amiaghost

I had an orientation class with my health insurance provider, the first step in being accepted in to their bariatric program. One of their surgeons spoke and went over all of the possible side effects of having gastric bypass done, however he didn't go in to the rates/chances for any of them, or what the treatment options are. I am hoping to get the sleeve done but I may have a medical condition that would force me to have the bypass instead, so before I find out which way I have to go, I want to make sure I have all of the information that I need. My biggest concern is malabsorption of nutrients. He said they have some patients that now have to come in monthly to receive shots to make of for nutrients they are unable to receive via eating. That sounds like a horrible situation, but he didn't cite any sort of statistics on the chances, and the internet seems to be coming up empty handed as well. He also said the chance of ulcers were "very high" and "maybe as high as 30 percent", but he only spoke about it in generalities. He also mentioned no methods of treatments should this apparently very common issue occur. The internet seems to say you might be able to correct it via medication but there doesn't seem to be a consensus from what I have read. Can anyone shed a little light on these issues?

I have been trying to search Google but I am coming up with not a whole lot on this topic! For background I have GERD and during an endoscopy last year the doctor found that I had Barrett's Esophagus. I take OTC Nexium and that keeps the GERD under control, I don't have an issue as long as I take it each morning. However I know that the sleeve can increase issues a patient has with GERD, what I can't seem to find is if its recommended to have the sleeve if you have Barrett's. Did anyone here have Barrett's before they had the sleeve done, and if so what did you discuss with your surgeon regarding it? The sleeve is the procedure I would strongly prefer, but not if Barrett's makes it an unwise decision.

I have a meeting coming up about getting gastric bypass in the near future, but I wanted to see if anyone out there has had gastric bypass done who is also a hiker? My wife and I like to hike frequently during hiking season, but my concern is that since so many calories are burned on longer elevation gain hikes is that it could possibly be hard to eat enough to keep my calorie intake at the correct level. I am also concerned about drinking water while on the trail, I have read that drinking too much water can cause diarrhea, and on being on the trail that sounds like a less than fun time! Currently I can drink 3 litres of water on a day hike easy, but since I have to take it slower it seems after gastric bypass, I worry about dehydration. (Granted I might drink more than usual right now because I am overweight which causes me to exert myself and sweat more.) Hiking is the first outdoor activity I found that I actually love doing, in addition to that its something that my wife and I love doing together. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize one of our favorite shared activities together. Does anyone out there have any experience with this?

Mostly we do day hikes, normally in the 10 mile or so range, and mostly in the High Sierras! We have gone on one hike and camp excursion so far but we do plan on doing more in the future, but only hike to camp and back out the next day, nothing crazy like doing the Pacific Crest or Appalachian Trail. I suppose if I make a conscious effort I can reduce how much water I drink at once, I would imagine that barring specialty snacks, taking things that are high in protein is the way to go, just stretch out the amount of time its consumed?