RnY Bariatric Surgery With an Organ Transplant

[drawingdami 34]

Hello! I am a 2x kidney transplant recipient, the latest transplant being done November 2016. My kidney and I have been stable with a creatinine of around 1.4.

About 6 months before the transplant I had a Nissen Fundoplication (GERD surgery) because of a hiatal hernia and it got to the point that drinking Water hurt my stomach severely. The NF worked and the GERD went away until earlier this year. Now the GERD is back with a vengeance because I have ANOTHER hiatal hernia! My bariatric surgeon has recommended I have a RnY gastric bypass to get rid of the GERD permanently and possibly lower my blood pressure and cholesterol which are currently controlled by medications. I am a regular runner and weightlifter, but I am perpetually about 30-40 lbs overweight with a BMI of 35, and lately I have been having a lot of pain in my lower back, hips and lower legs. So, he thinks its a good idea for weight loss for me as well.

Are there any transplant recipients here that had a gastric bypass AFTER transplantation? How did you fare? Any regrets? Any problems?

[CelticBeautyEvolving 23]

My husband is a double lung transplant recipient. He has been asking me questions about the process as I've been going through it, since the meds post-transplant have left him with "the twins" as he calls it

I told him yesterday I can't see any surgeon approving gastric bypass or any surgery that causes malabsorption for a transplant patient (I guess for lungs, especially), since the struggle just to *survive* the transplant is so high...survival rates for double lung are really about 50% over 5 years, so I just can't see them approving it in his case...he is going to focus on being more stringent with his diet, under the supervision of the transplant team's nutritionist...

[Frustr8 7,886]

Have him follow your better healthier diet, yeah the Transplant odds are not the Rosiest but he does have in his favor the fact that he is Male, we are genetically programmed to lose slower or not at all; after all we could be incubating the next generation, a moot point for many of us, but Mother Nature does not want thwarted. I would say his hopes are dim but consult your nearest Center of Excellence hospital that is affliated with an University teaching program, in my area it is Ohio State University. They tend to be " Cutting Edge" with all the facets, and you might be surprised what they say. It won't be easy, he will have cardiologists, pulmonologist following his case like he had hidden THE HOLY GRAIL and they want it recovered. Laprascopic surgery is a lot less strenuous than open incision type, at the very least he will have internal scarring and adhesions up the Wazoo, his transplant surgeon didn't expect any one else " Monkey- Doodling" in there, after all! But God Bless you both, he imparts almost as much knowledge to surgeon as their training and schooling did. And please update us as things happen, you've both been adopted and we worry about our Family Members, okay?

[drawingdami 34]

@CelticBeautyEvolving If he is seriously interested, he should ask his transplant team. There may be a wait time for them to see if his health is stable enough. Is his at a large hospital? Mine is so they do have transplant patients that are in the bariatric program there. There are so many different kinds of WL surgeries now, there may be something that isn't as malabsorbative as RnY or DS. I thought the sleeve was one of them. I am looking at RnY because my GERD is so bad. The weightloss will be an added benefit, though I can't lose too much weight since you need a certain amount of fat to properly absorb immunosuppressants. I just don't need all 40lbs extra that I am carrying around at the moment!😜

He should ask. The worst they can say is no.