Answer to Celiac/RNY question and my history with Celiac.

May 23, 2011

I can only tell you what I've learned so far.  At my first informational meeting I met the other surgeon at Hope Bariatrics, and when I asked him the question, he stated, "I'm assuming you have a gastro guy, ask them."  I was really annoyed by this.  I got more answers from the nutritionist and my surgeon later.  But his initial answer almost made me back out of surgery.  Mainly because I was hospitalized in early 2009 with incredible stomach pains and was really "out of it" for several days in the hospital.  Before leaving the hospital (after days of one test after the other), the doc came in and told me "you're a medical mystery, we're just going to treat you for IBS), and gave me 4 scripts.  I left to go on a cruise with my sisters the following week, not really getting sick much, but I was also low carbing through the cruise and after.  About a week after the cruise (3 weeks from hospitalization), I got a call from the gastro's office saying, "It's not bad, but we need you to come in.  You have celiac disease."  I followed up, and bascially they handed me a little brochure on Celiac and a diet.  When I asked the doc (head of this fairly big gastro/endo place) why he did not check for Celiac when I was in the hospital.  He stated, "fat people don't get Celiac."  I'm not kidding.  Needless to say, I never went back, and they never asked me to come back.. they were content to give me this brochure on Celiac and not see me again.  Oh, the way they caught it... a random pathologist going through my tests and biopsies happen to catch it in the lab.. the test for Celiac was never ordered at that time.  The endo place did have me go in and have the blood test after the fact just to confirm it was Celiac, and the blood test was positive (after I had been off wheat for 2 weeks at that point because of low carbing).

So this has led to more than two years of a Celiac diet, a lot of online connections, lots of reading, and taking control of my diet.  The one problem I have had, everyone I know that has been diagnosed with Celiac and went gluten free, had an intial big weight loss.  Not me.  I stayed completely the same.  And when I chose to use gluten free products, I would gain weight quickly (any rice products).. so I fiddled a lot with going completely grain free over the past year.  Although I felt better, I still didn't lose.

So I started researching Celiac and Bypass.  There's not a whole lot of information out there as you can probably see, and the docs have not been that helpful.  The good part is my doc had no heistation to do the surgery on me.  From talking to people (not any valid research), just what I've gotten over the past year.... Bypass will help Celiac in most cases, stay the same in some, and can get worse in some.  So those were odds I was willing to take.  I won't even think about testing this theory until I'm at least a year out from surgery.

So I'm about 2 1/2 weeks out of surgery, and down 16 pounds.  My recovery has went really well.  I've had absolutely no nausea and/or vomitting.  The one thing I've notice that is a huge advantage we have.... I gave up bread 2 years ago and really don't miss it.  Others that go through bypass struggle over the bread issue, most can never eat it again because it gets stuck.  I also gave up pop/soda entirely at the start of my 8 month pre diet.  I don't miss that either.  These are two of the biggest hurdles I see people strugging with from bypass, and I've already got those out of my system and head.

The things I have had to keep in my mind.... One, you can't have broth in the hospital.  I took my own GF stock to the hospital.  I let everyone know, and they even had signs on my tray that said, "no broth".  Two, some of the follow up diet is not within our realm.... during the soft foods stage they tend to push oatmeal and cream of wheat.. which are out.  Three, I had to work with the nutritionist on finding GF vitamins.  I use Bariatric Advantage chewables, which are all GF.  They run $119 for a 3-month supply.  This is something that I will have to take for the rest of my life.  I figured I could handle $40 a month.

I am just starting back on some regular foods.  You basically have to eat protein first, and in my opinion, there is not room for much else after.  So, sans the oatmeal and cream of wheat, the post diet is mostly gluten free anyway.  I have yet to even feel hungry since the surgery.  I just follow the plan of when and how I'm supposed to eat.

Feel free to write me with any questions.

--Fran

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