ObesityHelp

 Has anyone had a similar experience to this? Do please read through to the end (I know it is long but I am desperate).

Before I tell my story, just let me say that I do not ever regret having an MGB after trying the Lapband first. I lost the weight, it has stayed off, and the MGB is Sooooooo much easier to live with than the lapband. I do not want to discourage anyone from the MGB, I think it is one of the best options available, and I fully believe the problems I am about to describe are not at all typical.

And yet I am hoping someone else may recognise what has been happening, and possibly even have some information or advice that could help me.

My story:
I had the Lapband put on in 2004, when I weighed 138kg (304 pounds) and had given up hope of losing weight ever. I lost about 30 kgs in the first year and then started having major reflux problems which I battled for another year, but loosening of the band was letting me put on weight. My surgeon (in Australia), was closely associated with Dr Rutledge at CLOS, and was at the time introducing the MGB in my city where no one else was performing it. He is very highly respected in bariatric surgery and has an impeccable track record. 

In 2006 he suggested the MGB but cautioned me to think very carefully about it as it was new-ish, and he had only done 4 of them before. He had been trained by Dr Rutledge, made me read all of Dr R's patient materials, and he told me that 2 of the four he had done had developed extremely unusual complications that he and Dr Rutledge had been unable to attribute to the surgery itself.

I decided to do it, had the surgery with an open wound (laparoscopy was not possible because of adhesions) and then something leaked and had to be fixed 2 days later. I suffered other complications because of this leak, and a long stay in hospital because the surgery wound was compromised by the leak and dehiscence occurred which took two months to heal.

Nevertheless, I settled in to life with the MGB and never ever had problems with eating different foods and pretty quickly worked out which foods caused dumping and so avoid them. I lost another 30kg and am still very happy with the MGB.

Here is the problem. 2 years later I had major loose skin issues and chose to have a breast lift and a full body lift. One minor area of the suture line over my sacrum broke down with dehiscence, but eventually healed. Then a full 12 months after that surgery, I started to form ulcers on the scar line around my hips/waist that wept fluid continually, were connected to small hollow pockets in the tissue deeper down, and never healed. Surgery was performed to debride them, and they were left as open wounds to ensure those pockets closed up. These ulcers never formed any where else - my breast scars were perfectly fine.

SO, it has been 2 years since the first ulcer came up, and to this day they continue to form, or old ones break down again; I have had periods of diahorrea that last 3 months; I have had joint pain; a dry mouth for 6 months; nasal sores; red eyes; and the list goes on. I have been seen by dermatologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons, infectious disease specialists and immunologists. The verdict is I must have some non-typical, unnameable overactive immune disorder, that no one knows how to confirm or treat. I have to live with the symptoms.

My deep down belief is that this is related to malabsorption issues from my MGB. I have ongoing problems with deficiencies in iron, B12 and vitamin D. I have adjusted my diet and take supplements but they never seem to improve. Now I am developing osteoarthritis in my fingers and toes and I am only 43. I am taking supplements for those but can't be sure I am absorbing them well enough. I just don't know who to turn to for help or answers. I have even thought of trying to email or write to Dr Rutledge but can't be sure he would see my message or care to reply.

Maybe someone has experienced something similar? I am at the end of my tether.
:(