So many problems..need help

Hi Everyone, I'm about 16 months out from surgery which I ended up having 2 surgerys. One lapro. and then 5 days later emercency surgery to repair a mistake by the doctor which was a hole thru my small intestines which left me with a open incesion for 5 months needless to say was not fun. Anyway I have been in and out of the hospital so many times I can't remember and usually with stomach pain. All the test have been done and the Dr. says he thinks it might be a ulcer in the old stomach that was taken away from the new pouch. I'm on nexium but it dosen't help much. I also made a discovery myself after just recently getting out of the hospital with wanting to sleep alot very dizzy and just plain tired that when I checked my sugar my sugar was 53 so I found out on my own I'm having low blood sugars which they didn't even test when I was in the hospital except for a blood test that said 71 that was the only time they checked. I'm also have low blood pressure alot and no one seems to know why. I guess I was just wanting to know if anyone out there had any of these problems this far out and how they ever got treated for them. My pain is mostly in the upper left right under the rib cage if I lean to that side it burns worse also I live on anti-nausa medicine. I wanted to be able to live life better but geee it is going the opposite direction and is very depressing. I really need any input I can get at this point. I'm also 5'7 and 126 lbs from 259 lbs. Thanks in advance for any help. You can also email me at [email protected]

Bless your heart!!  I have similiar pains on my left side usually right before my period,,,I probably need a hysterectomy(yeah) ugh. I don't have much advice for your dilema but I will send some good vibes your way!!!!!

Melanie, Thanks for the good vibes ! I can use all I can get right now :-)

Don't give up.  You need answers to your questions.  You shouldn't have to live like this!  Find some other doctors and get some other opinions.  The low blood sugar and blood pressure indicate something is wrong.  Some things just don't show up on X-rays and other tests.  INSIST on finding out what is wrong, and what to do about it.   I'm sure you feel very alone right now, but don't let that get you down.  Fight for some answers!  Go to whatever doctors you need to. 

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I do feel like I have come to the end of the road. I have tried to see other doctors but seems like they are scared of the gastric-bypass paients, I guess because they know little about it. And here no other Baratic doctor will take you after someone else did the surgery which I feel is very stupid. I'm going to my regular family doctor tommorrow to see if I can get some answers I doubt it but I'm going to try. I'm at the point that almost anything I eat makes me feel bad unless it is something to drink. But I don't want to live on liquids. The higest my sugars have been is 71 I have to watch it because it will suddenly drop in the 50's. I feel something is wrong with my stomach but it is very depressing to get someone to help me. In Dec. I had to be put in the hospital because of stomach pain they did a scope and said everything was o.k that is when he guessed it was in the old stomach and said there is no way to see it anymore thru a scope. Soo..Sorry to keep rattleing on but it is nice to have someone to talk to that has had the surgery before. Thanks once again for the help! Have A Great Day!

Debbie, sorry to hear of your experience, you've sure endured your share of health problems post op.  As of low blood sugar, it is fairly common for post-ops further out.  How often do you eat?  Are you eating mostly protein?   Keep a record of what you are eating and when the symptoms are showing up.  I got this info on dumping from another board I participate on and I found it very easy to understand.  Although I have read much on dumping this one is in laymans terms. Dumping Syndrome is caused after gastric bypass by intake of simple carbohydrates (sugar, or some starches) or when undigested food from the stomach fills the lower end of the small intestine (jejunum) too quickly. Dumping syndrome is not dangerous but it feels absolutely horrible, and it is a significant component of the weight loss equation. The physiology of dumping syndrome Dumping syndrome is usually divided into "early" and "late" phases - the two phases have separate physiologic causes and will be described separately. In practical fact, a patient usually experiences a combination of these events and there is no clear-cut division between them. Early dumping... ...caused by the high osmolarity of simple carbohydrates in the bowel. The various types of sugar all have small molecules, so that a gram of (for example) sucrose has MANY more molecules than a gram of protein, creating a higher concentration (number of molecules per cc) from simple sugars than from other foods. This matters because, inside the body, fluid shifts will generally go toward the higher concentration of molecules. So, if a patient consumes a bite of milk chocolate (lots of sugar), when it gets to the Roux limb it will quickly "suck" a significant amount of fluid into the bowel. This rapid filling of the small bowel causes it to be stretched (which causes cramping pain). This also causes the activation of hormonal and nerve responses that cause the heart to race (palpitations) and cause the individual to become clammy and sweaty. Vomiting or diarrhea may follow as the intestine tries to quickly rid itself of this "irritant." Late dumping... ....has to do with the blood sugar level. The small bowel is very effective in absorbing sugar, so that the rapid absorption of a relatively small amount of sugar can cause the glucose level in the blood to "spike" upward. The pancreas responds to this glucose challenge by "cranking up" its output of insulin. Unfortunately, the sugar that started the whole cycle was such a small amount that it does not sustain the increase in blood glucose, which tends to fall back down at about the time the insulin surge really gets going. These factors combine to produce hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which causes the individual to feel weak, sleepy, and profoundly fatigued. Late dumping is the mechanism by which sugar intake can create low blood sugar, and it is also a way for gastric bypass patients to get into a vicious cycle of eating. If the patient takes in sugar or a food that is closely related to sugar (simple carbohydrates like rice, pasta, potatoes) they will experience some degree of hypoglycemia in the hour or two after eating. The hypoglycemia stimulates appetite, and it's easy to see where that is going.... The reason that sugar does not cause dumping in non-operated people is that the stomach, pancreas, and liver work together to prepare nutrients (or sugar) before they reach the small intestine for absorption. The stomach serves as a reservoir that releases food downstream only at a controlled rate, avoiding sudden large influxes of sugar that can occur after a Roux-en-Y. The released food is also mixed with stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic juice to control the chemical makeup of the stuff that goes downstream and avoid all the effects outlined above. Symptoms Palitations (fast heart rate) Clammy feeling Queasiness Nausea Diarrhea & Vomiting may occur Usually the patient feels weak, and must lie down for 30-60 minutes. Obviously, surgeons consider dumping syndrome to be a beneficial effect of gastric bypass - it seems to be important to provide quick and reliable negative feedback for intake of the "wrong" foods. In practice, most patients do NOT experience full-blown dumping more than once or twice.

Dana,  Thanks so much for this information. I have mild dumping alot I told my husband that I'm just going to drink that seems to be the only thing that dosen't bother me. Oh and everyone watch out for your bones. I took a fall and cracked my hip and after all kinds of test I now have osteoarthis (sp) you know what I mean. I have very bad bones and now I'm on Forteo shots everyday to help build my bones up, I also picked up something heavy before that and tore my rotator cuff and had to have it fix so please watch your bones. Dana I'm going to print off the info you gave me. Once again Thanks everyone for being so great! Even these messages help so much.

Debbie, sorry to hear about the cracked hip, are you supplementing with calcium citrate, how much per day if so?  What about Vitamin D, have you had your D vit checked?   My D has dropped to the lower end of normal so I'm not working to get it back up.  That tells me my body isn't absorbing the calcium like it should and explains why my legs ache.  My serum calcium level is fine however. Hope you feel better. Dana

Dana, Yes, they had me on vitamin D RX 50000IU then they said my vitamin D was to high so I had to stop them I do have Citracal for extra. They found out about the high D when I had a TPN in my arm for feeding and the health care nurse run blood test and found it that way. I had the TPN for 6 weeks.

Debbie, While I don't have the problems that you have, I feel for you as I have others.  Since the surgery I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a pinched nerve in my back, costrochondritis (sp?), and a few other things.  I am in constant discomfort and have at times said, "Okay, I had this surgery to have a better life - where is it??"  I, too, have seen doctor after doctor, therapist after therapist and I'm so tired of it.  I live my life on pills and physical therapy. I was 370 at my highest and am now at goal of 180 (I'm 5'8" and big boned) and know the potential of this body, but the reality is that I can't do hardly anything with this body and it is incredibly frustrating.  I had a goal of running a 5K by my one year post-op.  Here I am coming up on 2-years and can't even walk a mile let alone a 5K. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.  Our symptoms are different, but I understand the frustration. Michelle 370/180 (at goal) Open RNY 5/5/05 TT 2/1/07