5 years and never went back to doctor

Ok,  so I got all excited and had the surgery about 5 years ago.  I followed the plan for the first 6-8 weeks, then tragedy struck and a family member I cared for deeply passed away.  So at this time 3 things were happening simultaneously, 1) I was not losing weight, 2) I was in a deep depression, 3) I was throwing up almost everything I tried to eat.   I went to the doctor and explained that the "vomiting was perfectly normal."  That I "obviously, wasn't throwing up too much since" I was not losing weight like I should be.  He went on to insult me in a variety of ways that in my mental state at the time only demoralized me more.  I vowed I would never go back.  The main reason for not losing weight would be ice cream...When I can't eat anything at all I feel horribly cheated, and so I indulge in the one treat from my past and the thing I can count on to be delicious and filling, ice cream.  Cheap calories.  I didn't eat too much of it before surgery but I nearly always have some on hand now. I was so horribly offended at the unsympathetic way I was dealt with by this particular doctor on that day that I havent ever gone back.  Now, I have gotten used to the throwing up at least once or twice a day.  All of a sudden I'm having a new problem...i'm vomiting nearly everything for 4-6 hours even if I only had 3 bites....jus****er even has this effect as of this week.  I'm thinking there must be a problem.,..surely 5 yrs post-op with only 2 fills I should not still be vomiting and now it is becoming worse....that can't be right.  The enamel on my teeth has weakened and my teeth are actually cracking and wearing down, I suspect this is from all the vomiting...I think I have heard before that bulimics experience something like this...Anyone?  Also, I suspect I'm not getting any good nutrients in my body and my hair is falling out.  The insurance I have now doesn't cover "obesity", and I live in a new city.  What should I do?  Can I go to a regular gastrointerologist?  Or how much is a consultation out of pocket?  Can I go to just a regular doctor and complain about stomach issues, get an xray and rule out other possibilities like ulcers or gall bladder or something?  If I can't keep down water is it cause to go to an ER or dr. or do I wait it out? I so wish that I had never done this to myself, I had enough problems with being fat, now I have to be fat and have all of these issues. Help me.

Honey, I am so sorry to hear that you've had such bad interaction with your gbs surgeon.  I sometimes think they have far too much emotional power over us. Just remember:  you did this for your health, not for him.

I would like to suggest that you go see another bariatric surgeon, or a gastrointestinal specialist.  You probably have a stricture, and it can be quickly relieved with an endoscopic procedure which is not (from what I've read here) very difficult. (I haven't had to have one done, luckily.)

For the rest of your problem, the weight gain, etc., I would like to suggest that you begin again with your efforts to work your tool (the pouch) and this time don't let someone else determine your peace of mind. 

I am sorry that you lost a dearly beloved family member, but do you think that they would have wanted you to feel so badly about yourself?  I myself lost my mother shortly before I decided to do this surgery, and I think she would have been happy to know that I was doing something to improve my health as much as it has. 

You can do this--we all have our demons, and sometimes we have to drive them out.  I personally had to completely empty my house of the kind of junk foods which were my triggers prior to surgery--and ice cream was a big item for me.  I still have to be careful about the foods I bring into the house.

Be kind to yourself. 

Go back to your basics--protein first, low-glycemic carbs, water, supplements, calcium, vitamins, and exercise.  Log everything you eat.  It will really help to keep track of what you're eating in order to help make the right food decisions.

I'll be rooting for you. 

Please feel free to email me if you need to have some personal support. 

Good luck and big hugs.

 

 

Thanks for your understanding and kindness.  I have been so ashamed and scared to do anything and at the same time not to do anything.  I know the person I lost wanted this to work for me.  It was one of the last things that she said to me before she left us.  She told me not to let it be for nothing.  It was/has been such a hard time, nothing is the same or ever will be.   I think some of these surgeons need to be in close practice with therapists.  I myself know that I could have been much more psychologically prepared to deal with eating and other social situations.  I was too young and too stupid when I did this to really think or realize what I was doing.  It was something like a quick fix in my mind, and it is truly anything but that.  It's a series of difficult and counterintuitive choices every single day.   I wasn't psychologically prepared for the first time I went to a restaurant with no soups available-- and I had to sit there and smell the fried chicken and mashed potatoes and watch how much they all enjoyed their food while I sipped water.  I'm still not sure that I am. I also think there really must be something wrong in my head because who would throw up for 6 hours and then turn around and still try to eat.  Who in their right mind would not just drink some slim-fast or something?  Why won't I learn, even Pavlov's dogs learned, why can't I learn?  Why do I insist upon hurting myself.   I think this week I may go to my regular physician and see what he suggests I do, and if he will at least prescribe some liquid multi-vitamin that I can keep down, if nothing else.

I'm so sorry your doctor was difficult. Doctors are human with faults and foibles just like the rest of us. I try to remember that when this happens to me. It sounds like you had lap band with fills? Not RNY? If so, the complications are different. A lap band can slip and perhaps that is what happened to you. The only way to know for sure is to see a doctor who can check your band. Or, perhaps, you can go to the lap band forum and get more information over there. Unfortunately, I really don't have a lot of knowledge about it.

I'm so sorry for the way your Doc treated you, your loss and all your difficulties!   I don't know much about the complications of bands.  I'm very concerned about your teeth, hair, etc.  You need to have all your labs done!  ASAP!  I suggest going to your regular Doc and explaining all your issues.  I'll PM you the list of suggested labs. Michele

That would be great, I think that my doctor here knows very little about WLS.  When I listed Lap-band on the info when you first go to a doctor, his nurse asked me what that was.  I went to see a nutritionist last year at the gym here in town and she said that now the docs were prescribing a liquid multi-vitamin to all patients of WLS (back when I had the surgery they told us Flinstones vitamins were fine)....Do you know the name of the vitamins prescribed nowadays?  Also is there someplace I can get a list of "approved" foods that I should be able to eat? I think part of the problem has been narrowed down this weekend...I have been taking ibuprofen for back pain off and on for the last year and quite often here lately.  Don't know if it's my  stomach reacting or the medication, however I am thinking it's caused by the medication..as an experiment I tried a different brand of ibuprofen today and I have kept down a whole sandwich with bread, meat, lettuce and tomato!  Yeah!   But I still have the general concerns and overall think I'm not getting the appropriate nutrients in my diet.  So yes, if there is follow-up bloodwork I can have done at a regular doctor that would be great...I'll call him as early as tomorrow if you can post the list.

In addition to having a thorough physical check-up with blood work and checking for ulcers (due to the ibuprofen), it sounds like you do need to hook up with a good therapist as well.  You've indicated that you are a emotional and stress eater and, for any weight loss success, these behaviors should be addressed.   If you want to find a bariatric doctor in your new city, you might check out the state message board here  for some recommendations or check your state listings online.  I think I saw a website that had the members of the professional association.  You'll need to do some checking for ones that take patients they didn't start with. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the doctor 5 years ago--doctors can be very intimidating.  I would encourage you to take a more assertive stance now and make sure you get what you need from the doctor.  You are paying for it after all.  It is not their place to make moral judgments about you.  Many still don't understand the complexities of obesity--even if they are bariatric surgeons.  I look for a doctor who does have the nutritional, physical, and behavioral components to their program.   Also, are there any support groups in your area?  Ours is open to anyone--not just those who had the surgery. Good luck, Sally