Gastric Bypass and Ulcer experiences

[LarrySm88 5]

If you don't mind me asking , has anyone had or has had a stomach ulcer ? staple line ulcer ? marginal ulcer ? and if you did have an ulcer at some point.

Can you shed some insight and truth on preventive measures, and how to deal with them?

You can be honest with me and direct message me about drugs , or alcohol, or weed, or cigarettes or whatever, you took, that caused the ulcers, if you do not want to make it public you can Direct message me , and explain . I would really appreciate any real world facts on this please .

thanks so much

So far I found out from my dietitian and surgeon :

1, they can heal themselves.

2. there is medication someone can take to heal the ulcer.

3. dying from sepsis is the worst case scenario which is extremely rare according to my doctor and dietitian ?!! thanks so much

[catwoman7 11,070]

I haven't had any issues at all with ulcers. I've seen some posts about them, so they can definitely happen - but I don't know how common they are. It seems like we don't really see A LOT of posts on them, so I'm guessing they're not all that common. But then surgeons warn you about NSAIDS, smoking, and other things that can potentially cause them - so they're probably not common if you follow the rules.

most can be treated medically - I think they usually use PPI's and/or something like carafate.

[LarrySm88 5]

thanks so much,

in 6 years with gastric bypass , you have never once had a sip of alcohol ? nicotine ? weed ? Nsaids ? or any drug that can cause an ulcer ?

I'm sorry if its a personal question you don't have to answer. I just hear so many conflicting stories, I just trying to understand the truth behind "following the rules" of gastric bypass

[catwoman7 11,070]

I drink alcohol - but not a lot (never really have because alcoholism runs in my family, so I never wanted to risk it. I definitely have an addictive personality, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if I have the genetic predisposition to become alcoholic). I'll have a drink maybe three or four times a year, though. But only one or two at a time (you get trashed very quickly after surgery, so one or two is pretty much all it takes....)

I don't do nicotine because I was a heavy smoker for about 15 years. It was HORRIFIC to quit, so I don't even want to take a puff. It's WAY too tough to quit. I once bummed a cigarette from a friend after a one-year quit and was back to smoking full-time within a couple of weeks of that, so I'm not doing that again. I know I'd be back to smoking in no time, and after being cigarette-free for over 20 years, that would be awful. Weed - well, I'm in my 60s. I don't think I've done that since I was in my 20s. NSAIDs - nope. I take Tylenol now. The PA in my surgeon's office said a very occasional NSAID when nothing else is working might be fine, but as a regular thing, no.

[WishMeSmaller 1,270]

31 minutes ago, Bigross88 said:

thanks so much,

in 6 years with gastric bypass , you have never once had a sip of alcohol ? nicotine ? weed ? Nsaids ? or any drug that can cause an ulcer ?

I'm sorry if its a personal question you don't have to answer. I just hear so many conflicting stories, I just trying to understand the truth behind "following the rules" of gastric bypass

I got COVID back in November and have asthma. I started a short course (5 days) of steroids due to the asthma flaring. My stomach started to hurt and I stopped them after 4 days. I had no further symptoms from the steroids and just the few days of prednisone got my COVID/asthma lungs feeling better. The benefits seemed to outweigh the risks at the time.

I drink occasionally. Usually wine, but a very occasional cocktail. I don’t seem to have any issues from my infrequent indulgence. I do not smoke, take nsaids, or other drugs.

[LarrySm88 5]

Thank you so much for the responses

[LarrySm88 5]

6 minutes ago, WishMeSmaller said:

I got COVID back in November and have asthma. I started a short course (5 days) of steroids due to the asthma flaring. My stomach started to hurt and I stopped them after 4 days. I had no further symptoms from the steroids and just the few days of prednisone got my COVID/asthma lungs feeling better. The benefits seemed to outweigh the risks at the time.

I drink occasionally. Usually wine, but a very occasional cocktail. I don’t seem to have any issues from my infrequent indulgence. I do not smoke, take nsaids, or other drugs.

I’m sorry you contracted COVID-19 I hope you’re doing better. When you say your stomach hurt with the steroids, did your surgeon give you a test to see if it was an ulcer?

[WishMeSmaller 1,270]

10 minutes ago, Bigross88 said:

I’m sorry you contracted COVID-19 I hope you’re doing better. When you say your stomach hurt with the steroids, did your surgeon give you a test to see if it was an ulcer?

I am a nurse, so I usually try self-treatment first rather than talking to my doctors 🤦🏼‍♀️ (they are all cringing right now with that statement 😆). My stomach stopped hurting after a few days once I stopped the steroids, so I am assuming if I was starting to get an ulcer, it healed once I stopped the steroids. I know I will need steroids in the future due to asthma, but I will definitely approach with caution and stop at the first sign of stomach pain.

[ms.sss 15,076]

1 hour ago, Bigross88 said:

in 6 years with gastric bypass , you have never once had a sip of alcohol ? nicotine ? weed ? Nsaids ? or any drug that can cause an ulcer ?

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I'll answer anyway.

Note: I am only 2.5 years out...and I'm a sleeve.

alcohol ? YES, regulary nicotine ? YES, regulary weed ? YES, partook probably once a week last summer, none since then. Nsaids ? YES, for 1 month post WLS, but none since cuz I didn't need them anymore.

So far so good.

P.S. Not to say that I am encouraging nor discouraging any of the above, just stating my experience. YMMV.

[LarrySm88 5]

wow interesting thanks for your experience . can you remember if you did any of those things in your first 30 days after surgery ? I see you also have the sleeve, I had gastric bypass.

Apparently according to the "talking heads" and the web md rabbit hole, there is a major difference between the two surgery's as far as ulcers go ? your surgery they claim is not as ulcer prone. ???

obviously I take all the information with a grain of salt.

My surgeon is from Russia, and hard to talk to and understand but he's a great surgeon. extremely overly strict. even according to his team, and dietitian agrees.

he makes it seem like you are doomed for the rest of your life, you can never do anything, again and if you get an ulcer its a death sentence and you will die of sepsis.

emotionally , mentally, and physically i'm going through a hard time figuring out this surgery post op for the rest of my life.

thank you for your experiences

[catwoman7 11,070]

I don't know of any surgeon who would approve alcohol during the first 30 days post-surgery. Mine said to wait a year, and then only indulge occasionally. Some say it's OK after 3 or 4 months. Be aware, though, that transfer addictions can be a huge risk. I know of several people (on internet forums) who've become alcoholics after WLS because of transfer addiction.

and yes - people with RNY are more prone to ulcers than people with VSG.

[LarrySm88 5]

ok thanks yeah i don't drink alcohol, and yes i know about the addiction transfer.

i was just curious where is there scientific fact proving that RNY are more prone to getting ulcers than people with VSG ?

like i said above :

So far I found out from my dietitian and surgeon about Gastric Bypass Ulcers :

1, they can heal themselves.

2. there is medication someone can take to heal the ulcer.

3. dying from sepsis is the worst case scenario which is extremely rare according to my doctor and dietitian ?!! thanks so much

so far no one on here has said they know anyone that has died from an ulcer after gastric bypass ? or sepsis ?

I just look at worst case scenarios 1st .

actually more people die from drug overdoses and alcohol poisoning after gastric bypass due to the addiction transfer.

https://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/gastric-bypass-surgery-deaths.html

Edited March 19, 2021 by Bigross88

[ms.sss 15,076]

23 minutes ago, Bigross88 said:

wow interesting thanks for your experience . can you remember if you did any of those things in your first 30 days after surgery ? I see you also have the sleeve, I had gastric bypass.

Apparently according to the "talking heads" and the web md rabbit hole, there is a major difference between the two surgery's as far as ulcers go ? your surgery they claim is not as ulcer prone. ???

I had my first couple sips of wine 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 5-6 drinks the entire time I was in weight loss phase (and not even close to a full serving each time). Note: my weight loss phase was 7 months total.

I took an NSAID a few times in the first month, but none since. Also, I think you are correct about the diff in surgeries. One of the reasons I chose sleeve was because I wanted to continue with NSAIDs with no issue (but jokes on me, I didn't need them anymore).

Pot: I tried to smoke a joint in the first week after surgery cuz I didn't want to take pain meds (gives me constipation), and after 1 drag, I had an unbearable coughing fit that felt like I was busting my stitches, so that was the end of that. Didn't have any until almost 2 years later.

Nicotine: I was smoke free for over 10 years until 2019 (1 year post-op) when I started again on vacation. Kinda regret that, but obviously not enough because I'm still smoking today.

[LarrySm88 5]

Thank you very much for being honest and to the point with me. I appreciate all the experiences I can get

[catwoman7 11,070]

RNYers are more prone to ulcers because they appear on/near the stoma (opening) they make when they move your small intestine up to your pouch. Sleevers don't have that - their digestive system is more "normal" than ours is (granted, removing 80% of your stomach isn't exactly "normal", but most of their system is more intact than ours).

sure people die of sepsis. I think I've heard around 50% of people who get sepsis do. That is, if you even get sepsis from gastric bypass surgery. I've personally never heard of anyone who's gotten sepsis from it, and I live and breathe this stuff and have for the last six years. I suppose there have been cases out there, but that's got to be exceedingly rare. Most ulcers aren't anywhere near that serious and can be treated medically.