Getting WLS for stomach problems... feeling like the odd one.

ReneeBeth · 10-22-2009, 01:45 AM

I have some major stomach issues. Lifelong heartburn, reflux/acid reflux, hiatal hernia, ulcers, esophageal erosion and recently discovered that my esophagus doesn't function properly.
I went to a surgeon, he is a stomach surgeon (specifically he's part of the Heart, Lung and Esophageal surgery group) and after testing he told me my options. He could do surgery to simply correct the hernia and try to reenforce the esophagus... or he could repair the hernia and then do a WLS (he said it was almost the same as the typical/normal gastric bypass, but it will be slightly different in that he will still do something different to help prevent food/acid from coming up and me choking all the time). I know the difference in surgeries - repairing things would be a 1 hour procedure, in the hospital for one day, and short recovery. Going for the repair and WLS would mean 3+ days in the hospital, long recovery, and total lifestyle change.

I am 5'0" and 190lbs. My BMI is 37.5 - a BMI of 35 is required for WLS when you have medical issues directly due to being overweight (otherwise a BMI of 40 is required, or the need to lose at least 100lbs). I have to lose... I think 70ish lbs to be at a 'healthy' size. That is not much compared to most of the people I know who have had WLS, including my mom. My mom had a gastric bypass and has lost almost 80lbs in the year since surgery (although her weight loss slowed/stopped, but she has been eating too much)... I think she needs to lose another 50-75lbs to reach her ultimate goal.

I would likely lose weight if I exercised but I have fairly severe chronic fatigue syndrome - I can't even get up to shower daily anymore. I honestly have a pretty good diet - I splurge on junk once in a while, but not all the time. Because I have such a bad stomach/GI, I can't eat much. I thought WLS would not help me but all the Drs say I should drop the weight as any other (successful) patient would. Nothing has helped my fatigue, the problems my weight causes are getting more serious, so I am desperate to get an edge... get something that will help me drop some weight, which will hopefully improve things enough to allow me to live a semi-normal life.

I am worried of all the complications - I have bad luck, and I suck at recovering from surgery. I am worried I won't lose weight even after the surgery. I am worried that I will lose weight, and still be just as sick. So many problems I have, I hear "Well, if you lost some weight... these problems would go away." What if they don't?

Thankfully I should have no problem with the diet change that comes with the surgery. I don't enjoy food. Well, I crave/binge on chocolate things during my period - other than that, I hate food. I have had to live on nothing but cereal for long periods of time. I've had to be on liquid-only diets for weeks - never missed food during those times.

I have all sort of appointments set up now. My Dr. is not a bariatric Dr - he does other surgeries, not just WLS. So the program he has is not the same as other places. Like my mom went to a bariatric center and she had to attend conferences, follow a strict diet for a few months and lose a little weight on her own, and she had to wait awhile for her surgery. I have to see a nutrition councilor/dietician, read a book they gave me, get the OK from my shrink and my hematologist... and I'm good to go. The only bump in the road might be with my hematologist and some of my health issues.

But still... what I wouldn't give for the chance to be back to the weight I was right before I got married when I was 18. Right before I got sick and never recovered... the year that I gained all this weight, and never lost in the 10 years since. I was 115lbs back then... and I still wasn't not skinny. But I was not a blob like I am now. I didn't have problems breathing because my chunk actually pushes my lungs and makes it hard to breath. My back didn't hurt like all hell. I was able to ride a bike, rollerblade, walk for more than 5 minutes at a time. I miss those things. I miss being able to get up and shower daily... such a simple task, but I'm too tired to do it unless I have to go out for a Dr. appointment. I only leave the house for appointments and grocery shopping. I am sick of this life.

I'm ranting, sorry. My mind is just racing and the future is so unsure as of now. Will this be the change in my life that I've been waiting for? Will this be a start to a new, better, happier life for me?

goddess819 · 10-22-2009, 06:19 PM

Having any type of WLS is a personal decision and honestly, you have to research this in depth and discuss this with a qualified bariatric surgeon as to if WLS would be a good decision for you. I'm curious about your fatigue...have they ran vitamin levels on you? Specificly your B vitamins? Anyway I have to say that I'm pro surgery, and although WLS may not cure all of your ills it may help in some of them. A friend of mine on the WLS Divas buddy group (on the D&E buddy forum) has chronic back pain that was not helped with her WLS, but in others WLS has helped them gain back some sort of life back.

Some common foods that you may not be able to tolerate after a RNY procedure (the gastic bypass) are sugars & milk due to how quickly the sugars enter the blood stream afterwards.

Have you checked out www.obesityhelp.com ? There may just be someone whos been in your shoes that may also be able to help you.

Good luck to you and please...if you have some questions I'll help as best as I can. Oh...and I had RNY just over 5 years ago...

ReneeBeth · 10-24-2009, 12:38 PM

FYI - I have chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. That is the main cause of my fatigue. I take Foltx, a Folic Acid, B6 and B12 supplement to help with one of my blood disorders. So those levels are normal/good. My iron and ferritin are low, but because of my blood disorders, I can't have normal iron/ferritin levels... if I do, I am at a high risk of blood clots, strokes or heart attack. This is a problem since taking iron is required after WLS - my hematologist, hopefully, will help me figure that part out.
I have all my pre-op appointements with specialist set for next week. I read the book that was required. I think since I had a full cardio workup within the last 12 months, I can skip that and just get xrays, bloodwork, and an EKG. I honestly have NO idea what my insurance says/thinks about WLS, but because I need surgery anyways and the WLS would better fix my serious medical problems, they should cover it without giving me a hassle. I can easily fight them if I have to, having plenty of lawyers in the family and close friends who are Drs. But that would delay the surgery, which at this point I'm begging for... I can't stand my stomach/diaphragm problems anymore.

Aside from my chocolate and coffee addiction, I can live without food. Food has never been a comfort or escape for me, it has always been a method of torture. I will be happy when I'm not starving all the time and forced to eat and eat just to shut my body up.
I am worried about the post-op diet, the one you need to be on before being able to eat 'normal' foods. Mushy foods make me sick - it is a mental thing, I think. I just can't eat pureed foods. I can't eat any dairy either - I see yogurt, cottage cheese and such are big with post-op eating. I can't eat the soy versions of those either - my body can't handle live/active cultures. I think I might be eating nothing but Jello, pudding and Tofu for along while. Or Ensure/other meal drinks. Hell, I've had to live on Ensure for a year before. I've had to do all liquid diets for long periods of time. Currently I only eat cereal, fake-meat products, whole grains and some snacks. Just about everything else is just cruel and unusual punishment.

I wish I knew how my health would change from this. I am worried that I won't regain any energy, and I will still be unable to exercise. I know that if you don't exercise while losing weight, it can cause your body to feed off your muscle and make fatigue even worse. Ugh. So many things I simply don't have answers to, and honestly probably won't know until the time comes.

goddess819 · 10-28-2009, 05:02 PM

Iron supplementation isn't always required after WLS. I've never taken additional iron (aside from what's in my multivitamin) and my levels have always been fine. I know that anemia can run more frequently after WLS but I know lots who've had no changes to their status. It sounds like although you might be a complicated case it still may be a possibility. I have to admit I'm not an exerciser...and yet I still have decent muscle tone...but I eat a lot of protein & in the early stages supplemented a lot with protein shakes. You'll be able to go over your dietary needs with the surgery dietician and they can work out a plan that will work for you. If you can't do cottage cheese & yogurt...don't. There are other ways of getting in proteins in the 'mushy stage' (which for me was only 1 week). Just as long as you get in 80-100g of protein you should be fine.

Please keep me posted as to how your consult and stuff goes!

ReneeBeth · 10-28-2009, 10:34 PM

I went to my hematology appt today and now it looks like I have to put off my WLS - hopefully I can have it in December, the latest.
So one of my many problems is the low-iron anemia. But whenever I take iron in effort to raise my iron levels to normal range, my hemoglobin and RBC raises - too high. I have low blood volume, but the blood i do have is too thick. My hematologist has yet to figure out why my body produces too much RBC/hemoglobin.
Because the WLS has blood clot risks, she doesn't want me to get it done before finding out what exactly I have. In order to find out, she want to do a bone marrow biopsy. She has wanted to do one for a long time now, but my levels were not in the range that required treatment. I guess she is worried that the added risk of clots from surgery is too much to go into blindly.

SO... more testing than expected and some delay, however she thinks the surgery is a good idea and just wants to make sure I don't need treatment for preventing clots post-op.
I start iron supplements today - my iron levels have to be higher than they are now in order to do the bone marrow biopsy. As long as my hemoglobin does not go into the dangerously-high levels, I should be fine.