jlinville69

Hello and I’m sorry you are going thru this. I had RNY GBS 16 years ago and did fine until, I would say, 3-4 years ago when I started showing subtle symptoms that I attributed to stress and my quitting smoking and drinking alcohol. However, my symptoms got worse and I’ve been on a mission to find out what is wrong with me. May I suggest that you have a Hair, Tissue, Mineral Analysis (HTMA) done? It’s one of the most accurate ways of measuring our biochemistry to determine if we have acceptable levels or deficiencies with those vitamins and minerals that are so critical to us WLS patients. Your symptoms sound like some of mine, and I have yet to convince a doctor to order the HTMA for myself. From the blood tests I’ve had done, I’ve been determined to be Vit D and Zinc deficient. The top 3 minerals our bodies require to survive are Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc. Please get checked. Also, check out Robert Selig on YouTube and www.backtonaturalhealth.com. The information was eye opening and led my quest to other sources, which I would love to share if you find you are interested in learning more. I don’t work for this doctor or anything but I am a bit of a nerd and I needed so badly to know what the heck is happening to me. Also, something to consider is the menopausal period if you haven’t already gone thru or you’re in the midst of it. I found out (after advocating for myself and INSISTING on testing) that I am in menopause, which causes an imbalance in our hormones, which in turn presents the types of symptoms you are describing and which I am going thru. I’m not a doctor, just a person who has been suffering with chronic symptoms that would be debilitating if it were not for my absolute desire to not only live, but have quality of life. In order to do that, I had to advocate for myself, research everything I could that’s related to our WLS and the symptoms we are experiencing. I also stopped running to the doctor every time I had a new symptom. Nope, I put the brakes on and reassessed what I want to accomplish as far as my care and treatment are concerned. I want to be treated as a WHOLE person rather than symptomatically and not take a pill for each of those symptoms. I’m in search of a functional medicine practitioner to supplement the treatment plan of what my PCP would offer by being transparent with both of them and expressing that desire. Good luck and I hope you get better very soon!

My mother said the same thing. She couldn’t bring herself to just be supportive and say she was at least happy that I had taken steps to improve and lengthen my life span. She was living with us in my home at the time I had GBS in 2003 and I asked her if she would help me on the toilet because I couldn’t reach around without having pain yet (3-4 days post-op). She told me no. She told me months later when I went from 333 pounds the day of surgery to 190 pounds 5 months later that I looked sick. Well, YEAHHHH, my body ate itself! And apparently it was hungry! Luckily, I had enough fat to feed it and once there was no more, I had about 25 pounds of excess skin and fat that wasn’t going down without a fight (5 years later they lost to a plastic surgeons scalpel). Along with all that fat, I lost muscle tone, iron stores, hair, and all of a sudden these hills and curves of bones I hadn’t seen in years came protruding back up to the surface-even bones I didn’t know I had. But lo and behold, I stuck to the plan-protein shakes, iron and calcium supplements, quality multi vitamins (I still love the Flinstone chewables!), as much water as I could muster, and walking every single day for 45 minutes. The vitamins, minerals, and supplements, along with a meal the size large enough to make me full and small enough to keep me from getting sick (one bite too much has made me double over in pain for 4 hours-I really miss grilled asparagus!), the wonderful walks-just for me time-and most importantly getting enough water each day made me go from looking “sick” to very healthy and beautiful in a matter of a few short months. You ARE sick for the first 18 months-let me rephrase that-you are HEALING in that period of time from having been sick for perhaps many, many years (15+ for me) and the surgery itself. Maybe they didn’t say anything before you had surgery because they were judging you behind your back. Or, maybe they were afraid to hurt your feelings by saying anything to your face. Either way, you don’t owe anyone an explanation. This was totally for YOU. But if you feel compelled to respond, tell everyone you feel great, your life is good and it gets better each day because you gave yourself a gift that is priceless. I hope this helps. Good luck and way to go!👊🏼

May I ask some questions? How and why did you get this? I was treated for 14 days with CIPRO for SIBO (Small intestine bacteria overgrowth). It’s reared it’s ugly head again and it’s nerve wracking. I feel like I will never get to eat “normally” again and I will live with constipation, diarrhea and nausea forever, not to mention that forever may not be a long time since these issues can cause life threatening vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The overwhelming fatigue, depression, hunger, anxiety...it’s been hard. I read in a medical publication that SIBO in roux-en-y GBS patients is a result of the “left over” bypassed intestine becoming a holding area for bacteria since the intestinal walls are not moving anything there anymore. If you’re out of compliance (like me), you eat almost anything without any visible effects, not understanding or needing to be reminded of the fact that sugars, gluten, etc will bind to the intestinal walls and make them weak so that food can’t move and get broken down and absorbed as they should, nor as quickly as they should. It just basically sits in this highway until the “accident” is cleared and traffic can start moving again. Roux-en-y produces a malabsorption digestive system for us so if the calories and nutrients can’t get thru, broken down and absorbed properly then we run into problems with malnutrition, dehydration, and even anorexia. I was not aware that this could be an issue prior to having surgery. Would it have changed my decision to go thru with it? Hell no! I would do it again 10 times over. But it would have made me more cognizant that I have work and diligence to put in for the rest of my life if I want to live to be 100. So please make sure you drink your water, forget the simple sugars and carbs (sweets, fried foods and snacks, breads). They are not worth your life. Cook your veggies, fruit in moderation and cut in small pieces (tropical fruit should be a celebratory treat), and gluten free pastas and breads. Liquids 20 minutes before or after eating, and chew thoroughly (into a liquid consistency) before swallowing. There are apps, including this one, with reminders of when to eat, how much to eat, recipes made just for us, and even when to start and stop chewing before swallowing. I feel most miserable at this stage after 15 years of feeling great. Any help to come my way or just some support would be so appreciated. I feel a little bit like I’m alone in an adult swimming pool at the deep end with a cramp in both legs while all the kids (newbies) are in the wading pool with their wings on and having a great time (as they should!) ♥️ I mean that as a warm compliment, by the way 🙏🏼

Do YOURSELF a favor-find a different table, change your lunch hour, put your headphones in...whatever removes you from the negativity, prying, gossiping, etc. so that you remain focused, positive, and ready for the greatness that’s coming! I was reminded this week myself that miserable people love company. That is definitely a clique you don’t want to join! Ignore them, don’t make eye contact, and only associate with them when you have to in order to get the work done. Eventually, they will leave you alone, but beware! When you’ve lost a whole other person, they will all want to be your “friend” by setting you up to fail (not everybody but maybe somebody’s). BE you, DO you, STAY you!