jojolynn73

Only my Lipase was elevated. My liver enzymes looked good. I had stuck gallstones and emergency gallbladder surgery in April of 2021. I've had issues since with my digestion... Those issues are only worse now... and my Lipase has never been elevated until now, and I've never had this pain in the right side after eating like I do now.

Thank you... 🙂

I do have some appointments coming up.. It is just so distressing. I've had to step down from teaching due to my ongoing health issues. I am only 49. I am single and only have my income and health insurance. I have a few doctor appointments this week and then another endoscopic ultrasound and biopsy in September. Instead of getting better after my bypass, I am getting worse. I am just tired..

Hello... I am not well at all. I was in the hospital twice this past week. Each time I eat now I get pain in my mid/left abdomen that is quite severe. My stool is also almost white. It was yellow and horrible...I started eating beans at each meal which helped...but now my stool looks almost white. I am exhausted after eating... and at about 2-3 hours after each meal, I am having severe hypoglycemia. I don't know who to turn to for help. I would give anything to have a reversal of this surgery. When I went to the hospital, my Lipase test was elevated. They didn't seem concerned at all. They did a CT scan which showed nothing. I switched to the capsules of bariatric vitamins. They seem to be tolerated ok. I also had another bladder infection... I just finished my antibiotics, but I am pretty sure the infection is still there. I also had a bad SVT arrythmia at the hosptial. I feel like all systems in my body are shutting down. My surgery was June 29th. I am scared.

Pre surgery I suffered from severe IBS (I think?). I actually don't have a clear answer. I had daily, debilitating cramping and issues with the bathroom...also, gas, bloating, and just the worst pain. Funny, when I wasn't eating after surgery, all of my GI issues went away. I am gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sugar free. Doesn't seem to matter, I am sick. My life doesn't feel worth living because these issues are so bad and so painful. I've been trying to take my bariatric vitamins and they are making my GI distress so much worse. I've even tried Flintstones, and I can't do those. I spent 1/2 my day or more in bed or on the bathroom floor writhing in pain...every day. Does anyone have any advice on the vitamins? I am scared because I had bypass, so I know I have to take them.. THank you.

I have not started iron yet. I think the bleed stopped because a week ago my hemoglobin was only at 6 and now it is at 8! Whew!

I heard that we can get off the ppi after a few months... That is my hope. I never want to be on it forever. I have Ehlers Danlos, so my surgeons told me that the Nisson already has such a high failure rate that is even worse with someone with Ehlers Danlos...So they wouldn't even do it. But my GERD and issues were so bad... In fact, I have to have another biopsy and ultrasound in Sept. It will be my 5th in the last year. They are concerned that I already do have some early cancer in there. So this surgery is going to save my life. I hope. My surgeon says to think of it as life saving surgery with a side order of weight loss. I can't complain about that I suppose.

Thank you SO much! I did research and really like my surgeon. In fact, when they did the endoscopy at the hospital (not the same surgeon), they said the surgery all looked really good... Other than that mild tightening at the stoma and intestines. I'm so grateful to hear from someone with similar symptoms as me! I was eating Tums and taking PPI meds too with no relief. I am also a teacher and the reflux and regurgitation were so bad that I had severe vocal cord dysfunction that caused really bad pain and tension in my vocal cords and made it hard to talk... Maybe that is all just super irritated right now... I will give it time and try to relax. I also just really want to go home. I've been gone almost a month. It's great here and I am with a dear friend at her house... But I think I am a bit homesick... and feel out of sorts and a bit vulnerable.

Thank you. The doc here isn't really sharing anything with anyone else. I am going to ask him when I see for my final visit on Thursday for any paperwork or other info that I can please take home with me.

My surgery was June 29th. While I am obese (217 pounds day of surgery), my main and desperate reason for surgery was that I have SEVERE GERD, Barrett's Esophagus, esophageal ulcer, nodules/tumors in esophagus , hiatal hernia-- all from the never ending GERD. My health insurance would NOT pay for my surgery. It's totally excluded no matter the reason. I was headed to esophageal cancer land and was desperate. So, I paid out of pocket and flew to the Netherlands to a really good surgeon and clinic. I am still here and fly home in a few days. For the most part, my pain has been super super easy. But I've had a few issues... and now I am so scared that I made the biggest mistake of my life! What if this surgery causes worse complications than what I had before? I am having severe anxiety reading about all the things that can go wrong...sometimes decades after surgery! This is what's been happening for me. I don't know if some of this could be from the hernia repair as well? If anyone has had that too , please can you share your story? This awful sensation that something is stuck in my throat all the time. It's like if you swallow a pill and it doesn't quite go down.. that. I have that and it is never ending. Esophageal spasms when I tried to eat more solid/less liquid food. Felt like food was stuck for two days. Had to have an emergency endoscopy. The endoscopy showed no food stuck but did show that my esophageal ulcer had not only not healed but was actively bleeding. It also showed that my opening between the new stomach and the intestines was a little narrow. They said it could be due to swelling and just needs time but that I should "keep and eye on it." She said she was able to get her scope down past it, but that was about as bit as it was and no bigger... I am worried about this? Black stools... which, now could mean that my ulcer was bleeding this whole time maybe? They took me off the daily blood thinner shots I was taking. I think it may be slowly getting better...I hope. Now they tell me back on only liquids for a couple more weeks. I am also now taking Nexium twice a day. 80 mg total! This makes me feel like crap. I thought this surgery was supposed to fix the acid? Does this mean it didn't work for me? Why do I have to take the acid meds for 6 months? I have so many questions. I am scared because my surgeon is here in another country. Meanwhile, I have to go home and try to find someone to help follow me in my healing, etc. I just feel really stupid now. My surgeons in the states (4 of them) all said that this surgery was the treatment of choice for me and could totally take away my really bad GERD issues and maybe even heal the stuff in my esophagus. Thank you so much for anyone who can offer some support or a similar story/reason for surgery.

My surgery was June 29th. My pain has been really good. My energy level is really low. I've lost 19 pounds already. I am trying to keep up on water intake, etc. I'm still staying with relatively smooth, liquid/purreed foods. I am having a couple of issues though.. 1. Right where my adam's apple would be, if I had one, it constantly feels like there is a little pill there that is stuck. It's not so bad until I swallow anything...even saliva. Then it feels from that spot down into the middle of my chest like something doesn't want to go down, but I know there is nothing there. I went back to the clinic that did my surgery and they had me swallow that barium stuff and did a scan. They showed me and say it looks okay to them... I am just curious if anyone else has felt this and what it may be? It's driving me insane. Seriously. 2. I did not go to the bathroom for a BM for 9 days after surgery. I had to take a lot of PEG laxatives to finally go, and now every other day since then, my stools are still black and tar like. Is that normal this far out? The clinic checked my blood and my hemoglobin was totally normal, so they aren't worried... 3. No matter how much water or fluids I am drinking, my mouth is so extremely dry that it sticks together and is so uncomfortable... It's weird! I have a total of about 70-80 pounds to lose. I was borderline for sure, but I have very extreme Barrett's Esophagus, tumors in my esophagus (they were removed and biopsied), GERD, vocal chord dysfunction, an esophageal ulcer, and precancer in my esophagus. My surgeons believe this surgery could save my life. So... my main reason was to help me heal my esophagus. Thanks for any advice and help!