As of today, 12/2/12, 18 years, 2 months

Dec 03, 2012

Rather than explain many times, because so many have stayed in touch privately, I'll give a summary.

My year + absence has NOTHING TO DO WITH MY WLS, or my TYPE of WLS.  It is about genetics.  You had to have had MY parents to get this group of issues.

I have 2 blood disorders, one of which is also an auto-immune,  but handled by a hematologist. And 4 auto-immunes, counting the one twice.  Some other non-working parts (just had bladder surgery #3 in 10 yrs), etc.

Hemolytic anemia

*** I don't make healthy cells, or enough of them.  This is what ultimately killed my dad.  Yes, I have had 2 bone marrow biopsies and it is not yet MDS, but that's not off the table, since I have enough screwed up cells to watch. 

_  Although this is a type of anemia, it is not IDA (iron deficiency anemia).  I have enough iron and ferritin to share with many.  It is not nutritional in nature.

ITP  (stab at spelling) idiopathic thrombocenia propura

I'm not offended if someone wants to correct that!

*** I don't make enough platelets.  Have not for more than 30 yrs. This one doubles as an auto-immune.  There is no cure, and perhaps no treatment.

Reynaud's Syndrome

***  have had also more than 30 yrs.  It appears to be a circulatory problem to fingers and toes.  It is NOT.  There is still pumping blood to the extremeties.  If I am unable to get warm, the result is "chill blaines".  Frost bite takes the entire digit, whereas this takes the top few layers of skin only.  It is quite painful.  Gloves do not help.  They make it worse.  The only way to warm fingers and toes is to immerse them in warm water.  Hot is painful.

This is the primary that makes it hard to type.  Then you add in the two arthritis types and my typing is just so hard to do that I give up.

Rheumatoid arthritis

*** auto-immune, diagnosed in 2011, so just starting.  I have a good chance of outrunning it.  Meaning that the onset is so late in my life that I may not have severe symptoms.  However, this is the one that is doing inside what you see on the outside.

_ can't treat it.  Any meds are designed to take down our immune system, or take down the white cells.  The hemolytic anemia has already done that.  I've none to give away.  Since these drugs are also a form of "chemo", it would make my nausea much worse and I can't afford that at all

Ostearthritis

*** considered by some to be an auto-immune, most ppl have some form of this by middle age.  Just the wearing of  joints, but painful and debilitating once it reaches a point.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)

***  also in the auto-immune family.  I do not want this label.  But the rheumy says it is so.

and back to ITP in this family

I also have osteo-porosis, just to differentiate between it and osteo-arthritis.  Osteo-porosis is the bone thinnning disease thought to be result of years of thinking that sun would deliver useful Vit D and dairy was delivering enough calcium.  Both are myths.  It can be the result of weight loss, EACH time we lost wt.  A published study is out on astronauts and bone loss due to weightlessness.  Same concept.  We lost bone mass with each loss.  Then suddenly, The Big Loss.  Many of us are half way down this road pre-WLS, but since we were heavy, it was assumed we had dense bones.  Not if we dieted all our lives!

So back to the point I am making, my WLS has nothing to do with this.  I lost wt many times before this.  But I didn't get the dexa-scan until I was 50.  WLS didn't cause this, but contributed, in essence, but so would've the "next diet" I would have tried. 

The random nausea/vomiting I have had for a long while is still un-diagnosed,  but my WLS has ben entirely ruled out.  We found for sure one med was causing the severe nausea (had to lie down), and it's possible that a med I'd taken for years was ok until the dose was doubled.

Several have suggested changing my common channel length.  My surgery has worked fine for 18 years.  I have no need to change it.  I will absorb what I can eat.  The surgeons are thinking to change my common channel to have me absorb more of what I do eat.  OK.  But that still leaves me a life with nausea and Surprise! vomiting.  I don't want to live like that.  If they finally figure out what causes that, and I regain to my correct weight, I don't want to keep climbing.

Yes, they've checked for blockages, even intermittent ones.  I thought that was it for awhile, but I have 2 tests that saw a blockage and 2 that did not.

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