HelloKitty_4211
Words of Wisdom meant only to help
Aug 07, 2011
Ladies and Gents, I had an RNY gastric bypass in June of 2000. I can't begin to tell you how much the support I got from the others at this website who were going through the same thing as me meant,..... it was nothing short of miraculous. I even went and met 3 of the girls who I had become very good friends with online. I remember back in the day when someone would post something negative about a side effect or complication they would be accussed of trying to "scare" everyone from having the surgery done....... I don't want to do to that, but guys I went through all of the trouble of re-registering at this website tonight so that I could share with you what the journey really really is like. And please keep in mind that it has been 11 years and things have changed/improved.
My RNY went well. I lost 211 pounds in 10 months. I am 6 feet tall and went down to a size 4. I was underweight and had to put some weight back on. For a doctor to tell me I needed to gain weight was, well, I never thought I'd ever hear those words. But let me tell you, thank God I was a housewife at the time because I had such bad diarrhea and vomiting for a year that I could hardly leave the house. And I passed out and blacked out a few times, I was worried they were going to take my driver's license away, but my body got used to everything and I got SKINNY. Boy, did I.
About 2 years post-op, I inspired my co-worker to have the surgery. I won't go into too much detail here, but I drove her to the hospital, since she was not married and her father was elderly, gave her a hug, and never saw her again. She died that night from a blood clot.
About 3 years post-op I got EXTREMELY sick, sick to the point that I got sent to every specialist and had every test and biopsy done and nothing could be found. My mother thought that I was going to die, at only 32 years old. Come to find out, it took me 3 years to completely deplete the stores of iron in my body, and so much of my stomach and intestines had been re-routed and removed that I could not absorb it, not even the liquid form. I still, to this day, have to go to the hematologist every 6 months to 2 years, depending on how quickly I plow through it, and get 1000cc's of Iron through an IV, which takes 8 hours on a slow drip pump. I have to take sublingual B-12 as well that I buy at Trader Joes because I have that anemia as well, but that treatment is easier than those dang IV's. I just make sure I rent a few movies and take my laptop for the 8 hour iron marathon.
I really don't get dumping syndrome anymore, but I still will get very sick from eating rice, potatoes, and starch that clogs my tiny tummy opening and I am in severe pain until it finally goes down or finally comes up.
Last July I started to bleed...........um............ no good way to say this......... in the bathroom. Both my babies were c-sections so no hemmroids or anything, but I thought, OK maybe I have those now???? After 3 days, I started vomiting black fluid as well. I was so dizzy I couldn't walk or stand. I went to the ER and was admitted and taken for an emergency endoscopy, there was a gapping hole in my tiny tummy. Guess what folks....... in case no one told you this............ don't take Advil if you've had a gastric bypass. Or NSAIDS in general. I was in the hospital for a week, had a blood transfussion (3 bags of blood), and had the hole closed with a laser, and forbidden from even looking at NSAIDS for the rest of my life.
I decided in January, because I had turned 40, that I would have the excess skin removed finally. I had loose skin on my thighs, the rest of me went down very well, and I decided i would have a tummy tuck since I had two c-sections by that point (FYI I had breast implants done in 2005 because I had gotten so thin I wasn't even an "A" cup). Anyhow, I am 3 weeks post op right now of my skin removal and low and behold, I have developed a blood clot in my left leg that runs from my foot to my groin. I also developed a seroma in that leg (pocket of fluid) and I have partial numbness on the left side. I have the BEST surgeon, i have used him before, I researched him to death, he is amazing. These were unforseen complications. I have to have shots in my stomach 2 times a day for 3 months and I am on bed rest. Expect the unexpected.
Would I do it all again? Well, losing all the weight did so much for me that I can't even express......... I went to college, which I dont think I would have done at over 350 pounds. I married an amazing, very physically fit man and have two beautiful sons, I've accomplished much that I would not have done at that weight. But, I wish I would've had the ability to lose it another way. I wish the lapband was an option back then. And let me tell you, my RNY was a full open RNY with the rib spreader and all..........my scar runs sternum to belly button. If the lapband had been around then, I would've gone that route. The RNY is so permanent, and my gastroenterologist told me if that ulcer blows again, there's hardly any stomach there to remove the bad tissue....................... guys and girls, please just think long and hard. I'm a WLS veteran, I've been through so much with this, I am partially grateful for what it gave me, I am partially mad at myself for doing it, but at least be informed beause the marjority of what I just shared with you was never told to me 11 years ago. You are all welcome to email me with any questions, I really am here to help you, please believe that.
[email protected]
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My RNY went well. I lost 211 pounds in 10 months. I am 6 feet tall and went down to a size 4. I was underweight and had to put some weight back on. For a doctor to tell me I needed to gain weight was, well, I never thought I'd ever hear those words. But let me tell you, thank God I was a housewife at the time because I had such bad diarrhea and vomiting for a year that I could hardly leave the house. And I passed out and blacked out a few times, I was worried they were going to take my driver's license away, but my body got used to everything and I got SKINNY. Boy, did I.
About 2 years post-op, I inspired my co-worker to have the surgery. I won't go into too much detail here, but I drove her to the hospital, since she was not married and her father was elderly, gave her a hug, and never saw her again. She died that night from a blood clot.
About 3 years post-op I got EXTREMELY sick, sick to the point that I got sent to every specialist and had every test and biopsy done and nothing could be found. My mother thought that I was going to die, at only 32 years old. Come to find out, it took me 3 years to completely deplete the stores of iron in my body, and so much of my stomach and intestines had been re-routed and removed that I could not absorb it, not even the liquid form. I still, to this day, have to go to the hematologist every 6 months to 2 years, depending on how quickly I plow through it, and get 1000cc's of Iron through an IV, which takes 8 hours on a slow drip pump. I have to take sublingual B-12 as well that I buy at Trader Joes because I have that anemia as well, but that treatment is easier than those dang IV's. I just make sure I rent a few movies and take my laptop for the 8 hour iron marathon.
I really don't get dumping syndrome anymore, but I still will get very sick from eating rice, potatoes, and starch that clogs my tiny tummy opening and I am in severe pain until it finally goes down or finally comes up.
Last July I started to bleed...........um............ no good way to say this......... in the bathroom. Both my babies were c-sections so no hemmroids or anything, but I thought, OK maybe I have those now???? After 3 days, I started vomiting black fluid as well. I was so dizzy I couldn't walk or stand. I went to the ER and was admitted and taken for an emergency endoscopy, there was a gapping hole in my tiny tummy. Guess what folks....... in case no one told you this............ don't take Advil if you've had a gastric bypass. Or NSAIDS in general. I was in the hospital for a week, had a blood transfussion (3 bags of blood), and had the hole closed with a laser, and forbidden from even looking at NSAIDS for the rest of my life.
I decided in January, because I had turned 40, that I would have the excess skin removed finally. I had loose skin on my thighs, the rest of me went down very well, and I decided i would have a tummy tuck since I had two c-sections by that point (FYI I had breast implants done in 2005 because I had gotten so thin I wasn't even an "A" cup). Anyhow, I am 3 weeks post op right now of my skin removal and low and behold, I have developed a blood clot in my left leg that runs from my foot to my groin. I also developed a seroma in that leg (pocket of fluid) and I have partial numbness on the left side. I have the BEST surgeon, i have used him before, I researched him to death, he is amazing. These were unforseen complications. I have to have shots in my stomach 2 times a day for 3 months and I am on bed rest. Expect the unexpected.
Would I do it all again? Well, losing all the weight did so much for me that I can't even express......... I went to college, which I dont think I would have done at over 350 pounds. I married an amazing, very physically fit man and have two beautiful sons, I've accomplished much that I would not have done at that weight. But, I wish I would've had the ability to lose it another way. I wish the lapband was an option back then. And let me tell you, my RNY was a full open RNY with the rib spreader and all..........my scar runs sternum to belly button. If the lapband had been around then, I would've gone that route. The RNY is so permanent, and my gastroenterologist told me if that ulcer blows again, there's hardly any stomach there to remove the bad tissue....................... guys and girls, please just think long and hard. I'm a WLS veteran, I've been through so much with this, I am partially grateful for what it gave me, I am partially mad at myself for doing it, but at least be informed beause the marjority of what I just shared with you was never told to me 11 years ago. You are all welcome to email me with any questions, I really am here to help you, please believe that.
[email protected]
