7 Year postop op anniversay

Actually my 7th year surgiversary isn't until Monday but i'll be traveling then and probably won't get to post. Its been a ride for sure..forst 6 years were absolutely perfect an complication free...this last year has been a nightmare..I won't get into it because well it makes some people uncomfortable and when I posted about my issues last time, I got lots of nasty email. Oh well.(mind you this was on the main board, not here) If you're curious, it's all spelled out in one of my pasts posts..so clicking the latest posts will help you to find it. I still adore my surgeon who is a wonderful gifted person. But remember this folks, just because you take your vitamins diligently, doesn't mean you can't have issues down the road..I never missed mine and i'm living proof. Anyways, it's not a big deal anymore but it was a turning point in my life for sure. Now, i'm just a regular person. I Chick

Congrats "I Chick", 7 years is quite an accomplishment, especially if you are still keeping the weight off and doing well... Alesia

Good Morning, I Chick,  I would love to read about your recent complications, but you've made your profile private.  I am interested because today is my 3 year anniversary! I have also been complication free so far and would really enjoy reading what you had to say. No flaming coming from me!   Could you possibly email me your entry?  Thanks ahead of time!

Lyn

I just posted it ono the main board :)..you can hop over and read it :)

Congratulations on 7 years post WLS! You look marvelous I must say. Yes, we mus****ch out for nutritional deficiencies. I got mine just this year.  I am watching myself and making sure that I get what I need to stay healthy. That is what it is all about. I commend you on your continued success! Thanks for sharing. Lucy

Congratulations! 7 years out and keeping the weight off is just great. I am sorry that you have encountered problems this past year, I hope things have improved for you. Thanks for sharing, it just reinforces to the rest of us to get followed by our surgeons for life as problems could occur anytime down the road, it is an important message. Take care Sher

Your previous posts are only 3-4 posts and none mentioning your problems. I'm sorry you have issues, and would like very much to know what your late complications were/are.

I tried to find the post, but didn't have any luck. I am sorry that this last year has been rough for you, but it sounds like you're doing well now and I am so happy to hear that! Congratulations on 7 YEARS!!!!!!! That's fantastic!!!!!!!

Thanks :) This is the post I made on the mai board regarding my complications tht developed around year 6..i'm not healthy..and have more crappy days than good days...I'm hoping that posting it here, older postops will understand and appreciate that things can and do happen years and years out..lots of hostility on the main board..things have definitely changed there. I left OH and rejoined in April, hence the minimal posts..we all go through tht live our lives period and thats what I did. Here is the post..the Nesidioblastosis is specially scary since it can be fatal..and remembr..I ALWAYS take my vitamins..never miss them...but sometimes malsorption has more of an effect than we anticipate and there isnt anything WE can do despite being diligent. Ohh, i'm 7 years out..that's pretty long term. I had a picture perfect postop experience until this past years, well when I hit my 6th year out. I made this post a couple of weeks ago. When I did post "MY" postop health issues, I got email that would make some peoples toes curl. Sorry, but postop life years down the road isn't always picture perfect. Though now, i've read the posts of those who sent me the nasty email and well, I think they're morons lol..so i've decided to "look at the source"..anyways this was what I posted..  I don't think i've posted doom and gloom. Being aware of long term complications and speaking about them especially since i'm a SEVEN year postop who is having such issues is gloom and doom..it's simply what I live with. I barely drink, never did really. I've taken my vitamins faithfully AND diligently for 7 years. I take the right kind of calcium. I take 3 prenatals I take b12 shots I take my iron. I eat high protein/good carbs/lots of fruits and veggies. I drink my water. I exercise. I have a b1 (thiamine deficiency) I have b12 issues (didnt develop those until October of 2006) I was diagnosed with Nesidioblastosis. I am anemic. My profile is empty. I left OH in Fall of '04 and took my profile with me. I don't have time to sit and type it all out right now but I also didn't think i'd post about this or meet up with such negativity from some about being honest. My postop health at this point is what it is. It's not from not taking vitamins and not drinking water ..or drinkinig soda or drinking alcohol. I NEVER had issues until my 6th year. I guess I dont understand why people who are having issues and are honest enough to talk about it are greeted with hostility. I've never been mean to a soul here or unpleasant..but I think I should be able to talk openly and honestly about what i'm dealing with in the same way some people talking about the bowel habits they are having, or marriage problems or someone asking them when they are due. Are those types of subject more important? or is it because my mentioning it makes people uncomfortable? See the latter I CAN understand..there is nothing wrong with what my issues are or others making people nervous..I never gave any of this a thought until it happened. I figured I was "in the clear" at 6 years out..most people *****plied to the thread are 2 years and under for the most part..some are longer out..but you need to realize I am SEVEN years out.that is much further out than most... For me, it is what it is..I deal with it..I dont come here asking people to do anything for me or pray for me..I saw a thread about someone having complications and I mentioned mine..thats it..it's really not that complicated. Some people didnt like what I said or that I said anything that all..I cant help that..and I wont apologize for being hoonest about what I deal with..I feel like my issues are imiportant especially to ME.. Ok so let's see what I deal with... Froom Wikipedia..

Nesidioblastosis is a controversial medical term for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia attributed to excessive function of pancreatic beta cells with an abnormal microscopic appearance. The term was coined in the first half of the 20th century. The abnormal histologic aspects of the tissue included the presence of islet cell enlargement, islet cell dysplasia, beta cells budding from ductal epithelium, and islets in apposition to ducts.

By the 1970s, nesidioblastosis was primarily used to describe the pancreatic dysfunction associated with persistent congenital hyperinsulinism and in most cases from the 1970s until the 1970s, it was used as a synonym for what is now referred to as congenital hyperinsulinism. Most congenital hyperinsulinism is caused by different mechanisms than excessive proliferation of beta cells in a fetal pattern and the term fell into disfavor after it was recognized in the late 1980s that the characteristic tissue features were sometimes seen in pancreatic tissue from normal infants and even adults, and is not consistently associated with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.

However, the term has been resurrected in recent years to describe a form of acquired hyperinsulinism with beta cell hyperplasia found in adults, especially after gastrointestinal surgery.. From the New England Journal of Medicine.. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/353/3/249 That's a link to a study done by the New England Journal of medicine in regards to post gastric bypass patients developing Nesidioblastosis. From Wikipedia in regards to the Thiamine deficiency

Beriberi is a nervous system ailment caused by thiamine (vitamin B₁) deficiency; its symptoms include weight loss, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception (Wernicke's encephalopathy), weakness and pain in the limbs, and periods of irregular heart rate. Edema (swelling of bodily tissues) is common. In advanced cases, the disease may cause heart failure and death. The origin of the word is from a Sinhalese phrase meaning "I cannot, I cannot".

Contents [hide] 1 Causes 2 Symptoms and effects 3 Treatment 4 See also

[edit] Causes

Beriberi is caused by a lack of thiamine. It is common in people whose diet consists mainly of polished white rice (which contains little or no thiamine because the husk, which contains most of the thiamine, has been removed) and in chronic alcoholics with an inadequate diet; it is also a known (though rare) potential side effect of gastric bypass surgery. If a baby consumes the milk of a mother who suffers from thiamine deficiency, the child may develop beriberi.

The disease has been seen traditionally in people in Asian countries (especially in the 19th century and before), due to those countries' reliance on white rice as a staple food.

[edit] Symptoms and effects

There are two forms of the disease: wet beriberi and dry beriberi.

Wet beriberi affects the heart; it is sometimes fatal, as it causes a combination of heart failure and weakening of the capillary walls, which causes the peripheral tissues to become waterlogged. Dry beriberi causes wasting and partial paralysis resulting from damaged peripheral nerves. It is also referred to as endemic neuritis.

[edit] Treatment

Treatment is with thiamine hydrochloride, either in tablet form or injection. A rapid and dramatic recovery within hours can be made when this is administered to patients with beriberi, and their health can be transformed within an hour of administration of the treatment. Thiamine occurs naturally in unrefined cereals and fresh foods, particularly fresh meat, legumes, green vegetables, fruit, and milk.

Read for yourself, research as much as you can. Ask your doctors, ask more doctors, remember, it's not because of non compliance or from not follwoing orders..lots of us are having problems because of malabsorption and because our digestive tracts were rearranged.

I'm happy to be thinner of course, but I wish I wasn't having to deal with this..it isn't fun for anyone dealing with this..it's scary...but by not talking about it doesnt mean it doesnt exist.

I'm not going to bore you all, and whine (not my style)..hell I don't even complain. But I wont allow people to treat me like a leper because I have issues.

none of us are immune. so for every person who thinks it cant happen to them..I sure hope thats true..but remember..we've all had this surgery which makes us all susceptible to these problems..just keep track and if you notice anything out of the ordinary..please get it checked out immediately!

Best wishes!

I Chick

Congratulations on your splendid weight loss success and welcome back!  I'm so sorry after your long absence you're being met with negativity and some complications issues. I'm pleased you took the time to write of this and braving posting here. Hopefully, you'll be met with more support this go around and help countless others facing similar issues. At the very least, perhaps, you will prompt some other Post-Ops to get their needed labs done.

Your complications issues interest me. Might I ask what treatment protocols you're undergoing, and have you been referred to or worked up by a competent endocrinologist?

B1 and b12 deficiencies  are not terribly uncommon with post-op RNYs. It's one of the reasons I wish more RNY surgeons would stress the importance of regular lab work with their patients, including further out. I had the DS, and because our pylorus valve is preserved, necessary for proper absorption for B1 and B12, and that we have a normally function, albeit, much smaller stomach, these B deficiencies are rare with our WLS type. It might also interest you to know that the intestinal part of the duodenal switch is being performed routinely in Europe on NON-OBESE patients with intractable type 2 diabetes mellitus. This results in a 98% cure rate for those so afflicted including those morbidly obese patients presenting with same that get the full DS. Many patients having other WLS types who undergo significant weight loss see their type 2 diabetes go into remission, but it can be said with medical certitude that the DS truly cures 98 % of these patients for reasons not entirely yet known. Should you be interested, there is a Dr. William Peters out of  Scranton, PA and who performs the DS and other WLS types who could enlighten you on this far more than I. Keep us posted on how you are doing and thanks again for your most helpful post. Most sincerely, Rock -------------------- Common sense is in medicine the master workman.                                                       ~Peter Latham