The Truth About Post-Bypass Diet & GI

Thank you for your response. I'm still trying to learn as much as I can, so I'm trying to cover all the bases.

I'm a bit confused as to why you believe these are all the wrong things. In my opinion, every change is important to consider. To clarify though, I'm not looking to continue my previous eating habits after surgery, but because I already deal with nausea, IBS-C, GERD and general abdominal pain, I'm trying to get the best idea of what to expect. Whether or not it has to do with food, I have read/seen people have very different experiences. 

What greater things do you think I should be concerned with? 

Short term, anything can happen. But that's very short term, and to me, a passing problem.

Long term issues are the big concern, and long term GI issues and pain are pretty rare. For every problem that pops up, others, such as gerd being fixed by RNY, are much more frequent.

Rather than possible complications, the bigger issues are things like food, food choices, and working on the psychological and emotional issues that got us to morbid obesity in the first place. There is nothing you can do about surgical complications beyond choosing a great surgeon and making sure you stick to the plan pre and post-op. But the long term stuff, especially between the ears, is something you really can control.

"...a passing problem"

Zing!

I, too, wonder where you heard this because most people with RNY have very little toruble eating and drinking post-op.

I am 8 years out and can count on one hand the number of times that I have thrown up.  I didn't throw up even ONCE until I was 18 months post-op and ate (too quickly) some chicken that was too dry. My surgeon gave all of her patients a prescription of an anti-nausea medication in case of nausea when adding a new food.  I eventually used up the prescription but it took me about a year!

Some people are much more sensitive, though.  I also have to say that -- after reading posts here for almost 9 years -- I think there is some truth to my surgeon's belief (and that of a growing number of otehr surgeons) that people who spend a long time on liquids and purées have more trouble introducing solid foods than those of us who were allowed to eat soft foods just a few days or a week after surgery.  (I had a small bite of oatmeal and a couple of small bites of scrambled egg on Day Three post-op before I left the hospital (open RNY).)

So... hardly a slave to the toilet. Diarrhea is VERY common during the first week or two (depending on how long you are on liquids, but constipation is much more of an issue (because of lack of fiber and fats in our diet) long term.

Lora

Sometimes we need to back away from folks we know who've had the surgery.  Everyone's experience is unique and how things are for someone who had RNY 5,8 or 10 years ago is likely to be very different from your experience having surgery in 2016.  You also can't really know what that person is eating and drinking and there is a definitely a direct correlation between WL, bathroom issues and food intake.

I agree with Grim - you are worrying about the wrong things.  You can't know if YOU will have any new GI issues or toilet issues until you are a post-op.  Most of those potential problems can be managed with diet and it could take you a while to figure out what that diet is.  That is why we refer to it as a journey.  It is a process with lots of variables and each individual must find what works for them to achieve optimal success.  

I have never heard of RNY being referred to as a slave to the toilet surgery.  That made me smile.  I wish I was a slave to the toilet sometimes! Constipation is more of an issue for me though that is easily remedied by eating too much fat or sugar alcohols.  

Working on your head issues, finding your triggers, deciding if you need to be black and white about food choices, therapy, and understanding how your surgery physically works are all time better spent IMO.  I get why you are asking the questions and if someone I knew had said that to me you can be sure I'd ask about it!  I'm just saying I wouldn't worry too much as there is nothing you can do about it beforehand.  It's a roll of the dice kind of thing.  Good luck with your journey!

On WLS orientation day, the staff was upfront there is likely to be GI issues either short-term, long-term, or somewhere in between.  Being a slave to the toilet pretty much summed it up for me quite a few months post-op and still is from time to time. I look at it as a trade-off from problems with obesity to problems with WLS life. I've tried to dethrone my self-appointed title as Queen of Constipation.  How?  By following solid advice from others and working hard at flushing them down the drain. (several puns intended) For example, the first thing I do when waking is to drink a large glass of Miralax-infused water, take a probiotic, add fat to my food choices, exercise, keep a routine, exercise, relax, learn from what causes me GI distress, and take a stool softener when out of routine. What I am getting at, you can expect to experience problems, learn from them, experiment with fixes, find successful solutions, and march on with your life transformation for a long journey of healthy and happy living.

Most people with RNY have more trouble with constipation than diarrhea. 

If people are getting in their protein and sufficient fluids, and keeping the weight off, let them eat what they want.  Although I suspect that they are saving their splurges for when they are going out and eat rather more simply at home.  This is what I do, although some items are totally off of my menu, I eat small quantities of 'normal' food when I go out.

When I go to a new rest. it is like playing 20 questions.  You will figure out what works for you as you go on.

Best of luck,