Question:
How bad is the Diarrhea with Distal RNY
I am wondering what the main complications are with having Distal. I know that malabsorbtion is a problem and so is diarrhea. Is it diarrhea every day with no relief? If so how much intestines did you have bypassed? — Trin2rilax Cheryl McCoy (posted on July 14, 2003)
July 14, 2003
My surgeon bypasses 150 cm of intestines which he considers a short distal.
I do not have problems with diahrrea at all; in fact, I have to be careful
not to get constipated. I eat fiber every day to prevent constipation.
— Patty_Butler
July 14, 2003
hi, im almost a yr post-op with distal 250 cm of intestine bypassed and i
have never had diarrhea. i have stayed constipated most of the whole yr
and take colace every day. i read somewhere else where someone said
distals dont dump and thats not true either cause i do. or i did up till
the last 2 months. anything more than 10 grams of sugar per serving and i
dumped badly. best of luck to ya
amanda mercer, 102 lbs and 53 1/2 inches gone gone gone!
— amanda W.
July 14, 2003
I had 200cms bypassed, which my doctor said is btwn a proximal and a
distal, almost 6 feet. I had loose stools while I was on the liquid and
soft portions of the post surgical diets but never diarrhea. I have
microscopic colitis (MC) and before surgery I would have a problem when I
ate some hidden gluten in my foods. But now being post I have no problems
at all with my bowels which is really weird for a person that has MC
because we always seem to need to be looking for a potty because we need
them sometimes at a moments notice. I will sometimes get constipated and I
have nailed that down to when I slack off on my water intake. Good luck.
— ChristineB
July 14, 2003
I had 225cm bypassed, 9 weeks out now. I also had diarrhea while I was on
the liquids (first 2 weeks), now I'm battling constant constipation!
My understanding is that they say distals have worse smelling bowel
movements/gas because of the undigested foodss... I haven't noticed that
though. Big concern with distal is the malabsorption, have to be committed
to taking supplements forever. Good luck!
— Sungurl B.
July 14, 2003
I had the Duodenal Switch, a distal procedure. I have a 100cm common
channel and a 150cm Roux limb. The remainder of my small bowel
(approximately 400-450cm) is bypassed. I don't have any issues with
diarrhea at all. It is true that the risk of diarrhea problems is somewhat
higher for distal procedures than for proximal procedures, but individual
results vary a LOT. Some proximal RNY patients have chronic diarrhea after
surgery, and most distal RNY patients and DS patients do not. It's really
difficult to predict how any particular person will respond to WLS.
— Tally
July 14, 2003
I'm a distal, distal. 40" common channel, like Tally, but I'm RNY. I
had a lot of surprises the first year. And it came to a screming halt when
I had my TT. Don't know how there could be any relation, but maybe it was
just time. My type of distal should NEVER be constipated, but I am. You
didn't say how distal. Some docs consider 150cm bypassed to be distal. My
doc calls it a proximal. See?
— vitalady
July 14, 2003
150 bypassed and only get diarrhea when it is extremely hot (which tells me
I need to up my fluids that day) or when I eat something with too high of a
grease content (and I do mean grease, not fat. I can eat fatty type foods
- avocados, salad dressings, etc - no problems, but if I eat deep fried
foods, watch out!) or if there is too much sugar snuck into a product.
Otherwise I'm pretty normal - more normal than I ever was pre-op!
— [Deactivated Member]
July 15, 2003
Good question. I have been wondering that, myself. :D
— Lisa S.
July 16, 2003
I had surgery 6 weeks ago, and I have had non-stop diarrhea since the day I
came home from the hospital. I had the RNY Distal, and I only have a 30
inch limb left. I am now on the strongest diarrhea meds available, and it
is not working too well.
— Kendra P.
Click Here to Return