Gastric Bypass Surgery and Recovery

[FistFullaRoux]

I had almost forgotten about this thread. It's been a while since I've updated. Guess I was too busy living.

As it stands now. Her Neurologist just released her. She is now walking again, slowly, and lot for long distances, without a walker. It is possible for her to have enough energy to get through a work day, but she completely crashes at night. Her energy level is about 30% of what it used to be. But, she is getting around a lot better. Energy levels should improve as her health is still improving.

She has left her job due to the stress (collections for a utility company), and has returned to one of her previous jobs, as an "telephone sales rep" for one of the local dot coms. A cut in pay, but she does not have to arrive 15 minutes early to sit in her car and get the crying out of the way. Antidepressants? Check. Still.

It was with great pleasure that we returned her wheelchair to it's rightful owner. A friend of ours is a parapalegic, and this was one of her backup chairs. The walker has gone into the back of her car, where it will stay in case she needs it.

We've had a number of trips to the ER since I last updated for a variety of reasons including several infections. We've just gone 60 days without having to do that. Most people see an ER 3-4 times in their life. We're thankful to have gone 2 months. Glad it's there, just don't want to see it again. We are on a first name basis with a lot of the staff.

The nutritional aspect of it is, 3 multivitamins a day, plus iron, 64 ounces of water (which she takes in Crystal Light), and at least 5 meals per day. She has not had a dumping episode from sugar in a couple of months, and now can eat whatever she wants, up to and including ice cream. Ensure drinks and shakes are now back on the menu, and she does drink them on a regular basis. Food amounts are still small, typically about 1/4th of what I eat, but she tolerates just about any food well.

Are we better? Damn right. Are we back to normal? No, and we may never be. We are in the process of developing what we want in a house, and the brutal truth of the matter is that we will have to modify the house as soon as we get out hands on it to enlarge door openings, build ramps, and the whole shooting match, because we know that she will have to return to the chair, and much younger than she otherwise should have. That's the way it is. It's better now, but it will go bad again, since there was some permanent damage to muscles and nerves.

And, she has been having dental trouble. Saw her dentist today since a crown had popped off. Her teeth are flaking. She is the third patient of his that he has seen that in. It's also related to the surgery, in that there was a lack of calcium for an extended time. It's showing up now in her teeth. I'm trying to talk her into a bone density study. She has also started menopause. At 37. This has thrown eveything out of whack, and it's like her body has aged 15 years in the last 15 months or so.

I thank everyone for their thoughts and kind words. I never realized how hard it was to watch someone you love go through something like this. It's not as hard as actually going through it, but it still truly sucks. I could not have made it without other people, including my mother-in-law, who I will never say a bad thing about. Wait, never say never

So here we go, into the future, waiting for the other shoe to drop. We've been through some really hellacious spots during this, and we have more to face. But our relationship is stronger than ever. At least we have that, right?

[Anna N]

. . .

So here we go, into the future, waiting for the other shoe to drop. We've been through some really hellacious spots during this, and we have more to face. But our relationship is stronger than ever. At least we have that, right?

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If your relationship is stronger thean ever then you are doing something very, very right. The best to both of you!

[Lori in PA]

. . .

So here we go, into the future, waiting for the other shoe to drop. We've been through some really hellacious spots during this, and we have more to face. But our relationship is stronger than ever. At least we have that, right?

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If your relationship is stronger thean ever then you are doing something very, very right. The best to both of you!

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Yes, indeed. I'm glad to hear of some better days.

[Smithy]

I too am glad to hear it's getting better, although it's still plenty bad. Thank you for taking the time to post about this, and for passing the warning on to the rest of us. If I ever know someone who's considering gastric bypass, I'll be sure to send them to this thread.

It's truly wonderful that your relationship has gotten stronger as a result of this. AnnaN's right: you've been doing something very right. May you continue to be able to see your blessings!

[lancastermike]

Glad to hear that things are at least a little better. Just a little more than two years since Chris died now. Not one day goes by that I don't think of her.

Both of you have great courage. I am happy that your relationship is stronger. So much I still have to say about this and so hard for me to write it. Good Luck my friends, good luck

[Zeemanb]

First of all, I hope things are going much better for your wife, FistFullaRoux. I did read this thread several months ago, in addition to reading tons and tons of literature, and talking to many people who had the procedure. After three or four years of dieting, researching, debating and fretting I did decide to go through the process myself. I had my gastric bypass surgery two weeks ago, and recovery is going well so far. This thread prompted me to do a lot of extra research into issues with post-surgery neuropathy, and I talked to my surgeon a lot about that. I'll be going in for monthly blood tests for a while just to be safe, and my vitamin regimen now consists of multi-vitamins, B complex, sublingual B-12, Vitamin D and Potassium Citrate. I'm also taking in a daily dose of "New Whey" liquid protein....approx. 42 grams of protein in a 4 ounce tube.

This was a huge decision for me and I'm only beginning to understand the mental gymnastics I'll have to go through in order to re-train a brain that has pretty much been able to act on every food impulse for the past 38 years. I don't have any illusions that the honeymoon will last forever, but it is great to be taking weight off so fast. I think I'm down at least 20 pounds since surgery (13 lbs as of last week at the doctor's), but I need to buy a scale so I can monitor it more closely.

As a serious foodie, I thought it would be best to start up a blog to force myself to chart my progress and the issues involved with switching to a completely new lifestyle. The biggest food-related revelation has happened in the past few days.....I no longer have to consider price when shopping for meat and fish (within reason of course)....when you only eat three ounces of protein at a time you can pretty much have the best available.

Anyway, I'll provide a link to my blog (my domain name is pointed there until I get done creating my own site). As an eG member and food-obsessed (to a fault) person, I thought it may be of some interest as I go through this process....

Bariatric Blog

[prasantrin]

How's your wife doing lately? I hope she's doing well, or at least better!

[BarbaraY]

I truly hope that your wife fully recovers from this. One have my daughters had the surgery about 1 1/2 years ago and, so far, has lost about 170 lbs. with no ill effect. This is truly frightening to me to see that something like this can happen at a later time. Thanks for the info.

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My daughter had gastric bypass 2 years ago and lost over 100 lbs. Her life has changed drastically in that she has much more energy and has become more out going. She was clinically depressed and is now much better.

I was against the operation but it was a good choice for her. I know several people who have had very bad results.

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Now two years after my previous posts as to how well my daughter was doing, I have to qualify those statement.TOTAL COMPLIANCE IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!

My daughter hasn't been eating right, hasn't been taking her suppliments, nor exercising, and drinking beer. Now she is very ill and barely able to make it to her work as a cook. Her Dr.s are making every effort to correct this condition but she has lost way too much weight and is very weak and exhausted.

I can't blame the surgery but her non-compliance.

Now my elder daughter is scheduled to have the surgery next month. Obviously this worries me but she is more grounded than her sister and will take the suppliments, eat the protein, and exercise as she should.

[Smithy]

I've been pondering this topic for a while now, and I have a question.

It seems as though everyone who goes through gastric bypass surgery has to reprogram himself or herself to eat more healthfully, avoid certain foods, take vitamin supplements, and generally take much better care of himself or herself. The new, much smaller portion sizes are considerably smaller than would seem reasonable without the surgery, and would seem like starvation rations to someone with a whole stomach. Other than that point, however, I'm wondering what the difference is between reprogramming with the surgery vs. doing the same reprogramming without the surgery. Either way it seems to be very difficult, but very necessary. If one has to do the reprogramming anyway, can one do that without the surgery and still get the benefits of the weight loss?

Please understand that I am not passing judgment or casting aspersions. I have been very fortunate never to need to consider such a drastic action. But the action is so drastic that I wonder whether it can be avoided by making all the changes without going through the surgery. What am I missing?

[Kim Shook]

Smithy - I, for one, take absolutely no offense at your question. It's a valid question and I wish I had been able to do it without surgery. But I couldn't. I was 44 years old when I had the surgery and had been fat all of my life. I tried every diet that existed and never really lost what I needed to and manage to keep any significant amount off. And every year found me just a bit heavier than the last. I was on diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol medications. I was completely out of control and ashamed of myself and my lack of willpower. The surgery is hard, but it is, at first, a FORCED change. It forced me to start what I couldn't manage to do for myself. Before I gained back any control over what I ate, I had already lost a significant amount of weight. And, 5 years later, I am still forced to eat smaller portions - just through the physical act of getting uncomfortably full so soon. I still struggle with food - I am stalled at a 100 lb. loss, because I eat too often. But while I would never recommend the surgery to anyone, I have never regretted doing it. Hope that gives you some understanding! Don't be afraid to ask me questions - I don't mind at all !

[Zeemanb]

Smithy  - I, for one, take absolutely no offense at your question.  It's a valid question and I wish I had been able to do it without surgery.  But I couldn't.  I was 44 years old when I had the surgery and had been fat all of my life.  I tried every diet that existed and never really lost what I needed to and manage to keep any significant amount off.  And every year found me just a bit heavier than the last.  I was on diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol medications.  I was completely out of control and ashamed of myself and my lack of willpower.  The surgery is hard, but it is, at first, a FORCED change.  It forced me to start what I couldn't manage to do for myself.  Before I gained back any control over what I ate, I had already lost a significant amount of weight.  And, 5 years later, I am still forced to eat smaller portions - just through the physical act of getting uncomfortably full so soon.  I still struggle with food - I am stalled at a 100 lb. loss, because I eat too often.  But while I would never recommend the surgery to anyone, I have never regretted doing it.  Hope that gives you some understanding!  Don't be afraid to ask me questions - I don't mind at all !

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I concur with everything Kim had to say....next month will mark the first anniversary of my gastric bypass and I'm generally open and up front about the experience. I too tried every single diet program you can imagine, losing and regaining hundreds of pounds since the age of 12 or 13. I don't want to sound trite or overly dramatic with this comparison, but I literally think of this type of extreme eating disorder along the same lines as I do drug or alcohol addiction. You know in your heart there is absolutely no logical reason to destroy yourself with food....but it is a compulsion that is uncontrollable. I was fortunate enough to have surgery last year shortly after I turned 38, and within 2 weeks I was off of both blood pressure medications and acid reflux meds. Within 2 months I no longer needed my C-PAP which treated my sleep apnea (damn if it ain't nice to leave that thing at home when I fly now..). Surgery was a lifesaver for me, but to add to Kim's comments I will say that it is no "miracle cure" or magic bullet....the lifelong compulsion to overeat and rationalize bad behavior is still there, but now you have a tool to help you manage it. I've taken off approximately 140lbs in the past year, and have hit a self-inflicted plateau in the past month that I know has to do with simply eating too much of the wrong foods....so I'm in the process of working past that and the nice thing is as soon as you get back on track the weight comes off immediately. Besides the restricted stomach capacity, the surgery does come with a built-in "Ludovico Technique" tool that would make BF Skinner proud.....high fat and high sugar foods are not received well. I won't go into gory details there, but let's just say I can't pass by the potato chip aisle in the store without getting the cold sweats .

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my decision, and to piggyback on comments upthread, compliance with your vitamin/protein regimen IS mandatory. The aftermath of the surgery is far less dramatic physically than I expected it to be (although recovery SUCKS)......"will I be able to get enough food....will I feel weak all of the time", etc. However, I do know that if I don't keep taking my B-12 I could end up with permanent nerve damage, so there is that incentive. Still, even that is far less stressful than life prior to surgery, when I knew that my lifestyle would kill me before I turned 50. The self-hatred and loathing that comes along with the disorder has to mirror that of a junkie.....it's hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it. But I will say that the Mount Everest of ignorance is witnessed in people who say things like "here's an idea...why don't you just stop eating?". I weighed 200lbs by the time I was in the sixth grade, so people like me are just hard cases and need an extreme solution.

Anyway, I'm rambling here, as is my custom when talking about surgery. Less than a year in, my life is more enjoyable that it has ever been....even though I still need to lose about another 50 or 60 pounds I'm wearing the same size clothes I did in high school, I can fit comfortably into coach airline seats, walking/stairs are no longer a consideration when figuring out where I want to go and what I want to do........so overall it's a great trade-off.

So Smitty and anyone else who is curious......FIRE AWAY! If you can even come close to offending someone like me, then I'd probably end up admiring you and wanting to learn your methodology .

[hannnah]

Bear in mind the "bypass" part of the equation - in addition to the reduced stomach size, you're also literally bypassing a significant part of the small intestine, where a lot of the nutrition from the food you eat gets absorbed. So, even if you eat a diet equivalent to the amount that a post-bypass patient is eating, you're still absorbing more of it than they would. This is why people who opt for the lap-band type procedures generally don't lose as much weight as Roux-en-y bypass patients, since all the lap-band does is limit how much your stomach will hold.

The deal I made with my primary care physician to get her to recommend the surgery was that I would go on a strictly controlled low-calorie diet plan with a hospital dietitian, with accompanying exercise plan, just so the doctor could see independent documentation that I wasn't able to lose weight on a standard diet and didn't just have to take my word for it. After two months of a strict, no cheating, 1000 calorie diet with appropriate exercise, I lost a grand total of 5 pounds. Without gastric bypass surgery, it's highly unlikely I would ever have been able to lose weight - at 9 years post-surgery, my total net loss is around 125 pounds.

Would I do it again? In a second.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Just be prepared for drastic changes, not only in the things you're able to eat but the things you want to eat. I expected not to be able to eat various things - you're told about all that beforehand. I didn't expect my tastes to change as much as they have; there are a lot of things I wouldn't in a million years have considered eating before the surgery that I adore now.

[Zeemanb]

Just be prepared for drastic changes, not only in the things you're able to eat but the things you want to eat.  I expected not to be able to eat various things - you're told about all that beforehand.  I didn't expect my tastes to change as much as they have; there are a lot of things I wouldn't in a million years have considered eating before the surgery that I adore now.

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Great point, and I will say that although once in a while I do "miss" being able to eat a gigantic cheeseburger, I'm a completely different person when I approach food now.... going to a restaurant is so different, because for the first time when I look at a menu I'm not thinking "okay, which entree has the MOST food?".

Eating for flavor instead of quantity is an incredible paradigm shift....and it makes my Saturday morning trips to the farmer's market even MORE enjoyable!

[Smithy]

Thank you all for the answers and insights. I'm glad I can ask questions (don't have any more for the moment) and learn something!

[Benzee]

Hello all ,

A topic I can relate to .

I had the lap band procedure five months ago , down 80 pounds so far with fantastic restriction .

I'm happy for those that had the bypass and are maintaining , I also have a few people in our support group that have had the band put over the bypass and others bypass sers that after 5 years out have gained back a significant amount of weight .

Throughout my life I have tried all diets , some succesful for a time , never long term .

I did about one years worth of research , and appts and insurance checks and finally was approved .

My suergeon was Dr. Daniel Davis of Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC , a leader in the field who trains new surgeons in baraitric surgery.

I have no illusions that this is a magic bullet , but with support groups , and this wonderful tool the lap band , I feel the right decision was made .

My eating habits have been forever changed , and that I can deal with on a daily basis .

Benzee

Edited August 22, 2008 by Benzee (log)

[ilively]

I'm two weeks from a Gastric Bypass (RNY). I've read lots of books. I know the complications. I just want to know if you foodies (for surely I am a foodie) still enjoy the good foods that you were eating before.

I had the most wonderful dinners in Chicago at the Pump House and North Pond. I absolutely loved the steak I had at Emeril's in Orlando. I've had divine food at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan.

Have you survivors done the full-on gourmet meal at some of your favorite restaurants after your surgery -- when you're in the 'you can eat anything' stage -- I can't imagine drinking a protein shake at any of my favorite places without the urge to kill everyone who was eating 'real food' at the time.

I'm currently reading Before & After by Susan Leach. I purchased it about a month ago, along with several other surgery books, and high-protein cookbooks. I chuckled when I saw it mentioned early in this thread, since I just decided to check on here for a Gastric Bypass thread on here as I read her descriptions of several meals.

[Mysstwalker]

I'm two weeks from a Gastric Bypass (RNY).  I've read lots of books. I know the complications.  I just want to know if you foodies (for surely I am a foodie) still enjoy the good foods that you were eating before.

I had the most wonderful dinners in Chicago at the Pump House and North Pond.  I absolutely loved the steak I had at Emeril's in Orlando.  I've had divine food at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan. 

Have you survivors done the full-on gourmet meal at some of your favorite restaurants after your surgery -- when you're in the 'you can eat anything' stage -- I can't imagine drinking a protein shake at any of my favorite places without the urge to kill everyone who was eating 'real food' at the time.

I'm currently reading Before & After by Susan Leach.  I purchased it about a month ago, along with several other surgery books, and high-protein cookbooks.  I chuckled when I saw it mentioned early in this thread, since I just decided to check on here for a Gastric Bypass thread on here as I read her descriptions of several meals. 

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I had my RNY in January 08, and now one year later I am down 210 pounds and I eat goooooddd lol. I still am on the Protein only way until I have lost 75% of my weight but I eat very good, have gone out to eat with no problems, I basically live like a carnivore to the extreme. You will have so many options and other versions of favorite foods that you WILL be able to eat, as the recipes on Susan Maria's site illustrate. Good luck on your surgery and contact me anytime if you need someone to talk to or some other tried and true recipes and links!

[Zeemanb]

I'm two weeks from a Gastric Bypass (RNY).  I've read lots of books. I know the complications.  I just want to know if you foodies (for surely I am a foodie) still enjoy the good foods that you were eating before.

I had the most wonderful dinners in Chicago at the Pump House and North Pond.  I absolutely loved the steak I had at Emeril's in Orlando.  I've had divine food at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan. 

Have you survivors done the full-on gourmet meal at some of your favorite restaurants after your surgery -- when you're in the 'you can eat anything' stage -- I can't imagine drinking a protein shake at any of my favorite places without the urge to kill everyone who was eating 'real food' at the time.

I'm currently reading Before & After by Susan Leach.  I purchased it about a month ago, along with several other surgery books, and high-protein cookbooks.  I chuckled when I saw it mentioned early in this thread, since I just decided to check on here for a Gastric Bypass thread on here as I read her descriptions of several meals. 

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Hey, hoping to hear how you are doing! Sorry that I've forgotten about this thread, and I won't go on and ON like I usually do, but I will share my favorite word since surgery......LEFTOVERS! My wee stomach keeps me from enjoying absolutely NOTHING.....I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been, and when it comes to the greatest restaurants I get at least two or three meals for the same price.

I pretty much eat what I want when I want, and surgery impacts different people in different ways......for me, I have to watch out for the high-fat foods. Serious Ludovico treatment moments.....I'm very cautious with the fatty foods, which is just smart anyway.

Hope you are doing well! If you have any questions or just want to shoot the breeze, feel free to contact me anytime!