MarisAthena

Below is a recap of the positives and negatives of my gastric surgery one year after the surgery. Positives: I am no longer a diabetic after 15 years of being a diabetic. I do not take any anti acid medication, I was on daily anti acid medication for 20 years. I no longer have GERD or Barrett’s Esophagus. I look good, I feel good, I lost 100 pounds and I am able to do things that I was unable to do before. Negatives: Lactose Intolerance: I inherited a lactose intolerance after the surgery and will never be able to enjoy dairy products like ice cream. Alcohol Abstinence: I will never be able to have a beer or a glass of wine, due to the high alcohol concentration in the body, so I have prohibition of alcohol consumption for life. Medication Absorption Issues: Significant Challenge: Post-surgery, the stomach processes medications differently, resulting in varied absorption rates. This issue is under-researched and poses a significant opportunity for further medical studies. Example: Treatment of infections such as UTIs can be complicated. Ineffective antibiotic absorption can lead to persistent infections and increased risk of complications. I had severe challenges with antibiotic absorption. I had repeated UTI incidents due to ineffective medication absorption that necessitated trying multiple antibiotics before finding an effective one that absorbed appropriately. Due to lack of research in this area, doctors have almost no knowledge of this and you have to become your own subject matter expert. Reduced Immunity: Increased susceptibility to infections, including: Cold Sores: Post-surgery imbalance in lysine and arginine levels resulted in frequent cold sores. Daily lysine supplements were recommended to manage this issue. This is one additional supplement I need to take daily. Fungal Infections: Significant weight loss altered skin physiology, leading to recurrent fungal infections in skin folds. Preventive measures include having antifungal prescriptions on standby. Nutritional Imbalances: Vitamins and Minerals: Maintaining a balance of essential nutrients is a constant challenge, truly a daily full time job. Taking vitamins, minerals and being able to change the amount based on blood test results is a life long commitment. Anemia: Despite taking supplements, anemia can still occur, this is a constant struggle for me. Mineral Toxicity: Excess minerals like phosphorus can lead to osteoporosis, indicating the fine line between deficiency and toxicity in nutrient management. This has been a challenge for me, my blood tests have consistently showed high phosphorous levels and nobody has an answer to this. I consulted several physicians including endocrinologist, nephrologist and my family doctor, with no answers thus far. Severe Hunger: Increased Hunger: Somewhere between 6 months and a year post-surgery, hunger pains became more intense than pre-surgery. The luxury of not being hungry all the time went away. Nobody talks extensively about this but lack of hunger goes away for all gastric surgery patients, hunger comes back and it is up to the individual to eat properly and not gain the weight back, which is very easy to do. Inability to Fast: Unlike before the surgery, fasting for even a day can cause severe physical reactions including shaking and an overwhelming feeling of malaise. I was unable to resolve the Atrial Fibrillation. This was the main reason for which I had this surgery since Australian studies were showing promising results curing AFib with weight loss. While the episodes are less frequent my AFib is still there. Conclusion: Gastric surgery offers weight loss benefits but comes with lifelong challenges that require constant vigilance and management. Thorough consideration and consultation with healthcare professionals are essential before proceeding with any gastric surgery.

Thank you so much everyone for your comments, advice and good wishes! I was talking with my husband the other day and he stated “ Not everything after gastric surgery is roses! Maybe you should post something so others understand that this is a very personal decision that can have perfect or not so perfect results.” I did not have access to this type of information prior to my surgery and I think that others should. Thank you again and good luck on your individual journey!

I was wondering if anyone that had gastric bypass took Paxlovid for Covid. It is amazing that I could not find any information on this topic on this website or any others. Knowing the decreased medication absorption after gastric bypass, can anyone let me know: 1) Did you take Paxlovid for the 5 days prescribed? 2) Was the Paxlovid administered as whole pills or did you crush the pills? 3) Any side effects? 4) Any advice? Thank you so much!

Congratulations everyone! I consider myself a veteran almost 6 months after my gastric bypass. Getting this surgery was the best decision of my life! Whatever you are going through, hating your liquid diet, pre op fear, post op pain, stool issues after surgery, fear of the surgery itself (I was so scared that I considered not doing it until the moment they rolled me in the operating room), please remember that is ALL worth it. My diabetes went away after 15 years of Metformin and Insulin, and for the first time in over 10 years ALL my annual health test came back perfect in the normal range. You will do great!

Thank you so very much! I am truly grateful for this information, especially the Tessalon PERLE, I never heard of this medication, and I learned it from you. 😀

Thank you, it is good to know that you took it for 5 days, it gives me peace of mind to know that someone already did that and all was perfectly fine. Really awful experience with those nurses, we have to be our own advocates sometimes.

Thank you for letting me know that I should not worry about crushing the pills, I truly appreciate it!

Thank you so much for the information, I was wondering if your friend had gastric bypass as well. I do not think I would mind the taste, but since my surgery was 4 months ago I am more concerned about the absorption rate.

Hi, as someone that is very familiar with Eastern, Southeastern Europe and West Asia I would strongly recommend against a surgery of this magnitude there. Your life is extremely valuable and surgery complications can be horrible. I know it is much cheaper to do it there, but there is no price on life. It is not even about physician competence (since some of the best doctors in the world come from those higher education systems), it is about medical facilities and their level of sterilization (or lack thereof). I think you should save money, take your time and get the surgery where you are. I grew up there and moved to US in my thirties. There is no comparison in the medical care, and surgery facilities, they are definitely superior in US and in UK. Please remember that your life is worth everything and you can end up much worse than where you are right now. It is worth saving money and getting that procedure completed where it is safe. It is your life and it is more valuable than everything!

I am wondering if it has to do with biotin and collagen supplements. I took so much biotin, that my B12 was higher than normal, when before the surgery I was deficient. Sincerely, all we can do is to do our best. Even if I would have hair loss, the fact that after 15 years of insulin and metformin I am no longer a diabetic, it was worth all the struggle. Less hair is a good balance for no diabetes. 😀

Thank you so much for letting me know! It is probably difficult, we will see, I will continue doing what I am doing, and if hair loss arrives, I have two pixie wigs ready!🥹

First, congratulations! It was the best decision of my entire life and 3 months after the surgery I can say, it will ALWAYS be the best decision of my life. I believe it will be one of the best decisions you made. I colored my hair after couple of months, I had no problem. I did not loose hair, although I was expecting it. I believe I did not loose hair even though I lost 51 pounds in 3 months, because I always eat the right amount of protein and also took a biotin supplement in addition to Calcium, Iron and multivitamins. I am happy, energetic and blessed. All my blood tests came back PERFECT! No high bad cholesterol, no high triglycerides, and after 15 years of being a diabetic and juggling metformiin and insulin, I am no longer a diabetic. My last A1C was 5.5 which places me in the normal range, I am not even a prediabetic. I was so scared of the gastric bypass that I considered not getting the surgery up to the time they rolled me in the operating room. I really hated my liquid diet and was in tremendous pain after the surgery because I had a hiatal hernia repair surgery at the same time with the gastric bypass. I cannot believe that there are only 3 months and 10 days since my surgery! So, while there are scary stories out there and the journey is not easy, please know that each individual is unique, and trust that your story will be one of success as mine is! One doctor told me couple of years ago that getting a gastric bypass was the best decision of his life. I can say the same about me and wish for you the same!

I am 58 years old and I have Afib, I also had rheumatic fever when I was a teenager and I have some valve issues. I am a diabetic ( or was ), and wear a CPAP. I had my surgery on 6/5/23. Within a day from the surgery I stopped taking the diabetes medication (after 15 years). I keep checking my blood sugar, and everything is perfect. I have no idea why and how this happened. My CPAP pressure decreased, they told me at the hospital that eventually I will no longer need the CPAP machine. I had no Afib episodes since the surgery. The gastric bypass requires a lifelong commitment of multivitamins, minerals and nutrients due to malabsorption. I tried about 8 separate diets prior to committing to this surgery and I always gained back the weight. The education I received prior to the gastric bypass at Mayo Clinic explained why we always gain the weight back when dieting. I have no issues with the microbiome, I take pre and probiotics daily. I think that this surgery is the best decision of my life and the best thing I could have done for my heart. I knew that this will be so when a doctor told me the same thing years ago, that he got the gastric bypass and it was the best thing he did for himself in his entire life. It is a tough decision and a life commitment but the benefits exceed the struggles. I was like you, I doubted my decision until the morning of the surgery. I am really happy that I went through with it!

While the decreased vitamin and mineral absorption after gastric bypass is very well known and researched, not very much can be found about various drugs absorption or antibiotics absorption. I did a bit of research on this topic since I know UTIs are a concern especially for women. It is interesting to see that some antibiotics absorb as low as 37% while others absorb at 100%. Please see below some articles on this subject. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754391 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32314257/ https://www.jabfm.org/content/jabfp/20/3/310.full.pdf https://www.drugs.com/article/antibiotics-for-uti.html

I had the same surgery as you did on 6/5. The pain is from the hiatal hernia repair surgery. It will get better with time. You should do research on the hiatal hernia repair surgery, it has slightly different requirements than the gastric bypass. The fact that they did both at the same time for both of us makes me think it is quite common, but they should have spoken to you about it because the pain I had was excruciating for me and my surgeon was very clear that it was due to the hiatal hernia and not due to the roux en y.

Hi everyone, I have been dealing with severe constipation (third week since surgery). I did a bit of research and found something that is actually working for me, it is called Fiberex, it is basically concentrated prune juice with fiber. I tastes like concentrated sweet prune juice. I drink one little scoop (comes with it) in the evening and everything is fine the second day. I do not know if it will work for others but I thought I should let everyone know. Of course, before you start it, please consult your medical professional. I was just sick of taking other pharmaceutical products and tried to find something natural. Also, I put together a list of veggies, legumes that have high amount of protein and that might help you when you start incorporating them in your diet. Please see below. I hope this helps some of you. Edamame 1 cup 18.46 grams protein Lentils 1cup 17.86 grams protein Pinto beans 1 cup 15.41 grams protein Garbanzo beans 1 cup 14.53 grams protein Fava beans 1 cup 12.92 grams protein Lima beans 1 cup 11.58 grams protein Green peas 1 cup 8. 58 grams protein Quinoa 1cup 8.14 grams protein Spinach 1 cup 5.3 grams protein Collard greens 1 cup 5.1 grams protein Artichokes 1 cup 4.8 grams protein Avocado 1 cup 4.6 grams protein Asparagus 1 cup 4.3 grams protein Mushrooms 1 cup 4 grams protein https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/19-high-protein-vegetables#14.-Chia-seeds https://bcbstnews.com/bluehealthsolutions/10-most-protein-packed-vegetables/

I am happy that all went well. My surgery did not go well. I have 6 incisions not 5, it was supposed to last 4 hours, it lasted about 7, and I still hurt like hell if I do not take muscle relaxants and opioids. I do not dare to look at the surgery notes and find what happened but when I will, I will let you know.

I cannot agree more! The pain I woke up with was awful! I asked my surgeon why is everyone having such a nice easy experience with this surgery and I do not. I think reading this blog we have unrealistic expectations of feeling perfect and forget that each of us might, just might have a different experience. My tummy feels like I have about 4 sea otters moving around at all times and competing with each other on what to kick around. 😀

You are doing much better than I am. Today I was taken to radiography so they can test if there are any leaks. That experience was very painful due to the positioning but there are no leaks so I can start eating. I drank two sips of water and had immediate cramping. That stopped after 5 minutes. I requested a meeting with the nutritionist because their list is very confusing. They say sugar fee, fat free yogurt, all yogurt has some amount of sugar in it naturally so I need explanations. The pain medication helps tremendously, I agree. They have me on an opioid and a muscle relaxant. Today they added another pain medication. I do not know when they will send me home yet, but I am scared because all meds they are giving me are given through my arm port and I need to know that I will be able to control this pain at home. This is just 24 hours after the roux en y surgery, I thought it will be easier….Sigh…

So happy to hear the news and the fact that you are doing well. It gives me hope for the near future! Good night from the hospital bed! 😀

So sorry for all the pics, tried to delete them, they do not delete. That’s what happens when you write just out of general anesthesia. 🤣

My doctor told me tonight that the ring shaped pain I have around my chest is from the hiatal hernia repair and corresponding sutures/closings and it is absolutely normal.

I was anticipating a long surgery. They did several procedures in one so this is why it was so long. Please do not worry at all. Thank you for caring!

Hello everyone! I am out of surgery and just woke up! I received a mixture of pain medication including fentanyl. I have almost no pain. I am coughing a lot from the tube they inserted. My surgery took 7 hours without prep because they had to do much more than the gastric bypass roux en y. I would say that overall I am ok and that it was more difficult than I initially thought it will be. For those of you still on the liquid diet, please please keep it up. My surgeon said that he could see where the liver was once enlarged, and that he could see the shadow, so that liquid diet I hated so much did something! 😀I did not sleep at all the night before the surgery because of the Miralax. TMI, but going to the bathroom through the whole night and the early morning in the hospital prior to surgery made it horrible. It might not happen to others, but my body reacted that way. Another very important thing, that my husband shared, I was not awaken yet, please tell the nurse to talk to the transport team not to roll you over from the sling they transport you after the surgery into your post op bed. They wanted to do that to me and my husband stopped them. Last but not least and most important of all, I was happy when I opened my eyes! This is the first day of the rest of my life! 😀