Just a reminder about self-advocacy

Hey Kelly!  Nice to see you back. Glad the drs took you seriously and investigated your problems. All the best with the colonoscopy. Please keep us updated. I'm sure everything will be fine!!

( I replied to this already, but OH malfunctioned...may show up later)

Kelly good thing you paid attention. 

Constant bloating is not a good thing and needs to be addressed.  I have read that we are more prone to colon cancer post RNY - not sure on the other surgeries.  Not something to obsess over but just to be aware as we age

I also have family issues so have a colonoscopy every 2-3 years.  Lets hope its just a non-cancerous polyp.

Assuming they are getting you in quickly for this - good luck and let us know eh?

Thanks Barb. Yes, I go in next Monday for it. My surgeon wanted earlier, but she is off and I wanted her to do it. She said it wasn't a polyp, but an odd growth at the bottom of my small intestine (which was the furthest she could go I guess with the internal scope), so best to do in to the large intestine to see if there's more going on. Fingers crossed it's all good!

Kelly, I'm so sorry to hear about your recent health struggles and I am very grateful that they found out the cause and intervened. XO I just went through something very similar with my 10 year old RNY - click here for gory details sometime when you're bored lol - and it was terrifying. Wishing you good health! XO

Hey Karen. Yes, what we went through was similar. If I wasn't pro-active about it, I would have had bowel removed, but thankfully I didn't. 

What I will say is that some surgeons still are leaving the defect they create in. I was told at TWH they started doing it after my surgery in March, 2011. I think within that year. That was also the year that they started everyone on Prevacid right after surgery (I think Humber already was at that point, but TWH wasn't). 

When I went to the CBPSO Conference in October, it was confirmed there that not all surgeons fix the defect still.  If I were a newbie, I would be asking that when I meet with the surgeon before surgery!

Glad to hear you're doing well. Anything different with losing bowel?

I lost sections of the intestine where the hernia was and had damaged it, re-sectioned and reconnected, mesentery defect closed/corrected, and I lost 1/2 of my colon. I am extremely fortunate that I didn't end up with a colostomy bag. I was certainly proactive with staff, however the thought that my issue could in any way be related to a 10 year old weight loss surgery wasn't even on my radar. Had it been a shorter time period since surgery (a couple of years) I would have made the trek back to HRRH in the desire to be evaluated by a bariatric surgeon. 

If some surgeons are indeed leaving the defect they create in the small bowel mesentery, the need for awareness, change in practice, advocacy for others, and systemic change is now on my radar. No one today should have to deal with what is completely preventable, simply by closing up the opening they create.

I'm glad to hear you're doing well too - as always, hindsight is 20/20. Take good care of yourself.

They just don't think it's necessary. That was the answer given. Well more people much further out are coming in for what could have been a simple fix. Frustrating. 

Anyhow allnis good and colonoscopy Monday. :)