Ulcer!!!! (TMI)
Hi Everyone, I have a question for those who have had surgery for awhile now. I am 18 months post op. Have lost now 148lbs and I am pretty anal when it comes to my vitamins, calcium, exercise and I still watch what I eat. No sugar tolerance, and I don't even try fatty foods.
I was in pain a lot for a week and when I went to he ER the first time I was told I was backed up. Then after emptying everything there was in me I still was in major pain. It would cut my breathing, I couldn't move, it felt like major gas issues. The more gas I realised the better it felt. I even changed my diet to not include anything with wheat. On Saturday I had another "attack" and was in so much pain I thought I was going to pass out. Now at this point everything is passing through my mind, I have a leakage, I have busted colon....etc....I went back to the ER and this wonderful dr who said that she is not familiar with gastric bypass but she knows that there is alot of underline things that can go wrong when all the test come back negative. I have a ulcer. She made me pass a cat scan with this liquid dye crap, and said nothing is leaking, nothing is damaged inside. That I have an ulcer.
I don't eat fatty foods, I don't drink caffeine anything, I do drink caffeine free tea once in the morning, and I don't eat chocolate for I have a very low tolerance of sugar.
So how did this happen? What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for any input.
No no, sweetie - you didn't do anything "wrong" - no, it's not your fault.
Listen - this is really easy to confirm.
Ulcers are most often caused by a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (or H. pylori).
It is very easy to get overloaded on H. pylori - it's actually ubiquitous (that's means it's everywhere and we all have it) but sometimes it can take over. If we get too much of it in one spot, it eats away at the tissue around, creating an ulcer.
I'll bet you $$$ that's what you've got.
How to diagnose? Easy. Tell your MD to have a stool sample sent for H. pylori testing. It's covered by OHIP.
How to treat? A simpel course of antibiotics (just be sure to tell them about swallowing horsepills).
Here's more info http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hpylori/
You did not do anything wrong!
Last May I had exactly the same experience you had. I had developed a marginal ulcer. Apparently quite common in RNY patients. My bariatric surgeon told me that caffeine, etc did not contribute to it. I just happens. I'm now on Prevacid for the rest of my life. It's a very small price to pay for no more pain and the long term gain of RNY.
Take Care,
Denise
on 2/3/13 11:28 pm - Canada
I went through the same thing at 16 months. A stomach is made to process digestive juices and to be reasonably ulcer proof. There is a valve at the bottom of a normal stomach that helps keep these juices in the stomach. Post RNY the valve is gone, and the top of the intestine is therefore somewhat unprotected from stomach action. This is where my ulcer developed (ie not in the stomach, but at the top of my intestine), and I gather this is not uncommon. I took Prevacid for 9 months, the ulcer healed, and for now I'm back to normal with no medication.
It sure hurts, but it's very treatable. Hopefully it won't recur, but if so - now you'll know what to ask about. It's great to hear that you got good care from the ER people even though they weren't bariatrics trained!
Hope the meds fix you up quickly.
Claire
HW 350 CW 141 Surgery Feb 11, 2011
None of the things you mention cause ulcers... fatty foods, chocolate, caffeine/coffee/tea, etc, these are all completely harmless (as is spicy food). The things that cause ulcers are NSAIDs, smoking, alcohol abuse and a bacteria called H. pylori. RNYers are also just at a higher risk for ulcers from surgery. The only thing you can do to reduce your risk of ulcers after RNY is take an acid reducing medication called a PPI for 6 months. Even when you do, sometimes an ulcer will still develop, and at that point, it is just bad luck. It can be treated with a PPI and antibiotics and you will likely have to stay on the PPI after the antibiotics for a long time.