Post gastric bypass- help needed!

[Stamperlou]

Dear all,
I am a 34 yr old married mother of a 6 year okd child and after suffering lengthy depression & ill health, was able to get a gastric bypass on the NHS 11 months ago.
I am well and have dropped from nearly 22 stone to 17 but I'm worried that I cannot lose any more.
I have many problems with digestion and find that I live on a terrible diet of unhealthy snack foods that I hadn't expected to be able to tolerate, while many healthy foods make me uncomfortable to the point of being sick.
I wasn't offered any post op counselling and I have found the aftercare to be pretty non existent.
Am I alone? Does anyone else find that making the transition to a healthy diet has been harder than expected?
Can anyone help me or point me in the right direction?
Thank you in advance.

 

[Mini]

Hi Stamperlou,

:welcome:

You are very welcome and I hope you will make yourself at home here.

Congratulations on your weight loss of five stone which is very good and I am sure you must feel the difference in yourself

Bondgirl has had this operation and I am sure she will be able to help you out here is a link to her diary thread it is a very good read

http://www.minimins.com/surgical-weight-loss/6360-gastric-bypass-whooohooo-we-have-snow.html

Also we have a new member bev_erage who had this operation done only three weeks ago.

I wasn't offered any post op counselling and I have found the aftercare to be pretty non existent

Have you asked your doctor for counselling?

It is very sad to feel that you have had very little support after going through such a traumatic operation and change in your life.

I would think if you started a food diary here, then others could see what your eating they would be able to help and guide you and support you along the way.

Writing down how your feeling I find really helps.

Please don't feel alone, come on here and post and make new friends:hug99:

Here is a guide to help you make your way around


http://www.minimins.com/introductions/787-mini-s-guided-tour-minimins-website.html

Love Mini xxx

 

[kandy]

Hi stamperlou,

I am just over 4 mths out now from my bypass. I was shocked to discover that things like crisps and crackers slide down but salad and meats and fruit are more of a challenge but i figure its the bypass doing its job . It is harder to eat some things but i try to chew every mouthful 20-30 times and these more substantial foods fill me up alot quicker than the junk but i guess thats the point so we dont eat too much of them . I know its time consuming trying to eat the way we have to but it worth it. I was also told upping water and protein can give the weightloss a kickstart if needed. Also the exercise of course.
Take care Stamperlou and if ya need anything just shout !
love Julie xxx

 

[Stamperlou]

I am grateful for all your kind words- I have to say, I've been feeling rather alone with my issues, as I don't know anyone who has had the surgery and those who have been through it are the only ones who might understand how I feel! I think I need to start watching the quality of my intake, as the quantity has been taken care of! On March the 7th I am going back into hospital to have an incisional hernia repaired. I managed to fall onto my Dyson hoover while I was still healing after the bypass and now a large portion of my intestines are trying to escape via my scar site!! I am not worried about the actual surgery, but it scares me a bit that it may not work and the hernia could come back. Apparently it is quite common, so I'd love to hear from anyone in the same position. If not, I'll let you all know how it goes!

 

[smileyface]

Good luck.
I go for a consultation with my consultant in 2 weeks i'm hoping for bypass surgery

 

[help6363]

Dear all,
I am a 34 yr old married mother of a 6 year okd child and after suffering lengthy depression & ill health, was able to get a gastric bypass on the NHS 11 months ago.
I am well and have dropped from nearly 22 stone to 17 but I'm worried that I cannot lose any more.
I have many problems with digestion and find that I live on a terrible diet of unhealthy snack foods that I hadn't expected to be able to tolerate, while many healthy foods make me uncomfortable to the point of being sick.
I wasn't offered any post op counselling and I have found the aftercare to be pretty non existent.
Am I alone? Does anyone else find that making the transition to a healthy diet has been harder than expected?
Can anyone help me or point me in the right direction?
Thank you in advance.

Well done on your weight loss

I have NEVER had the bypass or lapband but I know people who have. They have FREE support groups here where people who have had the lapband or bypass get together and talk. Do they have that there? My friends found out about the support groups by calling all the local hospitals.

If you want free group counselling to address the issues of overeating, I would Overeater's Annoymous......it's FREE and in the phonebook. Additionally, it's worldwide.

I wish you all the luck in the world and would love to know how you are going.

I am really sorry I cannot help in this matter!

 

[Stamperlou]

Hi.
Thank you for your message.
When I went for my first consultation with the surgeon, he gave me a card for a support group in the web that I could never access, and a flyer for some group meetings that were held 20 miles away, so It would have been a nightmare getting there. I will try your suggestions though and - to be honest, its just nice to know people care enough to offer some words of advice & support. I wish I'd found this site sooner!!

 

[Mini]

Hi Stamperlou,

I am sure your experience is not an isolated occurrence and we are only hearing about it as you have access to the internet.

I think this thread you have started will be a help to anyone who comes across it searching the internet for help.

As you have said...

to be honest, its just nice to know people care enough to offer some words of advice & support

The few kind words of advice and support do go a long way and does give us all the strength to carry on when we are feeling low in ourselves for whatever reason.

I managed to fall onto my Dyson hoover while I was still healing after the bypass and now a large portion of my intestines are trying to escape via my scar site!! I am not worried about the actual surgery, but it scares me a bit that it may not work and the hernia could come back. Apparently it is quite common, so I'd love to hear from anyone in the same position. If not, I'll let you all know how it goes!

I went weak at the knees reading this...

I am not sure if all hernia's are the same or not, if they occur in different parts of the body But would like to let you know that my husband had an operation for one way back in 1992 and he has never had trouble with it again.

Love Mini xxx

 

[Stamperlou]

Incisional hernia after a gastric bypass- the gruesome details!

Hi Mini thanks for your message.
Apparently, thee are different types of hernia. The one I'm sporting at present is a direct result of the weakening of the stomach muscles due to surgery. According the the doc, the muscles around our middles sort of wrap around our bodies and knit at the front. When they are cut through, they are going to be weaker than normal anyway, but my little incident forced open some of the deep stitches and allowed a loop of gut to push through the hole. It started out not much bigger that a lump the size of a golf ball, but has grown to a large lump approx. 7 inches across. Although it doesn't hurt, sometimes food or air can become trapped in the part of the escaping gut, which is in a loop, which can cause pain.
According the my surgeon, this is really quite common and he repairs quite a few after a bypass . If you are unlucky enough to get one, they won't repair for at least 12 months after your original surgery. I will have to stay in for about 4 days :sigh: & I'm unsure of what will occur after that! Hopefully his repair will hold, not all do, and hopefully he can repair the hole using all my original pieces! They sometimes have to stitch a kind of mesh over the hole to help repair it, but this can in his own words, ''cause horrible infections'' :wave_cry:. I'm going in on march 7th, and afterwards I'll let you all know how it went.

 

[Stamperlou]

Hi stamperlou,

upping water and protein can give the weightloss a kickstart if needed.
Hi Kandy- thank you so much for your message! How do you manage protien? I can eat cheese till it comes out of my ears, and minced beef is ok, but of course beef normally comes wrapped in some type of sauce, so calorie wise, neither of these are a great solution. Roast meats are completely out of the question and I've yet to find other ways with meat that makes them digestible. Have you any tips of recipe ideas?
Lou.

 

[kandy]

Hiya Stameperlou,
I struggle with the protein myself but i try to eat as much meat as i can (ham beef lamb anything really)also tuna prawns crabsticks are good and semi skimmed milk. I also have diabetic choc chewy bars from boots they are £2.49 for three but when i have had a bad day i have one at the end of the day and they have approx 15g of protein in . Beans are a good one, tinned spag bol from heinz if you like mince why not add tinned toms and some herbs garlic etc no extra cals then .
Good luck luv Julie xxx

 

[micksminnie]

Gastric By pass -

Hi,

I had the gastric by pass operations 4 months ago and I had the first operation on the Friday night followed by an emergency operation on the Saturday due to massive internal bleeding. I have now had 5 operations in 4 months and still I am only able to eat or rather drink soup peanuts and crisps, I cannot tolerate any other solids and life has been very miserable. If I had known what it was going to be like I would have never had it done and would have rather risked being over weight. I have lost 5 1/2 stone in four months and I am concerned just how much I will lose if I am unable to eat some solid food. I have to take 3 tablets before meals to be able to have even soup or I am dreadfully sick. I was off work all this time as I was in and out having the now 5 operations. I have just returned to work and I am not really fit enough to be here but cannot afford to lose any more money. I also seem to be able to eat crisps and peanuts without too much trouble but not healthy foods as one would have expected. I have also found that my taste buds seem to have altered and things I once loved i.e. tea I cannot tolerate any longer. I have found this whole thing to be a complete disaster and wondered if it was just me but I can see from your message that you too have suffered similar things. Where do we go from here? I am seeing my surgeon again next week but what can he do? I am hoping that it is possible to be reversed but doubt it.

 

[Stamperlou]

Dear micksminnie,
I am SO sorry to hear of what a terrible time you've had. I haven't suffered nearly as much as you have- most of my problems are down to adjustment to a new eating regime- having the surgery doesn't cure your desire to eat certain things when you have food issues!
From what I know and what I've seen (I have watched this op many times on the tv), I'm fairly certain it isn't reversible. To section the stomach, they put in a long row of permanent staples which bond the edges of the tissue together, making it impossible to remove them afterward.
Firstly, when you are feeling strong enough, I it sounds like you would have a case to sue- I know it doesn't make everything right, but you should have a better quality of life after this surgery, not a worse one.
I'm sure this is no comfort, but 5.5 stone is a dramatic weight loss- when you feel better physically, hopefully you will be able to appreciate the difference it can make to you.
As to the digestion issues, my suggestion would be to stick to what you know you can manage, but try adding a tablespoon of something into your diet every few days. If it really disagrees with you, it may make you sick, but if like me you have had your gall bladder removed, that isn't too horrible really- as you have no bile in your stomach, all you throw up is just the food. If you really feel the need to need to 'help it out', try drinking a small glass of water- diluting it can help you to bring it up with less discomfort. I know I make it sound as if this is normal for me, truly it isn't. I was sick quite alot to start with, but now it only happens about once every 2 or so weeks, usually if I've been a bit greedy and overeaten, or if I've had meat which isn't digesting well. I can tell you that I can manage minced beef, prawns, cheese, eggs, a small amount of tuna and soft chicken (which I put it into a small oven proof dish, pour over some veg stock, tightly cover & cook in the oven.If you don't over cook it & you'll find that it is very soft & tender). I tend to cut things up very small before I sit to eat, so I'm not tempted to put too much in at once, and also make a concious effort to chew more than I used to.
Personally, I find that adjusting to a tiny quantity of food has been hard- it just doesn't seem right to serve up a meal that small! but adding in tiny amounts of 'normal' food may just help you to break the cycle of not getting enough good solid nutrition and hopefully by worrying less, you might feel better quicker.
If I can help you in any way, I'll do my best.
I wish you all the very best- I'll be thinking of you.
Lou.

 

[micksminnie]

Thanks for your reply

Dear Stamperlou,

Thank you for your reply and the help and advice you gave, I will give your advice a try and hope it also works for me. I have started to have another worrying problem in that I am experiencing extreme hair loss now, I am fortunate that I have always had thick hair but the amount I am losing is very worrying. I am sure this is because I am not getting the vitamins and nutrients I should be with my poor diet. I am now on vitamin and mineral supplement forceval prescribed by the doctor and had the first of my Vitamin B12 injection and just hope this is going to be sufficient to stop further hair loss. Its a pity you are not fully told the pros and cons before the operation, I was led to believe I would be able to eat a normal diet but just smaller portions. Oh to be able to do just that!! I will continue to try solids inspite of making me sick as I feel that my stomach has been so long without solids that it automatically rejects any solids now.

I am due to see the consultant on Friday and hope he can suggest something that may help but I doubt it. My first operation obviously went wrong and I had to have a second to stop the massive internal bleeding and they restapled my stomach from the inside via my throat. The next operations was because they had left a loose staple that had blocked the tube to the stomach causing anything I ate or drank to come back. the next operation was to clear a kink in the tube that was stopping food to pass through and the 5th operations was to stretch the tube as it was too small. I dread to think where they can go from here. I have thought of suing but they made sure that I signed waivers before every operation to cover themselves also I had been given the pre med and was just going under when they got me to sign another at which point I couldn't see what I was signing and could hardly hold the pen. It really has not been a good experience but I am still hopeful that something can be done or in time it will improve. I am very grateful for your reply and suggestions, Thank you and good luck with your diet and hope you too will be able to improve.

Micksminnie

 

[Stamperlou]

Hello again.
I think your experience has been terrible- I was very depressed before my surgery- lets face it, you wouldn't go for a bypass if you were happy with yourself, would you? So to go through all this on top of that must be dreadful. I know you said that you signed waivers, e.t.c, but these would be covering them for things that happen because of the way your body reacts to the surgery as sometimes things are out of their control. You are NOT signing to give them permission to make mistakes, these aren't covered by any paperwork, so you should be compensated for their errors. When you see them, I would try and get a copy of your file, just in case anything goes 'missing' later.
Believe me, it happens.
As to the hair loss, this can be a common problem which is reversible. As soon as you can try eating a bit more, I'm sure that will help. If it was me, I think I would try just a single mouthful of food every hour or so to start with. You are less likely to react to such small quantities. Have you tried eating kids fromage frais or yoghurts? They are very small pots, but contain calcium, which you need to help your hair and long term, bone density.
I hope you had a better weekend and that you get some kind of help on friday- I would really put your foot down and demand help- make up a food diary including what you eat and how often you're sick to make sure they understand what you're going through.
Lou.

 

[nefernefruaten]

i had the bypass four weeks ago and feel i have an alien living inside my tummy, im still learning what to feed it etc... its quite scary to hear your stories, how far in did u have ur complications? so far ive been ok still on sloppy food, did try more normal stuff but found it gave me an ache on my lefthand side, i have eaten icecream and biscuits cos ur right they do go down easier loving food is a hard habit to break....

 

[Stamperlou]

Hi there.
Well done on getting through the first 4 weeks- I know how hard it is! I have to say that being a little bit scared of over eating isn't a bad thing to begin with- you need some deterrent from getting back into bad habits right from day 1. It is important to at least try to eat correctly in these early days. The trouble is that you feel so poorly in the first few weeks, you just go for what you fancy rather than whats good for you, especially as you feel very tired all the time. If at all possible, try eating some smooth soups or pate on crackers or reduced fat cheese- it is important to get enough protien, and eating meat will be quite hard at the moment for you. I found that the diet sheet that I was sent home with was as much use as a chocolate teapot. The information is quite vague and really, I would have preferred to have had a proper diet sheet to follow.
You are bound to feel very strange to start with. It is a huge thing for you body to deal with and as long as you can keep things down, can go to the toilet and you are not being constantly sick, I'm sure you are fine!
Take each day as it comes- try writing down what you eat, I found that it helped. You have been very brave and have made a decision that will alter the rest of your life for the better.
Take care,
Lou.
x

 

[georgina]

hello every1 for hair loss im taking zinc which i got from the chemist i found it good i take it everyday i found it very hard in the beginning to keep food down its not so bad now though and the weird thing is i can eat chocolate without dumping i find this strange as it goes down easy as well so ive eaten more of it because it doesnt hurt lol this is a habbit i got to break lv georgina xxx

 

[kandy]

Hi Georgina,
How much choccy can you eat. I eat 1 samll choccy treat ( pky choccy buttons, milky bar, cereal bar.) No dumping as yet, so confused a little, am i not a dumper or have i not challenged it enough!

I am taking a supplement for hairloss from holland and barrett hair and nails it's called don't know if it's coincidence but it seems to have slowed it down!
Luv Julie xxx

 

[Stamperlou]

I know how hard it is trying to find enough to eat in a day to make up a reasonable quality & quantitiy if food. I really wish I hadn't eaten high fat & sugar foods in the very beginning- I had the bypass 12 months ago & have lost 5 of the 10 stone I needed to lose. They say that you will lose most of the weight from having the surgery in the first year and I think that I could have done better if I had only been more careful with what I ate. It was such a novelty to be able to eat comfort foods & still lose weight, so I did just that. But the holiday won't last forever, and my weight loss stopped after just 5 months. post op. Unfortunately, I have found that the hospital were only concerned with doing the surgery. There was no after care in the form of counselling or dietry support. I feel that the surgery doesn't deal with the reasons why I over ate in the first place, and surgery doesn't magically cure the issues that we all obviously have with food. Please take this as a warning- I want you all to be more successful that I have been!
Lou.