Coexister

I went to my Bariatric doctor a couple of months ago as I had been suffering some weight regain and I was worried about the direction my body was going after having had the sleeve Dec 2018 and then Roux Y Bypass Oct 2020. She put me on Metformin and Phentermine to help counteract the effects of some of my other medication and menopause. I too had been experiencing the worst smelling stools imaginable and felt that I could never travel. The Metformin had the best side effect and turned that around for me and for the first time since having the surgeries, I had normal smelling stools! Game changer!! I have no blood sugar issues and am only taking the Metformin 500 mg twice a day for weight management reasons but it is controlling the smell of my stools! So I had to share as I had too like the rest of you been suffering since 2018 with the same issues up until a couple of months ago....

I am post op bypass 13 months ( surgery was 10/07/2020) ) and am I now drinking alcohol every night . I have gained back a few pounds Like 8 and am scared to death. I feel like I am heading back toward terrible habits and need to regain back control now. I am working with a Psychologist that's not very good for PTSD issues and major depressive disorder. I have got control of that but I have now a new problem= alcohol! A year ago, I would never think of drinking on a week night or much at all but now it's become my new addiction and it leads to me over eating and then the dreaded weight gain. I have now drank every night for the past two months and I can't seem too let it go. This had never been me before as my family is filled with alcoholics and I could never understand it and now I do? It kills pain and drowns out so much. It definitely affects me differently after surgery and takes very little to have any affect at all. I am drunk or affected at sip 3. It is such a great escapism and good lord with Covid and the way of the world all I want to do is escape in a legal way and alcohol is legal. I am on disability and have a lot of pain issues and the doctors and psych's try to say its a lot mental / PTSD/ Stress related but they haven't lived in my body. I have had over 15 surgeries and have had many scars and all kinds of mesh - They don't live this body and don't feel my pain. They tell me I need to learn to live with it. Well hell , I am doing the best I can and alcohol does a great job of dimming that. But I know I need to find a better answer and am looking to my community as I know I can't be alone in my pain or journey. My New Year's resolution is to get back to that person that doesn't drink in response to pain. That learns to deal with it. That get's her weight under control in the meantime. Sending out an SOS to my community and asking for good advice or just shared empathy to know I am not the only one and that we do not travel on this journey alone.

I am post op bypass 13 months ( surgery was 10/07/2020) ) and am I now drinking alcohol every night . I have gained back a few pounds Like 8 and am scared to death. I feel like I am heading back toward terrible habits and need to regain back control now. I am working with a Psychologist that's not very good for PTSD issues and major depressive disorder. I have got control of that but I have now a new problem= alcohol! A year ago, I would never think of drinking on a week night or much at all but now it's become my new addiction and it leads to me over eating and then the dreaded weight gain. I have now drank every night for the past two months and I can't seem too let it go. This had never been me before as my family is filled with alcoholics and I could never understand it and now I do? It kills pain and drowns out so much. It definitely affects me differently after surgery and takes very little to have any affect at all. I am drunk or affected at sip 3. It is such a great escapism and good lord with Covid and the way of the world all I want to do is escape in a legal way and alcohol is legal. I am on disability and have a lot of pain issues and the doctors and psych's try to say its a lot mental / PTSD/ Stress related but they haven't lived in my body. I have had over 15 surgeries and have had many scars and all kinds of mesh - They don't live this body and don't feel my pain. They tell me I need to learn to live with it. Well hell , I am doing the best I can and alcohol does a great job of dimming that. But I know I need to find a better answer and am looking to my community as I know I can't be alone in my pain or journey. My New Year's resolution is to get back to that person that doesn't drink in response to pain. That learns to deal with it. That get's her weight under control in the meantime. Sending out an SOS to my community and asking for good advice or just shared empathy to know I am not the only one and that we do not travel on this journey alone.

I haven't reached goal weight either and had some gain - 6lbs. But not giving up and getting back on the wagon and going to get it right Still happy where I am as same clothes fit with the small gain. I know I can do this and am going to work hard to get it together.

How are you doing now that is has been over a week?

Hi there, Wondering how you are feeling now that it has been almost a month? I hope your pain has subsided and you have improved? Pain is different for everyone and managed differently depending on the cause. Would love to hear back and see how things turned out for you? I had two bariatric surgeries and the pain was different for each one. The first one the pain was mostly gas related and relieved mostly by getting up and walking around and getting the gas moving and then constipation was also and issue for me and I has to take Milk of Magnesium to get things moving as well as Miralax to keep things soft and easily moving while on the pain medications. So by the time I got to the 2nd surgery and had a revision, I made sure to take Miralax from the get go to make sure I did not get constipated in the first place as this was the worst pain for me in surgery 1 . However after surgery 2 day 3, I did end up in extreme pain that I could find no relief from and had to go to the emergency room and it turned out that my colon was froze (Paralytic ileus) and that had to give me medication to get my colon moving so pain can be for many reasons. So if your pain is persistent seek help as many things can could be going on after surgery that may require medical intervention. With the 2nd surgery they only gave me Tylenol 2 and so it was the most painful 2 weeks I can remember post-op healing and I have had 15 surgeries but I made it through and it has all been worth it. Ice packs were my best friends.

You are doing great and are right on track. As long as the scale is not moving upward and staying upward as you will have fluctuations and it's mostly staying or moving downward then you are on track and things are as they should be. I had numerous surgeries after my bariatric surgeries ( I had sleeve October 2018) that limited me from exercising and still managed to lose the weight. My biggest one was a foot surgery that kept me from walking as I always tried to at least walk 30 minutes minimum and I still lost or manage to not gain. The mental game is the hardest in this and this forum is the best place when you are feeling down and feeling beat as we are all here for you and you are not alone!

Also to add I had to pay for sleeve out of my pocket but the insurance covered my bypass because of the acid reflux issues and it was a “medical need”.

I have had both Gastric sleeve 10/25/2018 and then later converted to a Roux-en-Y-Gastric Bypass with a hiatal hernia repair on 10/07/2020 per acid reflux issues so bad that it was damaging my throat My highest weight was 270 and with the sleeve I only managed to get down to 170. With the bypass I am currently at 150lbs. I feel so much better! The bypass took care of all the reflux issues and I have no issues with eating anything. I have less issues with food now then I did with the sleeve and I feel so much healthier. I have no dumping issues and can drink with no problems. I felt more restrictions honestly with the sleeve as everything hurt more. The extra weight loss is just a bonus!

Wishing you all the best! Please continue to let us know about your journey. This group here is the best for advice and information along the way. We will pray for great results for you.

Also my insurance did cover me the 2nd time around per GERD issues. I had to pay 1st time.

Recovery was so much easier for me after bypass. My energy level was much higher then it had been with the sleeve. I didn’t get all the mood or hormone fluctuations and so that was easier! I knew what to expect and that things would pass. It was so much better.

Best thing is no more GERD/ Acid Reflux! Worst thing is I can't think of is the wrinkles in my face from all the weight loss. I have no issues personally with dumping and can eat anything without any issues except ice cream. I can only eat a very little amount of ice cream (candies too) or I will pay a price with stomach/colon pains and uncomfortable heart rates but I never throw up and I think that may be because of a hiatal hernia repair that my body just won't throw up even when I want it too. I am almost 8 months post op and have lost 21 lbs more with the roux en x bypass and after a couple of months stall and just now starting weight training in a gym am starting to see the scale moving once again. I am only 4lbs from my goal. I am sure my lose skin weighs about this, LOL... But I am happy just not having the GERD or Acid reflux and so it has all been very worth it!

I had a revision from sleeve to a bypass and a hiatal hernia repair at the same time and so "yes" they repair hernia's at the same time. In fact I had the initial hernia repair while having the sleeve which failed and had to be repaired during the bypass - doing great after bypass. I lost more weight after the bypass as the body doesn't absorb as much and it is definitely a different "feel" than the sleeve was. The restriction is completely different for me. Foods again changed in flavor and things I liked after the sleeve, I no longer like after bypass. I am not one on those that throw up from overeating and am able to tolerate everything and so I have to be careful and "watch what I eat". The experience is different for everyone. If I eat too much it is more painful then it was with the sleeve and I don't know if it is because of the hernia repair that I can't throw up but it hurts extremely hard. Recovery seemed easier and maybe it's because I had been through it before? Fluids are much easier for me to drink. I too have an anxiety disorder and no the surgery does not fix that. I work with a psychologist continuously on my issues for the anxiety along with other issues I am dealing with and so yes you will need to continue therapy. Good luck in your journey. You got this!