Teen RNY Surgery

Hi! im 16 and will be getting this surgery during my junior year in high school, which is really soon. i want a list of major changes and risks of this surgery. i weigh 275 pounds, and my mother lost 160 lbs after this surgery, and i want to be successful like her. 

Good for you! Just know that it changes your entire life, you will see how much our lives revolve around food. So many celebrations and gatherings involve food. You won't be able to eat like you can now and that can be hard especially if you have an eating disorder like me. When I get stressed I eat, when I'm happy I used to treat myself with food. I can't do that anymore and I'm learning how to manage my feelings without food. Post surgery you will be tired and will find it difficult to do normal things but each day it will get better. Take good care of yourself and find things that you enjoy, crafting, music, working out of whatever make you happy and really focus on that because you will need that after surgery. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

thank you so much im happy to have your support

You will have to take a lot of vitamins, daily, for  the rest of your life.  If you don't, you will be vitamin deficient and can get VERY sick.  That means you will be getting lab work done regularly and adjusting your vitamins according to what your labs say you need.

You will have to eliminate simple carbs like bread, chips, crackers, pasta, sugar, rice, potatoes, etc.  Even too much fruit will cause weight gain because the body reads fruit as sugar.  These carbs are the reason so many of us are fat.  They are yummy, and we can still eat a ton of them even after surgery.  You have to be able to say NO to these foods and eat healthy.  Protein and veggies are what you will be mainly eating. You can "eat around"  any surgery and gain weight.  

You will have to measure your portion sizes out so you don't over eat.  As an obese person, you don't really know what a proper portion looks like.  Constant measuring teaches you, over time, how much you should be eating.  Successful patients measure portions FOREVER.

You will not be able to drink with your meals, or for 30 minutes after you eat... EVER.  Drinking with meals causes you to be able to eat more food at one sitting and is the leading cause of re-gain,  You will also feel hunger faster if you drink too soon after you eat.

You will have to drink at least 64 ounce of calorie free, fluid, daily.  Most of us drink closer to 100 ounces.

Surgery is just a tool to help you eat less volume.  It's not a magic.  You will have to be VERY compliant to be successful.  You will have to give up a lot of your comfort foods and work on the mental reasons why you over eat.    Many people work with a therapist to figure things out.   

Surgery is the easy part.  Everything else is hard work requiring big commitment.  As long as you go into surgery knowing what is required of you, and you are compliant, you can be successful.

Best Wishes!

What Rocky said.  

Also, have you considered VSG rather than RNY? As a psychologist, I would be very reluctant to approve a 16 year old for a malabsorptive procedure (RNYS or DS) No offense intended -- and I recognize that some 16 year olds are more mature and developmentally advanced than others -- but in terms of brain development, a teenager still has limited capability to "see around corners", to fully comprehend potential consequences, and therefore (in both my opinion and the opinion of many psychologists) doesn't have the necesaary ability to truly give informed consent to having their intestines rearranged.

You are signing up for

1) vitamins at least 4 times a day every day (3 doses of calcium plus iron, which cannot be taken with calcium) for the rest of your life; a potentially large number of vitamins (we aren't just talking about an extra multivitamin in the morning)

2) a lifetime of not being able to take NSAIDs (which means nothing but Tylenol or prescription pain meds... So no Advil, Motrin, or even Pamprin for headache, cramps, or other pain)

3) significantly increased response to drinking alcohol (so you will need to be very careful about your intake or may suffer unexpected consequences)

4) increased chances of kidney stones

5) the chance of developing reactive hypoglycemia (sudden drop in blood sugar after eating, which can result in shakiness, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and even passing out)

6) chronic constipation

7) lab work every year with blood drawn more frequently if any values come back low and your vitamin supplements need increased

8) complications like a stricture that may need to be dilated a number of times, increased chance of bowel obstruction, problems from adhesions (scar tissue)

9) permanent lack of absorption of some vitamins and inadequate absorption of some medications

As you can see, there are a lot of downsides to RNY, many of which don't apply to VSGers.  If you have not given consideration to the sleeve, I would encourage you to do so.  

This is an important (and irreversible) decision. 

Lora

For a list of changes and risks, use the search bar on the top-right corner of this site. There have been many helpful posts over the years and it's a good way to do your research.

Does your mom still have her pre-op materials? That should fully describe what post-op life is like.

Thank you all for being kind, informative, and real with my daughter! I appreciate it so much.Suzanne

I ended up with a really severe issues post op RNY.  Including food allergies intolerance, severe RH (reactive hypoglycemia), IBS-C, and the list can go on.

I need iron infusions because my body does not absorb iron. I need to take handful of vitamins and minerals every day and trust me - it gets old very fast.  

I never had issues with alcohol before I had RNY - I like having some once in a while. But RNY changed how my body processes that,  not only I get drunk very fast, but I also noticed cravings for alcohol.  I don't like that a bit. 

You are so very young.  I had RNY because 1. I did not know VSG existed, 2. my doc did RNY aor lap band only. 

I can't eat cake or ice cream,. even a little.

Most fruits - I can't have that... 

pasta - potatoes - not even a Tbs worth...

grains (rice, etc) - is a big no-no for me. 

Crabs - post op RNy if i eat carbs I end up with a really bad stinky gas...really bad... as young person - someone who would like to have a semi normal life - I can't even imagine life with RNY. When I travel - I have to make sure I follow a very strict diet.  

I had my WLS when I was 48, but if I knew then what I know now - I would never have RNY - but I would wait to have VSG by my doc or even travel to Mexico to have that.  

Hi, even though I'm much older than you, here is a short list of major changes I experienced after WLS:  normal A1C and blood pressure readings, waking up rested instead of exhausted and being told I didn't snore, feeling less depressed, becoming more active instead of housebound, seeing positive changes in my family's health, liking my new lifestyle way more than dreamed, and having a desire to pay it forward.