Hi everyone! I am at the absolute start of my journey and in the learning phase. I start with a mandatory seminar on the 7th which will likely be the beginning of a six month adventure prior to surgery if everything goes as planned. I feel like I have come across a lot of conflicting information and I am not sure if it's all just a case of your mileage may vary or if my sources are just bad. I'm hoping someone can straighten me out.
I have heard that you can never take NSAIDS again. I have also heard they can be taken but with an acid reducer. Which is true?
I have heard that the surgery fixes reflux and GERD. I have heard that people who never had heartburn pre-op now have it daily.
I have heard that there are some foods you can NEVER eat again. I have heard that in time you can eat anything again just in moderation. Which is true?
I have heard that there is a high percentage of addiction transfer. I have also heard that simply isn't true.
I have heard sugar and fat cause dumping. I have heard neither of these things cause dumping or ymmv(your mileage may vary)
I have heard everyone is constipated all the time. I have heard there is chronic loose stools.

I'm wracking my brain because I know there is more I have read. I'm sort of in information overload right now. Thanks for your help, patience and time.

Hi everyone! I am at the absolute start of my journey and in the learning phase. I start with a mandatory seminar on the 7th which will likely be the beginning of a six month adventure prior to surgery if everything goes as planned. I feel like I have come across a lot of conflicting information and I am not sure if it's all just a case of your mileage may vary or if my sources are just bad. I'm hoping someone can straighten me out.
I have heard that you can never take NSAIDS again. I have also heard they can be taken but with an acid reducer. Which is true?
I have heard that the surgery fixes reflux and GERD. I have heard that people who never had heartburn pre-op now have it daily.
I have heard that there are some foods you can NEVER eat again. I have heard that in time you can eat anything again just in moderation. Which is true?
I have heard that there is a high percentage of addiction transfer. I have also heard that simply isn't true.
I have heard sugar and fat cause dumping. I have heard neither of these things cause dumping or ymmv(your mileage may vary)
I have heard everyone is constipated all the time. I have heard there is chronic loose stools.

I'm wracking my brain because I know there is more I have read. I'm sort of in information overload right now. Thanks for your help, patience and time.

I think there's so much conflicting information because we all hear different things from our surgeons, nutritionists, etc.

We're also individuals and that counts for a lot of variations.

1. I was told never any NSAIDS mainly because they can cause ulcers. I'm a bypass patient, but I've heard some sleevers say that they can take NSAIDS occasionally with an acid reducer. I don't know if that's true or not because I didn't get the sleeve done.

2. One of the many reasons I was encouraged to get bypass instead of the sleeve is because of my GERD. I'm almost 3 months out and so far, so good.

3. This varies highly! I was a carb addict before surgery and I was really just starting to phase bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. out of my life during the pre-op diet phase. I still don't trust myself though. I don't think I can personally eat those kinds of things in moderation, so for me and my team, they’re off limits. Also, I've heard that for some those types of foods can expand in the stomach and cause discomfort.

4. I've heard the statistics about addiction transfer. I've also run across posts (all across the Internet) from various people talking about how they got addicted to alcohol after surgery so I think there's at least some truth there.

5. Not everyone experiences dumping. Or some do early out, but then they're able to eat or drink anything once they're further out. I don't eat sugar except in dairy, so I don't know if sugar will make me dump. But greasy foods (even things that are lower in fat) don't agree with me at all.

Overall, there are a few things that seem universal (eat Protein first, drink your fluids, take your Vitamins, etc.)

But this journey is so individual and you never know where you'll end up on the spectrum until you have the surgery.

This is my experience with RNY:

I have heard that you can never take NSAIDS again. I have also heard they can be taken but with an acid reducer. Which is true? I started taking NSAIDS about six months out. I have no problem with them and do not need an acid reducer.

I have heard that the surgery fixes reflux and GERD. I have heard that people who never had heartburn pre-op now have it daily. RNY fixes reflux and GERD. The sleeve makes it worse. If you have reflux and GERD, do RNY.

I have heard that there are some foods you can NEVER eat again. I have heard that in time you can eat anything again just in moderation. Which is true? There are foods you will never WANT to eat again. They will be so unappetizing. With RNY, my taste buds and craving changed dramatically. For me, I find anything sweet (Cookies, cakes, brownies, candy) totally unappetizing, to the point of being nearly revolting. Fatty foods make me feel yucky so I have an immediate reaction to not wanting to eat them. I now crave "clean" food, and I've eaten more watermelon in the last 1.5 years than in my entire life. But yes, you can still eat them, eventually.

I have heard that there is a high percentage of addiction transfer. I have also heard that simply isn't true. This is true for some people.

I have heard sugar and fat cause dumping. I have heard neither of these things cause dumping or ymmv(your mileage may vary) They absolutely cause dumping. And it's very, very unpleasant.

I have heard everyone is constipated all the time. I have heard there is chronic loose stools. Again, this varies by person. I have the range, but I also have food allergies that can trigger different responses from by bowels. You really need to just see what works for you.

If you make the changes adequate to fit the lifestyle of someone who wants to lose weight, you should never experience dumping syndrome. The way the RNY surgery routing is done will slightly affect it too.

6 hours ago, PatientEleventyBillion said:

If you make the changes adequate to fit the lifestyle of someone who wants to lose weight, you should never experience dumping syndrome. The way the RNY surgery routing is done will slightly affect it too.

I plan on seeing a therapist in conjunction with the surgery because I realize that along with my body not cooperating it works in conjunction with my brain and my brain for lack of a better term is stupid when it comes to food and coping mechanisms. That's also why I asked about addiction transfer. I drink wine maybe a handful of times a year but I did read about some people who only drank socially like that and still developed issues. I asked about NSAIDS because before Aleve was available over the counter I had a prescription for naproxen sodium(generic aleve)for menstrual cramping that can get so severe on the day of my period I vomit. So I was curious about that. I do have GERD and currently take prilosec so I was wondering if it would be worse or better. I have primarily only been looking at bypass and not sleeve information because I know they have two different sets of rules. I'm just trying to get everything straight in my head and I tend to research as much as I can before I do something especially when it will be life changing.

I think the most important thing is to let you surgeon know your concerns.