Malabsorption Concerns

[Countess34 1]

I am currently in the last stage and getting ready for surgery. About 9 months ago I had a cardiac arrest without any reason. The hospital thought it might have something to do with my extremely strict diet but honestly they have no clue. So I decided to have the sleeve as it does not have the malabsorption. Unfortunately it was discovered that I have reflux (I did not realize this) and my surgeon has suggested the bypass. I felt comfortable with the sleeve and am now nervous about bypass.. Any thoughts or recommendations???

[James Marusek 5,244]

Generally RNY gastric bypass is normally recommended for individuals with severe acid reflux (GERD) because sleeve can make the condition worse. I am 33 months post op RNY and I had GERD prior to surgery. GERD went into remission after surgery and stayed in remission since. I am not concerned about malabsorption for a couple reasons.

First, because RNY surgery threw a number of my medical conditions into remission, I am no longer taking a variety of prescription medicine as I did before surgery. So the number of pills I take as Vitamins is about the same as the number of pills I took as prescription medicine prior to surgery and the cost is about the same.

Second, I have yearly blood work drawn and they fine tweak my Vitamin requirements at that time. So I consider any malabsorption issue to be well monitored.

[jj7481 363]

Follow up is key to staving off signs of malabsorption. The other is finding complete Multivitamins that have Iron, B12, Calcium, Folate, Vitamin D, and Vitamin C.

Being nervous about this surgery is completely normal. However, the damage done to your body by being obese is far greater. Are there bad stories out there? Of course there are. Nevertheless, there are numerous success stories and millions of pounds lost due to WLS.

Find a highly recommended surgeon and a Bariatric Center of Excellence. Convey your concerns but listen to why they recommend on surgery over the other.

[Djmohr 6,965]

The exact same thing happened to me. I was all set to move forward with the sleeve and after meeting with a surgeon and my gastroenterologist it was very clear that bypass was going to be the better survey given my severe Gerd.

I was terrified of the malabsorption issue mostly because I did not understand it. I spoke with 3 different doctors about malabsorption concerns. I learned that I did not need to worry about it as long as I take the Vitamin supplements required of me and that I get my macronutrients checked regularly. This way if I have a deficiency it can be dealt with at that time.

Malabsorption actually plays a key role and I am so thankful I went with it. My Gerd has completely resolved since the very day of surgery along with a whole host of other comorbitities.

Don't be afraid, just educate yourself and follow your surgeons instructions.

Good luck to you!