11yrs out RNY, weight gain, bad diarrhea

I am 11 yrs out of RNY and have gained about 50lbs in the last 5yrs. Now for the last 5 months I have been having bad diarrhea with everything I eat, usually right after I eat. Has anyone else experienced this?

What does the doc say?

When I was in that predicament, after 2 weeks I went to the doc and got tested. 5 months is a long time.

I have moved out of state since having surgery, don't even remember the doctors name. Haven't seen anyone besides a family practice doctor and that was about 6yrs ago. Don't know if a family practice doctor would know what to test for reqarding my bypass surgery or not.

It may have nothing to do with RNY. You may contracted some viral or bacterial infrcinfe, or parasites, or some other things like developed IBS, or food allergies- intolerances, etc etc...

Family doc may be a good start, and he can't help you - he may suggest a good gastro doc. I have a few issues myself and my gastrologist is better for me than my surgeon was. He knows stuff about guts. But you need to look for someone really good.

FYI: I had runs for app 2 weeks - unusual for me since I mostly deal with constipation. Plus I was losing weight without trying. The test showed I had norovirus and because of RNY it took my body longer to get rid of it. I increased probiotics, took some extra supplements to deal with the virus, and after a month things stabilized.

If I did not have gastro - I know my PCP would send me to get tested.

I can't imagine 5 months with constant runs. So unless you eat a lot of food they have sugar alcohol (sorbitol, malitol, mannitol, etc) or developed lactose intolerance (and you eat - drink things with lactose - i.e cottage cheese, milk, cream) then constant runs are not good.

I get runs if - when I eat fruits, or eat things with more than 5 gr of sugar. Piece of cske, a cookie, milk chocolate - all of those may cause mild dumping - causing lose stools.

Do you still have your gallbladder?

Yes. But I have no problems with heartburn, nothing like that. I have moved out of state since having my surgery and I don't even remember the name of the doctor that did my surgery.

I suggest you get checked for C-diff. Any type doctor can order it-done thru stool samples

Were you a type II diabetic before surgery? If not, did you suffer from gestational diabetes during any of your pregnancies?

Before the 50 pound gain, were you at a normal BMI -- or were you still "overweight" BMI so this brought you even higher?

Have you had your A1C tested recently? Do you have access to a glucose monitor?

If you've gained 50 pounds, it's likely you may be eating a lot more carbs than in the past. A higher blood glucose level combined with high carb consumption often causes chronic loose bowels.

Of course, post-prandial monitoring is the best way to be certain, however, if you tend to have to release your bowels often after eating (especially with higher consumption) this is a good indication that this is something to examine more closely.

As Kat explained, this is almost 100% likely caused by consuming simple carbs. After RNY you will have problems if you eat bread, rice, flour, potatoes, corn, cereals, sugar or fruits.

The post-surgery diet includes dense protein and some non-carby vegetables. You are the only person who can really know what you are eating. You can swear that you have never eaten anything except grilled chicken with lettuce and celery, but you have the symptoms of a RNY'er trying to eat like a person with a normal digestive system.

Changing this is very easy and very hard. Once you change your mindset, the rest will be simple. The post-RNY-surgery restriction on simple carbs is not until you reach goal and then go to maintenance. It is for life. You made a decision to have life-altering surgery and that decision has life-time consequences.

If you eat simple carbs after RNY surgery you will have weight gain and bathroom problems. Until you are ready to give up the simple carbs, taking Imodium will be very helpful.

Before you take anti-diarrheal medicines, make sure that you also do not have a blockage in your bowels. Sometimes a area can be blocked and then the liquids will squeeze around it and cause constant diarrhea. X-rays can confirm that. If it happens, pain will eventually occur that will drive you to seek a doctor.

For that the doctor may have you drink magniesum sulfate to clean everything out. When you have RNY and follow all the rules, you will notice that your bowel movements are larger and more frequent than before surgery. But they should not be diarrhea.

You do need to see a doctor and you need to control your diet carefully in order to lose the excess weight and keep your digestive system working properly.

White Dove: You've made some generalizations that are not true for all RNY patients:

1. "After RNY you will have problems if you eat bread, rice, flour, potatoes, corn, cereals, sugar or fruit." This is not the case for a majority of post-ops. Many people can eat these foods without causing any health issues; however, similar to non-WLS patients (aka normies) they should be eaten in moderation. Unfortunately, for some folks that used to be obese some of these foods may trigger overconsumption, so for them it may be best to abstain entirely.
2. "Once you change your mindset, the rest will be simple." Not necessarily.
3. "If you eat simple carbs after RNY surgery you will have weight gain and bathroom problems." That is not true for many post-ops. Again, it is about moderation. I am in maintenance and sometimes eat simple carbs. I do not have bowel issues or dumping when I do so and I don't consume enough to cause weight gain. But in the future, if I overeat them then I may have a different result.
4. "When you have RNY and follow all the rules, you will notice that your bowel movements are larger and more frequent than before surgery." Again, not necessarily. I don't find my BMs to be larger and/or more frequent post-gastric bypass. Everyone is different; therefore, your experience is not indicative of what everyone else will experience.