Considering RNY but sooo many questions

I'm 45 and healthy for now. Need to lose 90lbs. I hv fibromyalgia and suffer from chronic fatigue. I have lost weight before and it improves the pain and fatigue. But no more Advil!? Terrifying. I'm not afraid of the surgery or pain. I am afraid of failing. Again. My biggest concern is what will make "this time" different? Will I no longer crave sugar and carbs? And not be able to stop eating them? Will I be able to change only temporarily like the other times? Only to gain it all back again? Ugh. I intend to commit to the process. Therapy, nutritionist, whatever it takes. But will it be enough? I've dieted so many times and then stop. Then start gaining and give up and binge for months!! I see so many begin to gain back after the honeymoon period and I don't want to be one of them!! Help

Reading as far back as I could in these forums really helped me a lot when I was going through the hoops for my surgery in 2013. So many questions asked and answered and even things I hadn't even thought about. I highly recommend spending a few evenings going back in time. :D I also recommend the book, WLS for Dummies. I read it and I found it very engaging, easy to understand and full of useful information.

I suggest talking to your PCP about your pain medication options post WLS. From what I understand, even VSG people should take it easy on the NSAIDs. The main problem with RNY people is if the NSAID usage generates an ulcer, it could occur in the blind stomach and an ulcer there is much more difficult to diagnose and treat. It's not impossible, but harder than it would be with an intact stomach.

I had RNY because I can lose weight like a champ, but like most people had trouble keeping it off. I'm coming up on my 4 year surgiversary and no regain yet. It's a tool and how you use it is up to you.

Jen

Thanks for your reply! And so wonderful to hear your success. What would you say is the biggest"difference" after wls? Did your cravings change? I could skip real food no problem. It's sweets and carbs that I binge on !

Some people report that their tastes have changed post-surgery, but I haven't especially found it to be true for me. I still like bread and crackers and chips! It's often said that the surgery works on our stomachs, not our heads and it's likely that foods that are an issue for you now will continue to be. It's up to you how you choose to approach changing your habits. Some people use therapy and some people white-knuckle through it. What I find these days is that the really rich stuff isn't worth the calories I have to spend to have it, so I'm usually able to turn those things down.

Jen

Hi, I'm almost 6 months post op RNY and it's the best thing I ever did for myself.

I can only speak to my own experiences, but having a tiny pouch instead of a football sized stomach has definitely changed things for me. I still have mental hunger if I go past a bakery and smell bread or pizza, for example (it drives me mad) but as soon as I'm away from it, I'm fine, whereas in the past, I would obsess over those foods all day or for days, until I'd give in and go get some.

I'm hoping by the time I'm a year or two or three out, the new habits I'm learning now will be fully ingrained. Right now, I couldn't binge if I tried; there's just not enough room in my pouch, plus I have no urge to try. Pre-op things were very different.

My tastes have changed and continue to change. I go through stages where I love a certain food, yogurt, for example, then hate it for a few weeks or a month, then love it again.

Eating protein first has been such a great thing, as it's filling and I usually don't have room left for anything more than few berries. I don't feel deprived at all...how could I, eating prime rib for breakfast and garlic shrimp for supper, lol?

I do have "hungry" days where I want to eat more but it's usually on days where I've burned in excess of 1000 calories with exercise. I allow myself extra protein on those days, and extra carbs in the form of G2 if I'm bike riding more than 10 or 15 km.

It doesn't feel at all like a normal diet to me because the small pouch makes me feel satisfied after my meals, something I never felt back when I was dieting pre op. That's not to say it isn't a lot of hard work and effort; it is, but for me, having the pouch instead of the big stomach is a great tool.

Thanks Kathy! Great info and I wish you continued success!

I am almost 16 months post-op and this is definitely different from any "diet" you've ever been on, that's for sure. My personal belief is that it's an awesome tool that you get back from it what you put into it (literally!). Post surgery you have an incredible "honeymoon" period where you most likely will experience no real hunger and will have very limited ability to eat much at all. This is a critical period for two reasons - first you can drop a ton of weight very fast, so don't miss out on that opportunity. Secondly, and even more importantly in my opinion, is this is the window where you can learn new life-long habits.

You get a temporary reprieve from most of your food demons, which will allow you an opportunity to focus on a healthier lifestyle for the future. If you take that 6-month to 1-year space and retrain yourself, I believe you set yourself up for long term success. I began my new way of eating a couple of months prior to surgery and have continued with it ever since. I've now been living this lifestyle for 1.5 years and its actually pretty "easy". I still have cravings from time to time, and occasionally stray "off plan", but for the most part I love the healthy food that I consume on a daily basis and no longer desire to eat crap all the time.

Obviously this is just one man's experience, but my surgeon has said that virtually every patient losses weight in the first year, regardless of how they eat. The ones that maintain the weight loss are the ones that take advantage of that year and retrain themselves to live a healthier lifestyle.

I'm still relatively new to this whole WLS life, but am very optimistic for the future.

Hi there.

If you only need to lose 90 lbs, then you are a "lightweight" -- getting to goal should be relatively easy for you with WLS.

I was almost 350 pounds, suffered multiple health issues -- including fibromyalgia. Every single one of my co-morbidities -- including insulin dependent diabetes has been resolved with my 220 pound weight loss... all of them, except my fibromyalgia pain.

That has remained consistent. I will say, the fatigue is 100% improved.

You are correct that all NSAIDs are contraindicated with RNYs. I don't profess to know all the ins and outs of the VSG, but I believe they are discouraged, but there's more leeway with that surgery. Since you don't have a huge amount to lose, and you have a reoccurring pain issue, it would be reasonable to explore your options with which WLS would be best for your particular case.

I am at 3.5 years and haven't suffered any regain. I wish I could say that that has been easy, but truthfully, it's a constant work in progress. For the first few months after my RNY, I experienced no hunger or cravings -- and I hoped it would remain that way. No dice. I did not find that surgery has removed sugar and carb cravings at all. I simply cut them from my life -- and consider them a drug that I am addicted to.

Good luck to you!

That's the firs time in my life Ive been called a lightweight. Lol. I think your my new bff? Thanks for the info! What medicine do you use for fibro now? The fatigue is much more intense than pain for me so I can manage with Advil . I take an ssri as well. I've think bypass is what I want due to the increased chance of regain vs sleeve.

Unfortunately, with an RNY there's really two options: opioids/narcotics or tylenol. I refuse to take narcotics, so I get by with Tylenol... and even those, only when I need them. My worse area of pain remains my neck, shoulders and upper back. Much of that is exacerbated by jaw clenching -- especially at night. I use a night guard and magnesium to lessen that pain.

Like yourself, the fatigue was far worse for me, and that is inarguably improved.

I am definitely not trying to talk you out of the RNY -- I am so grateful for my surgery. However, I have seen tons of people regain with both surgeries. Regain is far more about our heads than about which surgery we have. People truly believe that surgery will "fix" them -- but it doesn't. It's only a tool, but the real work begins when the honeymoon ends.

I have also seen many long-term successes with both surgeries.

At least talk to some people who've been successful losing and maintaining with both surgeries. Make sure that you consider your pain management options, what you hope to gain from surgery, and the pros and cons of each of them.

Whichever you decide on -- good luck Lightweight! :-)