POST OP LIFE Q's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everybody, I am a teen that had a RNY. I had it 3 months ago. I am doing ok. Other than being weak and dizzy sometimes and  my smoking. I have crappy habits already including eating cheetos, a few fries, carbs, and drinking water or iced tea with my meals. I am supposed to eat 3-4 oz as a meal. I seem to put away aroud 6oz usually. i can see the bad habits.  I know you guys have seen these questions 1000+ times but if you could take the time to help me and answer them to the best of your abilities that would be appreciated. I am particularly interested in RNY LIFE: 1. Anybody know any teens over 2 yrs out from surgery? How are they doing? 2. Anyone over 5 or more years P.O. ? How are you doing? 3. Does anybody know if the rny has to be fixed or cleaned up after 10 yrs? ( i saw that somewhere) 4. Do people still dump after so long? 5. Can you ever eat fried or greasy foods years out and be ok? 6. Is it true if you eat something so many times eventually your body will get used to eat and you won't get sick off it anymore? 7. What kind of "complications are avoidable" 8. Any vitamins or supplements or tricks to be helpful ( a friend of moms who is 8yrs PO suggests DIGESTIVE ENZYME PILLS) 9. Is it true we can't eat butter or oil P.O. RNY 10. Will high fat foods always make me dump or just high sugar 11. Does dumping ever go away  12. Any tips or advice on life? I am worried about longgevity since i will be living hopefully at least another 65+ years with this as my new insides.  13. Are periods always so aweful forever after surgery till you don't get um anymore.  Anything else you feel like you need to say... anything at all.... please do Thank you so much for your time.

Hi There! I don't have answers to all of the questions, but I'll hit the ones that I do. 1. Nope 2.n/s 3. I have not heard this. I do know that some require a revision down the line, but that's not necessary for everyone and there are new procedures coming out for those that are gaining large amounts of weight back. 4. Some people dump forever, some never dump at all. This is a very individual things. Alot of people (Like me) had 1 dumping episode at 18mths post op and never pushed it again! 5. Some are fine with greasy foods, some are not~again just depends on the person. For me though, I did this to live a healthy lifestyle so most of the time highly greasy foods are out of the question anyway. 6. I have heard of a few people that did this with sugar. They started out eating 1 or 2 M&M"s and gradually over time worked their way up to a bag of them. Again, not something I would recommend doing b/c sugar should be consumed sparingly after surgery too. 7. The only complication I have had so far was severe constipation and including plenty of water and fiber in my diet has really helped. Taking your vitamins is extremely important b/c if you don't there can be irreversible damage done to your body. 8. I know people that take digestive enzymes, but that's not completely necessary. Taking your multi vit, calcium, b12, iron, etc are the most important things. Having your labs run regularly is very important so that your dr can keep you on the right track with vits. 9. No, that's not true. When I had the flu I ate a piece of toast w/butter and was fine. I also use olive oil for cooking and on salad sometimes with no problems.  10. Again, dumping varies by person. 11. It does seems like most people that dump see it decrease over time, but I have read from a few here at OH that still dump many years out. 12. My best advice to you is to follow dr's order to the T and take full advantage of your "window of opportunity". Do  your best to avoid the chips, fries, carbs, sugar, etc. In the beginning its your best chance to lose quickly and reach your goals so why blow that opportunity? This is also the time to try to change those old habits and replace them with new ones. I know not drinking with meals can be difficult, but it serves a purpose and is very important. This is the time to focus on you and a new, healthy lifestyle. I would also suggest getting on an exercise routine~even just getting out to walk daily~it helps so much in the long run! 13. I haven't noticed mine are any worse now, so I guess that varies by person too. Hope this helps and Good Luck to You!

I don't have answers to all your questions but here's what I can tel you about ME. 1. Anybody know any teens over 2 yrs out from surgery? How are they doing? I don't is there a teen board on OH?? 2. Anyone over 5 or more years P.O. ? How are you doing? I'm almost 4 years out and am doing good I have let BAD HABITS back in and have gained some.  DONT' LET BAD HABITS BACK IN.  3. Does anybody know if the rny has to be fixed or cleaned up after 10 yrs? ( i saw that somewhere) I don't know what you mean by this.  4. Do people still dump after so long? I still DUMP if I'm really bad and I'm GLAD I DO. 5. Can you ever eat fried or greasy foods years out and be ok? I live in the REAL WORD with 2 teens and a hubby. YES I fast food that is greasy,  eat a FEW french fries and fried chicken WITHOUT THE SKIN SOMETIME. But I don't make it a habit. AGAIN you have to make GOOD FOOD CHOICES for RNY to work.  6. Is it true if you eat something so many times eventually your body will get used to eat and you won't get sick off it anymore? Yes and NO your body will be able to eat more sugar and such if you keep pushing it. Think of it this way if you eat 3 M&M's a day for a week then up it to 5 the next week then 7 the next your body would learn to eat this and not dump  but THIS IS NOT A GOOD CHOICE.  7. What kind of "complications are avoidable" I don't have an anwser If you make the right food choices and take all your vitamins you should be OK but you never know.  8. Any vitamins or supplements or tricks to be helpful ( a friend of moms who is 8yrs PO suggests DIGESTIVE ENZYME PILLS) Have you rblood labs done every 6 mos to 1 year and then you will see what vitamins and such YOUR BODY NEEDS. Every one is different some need more iron others more D otheres neeed B12 shots.  I'm OK with just my mulit and B12  tabs.  9. Is it true we can't eat butter or oil P.O. RNY I do have A LITTLE butter on a roll as a everyone once and a while. I hardly cook in oil I didn't use much before either. AGAIN BAD HABIT WHY PU**** 10. Will high fat foods always make me dump or just high sugar EVERYONE is DIFFERENT some people DON"T DUMP at all.  12. Any tips or advice on life? I am worried about longgevity since i will be living hopefully at least another 65+ years with this as my new insides. Make GOOD CHOICES don't let bad habits back in 13. Are periods always so aweful forever after surgery till you don't get um anymore. This sounds like something you need to talk to your doc about. Mine didn't change.  Anything else you feel like you need to say... anything at all.... please do It sounds like you are trying to find a way to BREAK THE RULES of RNY.   If you let old habits back in you will not lose and you will GAIN weight.  LEARN to eat better and make GOOD FOOD CHOICES FOR LIFE.  I'm not saying you can never eat fast food, have a piece of cake or pie or ice cream but as a very special treat not a habit.  Good Luck,  Robin

Liz, I did not have an RNY but I am going to talk to you like I talk to my niece. Girl, you are just a baby on this journey and you risk so much to have this surgery. This is your "window" to get your eating habits in order. The footwork of doing that is up to you. LAY off the CARBs - for now. You've read the "pouch rules". DO IT! That includes not drinking with meals - 1/2 hour before or after. Take a year to build good eating habits - get your protein in FIRST. Snack on protein first. Have a protein shake before you give in to those cravings. You'll be surprised how those cravings go away.  Some complications that are avoidable are the ones that you have to take responsibility for...like taking vitamins every day, getting your water in ever day. Only you can do this.  Liz, when you want to eat....ask yourself WHY do you want to eat. Are you truly hungry?? Are you mad over things you can't control? Are you angry and can't express it? Relationships with food change - and you have to learn (if you didn't before surgery) what triggers you to eat and deal with THAT issue instead of eating it away. When those demons call...try putting on some tunes and go for a walk. Find healthy outlets to change the activity level in your life.

You do have a long life ahead of you and this journey is going to be part of it. The surgery is a tool that you must use.  But...it is up to you.  This did not answer most of your questions (again, I am not an RNYer) but these are things all morbidly obese people have to face to make weight a "non-issue". Blessings to you! Dianne from FL

1. Anybody know any teens over 2 yrs out from surgery? How are they doing?
Sorry, I don't 2. Anyone over 5 or more years P.O. ? How are you doing? I am 5 years out and doing well healthwise.  I did have cir****tances not related to RNY which led me to sabotage my success and regain a lot of what I lost.  I'm currently trying to reverse that.  I can tell you that my first cheeto was the beginning of my VERY slippery slope and I wish I had NEVER tried it.  My firend who went through it at the same time as me followed every rule and she's still a size 6. 3. Does anybody know if the rny has to be fixed or cleaned up after 10 yrs? ( i saw that somewhere) Never heard of this. 4. Do people still dump after so long? Yep 5. Can you ever eat fried or greasy foods years out and be ok? Yep, but it's better not to start.  Besides, the grease really tastes greasy - yuck! 6. Is it true if you eat something so many times eventually your body will get used to eat and you won't get sick off it anymore? I've had that experience and how incredibly stupid was I to keep eating something so wrong for me?!  Trying to get BACK on track is much harder than staying there! 7. What kind of "complications are avoidable" Well, complications are unexpected by definition, so I don't know that they're avoidable.  However, you can minimize risk by following all the rules and changing your lifestyle to a healthy one. 8. Any vitamins or supplements or tricks to be helpful ( a friend of moms who is 8yrs PO suggests DIGESTIVE ENZYME PILLS) I've never had problems taking vitamins, but I still take everything that was assigned at surgery time.  Plus periodically extra iron pills and sometimes laxatives for constipation.  9. Is it true we can't eat butter or oil P.O. RNY I haven't had that problem. 10. Will high fat foods always make me dump or just high sugar Totally depends on the person.  Better not to find out.  Just always believe you'll dump and be miserable and don't pu**** 11. Does dumping ever go away It becomes manageable because you know what to avoid, so in a sense it goes away as long as you don't pu**** 12. Any tips or advice on life? I am worried about longgevity since i will be living hopefully at least another 65+ years with this as my new insides. You have given yourself a chance at a normal life.  A couple of years from now, you won't remember so many of the things that make life hard right now.  You'll go off to college where people never knew you were fat and you'll be normal.  All the hurts will fade.  No one ever has to know until you tell them.  Especially if you start exercising and get toned.  Boys will notice, you'll participate in all kinds of activities that you couldn't do before.  Make the most of it - don't blow it.  I would rather have gone to prom than stayed home with my book and a pound bag of m&m's.  I was 31 before I found anyone willing to look beyond the fat.  And wanting to have a long life with him and my family prompted me to have RNY and now to struggle every minute to get back on track.  Don't stray, don't blow it. 13. Are periods always so aweful forever after surgery till you don't get um anymore Mine were horrible after surgery, I used to joke that I was going to bleed to death!  They do get normal again and regular.  If it keeps up for long, you may want to check for anemia - I had to take some iron pills for awhile until things calmed down.   Anything else you feel like you need to say... anything at all.... please do I hope this helps you a little, feel free to email anytime.  I hope you'll really hear what people are saying when they beg you not to risk this opportunity you've given yourself.  I remember exactly how it felt to be a fat teenager and I see it in my students.  You've taken a huge step and now it's up to you to make it work.  You need to find a support person who you can talk to every single day and will hold you accountable and give you crap if you're thinking about a bad choice.  You also need to make yourself so busy that you don't have time to think about food.  Go get a part time job at Curves and work out while you're there!  Be involved in something at school that keeps you active and away from food - drama club?  Volunteer at an animal shelter.  Make choices that will straighten out your future.  Don't blow it. 

Kudos to you for undertaking such a huge, responsible step to ensure that you have a healthy life ahead of you.  I wish that option had been there for me when I was a teen.  One thing I have learned however is that the biggest part of maintaining a normal weight and a healthy life style is not the size of my stomach, but the relationship in my head between food and emotions. It is this relationship that has sabotaged every dieting attempt I have made over the years and if I'm not careful, it will sabotage my WLS also.  I have said this a lot and I will continue to say it....the WLS is wonderful, the tool is effective, but the most important piece of this journey is often ignored and/or negelected.  That piece is the psych. piece.  Until we can actively address and manage those forces that influence our bad decisions, well, the bad decisions will continue to haunt us.  The bad decisions I'm refering to are 'food demons".  Those demons go into hibernation the 1st 6 months or so after WLS, but then they wake up and many of us find that we are ill prepared to do battle yet again with those persistant little buggers.  Use these 1st few months to build yourself an arsenal against those nasty food demons.  If you are not in the position to seek out professional counseling as a way to address your emotional dependency on these food demons, then use a support group, use this and other forums, use yourself.  Take the advice offered to you by the posters prior to me.  Start an eating diary.  (for your eyes only, no one else needs to see your diary unless you so choose)  When I was in counseling, I gained the most insight from keeping an eating diary.  What the eating diary is, is simply a log of events and emotions surrounding your eating.  You write down what you've eaten (even if its just a single, lone potato chip) in one column.  In the next column you write down what emotion you are truly feeling before, during, and after eating that chip.  You then write down what event occured prior to seeking out that chip.  It is quite an eye opening adventure, even for us seasoned emotional eaters who believe that they know their triggers.  This diary will help you to bring those sub concious food demons to the surface where you can then effectively battle and defeat them.  Your WLS tool is a wonderful tool, but every tool needs to be utilized properly in order to be effective.  You must address your eating habits in order to properly utilize your tool. 

Hi, I first want to say that you are so very brave to have this surgery.  You have lots of work ahead of you but if you focus and put your mind to it, you will have a long healthy life in a smaller body.  You have youth on your side, if some of us adults could turn back time and go back and do things differently, we might not have needed surgery to correct weight and health problems.  You have this tool now and you got it early in life, so use it to the best advantage. To answer your questions: Stop the bad habits.  You have to take control and accountability for what you put in your mouth.  Noone else can do this for you.  You have a chance at losing weight and being healthy early in life, this is not something that should be taken lightly.  I say you are brave because I am 36, stable in my life and pretty level-headed, but this lifestyle is hard.  I dont know if I would have the control that I have now when I was a teenager, especially with peer pressure.  Be very careful once you get to goal weight, you have to realize that you are not normally or naturally thin, you have had surgery to help you to lose weight and you will always have to maintain and control yourself throughout your life.  These are some things that you CAN count on: You always have to take vitamins You always have to get bloodwork You should never eat more than a cup or a cup and a half of food, for life--at one time You should never drink while eating, and you should wait 30 mins to an hour to drink after you eat. You should not drink carbonated beverages You will always have to exercise You should always come here or to support groups for support--your surgery causes you to be unique from a lot of people that you will know, we come here because we all understand what each other has been thru, so be careful and make sure you keep in touch with people who have had weight loss surgery. 1. Anybody know any teens over 2 yrs out from surgery? How are they doing?  I do not know anyone. 2. Anyone over 5 or more years P.O. ? How are you doing? I am only 9 months out, but I have friends that have been post op for 5, 7, 10 years and they are doing good. 3. Does anybody know if the rny has to be fixed or cleaned up after 10 yrs? ( i saw that somewhere)- fixed?? do you mean going back in and re-doing the surgery? No, but I think that people who have problems with their stomach might have to have the pouch revised. 4. Do people still dump after so long?  some people dump on different things, and some dont dump.  I think that your body changes over time , some stuff you couldnt tolerate before, you can tolerate later.  I know I could not eat pizza until last month at 8 months out.  And I recently discovered I cannot tolerate milk. but I can eat cheese. 5. Can you ever eat fried or greasy foods years out and be ok?  You can eat fried food and greasy food but do not make it a regular thing, eat it in moderation.  That was my problem with pizza,it was too greasy. I still cannot eat mcdonalds nuggets, they just do not taste good to me and I used to love them. 6. Is it true if you eat something so many times eventually your body will get used to eat and you won't get sick off it anymore? I think this can happen but then you are "tricking" your body.  Why would you want to "trick' your body?? If you shouldnt eat that food and get sick off of it, I would take that as a sign that I should not eat that food, or not as much of it. 7. What kind of "complications are avoidable"- complications- I think the only thing that is avoidable is vitamin deficiencies.  We have to stay on top of bloodwork, stay in close touch with your doctor, make sure your doctor knows about vitamin supplementation for WlS patients, for life.  My internal med doctor told me, "you are not normal, you have had surgery, so don't act like you are normal, you must treat yourself like you have a condition, get bloodwork, supplement with vitamins and take vitamins, also get vitamins through your food intake as well", make sure to drink plenty of water and keep your bowels moving by incorporating fiber into your diet, I take benefiber to keep regular. 8. Any vitamins or supplements or tricks to be helpful ( a friend of moms who is 8yrs PO suggests DIGESTIVE ENZYME PILLS)--no tricks, I take b12, b-complex, multi vitamin, calcium citrate, and benefiber daily. 9. Is it true we can't eat butter or oil P.O. RNY- I can eat butter and oil, just not too much because it will send me to the bathroom. 10. Will high fat foods always make me dump or just high sugar-high fat , and high sugar foods can make you dump, or it may not. it depends on the makeup of the food.  I would stay away from high anything food--even with protein, you want to balance your diet.  too much of anything is bad on your system..too much water is bad for you, too much protein bad for you, too many carbs bad...but so is not eating enough carbs--you need them for brain function, you need them to have energy and to burn, you need protein for obvious reasons--dont fall short on protein, you need fruits and veggies too, to regulate your bladder and bowels, you need calcuim for your bones. get the message?? 11. Does dumping ever go away --I dont dump real bad, but I do have some slight dumping if i have too much sugar. If i eat too much in one sitting , I feel it right away, so I really try to measure my food because that is not a good feeling. 12. Any tips or advice on life? I am worried about longgevity since i will be living hopefully at least another 65+ years with this as my new insides. --see above, follow the rules and you should have a great long life. You have gotten a wonderful tool, at a really young age and will do wonderfully if you keep these thoughts in mind and dont give up. 13. Are periods always so aweful forever after surgery till you don't get um anymore.- periods are heavy for me since I got my tubes tied in Jan and went off birth control. I still have them.  Luckily for me that they are heavy, but only last 2-3 days.  Anything else you feel like you need to say... anything at all.... please do Good luck to you, I wish I had this chance in my teens, it would have made a big difference but I dont know how successful I would have been because I didnt have anyone telling me right from wrong, so I ate and ate myself into unhealthy habits and lifestyle.  take our advice and use it and you will do fine. Angela

Hi Liz, You already got a lot of great answers to your questions.  I just wanted so add a few things.   I had my WLS when I was 29, I had been fat since I was a teenager, I wish I could have had this surgery when I was younger.  I truly believe my life would have been much different if I had gone through my 20's as a normal sized fit woman.  Don't get me wrong, I am really happy where I am now, but there are a few things I wish I could "do over".  You have that opportunity, don't squander it by making bad choices.  When I was fat I let people treat me badly, I was insecure, I had low self-esteem, my life was full of anxiety and fear (will I fit in the desk in college, will I ever get married, are they talking about me, is someone going to embarass me by calling me a horrible name, and on and on).  Take this amazing opportunity you have and make the best of it.  You know what you have to do.  Also, I have heard many people say teens shouldn't be able to have this surgery because they cannot handle all the responsibility that comes along with it, PROVE THEM WRONG!  You can do it!

I just copied your questions here. I'm coming up on 13 in a minute, but Im' old. However, my doc did teens back in the 90's with me, so I've seen some results, yes.
1. Anybody know any teens over 2 yrs out from surgery? How are they doing?
*********** not so well

2. Anyone over 5 or more years P.O. ? How are you doing?
********** me? I'm fine, but I only know one teen who is ok

3. Does anybody know if the rny has to be fixed or cleaned up after 10 yrs? ( i saw that somewhere)
*********** some ppl will need to be revised to a more radical surgery or have other repairs. If you eat past your surgery, you can't just sort of "refre****", no

4. Do people still dump after so long?
************** yes. but define dumping. vomiting is vomiting, diarrhea is diarrhea. If you mean dumping as in heart palpitations, sleepiness, nausea, dry mouth and so on, yes.

5. Can you ever eat fried or greasy foods years out and be ok?
************ not a good question for me. I've always been able to eat whichever of these appealed to me. My RNY is a little more radical than average

6. Is it true if you eat something so many times eventually your body will get used to eat and you won't get sick off it anymore?
************ yes and no. You can condition yourself to eat just enough sugar not to be sick but just enough to gain wt. Fast.

7. What kind of "complications are avoidable"
*******
100% regain (some is normal)
iron deficiency anemia (iron)
pernicious anemia (b12)
eye damage (vit A)
osteoporosis (calcium)
rickets (vit D)
nerve and/or brain damage (B1 and/or B complex)
immune system quits
muscle loss (protein)
crispy skin and hair
frequent labs (at least every 6 months, FOR LIFE)



8. Any vitamins or supplements or tricks to be helpful ( a friend of moms who is 8yrs PO suggests DIGESTIVE ENZYME PILLS)
************* I would not take them because that undoes my malabsorption somewhat. I would absorb a few more grams of protein in food, but I'd also gain wt.

But a full and complete supplementaion schedule would be more helpful

9. Is it true we can't eat butter or oil P.O. RNY
************ well, I guess it depends on what you are told. RNY malabsorb fats and oils to a degree, which is why you need to supplement A, D, E. Eat your butter, but lose your fat soluble vites.

10. Will high fat foods always make me dump or just high sugar
*********** some dump on one or the other, some on both. Fats have never bothered me. Sugar still makes me dump. However, if I eat a little every few hours, I do not dump. I just can't fasten my pants! SOON!

11. Does dumping ever go away
*********** see #4 above

12. Any tips or advice on life? I am worried about longgevity since i will be living hopefully at least another 65+ years with this as my new insides.
******** well, I'd have a couple hundred emails on the subject, but you might want to tune into yahoo grads and browse thru the 9 yrs of archives there to see what you can avoid. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

The bottom line being that if you try to outsmart the surgery, you WILL. If you drink with your meals, you can eat appx quadruple of what it takes to lose and maintain your loss. If you are not nourished with good food, vites, and such, your body will do its very best to adapt and try to absorb more of everything you're putting in, starting with calories.

While you malabsorb some fats 'n oils, you never EVER malabsorb sugar or alcohol. Rightfrom your lips to your hips.

13. Are periods always so aweful forever after surgery till you don't get um anymore.
*********** na/ for me, cuz I'm old.