Life (so far) After Gastric Bypass

miss_erynn

I recently felt the need to explain my choice and life after gastric bypass. The following is a "note" I wrote on my Facebook to my friends who felt the need to criticize me.

I do think people should read something like this and/or other blogs to get a real good sense of what the surgery is all about:
*****************************************************************************************************************************************

"I feel I need to write a note about this so people can truly understand what I have gone through before and after gastric bypass surgery.

Pre-surgery, I was a fairly happy individual. However, I lacked self-confidence with respect to how I looked. I always yo-yo dieted and pretty much gave up. I had become obese. Obviously, as you all know, my love of food was a bad thing, and I finally realized the issue at hand instead of being in denial. I ultimately decided on going through with the gastric bypass surgery.

I weighed approximately 250lbs. I am 5'3. That is considered morbidly obese for my height. It shocked me.

The pre-surgery aspect was insane. I had to be in "tip top" health (obese people are healthy?), physically, mentally and emotionally. I was healthy, no other health problems, other than being fat.

The surgery itself was not so bad. I was in the hospital for 3 days. The pain was something I never want to feel again. EVER. Just think, the surgeon basically went into my stomach through 5 insertions, rearranged my intestines so that food "bypasses" my stomach when I eat and creates a man-made pouch to store foods and liquids.

I was not able to use my stomach for anything for WEEKS. You really don't know how much you rely on your stomach/ab muscles until you can no longer use them. I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand up. I couldn't get myself off a couch or out of a bed. I could only lie on my back...which, having had back problems being overweight, was not fun.

I barely ate in the weeks recovering. I lived on protein drinks, freezies and broth. Slowly but surely, however, I transitioned to being able to eat real solid food.

My pouch (because, really, I can't say stomach since it doesn't hold anything can only hold about a cup to a cup and a half of food at any given time. An average person's stomach can expand to the size of a football when they eat; mine does not. It will burst. I will be in serious pain. I will be back in the hospital.

Another thing to consider: an average person's stomach contains a significant amount of acids which aid in the areas of food breakdown and digestion. My pouch does not. This results in very serious debilitating gas pain. Because of this, I am no longer able to eat certain foods and have to ban some foods altogether. Here's a list:

- no bread
- no pasta
- no white potatoes
- no white rice (carbohydrates fill me up so damn fast, and are unbelievably hard to digest)
- absolutely no meat whatsoever - my body cannot break down animal proteins any longer and they make me super sick
- no eggs (they give me what is called "dumping syndrome" which is exactly what you think it is)
- limited dairy (Greek yogurt and cheese, only)
- no fried foods or high-fat or high-sugar foods
- no carbonated drinks

That really limits me, especially since I have to get at least 60g of protein every single day. I have totally and completely become a vegetarian. You need to know, this is NOT BY CHOICE. Because of this, it has really affected me mentally. To want to be able to eat something so bad, but knowing the severe consequences I suffer is almost cruel and unusual punishment.

On most days, this is what I eat:

Breakfast: 1 vanilla Greek yogurt w/ 1 tbsp flax seeds, 1 tbsp wheatgerm, 1 tbsp hemp seeds and 2 tbsp low-fat granola

Lunch: either 1 cup of some sort of bean salad or 1 cup of grain salad and a Babybel light mozzarella cheese - if I'm extra hungry, I'll eat a few slices of cucumber or snow snap peas or green beans.

Snack: gluten-free crackers and hummus or roasted chickpeas

Dinner: 1 cup of bean salad or 1 cup of grain salad - however, lately I have been venturing out and trying things such as tofu spaghetti, 1/2 a sweet potato, bean "burgers" and tofu "dogs" - they taste like crap, those tofu dogs, yuck.

Snack: gluten-free crackers and hummus or roasted chickpeas

So, to put into perspective, I eat beans. A lot of them. Too much of them. I am afraid to try new foods because I don't want to experience pains. Do I get 60g of protein every day? Nope. That's pretty obvious. I am living on about 700-900 calories a day. That's enough to make ANYONE go somewhat mental - let alone a former morbidly obese person.

One of the cons after this kind of surgery is absorption rates. My body just does not absorb the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs. Being vegetarian does not help. I have become iron-deficient anemic (I am fatigued and sleep all the time), I am B12 deficient and could develop osteoporosis if I am not careful. Every single day I take 4 calcium pills (morning and night), vitamin D3, vitamin B12, a prenatal multivitamin, iron, cranberry extract and acidophiles.

Another issue I want to bring up with my friends is my mood. I apologize to anyone I have upset, angered, pissed off in the past few months. Serotonin is stored in fat cells and in women, particularly, this is stored in their stomach area. When drastic weight loss happens, your fat cells decrease and shrink, thereby decreasing your levels of serotonin. As we all know, serotonin is our "happy" chemical. If the brain cannot get enough serotonin, a chemical imbalance happens therefore leaving someone depressed. I am depressed. I have uncontrollable mood swings. I am not happy, save for having a lot more confidence with my appearance.

But let's flash forward to today: I am still 5'3. That won't ever change. I am 180lbs and still dropping. I only have 30 more lbs to reach my goal weight, and I am only 5 months post-surgery. "

alphasigalum

Thank you for sharing! My husband had gastric bypass about 10 years ago and doesn't regret it. It can be hard for us, well me because I eat a lot more than him. I wish he would incorporate veggies!

macybean

I've recently discovered brewer's yeast as a great protein source (and most B vitamins, although not so much B12). Lewis Labs Premium brewer's yeast is edible and higher in protein than some (no, I don't work for them, I just like this brand). Might help you hit that protein goal and get some more B vitamins.

miss_erynn

@macybean - Thanks! I have actually upped caloric intake to about 1100 now and tried tuna for the very first time the other day....that helps with protein! I will def keep that protein yeast in mind. What is the taste like? Is it like wheatgerm wherein you can basically mix it with anything? I've become iron-deficient anemic since surgery, which is a common complication post-surgeries like this. The B12 deficient is new, and as a result of vegetarianism (almost 3 months now!). I just went for blood work and my 6 month post-surgery weigh-in is on September 24th, so I'll know then if I can decrease anything

@alphasigalum - has he tried the Greens+? Or making spinach smoothies or something? Vegetables - especially with skins like cucumber, zucchini, potatoes and some greens (lettuce especially!!!) are extremely difficult to digest and since I don't have a "stomach" anymore, I don't have the acids to breakdown the lettuce so it just sits and makes its way through my pouch, causing serious gas pains. I'd rather not experience them, so I just eliminated that altogether. I can do cucumber and zucchini though.

macybean

The brewer's yeast has a stronger flavor than wheat germ, it's kind of a nutty taste and I like it in smoothies and yogurt. I was warned when I started it that there were only a few brands that were tasty, so I ordered the Lewis Labs brand and once I decided I liked it I never tried any others. Hope it works for you!

miss_erynn

Taste like hemp seeds?
I haven't been able to find it yet....perhaps I'll look in the smaller health food stores near me!

ginagff

Hi I had Gastric bypass July 9 2012 and im doing great except for slow weight loss my starting weight was 235 and now im at 195 im 5'4. The only food i have trouble eating is chicken and i have noticed that if you dont chew chew chew it gets stuck and i start burping and cant stop until i self induce vomiting and then im fine. But if i chew my meats up really good i dont have any problems i have even tried sweets and didnt have a dumping syndrome not good LOL! But went to my doctor today and he said that im not going to lose hundred pounds because i would be to small and that my weight will be coming off slow but he was very happy my diabetes is gone yay!

DMB1973

WE had our surgery so close to each other, I had my RNY on July 2, 2012. Start weight was 287 and right now I'm 219 and feel great! I know what you're saying about chicken. I can get grilled chicken down, doesn't get dried out, crock pot chicken and roasted chicken forget about it. You'd think with the crock pot the chicken would go down better.

miss_erynn

Congrats ladies!!!

I'm down 90lbs in 8 months... still losing.... still not able to eat meat or lettuce or white potatoes/bread or any form of pasta at all. I loooooooove my eggs now after being on hiatus from them for a while.

It does get better, although sometimes, it definitely does not feel like it!

Guamybear

thanks for posting.. I often wondered about taking that road.. I know a couple people that did but never really went into details.

i know now, it isn't for me.. I like to eat and i love food. To not be able to eat rice and pasta would kill me.

Thanks again...

Smokey19

Thank you for sharing that with everyone. I had intestinal bypass and it has really changed my life and I can't eat a lot of foods without suffering miserably. You put it in a way that anyone can understand.

teller36

Erynn- you just wrote my story (almost) I had gastric bypass January 19th, 2006. Best thing I ever did. I was actually at 260 when I started and then after the surgery I got down to 150 but with time and slacking a little I have gained about 20 lbs back. Which I did fine out that is normal. The funny thing is I was a huge pasta eater before I had the surgery and now barely even touch it. The only thing I miss is eating a bowl of cereal with milk. I am now lactose intolerant, thankfully cheese isnt something that gives me trouble like milk and ice cream. I am no longer a diabetic. Actually my A1C levels are better than most that never had to have the surgery.

Congrats to all of you starting that journey, I wish you all the best and if I can answer any questions feel free to ask!!

Sue

momoftwinsvt

I too had gastric bypass surgery. It has been almost 3 years and it changed my life. Has it been all good? No. I have had to give up a great deal and at times due to poor choices, I suffer. I try very hard to follow the rules but sometimes the urge just takes over and I then regret it. The good however has been that I have lost 184 lbs and I am confident, active and healthy! I will be here to watch my children grow, I can do things I have never done before and I smile more everyday! It was worth it 100%!!!

annwyatt69

I recently felt the need to explain my choice and life after gastric bypass. The following is a "note" I wrote on my Facebook to my friends who felt the need to criticize me.

I do think people should read something like this and/or other blogs to get a real good sense of what the surgery is all about:
*****************************************************************************************************************************************

"I feel I need to write a note about this so people can truly understand what I have gone through before and after gastric bypass surgery.

Pre-surgery, I was a fairly happy individual. However, I lacked self-confidence with respect to how I looked. I always yo-yo dieted and pretty much gave up. I had become obese. Obviously, as you all know, my love of food was a bad thing, and I finally realized the issue at hand instead of being in denial. I ultimately decided on going through with the gastric bypass surgery.

I weighed approximately 250lbs. I am 5'3. That is considered morbidly obese for my height. It shocked me.

The pre-surgery aspect was insane. I had to be in "tip top" health (obese people are healthy?), physically, mentally and emotionally. I was healthy, no other health problems, other than being fat.

The surgery itself was not so bad. I was in the hospital for 3 days. The pain was something I never want to feel again. EVER. Just think, the surgeon basically went into my stomach through 5 insertions, rearranged my intestines so that food "bypasses" my stomach when I eat and creates a man-made pouch to store foods and liquids.

I was not able to use my stomach for anything for WEEKS. You really don't know how much you rely on your stomach/ab muscles until you can no longer use them. I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand up. I couldn't get myself off a couch or out of a bed. I could only lie on my back...which, having had back problems being overweight, was not fun.

I barely ate in the weeks recovering. I lived on protein drinks, freezies and broth. Slowly but surely, however, I transitioned to being able to eat real solid food.

My pouch (because, really, I can't say stomach since it doesn't hold anything can only hold about a cup to a cup and a half of food at any given time. An average person's stomach can expand to the size of a football when they eat; mine does not. It will burst. I will be in serious pain. I will be back in the hospital.

Another thing to consider: an average person's stomach contains a significant amount of acids which aid in the areas of food breakdown and digestion. My pouch does not. This results in very serious debilitating gas pain. Because of this, I am no longer able to eat certain foods and have to ban some foods altogether. Here's a list:

- no bread
- no pasta
- no white potatoes
- no white rice (carbohydrates fill me up so damn fast, and are unbelievably hard to digest)
- absolutely no meat whatsoever - my body cannot break down animal proteins any longer and they make me super sick
- no eggs (they give me what is called "dumping syndrome" which is exactly what you think it is)
- limited dairy (Greek yogurt and cheese, only)
- no fried foods or high-fat or high-sugar foods
- no carbonated drinks

That really limits me, especially since I have to get at least 60g of protein every single day. I have totally and completely become a vegetarian. You need to know, this is NOT BY CHOICE. Because of this, it has really affected me mentally. To want to be able to eat something so bad, but knowing the severe consequences I suffer is almost cruel and unusual punishment.

On most days, this is what I eat:

Breakfast: 1 vanilla Greek yogurt w/ 1 tbsp flax seeds, 1 tbsp wheatgerm, 1 tbsp hemp seeds and 2 tbsp low-fat granola

Lunch: either 1 cup of some sort of bean salad or 1 cup of grain salad and a Babybel light mozzarella cheese - if I'm extra hungry, I'll eat a few slices of cucumber or snow snap peas or green beans.

Snack: gluten-free crackers and hummus or roasted chickpeas

Dinner: 1 cup of bean salad or 1 cup of grain salad - however, lately I have been venturing out and trying things such as tofu spaghetti, 1/2 a sweet potato, bean "burgers" and tofu "dogs" - they taste like crap, those tofu dogs, yuck.

Snack: gluten-free crackers and hummus or roasted chickpeas

So, to put into perspective, I eat beans. A lot of them. Too much of them. I am afraid to try new foods because I don't want to experience pains. Do I get 60g of protein every day? Nope. That's pretty obvious. I am living on about 700-900 calories a day. That's enough to make ANYONE go somewhat mental - let alone a former morbidly obese person.

One of the cons after this kind of surgery is absorption rates. My body just does not absorb the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs. Being vegetarian does not help. I have become iron-deficient anemic (I am fatigued and sleep all the time), I am B12 deficient and could develop osteoporosis if I am not careful. Every single day I take 4 calcium pills (morning and night), vitamin D3, vitamin B12, a prenatal multivitamin, iron, cranberry extract and acidophiles.

Another issue I want to bring up with my friends is my mood. I apologize to anyone I have upset, angered, pissed off in the past few months. Serotonin is stored in fat cells and in women, particularly, this is stored in their stomach area. When drastic weight loss happens, your fat cells decrease and shrink, thereby decreasing your levels of serotonin. As we all know, serotonin is our "happy" chemical. If the brain cannot get enough serotonin, a chemical imbalance happens therefore leaving someone depressed. I am depressed. I have uncontrollable mood swings. I am not happy, save for having a lot more confidence with my appearance.

But let's flash forward to today: I am still 5'3. That won't ever change. I am 180lbs and still dropping. I only have 30 more lbs to reach my goal weight, and I am only 5 months post-surgery. "

Tomorrow will be my one year "surgiversary." I was 246 pounds at 5'5" and a type I diabetic with sleep apnea, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and serious digestive problems. I also had very low functioning kidneys. I had had several abdominal surgeries prior to this: 3 c sections, a hysterectomy, and a gall bladder removal. The surgery was very easy for me, as I knew what to expect.
Food wise, my dietitian and surgeon were very explicit and precise as to my diet beforehand and after my surgery. I knew what to buy, what to eat and when. I followed it like clockwork.
By 5 weeks out, I was able to eat about 1/4 cup of solid food at a time if it was chewed very well and done in small bites (dime sized.) I followed my instructions not to eat or drink 30 minutes before or after eating and took all my supplements religiously. I still do this every day, though now I can comfortably eat about 1 cup of food at a time, sometimes a bit more.
I have NO issues with any foods, though I do limit my starchy foods to VERY small portions. I was told always to eat my protein first, then vegetables, then my fruit or starch if I had room left. So easy to do.
Never have I had vomiting and have never had dumping syndrome. There is NO food that I cannot tolerate.
I have been very fortunate.
I accredit much of this to my awesome, excellent, perfect surgeon, who I was blessed and very lucky to have, as well as the most awesome, amazing, dedicated, educated dietitian anywhere.
I was denied my surgery 3 times before I finally got approval. I had given up and was going to do it "on my own" before I finally got the call that surprised the heck out of me. I was torn about whether to go through with it at all.
I am so glad I did.
I have a life again now. I can walk, I can move, I can reach my feet.
My sons and I recently had an awesome vacation (our first ever!) to San Antonio and I walked for hours around downtown, the Alamo, the Riverwalk, etc. Then the next day I walked for hours around Fiesta Texas. I fit in the rides and had a great time.
I feel like "me" again. Not a frumpy, miserable, size 24, but a size 8.
Am I an advocate for gastric bypass or weight loss surgery? Not really, but I do think that there are those of us who have no other option. We want to live.
Do we work hard? Yes
Is this easy? No
Could we have done this on our own? Possibly. But maybe not.
Do we get hungry? You bet!
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
So, kudos to those of you have lost the weight on your own, but super kudos to those of us who persevered and made it though the surgery and are getting our lives back!

bookemdan

Well hello to those who read this. I am a male, 46, 308 lbs, and have been given an opportunity to go forward with the bypass surgery. I thank you both who have recently commented regarding the surgery, giving me the good, and the ugly. Even though I hear all the negative, I think.... it can't get much worse than what I live through daily. Chronic back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, type II diabetes with lots of pills, and high insulin..... a mood disorder that has come from many things, but lets include the weight issue. I also have sleep apnea, and I am having no success at dieting, up and down, all over the place. Today, I had my second appointment at the hospital, the first was a large group orientation, and today was a one on one with the nurse, dietitian, kinesthesiologist, and psychologist. I am very impressed with the team, and am totally comfortable that they will take good care of me.

| thank you for your comments, and I celebrate your good health. I am not expecting a miracle, and I understand that there will be much work involved, but for once, I finally have a glimmer of hope. One last thought, here we have had little success with the men going all the way through the program, most seem to get dismissed pre-op. I hope to be one of the ones to make it to the other side, to be there for my family when all is said and done. Have a good night, to all!

Bookemdan

swoods516

I loved reading your posts as well as all the others. I am almost 10 years out (Oct 23). I was 280 at 5' 3" when I had my open RNY. It was a major adjustment but I would do it all over again in a heart beat! I never reached my goal weight. I really don't even know what it would be. I had lost 118lbs and then gained about 54lbs. In the last year and half I lost 45 of that. I now 9 lbs to go to get back to my lowest. I wanted it by my anniversary but that's ok, I'm going to get there. So you see, after 10 years it still works. Yes, I can eat a lot more but since I have been using MFP I have been able to control myself more. I have learned a lot about my eating habits and where I should keep my calories. Of course always trying to keep my protein high. I will know what my goal us when I get there.

Just know, your eating challenges will change.

24Sept

I had the old stomach stapling surgery in 1985, i was cut from breast bone to belly button, my gall bladder and appendix was removed. I spent ten days in the hospital because of infection. My stomach could only hold 3 ounces my going home advice was to eat a couple of tablespoons of food 3x a day. No snacks and to take a multi vitamin but it had to be liquid. The days following my release i could only sip soda. A can would last all day. I was also advised to walk every day and increase the distance to a mile. That was it no more, no group meetings or message boards. I had to learn everything on my own. You guys are so lucky to have a forum to share info and to help each other out.

TigerBite

Hi,
I am personally not familiar with gastric bypass surgery, but I have had my fair share of gastric issues (crazy stuff, gastroparesis-like issues, GERD, etc.) ... going Gluten Free seems to have helped me immensely as have probiotics and digestive enzymes ... I personally haven't taken hydrochloric acid, but I know people that have (for low stomach acid issues) and it's worked really well for them ... Oh, and papaya, pineapple, lemon juice, and candied ginger ... and chewing on mint leaves ... seem to help me when I have digestive upset ...

Oh, and congratulations on your success .. and shame on anyone who judges you for your decision .. We all have to follow our own paths and do what WE feel is right for ourselves ...

Yanicka1

Wow that sound miserable but it was probably worth it. I have a question, what happen when you reach your goal weight?