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I went to the doctor on Wednesday for a follow up from my EGD.  I received some very bad news.  I am severely malnourished and my doctor is inserting a g-tube (feeding tube) on Tuesday morning into my old stomach.  I'll then have to inject myself 3 times a day with a protein mixture to get my nutrition levels back to normal.  Then I'm also looking at a possibility of having my RNY revised.  The ulcer is very large and may have caused some significant damage to my small intestines where it connects to my new stomach.  That part may need to be removed and another section connected.  I'm hoping we won't have to take this step but am preparing for that possibility anyway.  

If you ask me would I do the bypass again -- in a heartbeat.  I still have no regrets inspite of everything I'm going through.  Losing 170 lbs has been worth every minute.  My biggest fear now is gaining weight with this feeding tube.  I panic when the scale moves up more than 2 pounds.  For those believers out there, prayers will be greatly appreciated. 

Well it seems that the cause of my vomiting is from a large ulcer in my stomach which is blocking the exit to my small intestines.  My surgeon was able to do a dialation to create an opening which is allowing me to eat a little.  But I'm still having trouble keeping food down.  It's not as bad as it was before but still a struggle.  

So now I'm on a course of medication to heal the ulcer.  He also did an upper GI to check for leakage.  I'll know the results of that test when I go in on Wednesday to talk with my surgeon.  

The most likely cause of this ulcer is from long-term use of anti-inflammatories and caffeine.  I have a bad knee and took anti-flammatories for about 6 months (I stopped those about 4 months ago). Plus I drink a pot of coffee a day.  So now I'm off both (and going through caffeine withdrawals).  

Hopefully the medication will do the job and I won't need further surgery to remove it. 

It's been 21 months since surgery.  Unfortunately I am suffering from one of the rare side effects where I have scar tissue build-up in my intestines. 

I began having trouble keeping food down about 4-5 months ago.  At first, I thought that it was because I wasn't chewing enough, eating too much, or eating the wrong things.  The odd thing was it began happening with food that hadn't bothered me before.  

The problem gradually worsened until two weeks ago when I was unable to keep anything that I ate down and I was constantly exhausted.  So I finally relented and called my surgeon.  After they fussed at me for taking so long to call them, they brought me in for a consultation.  They believe I have a blockage in my intestines connected to my new stomach. 

Now I am scheduled for an EGD on Tuesday to go in and scope out the problem.  If they determine that I do have a blockage, then they will fix it at the same time (I call this "roto-rooter").  For now, I'm back to a liquid diet.  I'm also suffering from malnutrition and dehydration as a result of this problem.  Hopefully, I'll be back to eating solids again very soon (cream soups are getting really old, fast).

But all in all I still have no regrets.  I'm 12 pounds away from my original goal when I started this journey and would do it all again (inspite of the complications).  I still feel great, look great, and LOVE shopping for new clothes.  

On June 19, it will be 18 months since my RNY surgery.  As of this morning I have lost 158 lbs.  The last five months have been difficult because I lost my job in January after 18 years of continuous employment.  It was a major blow but I was able to maintain my weight.  The good news was I was physically unable to turn to food for comfort during my depression.  Plus since I haven't been employed, I didn't want to continue losing weight because I would run out of clothes to wear.  

It is still fun to raid my husband's closet for T-shirts.  Last night my husband lifted me up which has NEVER happened in 27 years of marriage.  What a thrill that was (and he's not a physically strong man).  

On the positive side, I begin a new job on June 18th.  Now I can start working on losing these last 20 lbs which will put me at my goal to get to my wedding day weight.  Hopefully next summer I can start exploring plastic surgery options.  The bat wings MUST go.  I could easily hide the tummy but the arms drive me crazy because I don't feel comfortable in sleeveless garments. 

I have been experiencing difficulties with food for the last two months though (throwing up frequently) and don't understand why this is happening all of a sudden.  I'm going to research that further here on the OH message boards.  

I still have no regrets.  The is the absolutely best decision I have ever made in my life.  I'll never go back to that weight again -- EVER!!