Diet, orange oil, smell

When your RNY was revised to a more distal version, it causes you to malabsorb a lot more, especially fat. This in turn has been what's lead to your diarrhea and smelly gas.

You need to be taking calcium citrate, preferably one that also has D and magnesium. (They help you absorb the calcium.) You do NOT want calcium carbonate---it's cheaper, but your body can't absorb it, so it's wasted. Calcium is constipating, as is iron---once you start taking an appropriate amount of these, I think you'll find your diarrhea problem greatly reduced. You'll need to take about 1800-2400 mgs of calcium EVERT DAY, spread through out the day in 3-4 doese, at least two hours apart. You'll also need to take your iron at least two hours away from any calcium, even calcium from foods. I know this sounds complicated, but once you get used to it it's not so bad.

Once youo get your calcium and iron going, I think you can go back to eating tomato products. Actually, I don't think you need to give up tomatoes and tomato products now, as long as you don't eat them with fatty foods. (At least, that's my experience.) Salsa shouldn't hurt you, unless you're eating it with greasy chips. (Chicken cooked in salsa is GREAT!)

Carbs, especially carbs from white flour, often cause excessive, smelly gas. Cut these out as much as you possibly can. Sugar, even 'natural' sugar from fruit, can also cause digestive distress. Stay as far away from it as you can, at least until you have a better handle on exactly WHAT foods are causing your problems.

Another culprit is often lactose---milk sugar. Many people become lactose intolerant after WLS. Eliminate milk from your diet for a while and see what happens. (Often people who can't tolerate milk CAN tolerate cheese--there's almost NO lactose in most cheeses.)

Abouot the troll remark---you'd be surprised how many people DO come here and troll. And often they do so by making an account and posting some horror story about how awful WLS is, how they are dying of malnutrition, or have had all sorts of terrible complications, etc. Since this thread is your first post and you only joined TODAY, I can see why some people are suspicious. Cut them some slack---it's a sort of "once bitten, twice shy" thing.

Oh, and something else you might try---get yourself some probiotics. These need to come from the refrigerated case, from your druggist. These will add good bacteria to your gut. You've probably got an overgrowth of bad bacteria in there---it's quite common with a distal bypass, but it's not usually all that hard to cure.

  The quality of information available on the Internet has definitely changed over the years.  As more research is done, we have better access to information that is more useful.  PubMed and Google Scholar might be some good resources for you to start searching for journal articles.

If there's a teaching hospital in your area, it probably has a pretty decent medical library.  Those librarians are the best resource in the world when you need to do medical research.  They can tell you where to find the best peer-reviewed studies and some will even look up materials for you.

Good luck to you and I hope you get some relief soon. 


    
P.S.      A troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.       Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)

You know the "live cultures" people talk about yoghurt having? Probiotics are capsules crammed full of those same bacteria.

Thank you to everyone for all your help thus far.

I will do more research on my own and try not to be a pest.

If you are telling the truth, please get professional help NOW.

Hey Wink!!

Ignore. Ignore.

Let's just focus on getting you sorted.  You've been given a ton of information from me and Ms. Batt to start you off.

You might want to get a notebook and start making some notes of things because we are giving you so much (too much?) information all at once.

I have terrible insomnia  tonight!!!  I'm going to be a mess tomorrow!!

Now I'm HUNGRY and I should be ASLEEP!!! 

Ignore that other stuff and we'll get you going... and feeling/doing better.

Hugs,

Becky

Its actually quite easy to question your story, so don't be, offended. Really, I think most people here feel shocked that after 10 years, two major gut surgeries, and having to resort to adult diapers that you've never learned what food you are and aren't supposed to put in your body, what vitamins you need after an RNY, etc. I mean, for most of us, they really really hammer that in, so you not even knowing about calcium or iron seems too incredulous for the average WLS patient to believe. I'm not even sure I believe you.

But if I do, stop talking to us here and see a doctor immediately. Good grief, and a therapist. And yes, there are many therapists that take severely discounted hardship rates for those unemployed or uninsured.

I mean really, it's one thing to have insurance challenges, no one would hold against you, but as a former self-proclaimed IT professional it's boggling you were unable to Google any of this over the years. It's like you've been in s bubble - an oil-producing bubble.

Still, I should keep this on the bright side. Best of luck to you in learning how to turn your life around and become food compliant with the surgeries you've had. It sounds huge and daunting right now, but really with just a little effort you can really get a great 180 going. Just stay focused this time and you'll win. Folks on here are much more tolerant than I am and will likely continue to guide you. Honestly, at this point, if you aren't a troll, just get your tests sorted out tomorrow as a starting point, then read a WLS book or two this weekend. Good luck.