7 years post RNY, looking for support

Hello! I spent hours last night reading through the posts and replies here on the OH grad forum and was shocked and comforted to see that so many grads are having or have experienced many of the issues I come here seeking help with! Wow, I had no idea. I’ve been so out of the loop. I’m 38. Female. I had RNY in October 2003. I am 5’10". At my highest I was 303. I dropped 153 pounds before finally leveling off at a steady weight of 165 pounds, which is where I stay without much fluctuation these days. My BMI is 23. In December 2004 I had a panniculectomy.  Things were great, although I still obsessed about food, even if I couldn’t eat it all! In March of 2005 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I worried that my RNY somehow caused or set off the RA because of the shock my body went through with the weight loss. I guess I’ll never know the answer to that one. I take a variety of meds to control the RA flares and for the most part manage very well. Three years ago, I started drinking. Several times per week, 3-4 glasses of wine a time. Since it was mostly done at home, it never created much of a problem. It’s been about 2-3 months now since I’ve drank. I finally accepted and admitted that it was causing problems. In July 2009 my blood tests showed low hemoglobin and iron. We’ve watched my iron drop to a 5 and I am now scheduled for one of five  iron infusions tomorrow. I tried to eat iron rich foods and took an iron supplement but just couldn’t absorb it. Doc put me on birth control pills to lighten my cycles. Between not absorbing (and disliking meat), RA meds, drinking history and very heavy periods (sorry guys), my irons levels didn’t stand a chance! I haven’t seen my RNY doc for probably 5 years. I’m 2 hours away. I’ve been seeing my general practitioner for all the recent labs and see my rheumatologist at least once a year but do labs for him quarterly. They work together on my treatments. My “plan" is to start the iron infusions and see how my levels look and how long it takes for them to start dropping again. If/when they do drop off again, I’ll call the bariatric office. I started researching last night because I didn’t think my GP was doing what should be done. But after reading through all the posts and what I found online, it seems like he IS on track with what others have done. *sigh*…. So, I don’t know. I guess I don’t really have a single, burning question to ask of you. Your comments and support are welcomed. It is nice to be able to write about this to people who know the ins and outs without having to go into deep explanations of everything! Here’s to getting back on track!

I'm quite a bit older than you but wanted to toss my support..You're doing awesome to keep up on your own health with research and watching what they are doing for you. WE are our own best advocate.

I don't have iron issues but you just never know what can happen. I don't have RA either but I'm sure it will happen. I believe I have it in my family asside from the RNY I had in 2006. I also have alcoholism in my family so I am VERY sensitive to that and watch myself.

-hugsssss- 


you know you've come to the right place for support!  ..i am 5 yrs post op..female..39 yrs old.  last year, i had a ferritin level of 3...received 18 weeks of iron infusions..sometimes twice weekly ..also received vit b12 injections...avoided a blood transfusion...long story short...i ended up having to get an endometrial ablasion done due to my heavy cycles...

i feel great now ..maintaining a good ferritin level ..not as high as it should be ..but it went from 3 to 16 ..i go see my hematologist every 4 months to make sure everything still looks good.

all i can say is ...HANG IN THERE.  you are doing the right thing.  keep your head up and take care of you.

best of luck to you!!
-hugs-
dawn

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

When I p9ost this link, I always hope that some of the info we've gathered since 1999 will migrate back here, but it doesn't always, so I still recommend going here.

Many of us have been active on that list since 1999, so if we seem to know one anOTher, we do. we've been thru regain too much loss, regain, helping ppl get sober, waiting til others recognize that the stats re: alcohol and WLS do indeed apply to them and so on.

I encourage you to bring your experience there and bring info back to here.

Someone has been thru all of it. Very few of us were launched on an aggressive nutritional program, but some of us were or have overcome what you're going thru now.

There is a huge bank of knowledge there, because we are all surgery types (some ppl have had 4 or more different types); all numbers of years out; all over the world/country.

I would call you a success story for sure.  I'm a little over 2 years out, lost 70 lbs. and need to lose 20 and would like to lose 30.  Just can't seem to get the extra moving but I'm pretty happy with my status, just don't like the numbers on the scale.

The only problem I've had is constipation and that's never ending.  I wouldn't think the RA is caused by the surgery.  My best friend's sister has had RA since she was 6 years old and she's a tiny little thing.

You are doing a good job staying on top of things. 

I can certainly identify with the drinking, as evidenced in my own recent post. I congratulate you on you sobriety, which I am on the road to as I write this. I spiraled into a bing drinking cycle that ended in crisis with a DUI a few nights ago. I am deep in the hurt locker leaglly and financially with all this and I am scared to death.

I haven't had any medical issues since my surgery, I have been very lucky with that. My trouble is maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Something I'm learning about the hard way.

-=db=-

Hi DeeBee
Just wanted to let you know that my prayers are with you as you go through the legal aspect of the DUI.  I hope that you will go and get help through AA or something similar because you could have kill yourself..  Know that things are not as bad as they seem,  Prayerful everything will work out for you.

Hi, I am really new here just a little over 2 months post op and basically just wanted to say that it sounds like you have been thru a journey, and not all journey's are bad. I am glad that you can admit that the drinking was causing you problems and that you had the insight to stop.  Wish you all the best with your Iron level and hang in there, the journey is no where close to be done.