Living with bypass

Peterson's space hernia (internal hernia) is my major fear. How do you diagnostic this problem?

Not sure why you are scared? Most of us , we are born with that. It get stretched as we get fat. It gets exposed as we lose that fat. Problem with post op RNY is that they rearanche our intestine, they get closer to the space and can "wonder in" and get twisted. That can cause some blocked intestine. Narrowing.

Hernia often can't get diagnosed unless the intestine get it and got stuck. There would be pain after eating, and it may depend on what person eat. I could drink proteins but most dense food was stuck.

But - not sure if that would make you feel better, bug after they fixed that space, it opened again within days. My fault. I was very busy at work and I only took 2 days off plus weekend. And I was back working 10-12 hours per day. Bad idea.

I lived with the hernia for app 8-9 months. We knew I had it, but I did not want to have another surgery. I would hurt after eating. But only some days and only after eating some foods. I had weeks with no pain. Then pain every day. The ct-scans did not show it, but my doc and I knew.

A lot if times ct-scans don't show anything unless the blockage is complete and advanced. And the .the patient need an emergency surgery.

Pain is a major sign for hernia with intestine stuck in it. Often person can pick a day, a week and a month when to have surgery. It is not fun, but it is what it is. Life.

The last surgery I could wait longer, or have it within 1 month or less after I discovered it. And IMO I had it because I had other surgeries.

I disagree completely. If I had stayed morbidly obese, I don't think I would have lived to be 65. I'm sure I have added 10-15 years to my life by having WLS.

I don't want to seem rude, but you seem to be really struggling with anxiety about this surgery. You have posted several messages like this one, even though you've said you've had no complications from your surgery. If you are not seeing a therapist, you might want to consider it. Stress and anxiety are very unhealthy.

I am in therapy, but is so dificult.

I don't have regrets. It is what it is. I decided to have the surgery hoping for the best, and accepting what it could do to me.

A few years earlier I wanted to have the surgery, but started to read too much about possible complication and side effects and I backed out. Who knows if living in a fat body for another 10 years caused much more damage to my system. During that 10 years I was able to lose and gain 80 lbs. Twice. I don't think that was good for me.

In the last 1o years in maintenance the most I gained is 35 lbs from my lowest weight. But my lowest weight was 10 lbs below what it should be.

Most of my 10 years I am within 10 lbs either way. +/- 10 lbs. His is a first long term in my life that clothes from all my closets are within on size from each other.

I'm sorry you're second-guessing yourself so badly, and hope you will come to a better emotional place about having had your surgery. For myself, I can honestly say I am so very glad that I went ahead with my RnY. My life has changed so very much for the better. I am so much more mobile, and feel and look so much better. I feel so free from self-inflicted criticism about my weight, and am utterly free from fat-shaming and unkind judgement from others. I regard this surgery as such a gift!

Hello, I hear what you're saying. I had similar thoughts and fears for approximately 6 months after RNY surgery. I hadn't had any health issues (aside from a BMI of 44) that lead up to my decision to have surgery. No one ever appeared to be bothered by my weight except me including my husband who married me when I was a size six. Because of that almost on a daily basis the thought occurred to me "have a made a life altering decision based solely on my own vanity"? The truthful answer is maybe I did, but no one knows what my future may have held? However the decision had been made and I had to shift my thinking to more accurately promote the future I wanted to see for myself! I've felt much more positive and empowered since deciding to embrace the change I choose. Only you can design your own future and I wish you all the very best luck in working on just that.

Thanks for your sincerity and suport.

I appreciate your post because no one should enter into WLS with the concerns that you have.

I think that you get to the point where - you either NEED weight loss surgery or you don't. If you did not get clarity on that pre-op, then do the research post-op (like I and most others did when coming to terms with our health position what the long term odds were). The medical research is clear that very few people succeed with conventional diets at the 5 year mark(3-5%) . I don't know how old you are (if in fact this is a real question, but I will go along as if it were) or other factors that have led you to even consider WLS.

That is my first reaction, but when I read your post again, I do not understand what you are saying. What exactly is agonizing? At 4+ years post op, I have had my share of set-backs and self-induced stupidity, but I don't experience the agony of knee problems and wondering how long my shin bones will support the extra 120 pounds I've carried for 40 years.

"I feel like I'm not a person like the others after surgery." - could you be more specific as to what you mean. WLS makes a few changes to your plumbing, not your mind.

If you are concerned about the long-term risks, and you should know all there is to know, you may need to do actual research in the medical literature, in addition to asking for WLSers' opinions.

PS There have only been a few times that I missed a NSAID - like after shoulder surgery. At a lower weight, tylenol does a good job of the minor aches and pains of an (now) active life.

I will look at some of my old posts concerning the medical research on permanent weight loss, and edit this post if I find my research from ~3 years ago that might be helpful.

The best advise I can say is the WLS is a reset, not a solution. So I know that I did not "exchange one disease for another." I did not get rid of my weight issues. I still need to manage my weight (a 30 pound regain has taught me a thing or two - thank God that I have 8 pounds off and only 8 more to go to get back to my goal weight, then another 15 to get close to my lowest weight.)

Best wishes for your WL journey - whatever path you decide is best.