Hi everyone,

Im post op (11+) Years. Im curious and was wondering if anyone is on here who is post op 7+ Years and who, are having or have heard (in research or know of some post op patients years later having complex health struggles?

if so what were the complex health issues years post op and what was the treatments or outcomes?

I am two years out and am struggling with nausea and serious g.i. tract issues that began after surgery and so far, despite numerous tests, blood work, scans, etc., cannot be diagnosed or treated. When I was young, I suffered from something very similar (described as "visceral hypersensitivity") which ultimately was successfully treated through SSRI's. For ten years I was pain- and symptom-free.

But apparently the surgery somehow re-triggered it and I've unfortunately had to reject the doctor's only proposed remedy -- Elavil -- because when I took Elavil 17 years ago, I gained 15 pounds within a few months. The SSRI I take now (Wellbutrin) stopped the symptoms for ten years, but it no longer works post-surgery. So until other options arise, I have to live with these unfortunate symptoms. Xanax helps occasionally, though. And post-surgery, I've also had increased dental issues, too.

I undertook RNY because I have three friends who underwent RNY ten years ago. All had different outcomes. One friend just regained 40 pounds and has no other health problems except dental issues (tooth loss). A second has lupus, which of course is unrelated to the surgery, but because of her illness, limitations, and medications, regained all of her weight. My third friend is now 75 and was diagnosed a few years ago with spinal stenosis which has caused her to live in severe pain, have numb arms and hands, and serious balance issues (she has broken bones and had concussions from several falls). Is it from the surgery? We'll never know. She religiously takes her supplements and undergoes blood work. She also has serious dental issues (tooth loss). But she is 75 so age may be a big factor. The other two women are in their mid sixties. (I am 61).

I am still extremely glad I had the surgery and probably would have opted for it even knowing in advance that I would have to deal with the repeated onset of all these gastrointestinal symptoms, which at times can be disabling.

It may be very difficult for researchers to track WLS patients over decades and observe myriad health issues that arise with time and age, and be able to determine which are due to the surgery and which have arisen independently. I would suspect that if clusters of symptoms (e.g., osteoporosis, iron deficiency) arose in large percentages, then they could make such assertions.

There are so many medical advances these days that I am remaining positive that our symptoms, whatever they be, will soon be able to be better diagnosed and treated.

I'm writing this as a follow-up to my prior post.

It's 3:40am. I was struck by a painful bout of cramping and nausea about two hours ago. I curled up in a ball to try to fight the pain. Then for about an hour I was in the bathroom experiencing the types of cramping, nausea, and pain that is exactly like what you feel when you've had food poisoning. You feel the materials moving slowly, painfully through your intestines, you sweat, you feel faint, and then you go repeatedly, over and over, until the pain finally ceases.

This happens to me about two or three times a week. Sometimes the nausea is low-grade and lasts throughout the day. Other times, it is sudden and explosive like right now.

When I was younger, years before surgery, I only had these g.i. attacks about twice a month, and about two or three times a year the pain would be so bad, I had to go to the ER and be administered dilaudid. A medication finally stopped the g.i. problems altogether but they returned with a fury after WLS. Now the medication no longer works.

It is scary to think that this will be my life from now on, at least until a medication is found that can treat the symptoms. I'm just really sad that this was an immediate aftereffect of the surgery. But my surgeon said this is a very rare reaction to the procedure.

Edited March 8, 20215 yr by Prestonandme

For me, I just stumbled upon your post the same day I made my profile. I have been a long-time member of another bariatric site that the membership really decreased. With some increased downtime while working with my endocrinologist I really wanted to find a supportive and active community that understands the struggles of WLS and the positives of it. I was hoping to find support or perhaps some other tips for my hypoglycemia as well. Your post and story touched my heart and I hope you will be able to find your answers to get back to living your best life with your little ones! You are in my prayers!

I'm 17 years out...About 6 months after my surgery in 2004, I developed consistent, debilitating migraines. I also started developing attitude issues, and was diagnosed bipolar. The theory was that my body chemistry changed after the surgery, causing these issues. I've had weight gain due to bad nutritional info, and have also developed Asthma. I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for... There were other medical issues, I had cancer, but I don't think that was related...

I'm close to 18 years post-op RNY.

I can't say I've had any issues related to my RNY in 2003. I have issues directly related to my weight for the years before: Joint issues, fatty liver, spine issues, but all of them are better than they were. I have a couple other things that are just the joy of being me. A few other things have not been an issue for 15 years.

My weight has been more or less stable in the last 12 years or so. I don't weigh myself but at my annual physical. I don't log food or care about calories. My plan is my normal I rarely think about it. I worried about my weight for enough years, thank you very much.

On 2/2/2021 at 9:14 AM, Lookin4answerspostop11+years said:

... part of the vagus nerve is severed during gastric bypass reux en y surgery...

Hi,

I just returned from having my colonoscopy and fortunately had great results -- no polyps or other problems. But I asked my g.i. doctor about whether my symptoms (nausea, cramping, repeatedly going to the bathroom up to 11 times a day, etc.) could be due to vagus nerve damage from the surgery, and he said yes, it could be.

Apparently, during the surgery, surgeons cut the gastric branches of the vagus nerve, "creating damage to preganglionic efferent and afferent fibers." In some cases, the damage can lead to gastrointestinal problems, including slowing of digestion, as well as various neuropathies.

Throughout my colon prep, I learned that my digestion had slowed significantly -- what normally takes 30 hours to digest takes up to 50 hours for me.

In several medical journal articles, WLS patients who lost weight quickly (reached their lowest weight within a year), tended to experience more health problems than those who lost weight slowly. My surgeon also said this when I had originally consulted him about my g.i. problems.

The challenge is that vagus nerve damage causation can't be absolutely pinpointed through tests and exams. And at present there is no remedy for it other than *potentially* an implant called vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), which is really only currently used to treat epilepsy and depression. Noninvasive VNS is now available in Europe, and a noninvasive VNS device was approved last year in the US to treat cluster headaches. But other than that, only exercise and other lifestyle moderations (e.g., meditation, deep breathing) have been known to help ease vagus nerve-related problems.

Edited March 11, 20215 yr by Prestonandme

On 2/2/2021 at 6:45 AM, Lookin4answerspostop11+years said:

Hi everyone,

Im post op (11+) Years. Im curious and was wondering if anyone is on here who is post op 7+ Years and who, are having or have heard (in research or know of some post op patients years later having complex health struggles?

if so what were the complex health issues years post op and what was the treatments or outcomes?

I had my GBP 15 yrs ago, just had a Rivision

10 minutes ago, Yvonne Cepeda said:

I had my GBP 15 yrs ago, just had a Rivision

Why did you have to have the revision? I hope it helps you feel better.