usually go on a soft foods/liquid foods diet for a day or two if this pain hits.  

Is this a blockage or something else?  I try to remember to chew really well but maybe I'm not chewing well enough?  At times I thought it was from fatty foods but it doesn't seem to be consistent to that because it happens as often with non-fatty foods as it does fatty foods.  Same with sugar/no sugar. 

Can anyone give me some ideas to try to get rid of this horrific pain?  It doubles me over it is so bad.  I just can't live with this pain and the pain meds all have such horrific side effects I can't stand to take them any more. 

PLEASE HELP me figure out this pain.  I am open to anything and everything.

By the way, I take omeprozele (sp??) 40mg/day and I've had those tests done where they go down and actually LOOK in your stomach and they said there is nothing they can see that is wrong.  Everything looks just fine.  They also did a biopsy and that came back as normal too.

I've tried the IBS medications too, and they don't help.  They just give me back headaches. 

Barbara, when is the next peer-to-peer support group???  I am 5 weeks out and need support groups more than once a month.  Any recommendations?  Thanks - Jameen

Hi there,

Well, the layman's explanation is this.  You are given a pouch about the size of a magic marker.  Then, at least six feet of the small intestines is bypassed.  You are reconnected at that point.  It is an extremely powerful surgery that is reviseable and reverseable.  You can get the medical explanation at http://clos.net.  Good luck!