I am being forced into gastric bypass, please help

Hello everyone. My name is Eve and I am a 65 year old female. I have never had to struggle with weight at all until 25 years ago after a hysterctomy. then it started and hasn't stopped.

8 years ago, I had lapbanding about the same time my sister had RNY. She lost weight , keeps it off etc. I could never tolerate the band so 3 years later I had to have it removed. Loads of issues including health issues developed while I was banded. I did lose some weight with the band, but once it was removed and I was no longer throwing up everything I ate, it piled back on with a vengeance, PLUS more!

I initially chose the band because I did not want my "plumbing" to be permanently re-routed.

Now I have something called EGJOO. basically the band caused so much scarring around the area where the esophagus sends food into the stomach, that mine is almost entirely blocked. (lots of stomach pain, chest pain, etc etc) I gave seen GI docs, one GI surgeon, and have an appointment with a bariatric surgeon next Tues.

It is pretty much all of their opinions that the only way to fix my issue is to have a gastric bypass. You know, the one I didn't want at all. However, wonder what they would do if I weighed 125 pounds and did not need to lose any weight. ? What would we do then? This is one of the questions I will ask my surgeon, but for now RNY seems to be my solution, according to the doctors.

When I had my band done, I got VERY little instructions afterwards except clear liquids for 2 weeks, then eat pretty normal after that, jsut smaller portions. Nothing about vitamins, avoiding sugar, etc. About the only thing I could keep down were milkshakes! I did not know that sugar will make it all worse.

Naturally right off the bat I had boatloads of problems. So this time I am trying to get very PRE- prepared for how to handle this type of surgery. I hear both good and bad about it. I am learning, and am trying to find out as much as possible about before hand.

Question is this: Any advice?? I have been reading a lot of the old posts here and that helps but I am soooooo scared about this. After what I went thru with the band.

Thanks so much.

I never had a lapband but I ( and a huge percentage of others here - maybe one of three Bariatric surgery patients) did have a huge hiatal hernia which caused similar symptoms - GERD abdominal discomfort and also resulted in overeating to quiet the internal pain.

RNY is an excellent choice to permanently eliminate these issues and also promote health giving permanent excess weight loss .

I am very concerned that you feel this surgery ( many dream of and can't get through insurance) is being " forced "upon you . It's a very serious surgery with an at least eight week long recovery period you must be absolutely compliant with in order to let your insides heal correctly.

This isn't something you should undertake with doubts or resentment - I'm sure your doctors are trying to help you but if RNY isn't something you very much desire it's unfortunately likely that you may hinder your own relatively quick recovery by being noncompliant . In such a serious surgery's case noncompliance can be VERY dangerous.

Perhaps consulting the psychologist and nutritionist on your surgical team would help reassure you while better acquainting you with the post op requirements for an RNY so you can make a better informed certain choice.

no one is forcing you into anything. You have a choice in everything-- YOU have to sign a consent for surgery. You can do nothing, but you would have to live as you are now, but you seem to not want to.

You are coming in an RNY board coming across a judgemental of this type of surgery. If you do not have confidence in your doctors recommendations- why would you trust our input?

I can understand your not being sure if the RNY will relieve you of your symptoms from the band-- but what the procedure can and will do for your weight and weight related health issues is undeniable.

The hysterectomy may have initiated your weight gain- but get real about the fact that your lifestyle and eating habits is what's kept it on this course. That will be critically important for your post op life.

I'm nearly three years post op. What specifically do you fear?

Sheesh, I didn't deserve all that. Is that the way you treat new members around here?? I came for advice from others who have had RNY, NOT judgment about it. Like I said, had u bothered to read it right, is they are telling me that is the ONLY way to fix my EGJOO. So yes, it feels forced on me. Or should I say my own body is forcing me into a procedure that I have a lot of concern about, personally.

Did I say the RNY may not relieve my symptoms from the lapband? No, I said I personally have always kind of feared it.

Did I say I wasn't responsible for my weight gain since the hysterectomy? No, I said THAT is what started the weight gain. As I had never had any weight issues at all before. SO as I kept eating things I had always eaten, and never gained excess weight, it shocked the hell out of me, that now those same foods are hurting me. It was an adjustment for sure. Now I am 65 with a boatload of med issues as many obese people have, so I am on a lot of meds, which Yes, by the way some of them DO contribute to weight gain.

My lifestyle IS responsible for a lot of it now, (despite having tried every way in the world to lose weight) but please don't pretend you know me and all about me.

You are the one being judgmental without even correctly reading what I wrote.

I'm not one to handle folks with kid gloves. I state what I say based on what you present- if I misconstrued something- then ignore it.

Thing is I'll go on happily living my life, you, on the other hand have gotten your panties in a bunch over a single reponse from a random person.

Best of luck to you.

I've seen people who weigh 125 get an RNY for GERD, so they likely would suggest the same. There are several procedures for GERD, however if you have extensive scarring on your stomach and esophagus, likely it disqualifies you, as they require significant undamaged tissue to implement.

Also, it's worth nothing that all surgery permanently alters the body outside of a few procedures (endoscopy, biopsy, etc), because as a response to surgery, the body creates scars called adhesions. Some people simply scar more, and there's no way to know until you have surgery, sadly.

WLS in particular does permanently alter anatomy regardless of procedure. Even the dumb balloon one that's new has severely injured some people. Lapbands only give the illusion of impermanence; they have higher rates of reoperation and issues than the gastric bypass and the duodenal switch. Hell, I'd get the idiotic balloon surgery before I got a lapband. More people have had band issues requiring revision than any other surgery to date - many permanent and irreversible.

As for the gastric bypass, I struggled mentally for a long time with the fact that I was having to abandon my sleeve and get it. I was dead set on a duodenal switch, however multiple doctors, some of the best in the state (if not the country) said the RNY would be best. I had to swallow my pride and listen to the medical advice, because my GERD was crippling me. I was having trouble swallowing and would become hoarse by 4pm. I felt like I was getting jammed in the chest with sea urchins. I was one of the people that develops it post-op, and boy did I develop it. I overproduced acid, you see, and if this does not reverse, options are extremely limited.

I came to terms with it through counseling and talking to several friends I've made here. I had my bypass on Monday the 19th - and I am in 90% less pain because no GERD and discomfort is amazing.

thank you so much, that helps. a lot.

If you weighed 125 you would get the surgery and just not lose weight. You might lose a bit at first but you would quickly adjust back to eating the amount that kept you at 125.

I was 68 years old and did weigh 125 lbs when my sleeve was revised to RNY 2 years ago. I had horrific GERD and revising to RNY was the only way to alleviate the symptoms and repair the damage. I wish I hadn't waited so long for the revision. After having the surgery, I found all the fears I had about RNY were unfounded. Its a great surgery, it's been around for many years and does it's job well. Its up to us to do our part, the surgery doesnt fail, we do.

As another poster stated, there are many of us in the OH community who have had revisions because of the damage the lap bands cause, or for relief from severe GERD.

As Peachpie and others have said, no one can force you into having any surgery. You do not have to have this if you don't want to. However, if you want relief from your symptoms, your doctor is saying this surgery is the best way to do it.

Good luck to you!

Thank you!! That helps. Not that it is relevant to me, but how did you keep from losing weight that would be too unhealthy for you since you were 125 lbs? Just curious on that.

Peachpie called me judgmental when I was merely looking for other's points of view, as well as misreading other parts of my post, so don't think I will take any advice there. LOL

As I have posted before, the "forcing" I guess I should have said my body is forcing me into something that I am really afraid of. EGJOO gives you daily symptoms that are really hard to deal with. SO I feel like if I want to get out of that misery, and the surgeon is saying this will fix it, then I will have to do it. In other words the "forcing" is from my own body.