Question:
Having a hard time staying motivated

I found out the day before my surgery that I couldn't have it because i have ulcers. I realize that this was a good thing to have found before the surgery, but I am so depressed and i'm having a hard time staying motivated at all! Is there something I can do? I've kept a journal of the process so far, starting from a month before the original surgery, but nothing is helping. Does aynone have any encouraging words, or things that you might have done? I don't know what to do with myself anymore.    — Deborah U. (posted on May 29, 2001)

May 29, 2001
Well basically whats next? Are the uclers being treated and are you schedulling again? If so dedicate to get your stress level down and reduce the ulcer/acid stimulators in your diet so that you are in charge of getting your new life. I hope so much things work out for you.. I can imagine your dissapointment.
   — Dawn R.

May 29, 2001
Well, that IS tough. I'm sorry you had that build-up and then disappointment. But here's what happened to me, and it may comfort you to know why it's better to be treated for ulcers NOW: I had ulcer signs and symptoms, and so when my MD suggested I take Zantac for a few weeks before my upper endoscopy, I readily agreed. I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't have to delay surgery because of an ulcer. And sure enough, there weren't any active ulcers by the time I had the EGD. The H. Plyori test was negative, too. Trouble is, the test done that way for H. Plyori is way less than 100% accurate, and H. Pylori is the most common underlying bacterial cause of ulcers. I had my surgery, and even on 2 anti-ulcer meds, I developed ulcer-type pain the 2nd week post-op. (I had the DS, too, and ulcers are far less common with DS than RNY.) Now, 4 months, 2 upper GIs, one trip to the ER, and 2 endoscopies later, it turns out that I have more than one ulcer at the line of anastomosis. My 2nd H. Pylori test--the most accurate one--is scheduled for next week. That means by the time I get relief, I will have missed about 15 extra days of work, lost weeks of decent sleep, put out hundreds of dollars and wasted time in extra testing, suffered relentless abdominal pain for 4 months, and will probably be given the 10-day CURATIVE antibiotic treatment I could have had pre-op, if they'd known for sure I had ulcers and H. Pylori. Nothing is a given, but that is one possibility you might have just avoided. Take heart! Soon you'll have your surgery, and your post-op recovery will have a better chance of going A-okay.---Jesse
   — Jesse M.