Bowel Bypass Syndrome
Is anyone else suffering from this? I have skin and nail problems nails dry yellow thick skin swells cracks and thick sheets of skin slough off and bleeed. I also have very dry red skin around my eyes, and have to take steroids to keep it under control. I'm 4 yrs post RNY. From what I have investigated this happens when a bacteria develops in the blind pouch and sents out antigens to skin and joints causing an inflammatory response, this happens 2- 6 yrs post op to up to 20 % of the patients. It can be controlled with steroids and antibiotics but only true diagnosis is a boipsy and cure is revedrsal of the bypass. I am faithful with vitamins and checkups and labs are always perfect. I developed this after I think a reaction to new gloves at work and was on steroid creams for it. The dermatologist just tells me to live with it that it is hand and nail eczema. At my 4 yr checkup the PA told me she had seen this once before and the Bowel Bypass Syndrome was one of the topics at the latest Bariatric Conference. Any help or direction is appreciated. I feel I've aged 10 yrs in the last 6 mo/s
Miss Jean 
Jean, I happened upon this again and went googling... And found several medical journal articles and even wikipedia has an article on it...
It will ventually occur in 20% of all bowel bypass surgeries, both RNY & DS. It can come & go, can first appear up to 20 years out, possibly more. It's caused by the abnormal bacterial growth in the bypassed bowel.
I saw a reversal of the bowel bypass noted as a cure, but encountered no long term studies to prove its curative powers. What does work is several ant-bacterials (see Wikipedia).
This is a heavy cross to bear. I'm doubly grateful I changed my mind about RNY, opting for the Sleeve instead.
Steroids are so harsh on the body... I hope you have luck in treating this whenever it recurs. And I hope you keep ObesityHelp.com posted on your treatment.
I wish you the best. Always.
Theresa
Hi Miss NanaJean,
I have been ill for over a year now and had my gastric bypass in 6/09 so almost five years ago. It was a revision from a lap band that never quite worked out for me. I was 49 at the time of my surgery and not sure why but only lost 75 lbs at the time and gained back around 20 since then and have been pretty steady for the past few years after the initial gain when happened about a year after my RNY. I'm okay with that my real issue is how I feel now!
When I first felt ill my symptoms were major fatigue, headaches, low grade fevers, some soreness in my joints/tendons and just an ill feeling or what they call malaise on a daily basis. It was like I had mono basically and the feeling I would get would come about several times a day almost felt like it concentrated in my head, like a head cold would. I remember when the fatigue began I was in physical therapy for osteoarthritis surgery I had done on my thumb.
So I started with my primary who sent me out to a variety of doctors and also to my bariatric group who did blood work to make sure I wasn't lacking in my vitamins etc... which I have been taking consistently since my surgery and always have. Anyway found a little low in iron and even tried iron fusions to see if that would help and it didn't.
So after seeing a variety of specialists from ENTs to eye doctors, dentists (possible TMJ), hematologist, gastrointerologist for a colonoscopy and endooscopy which I was due for and the only thing they found were some ulcer type things in my small intestine as it leaves my new pouch and tested me for celiac with biopsy and blood test and was negative. I also saw my endocrinologist for my thyroid and it was okay but I'm on synthroid for hyptothyroidism, I saw a rheumatologist for possible autoimmune disorder and was negative, was tested for Lyme disease, negative, there are so many scans I've had done and redundant blood tests I can't recall them all, have a bit of a brain fog as well and had been keeping track of all my tests and appointments on the computer for backup.
I asked my primary for some antibiotics because in the beginning it felt like a sinus infection or something even though all tests have shown clear and he gave me a script that did nothing. Then I developed a bad cold a few months later and he gave me a stronger antibiotic that gave me diarrhea for 8 days straight which to me was a big deal as I was normally constipated ever since my RNY and adding all the iron to my system so I ended up in the ER to make sure I was okay and they said it was a reaction to my antibiotic so I don't take that anymore.
After my intial trip to the bariatric doctor a few months later I began getting stomach pains but they felt deep not something you could press on and feel so I went back to the bariatric doctors and they had me x-rayed and found me to be packed full of stool. After that other doctors had me scanned and found all sorts of things they find when they scan a 50+ year old woman, cysts on kidneys but they were "normal", lesion in my liver which after 3 scans turned out to be a deep bundle of veins so that was okay, some fibroids in my uterus which I've always had and a lot more money has been spent but the good news was that in January of 2014 I met my deductible for the year within a couple weeks! It's not cheap getting blood work and a variety of scans that are not covered initially
Anyway so the gastrointerologist was the one really focused on my liver and colon of course and they scheduled the majority of the scans prior to my colonoscopy/endoscopy. They also put me on a stool softener and a strong fiber drink to ease up on the constipation. Actually since my colonoscopy I am not as constipated anyway but have the pain still which I'm not sure if it's due to the tortuous bowel they found or what but it's there and moves from side to side and is always upper abdomen. I also had a polyp and it was just one and it was biopsied as negative.
So now I've come full circle I've even seen a second ENT due to my symptoms which also now includes a sore that's in my upper nasal cavity that won't go away! He said my issue wasn't "ENT related" which seems funny cause they all seem like they should be but he's the expert.
Anyway long story short but still continuing on I've gotten the impression from a few doctors that it's probably all related to my "RNY" surgery and should look there. Well I thought I looked there twice but I guess not hard enough. Then I saw your post and others that refer to things like autoimmune disorders being caused by RNY and it's bacterial growth either leaking into the blood stream or in the stomach that was stapled off and some call it bowel bypass syndrome like you have or leaky gut syndrome and then there is short bowel syndrome. I'm scheduled to see the PA again in May so this is where I'm at now. At this point I can't live like this anymore, my quality of life has gone down hill and I feel like I'm 30 years older than I am. My 88 year old mother in law has more energy than I have and I'm always on Tylenol for my headaches and that's not good for your liver either! I know antibiotics will not fix this and I know you cannot be on steroids for long term care so if the only thing to fix this is a "take down" or reversal of my RNY I am now really considering it even if there's a chance it won't fix all the problems. I just can't live this way anymore.
Anyway sorry to respond to your post so late but just recently found it and hope you are donig well. I also have dry skin and eczema on my scalp and upper body. If you have any more information on this I'd love to read it especially prior to my next appointment with my bariatric group, thanks Brandy!
