2 1/2 years later.

hi my name is Shawna and i had surgery July 2013. i lost 164 pounds from 358 to 194....now im 240. scary. well i have had my doctor repeatedly look at my stomach when i felt i made no progress with him i stopped going to him for the last year ad half.. i felt he didn't care much and just basically did a procedure and was left from there. well i maintained 194 till about mmm 8 months ago and slowly gained weight, some from gaining muscle (lifting weights heavily) and some from what i noticed is eating more often and being so hungry. recently i got off a short lease with my insurance and went to standard while i still have it till the end of February. i got in touch with just a GI doc instead cause i didn't want to see my old doc, just didn't feel like he was getting anywhere. well i have had stomach spasms since i had he surgery almost 3 years ago and they happen here and there. used to be frequently. the new doc prescribed a anti spasm  med and they work well when i do have them. he order an upper GI barium swallow. i finally think i know what's wrong... in the barium swallow i had a experienced doc with me doing the test and he told me what was happening. well a normal gastric patient takes about 45 minutes to digest....it took less than 5 minutes to go from swallow to my rectum...that's no good. im waiting to here back from my GI doc and see what he says. the doc who did my GI scan said my pouch was still pretty small but i digested at a concerning rate. so my thoughts are my stoma is large where literally everything passes through me and i feel hungry pretty quickly. and i felt this too cause man i have so much diarrhea all the time.. so hopefully we can get this fixed by end of February... but i doubt it... sadly. so i hope i don't gain more weight. im just ravenously hungry and i try to fill it with fluids....obviously it don't hold well either. 

do i ask for a revision?

Don't jump the gun and start thinking about revisions yet. Revisions are serious, and can be dangerous. One step at a time. Find out exactly what the problem is first, and see what all of your options are after that. It could be something simple, or more complex.

Good luck.

of course! i would love to hear all my options before just jumping into something serious :) thank you for the reply, baby steps will happen and hopefully this doctor will stick with me and help me in finding the right solution.

thanks

shawna

Barium is liquid. It is not suppose to stay in. 

Some of your symptoms may indicate IBS-D.  Get checked for SIBO..

Carb loaded diet makes me very hungry and with what feels like bottomless pit not a pouch. 

But get me 6 wings, or 4.-5  oz of steak and I am set for an evening. 

yes, barium is liquid according to the doc it is normal for gastric patients to take at least 30-45 minutes to reach the rectum, not 5 minutes. :( i do have IBD, but i will ask about the SIBO, thank you for the tip :) i try to not eat many carbs, even if i just eat meat it sits like a brick and i get sick no matter how well masticated (chewed) or cut. :( getting sad about veggies though man they are rough on me. and i love them. but fruit and i get along and that's partly what i eat along with cheese.

i love steak by the way haha

thank you

shawna

I can relate to pain an spasms. Very strict diet is a must for me. Avoiding food I am allergic to, or foods that tripggers my pain /spasms like most raw veggies, almost any foods from FODMAP list. 

It is not easy... I am on vacation now and I was not very careful what I ate so my  IBS flared up and I spend most of the day yesterday in my hotel room, on pain killers, and meds that help with the gut spasms. Not really something I should be doing in Hawaii..but it is what it is..I was able to have great dinner...

Today is a better day.... 

At least I know what is mostly causing my symptoms and what to do when it flares up.

Not many gastro docs know about SIBO... Google it, print the medical study and be prepared to give copies to your docs. 

I can eat meat - but it needs to be prepared without some spices or soy. 

I.e dried or granulated garlic or onions will cause spasms and cramps.  Raw onions - or even cooked - major issues... 

I hope you get help. If you have SIBO - revision will not help you. Fruits - even though they go easy - like carbs - but they would contribute to worsening condition and weight gain.  No revision will help that IMO. 

i will defintly give that a try and print out those sheets, im sorry you're having spasms too :( i really need to keep track on the spasms then, what i ate so on so forth. i have had them even with water and crystal light, maybe it doesn't like the artificial sugars. i don't know but ireally hope i can start narrowing it down by keeping track of what is causeing them. i love my veggiesd but man they hate me.

thank you very much :)

shawna

So you lost 70 lbs. then stopped....what I see above is that you were eating more because of exercise.

It is possible/likely that your regain is tied more to what you are eating than to a physical problem with your pouch or gaining excessive muscle due to exercise. For the vast majority of us, the issue is what is going into our mouths. 

You're certainly wise to get it checked, but I hope that along the way the docs have asked you to log your food intake and reviewed that carefully with your bariatric dietary needs in mind. 

i have lost 164 pounds, right now im still down 118. i do log my intake luckly and track my exercise :) i do try to eat meat and veggies but my stomach most days kills it and i throw it up. but anywho i have huge digestion issue with pain and either puking it up or diareaha after i eat. hopefully ic an get it sorted out without surgical intervention. and make things right weight wise.

thank you :)

shawna

Please make sure you have done everything in your power to limit your eating. "Hunger" is not an emergency. We can get used to eating less or when we eat the right things our hunger goes away when eating smaller quantities. Revisions are serious and can lead to death or long term complications. Research thoroughly.