cynderginder

I am a newbie to the forum and have been getting lots of warnings from acquaintances who have had a bypass, about the terrible bouts of diarrhea that they had after surgery and still continue to have. This has really scared me about having a bypass. I have a medical history of Irritable Bowel Syndrome , where diarrhea is the frequent symptom, and I take a medication to slow things down so my system has a chance to absorb liquids. Since a bypass shortens the intestinal tract and decreases absorption of nutrients, I am afraid that the diarrhea could get worse. I discussed this with my surgeon and he feels it will be ok, but the experience of others has me fearful. Has anyone else had this sort of problem and had the surgery and either had no worsening of problems or the opposite? I know sugar /carbs can cause dumping but beyond this, if I behave in this regard, what are my chances of getting worse?

Hi Leesa, I am really interested in what your Dr. has to say and in your progress. I , too , have problems with diarrhea and am waiting to be scheduled for RNY after Band removal last yr. I don't know if I can do it ,if I end up with constant diarrhea ,because I already take a med to keep food from moving through my system too fast. If this gets worse, I probably won't make it to the restroom! I had some damage to my pelvic floor with the birth of my last child( almost 12# baby), and worse diarrhea is my worst fear with Bypass surgery. Has anyone else had these problems and overcome or moved beyond the diarrhea stage?

I live in central Il, but my surgeon is Dr. Prachand at the U. of Chicago Medical Center. He says that there are no pretests to ascertain the condition of the stomach except to go back in and see if the stomach is in better condition after 1 yr. I could end up having a second procedure without ending up with a bypass again. I have not gotten a second opinion since I feel my Dr. has been hesitant, in order to protect me from possible complications and is erring on the side of caution, where some Drs. may just go ahead and do it. He said there is a 60 % chance the stomach may not be smoothed enough to do the bypass, so I am just looking for others who may have had this problem. Thanks for replying.

Hello Everyone-Had a Lap Band removed May 2013 after 6 yrs. of suffering and was supposed to have a revision to a Gastric Bypass at the same time. I awoke to find that Dr. didn't do Bypass because felt he couldn't do the bypass because of wrinkles and scarring at the Band site on my stomach. He said he might consider doing the surgery after 6-9 mo., but couldn't guarantee that my stomach would be able to get a good seal at the stomach reduction staple line and could leak. Has anyone else had this experience and then elected to try again and either had the Bypass or ended up having a second surgery, only to wake up without a Bypass?