Intestines twisting or rotting

 They do mention bowel obstructions

Ummm, I remember a discussion of all the surgery risks and this was on the list.  It is on a page of the big booklet we receive in Ottawa pre-surgery.  The surgeon used the two pages to go over the risks and he also put the risks in percentage due to any medical conditions or age bracket that I am in.

I do not have the booklet with me right now to provide the actual wording used.

Judy

If you have a blockage in your bowels (due to twisting of the bowels or sometimes intussusception) it can cause reduced blood flow to the bowels which will then cause them to become necrotic and die and that portion of the bowel will then need to be removed.  This isn't caused by gastric surgery but I have heard of people who lose a large amount of weight and then have their bowels block due to twisting etc.  I think possibly because there is now more room for them to move around in.

I don't believe that this is related to any drinking or anything else you might ingest.  The necrosis doesn't start quickly...you have to have a reduced blood flow for some time for it to be deemed necrotic which would necessitate removal of that portion of bowel.  However if you ever have any unexplained pain, especially with constipation or distension, etc it is always best to have it checked out.  Better to be safe than sorry.

One of the men that used to come to the support groups I went to, had a blood clot that travelled to his intestine that ended up causing necrosis of part of the intestine.  They had to go in and remove the "dead" portion of his intestine (it was a large portion, around 3 feet if I remember correctly.)

He had a further complication a short time later and they thought it might be another clot in his intestine and if that was the case and they had to remove even more intestine he said the Surgeon told him they would have to reverse his RNY as he would have lost too much intestine.

I do believe they opened him up again and didn't find anything further wrong and he eventually got better.  

With this surgery as with any other type of surgery there are risks and we should educate ourselves on the possible complications that can arise.  There is no need to dwell on the negative and freak yourself out but you should be aware of what can go wrong and what the warning signs are.

Thanks to OH, I knew when I had a gall bladder problem and was able to get it dealt with promptly. More recently I developed an ulcer and myself and my Dr were able to quickly determine what it was and how to treat it, thanks to the numerous posts on OH.

Thanks GD6 i appreciate your feedback. I know that with all surgeries there is complications and I know that this is what I need to do in order to be healthy again and enjoy life to the best I can. take