17 Months After Surgery

I would love to report all positive things in this post but the fact of the matter is that you are probably looking for the truth and that is why you are out there searching sites regarding this surgery. I want you to know, before you read further that each person is different and each surgery is different. Please take with you what you have learned and use it as an average only. Do not think that everything that each person reports will be what happens to you.

Here's the most recent in my saga. I have lost 170 pounds since I had the surgery back in August of 2009. I am ecstatic with the results. This number could be bigger and will be when I decide to stop being lazy and exercise more, which will hopefully be sooner than later. I have been at a plateau for several months now. But my weight doesn't fluctuate more than 5 pounds.

My eating habits have slipped. I eat chocolate now and I can keep down just about any type of food. I just watch my portions. My stomach has expanded and I feel I can eat more like 2-3 cups of food at a time. What I eat now is about a third or fourth of what I used to eat when I was 170 pounds larger. I now weight 230 and hope to lose another 60 pounds.

I have been having issues lately that I would like to share. It started in a month and a half ago. I was at work and started having chest pain. It was difficult to breathe deep. It wasn't extreme so I relaxed for a few minutes. It didn't go away so I ended up taking a trip to the emergency room. They drew some blood and took a chest x-ray and determined it was stress related. A week or two later I started getting pains in my stomach. I'm pretty stubborn and figured I was sick and it would go away. It continued over time off and on and became more frequent. It was in the center of my stomach above my belly button, on the left lower quadrant and on the right under my rib and occasionally it affected my back. I went to my primary physician. It was under his advisement that I make an appointment with a surgeon to have my gallbladder checked.

I saw the surgeon and he took blood work and ordered an ultrasound. I have not gotten the results yet. The surgeon that I saw said he didn't think it sounded like a gallbladder issue. He thought I may have stones but did not want to consider removing the gallbladder if that was not the true issue because it would not make the current issues improve and could actually make it worse. He referred me back to my original bariatric surgeon to review the results (which were to rule out the gallbladder and stones) and check, perhaps by upper endoscopy to see if I have a stricture in my esophagus. He stated that occasionally, after this type of surgery the valve that leads into the stomach becomes lodged open and food and stomach acid may shoot back up the esophagus causing acid reflux, ulcers and/or hernias. There could also be the narrowing that I spoke of. They would correct that by inserting a balloon and expanding it to open the narrowed area. The final thing he thinks is a possibility is food being lodged in my esophagus, although I can't imagine that would not correct itself on it's own.

So I am currently in a holding pattern due to the holidays. I will report back with the results after January 5, 2011. Until then, I have pains in my chest daily, sometimes several times a day that can range from a mild discomfort to pain that stops me in my tracks and feels like what I would relate to as a heart attack. This pain doesn't always happen just after eating. Sometimes it occurs an hour or so after eating and even when I drink water. It seems to have subsided somewhat in severity over the past few days and I'm hoping it stays this way. I still have the pains in my stomach and sometimes it is accompanied by nausea.

As I stated, this may or may not happen to you. However, you should be familiar with the symptoms of gallbladder issues and be aware that a good number of Gastric Bypass patients eventually lose their gallbladder at some point after their surgery. It is one organ that has a difficult time dealing with the rapid and extreme weight loss. Being aware of the symptoms will ensure you get the proper treatment faster. Faster is very important when dealing with pain.

If you have had the surgery and you no longer have your gallbladder, or have had the symptoms described, please feel free to comment and share your experiences.

Best wishes to all!