20 years out

[Katt 2002 15]

It's been a long time now since I had the gastric bypass. I've lost 187 pounds. I lost most of the weight in the first couple of years. I slowly regained some (70 pounds) beginning about 5 years out because I had trouble with my knees and couldn't exercise. I've lost the regained weight in the past couple of years by just gentle walking several times a week.

I'm no longer obsessed with eating and just eat for nourishment. I weigh myself about once a month. I stopped going to my support group because of the distance after the first couple of years. I lived about 4 hours away from where I had the surgery done. There was a 2 years wait list to see a surgeon closer to home.

One thing I regret about not going to the support group is that I became complacent about keeping up with my mineral supplements. Now my kidneys are damaged and I need a transplant. The transplant surgeon tells me I need a panniculectomy before I get the kidney transplant. I couldn't afford the plastic surgery and didn't want to jump through all the hoops to get it covered. But now, since I've been told there's a medical reason for doing it, I'm starting to look into it.

[The Greater Fool 1,796]

Congratulations on your successes.

I hope the kidney situation goes well. As to the panniculectomy, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Good luck,

Tek

[kcuster83 1,467]

I hope the best for you.

Question: What does the panniculectomy have to do with a kidney transplant?

[Katt 2002 15]

1 minute ago, kcuster83 said:

I hope the best for you.

Question: What does the panniculectomy have to do with a kidney transplant?

Well apparently all the skin is in the way of the kidneys. So it would complicate the kidney surgery.

[kcuster83 1,467]

1 minute ago, Katt 2002 said:

Well apparently all the skin is in the way of the kidneys. So it would complicate the kidney surgery.

ohhh ok, well at least now it will likely be covered by insurance.

good luck!

[liveaboard15 1,279]

So you didnt take the Vitamins as you should have and your kidneys got damaged?

[Katt 2002 15]

I'm not sure exactly what caused the kidney damage. But I had been very lax with taking my Calcium supplement. I have something called oxalate nephropathy. I had calcium oxalate kidney stones about 5 years after my surgery. Then last year I had a very bad UTI which took over a month and 3 different antibiotics to cure. That might have been the thing that really caused my kidneys to fail. Or it might have been the fact that I switched brands of the liquid calcium I was taking and the new brand was not good. Anyway, I wound up in the hospital with a severe calcium deficiency and had to have IV calcium. And my kidney disease went from stage 3 to stage 5 in 6 months.

Anyway, I gave up on the liquid calcium supplement and now I take calcium in pill form from the pharmacy to make sure I'm getting the amount I need. I mistakenly believed that the liquid form would be better for me because of the D/S but I learned that it's more important to get your supplements from a USP approved source.

There is a study that shows that oxalate nephropathy, which is rare, can be caused by fat malabsorption, I think ultimately, that is why my kidneys failed.

[Recidivist 1,139]

Thanks so much for sharing your story! We hear so seldom from people so long after their surgery, and it's particularly good to hear from someone who managed to keep the weight off. So sorry to hear about your kidney issues, however--and thanks for letting us know what can happen. Wishing you the best.

[Tomo 1,063]

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Hoping for a 100% recovery for you. I was wondering what your blood tests revealed, and were you deficient in minerals and if so, what minerals? I have had family members who have had serious kidney damage but it wasn't due to lack of minerals and/or Vitamins. One drank a ton of dark colored diet soda and that caused it.

[Katt 2002 15]

I'm not sure if the Calcium deficiency was the cause of my kidney troubles or just happened concurrently with them. But both problems are connected to oxalate nephropathy which is rare. When I got the diagnosis, I did research and learned that oxalate nephropathy can be caused by fat malabsorption which is the main feature of the Duodenal Switch gastric bypass I had 20 years ago.

[Healthy4longerlife 14]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey! I really hope you have a fully recovery and get what is needed for your kidneys! You should be blessed with only health and happiness!

[GreenTealael 24,557]

Thank you for sharing, I hope all of your upcoming procedures go well. ❤️