Greetings, Earthlings, I Come in Peace

[Deep6 68]

Hi, just signed up, didn't see an "introducing yourself" section. Have had various gastro related issues for the last couple years, found that I did not tolerate the PPI well, but have Barrett's Esophagus, which has to be addressed. Since I gained a fair amount of weight during Covid, looks like I qualify for bypass surgery which is a recommended approach to dealing with the Barrett's. I'm still going through various qualifying phases, but the surgeon/hospital here seem to know the drill. Still need to get my cardio doc to sign off and to see my primary.

At this point in my life, near 70 years old, having been reduced to the Fodmap diet to minimize GERD (acid reflux), I'm ok with the more limited post surgical diet. I'm also looking to get my mobility back-- resumed at the gym, but it isn't as easy to drop the weight as it was 10 or 15 years ago when I stopped smoking and went full maniac on diet (paleo) and exercise (2 workouts/day plus swimming, pilates, etc).

Just wanted to plug in here and as things progress on this journey, tap into the knowledge base here.

Glad I found this place.

[LindsayT 599]

Welcome.

[Jeanniebug 476]

Welcome!

[Deep6 68]

Thank you both!

[kcuster83 1,505]

Hello and best of luck on your journey!

[summerseeker 2,386]

Hello and welcome in this forum. The good people here give the very best information and just when its needed. If you need to know anything just ask, good luck with your pre surgery consults

[Deep6 68]

🤙

[It'sAlbright 22]

Welcome! Here to support in any way I can.

[Deep6 68]

thank you. right now, just checking boxes with various med specialists to quality- psych eval, tomorrow, gastroenterologist, still need to see cardio doc and do a stress test, then to primary to sign off. Lots of hoops, but it's apparently all part of a standard practice. I'm generally a "get it done" personality, but I'm being patient with this, and doing research and learning along the way. As I get closer to the actual procedure, I'll probably have some questions. So far, no surprises.

[It'sAlbright 22]

8 minutes ago, Deep6 said:

thank you. right now, just checking boxes with various med specialists to quality- psych eval, tomorrow, gastroenterologist, still need to see cardio doc and do a stress test, then to primary to sign off. Lots of hoops, but it's apparently all part of a standard practice. I'm generally a "get it done" personality, but I'm being patient with this, and doing research and learning along the way. As I get closer to the actual procedure, I'll probably have some questions. So far, no surprises.

I totally understand! I have the same type of personality. I also had to jump through hoops, nutritionist, physical therapist and mental therapist. It seems like it takes forever, but before you know it, your surgery date will arrive! Cheers

[Deep6 68]

☝️

[Deep6 68]

Alrighty! I jumped all the pre-surgery hoops, from psych profile and initial meeting with dietitian (who was great- went way beyond "food" to discussing behavior), got the cardio sign off after a chemical stress test and even though my primary was ambivalent, he talked directly to the bariatric surgeon- they know each other. It is a small medical community. Everything got submitted to Medicare for approval of insurance coverage.

I use nicotine replacement therapy-- nasal spray- it helped me get off the ciggies 13 years ago and that apparently isn't a problem either. So I'm now waiting for the green light from Medicare. (I have a good supplemental program to back it up). I've got fingers crossed that it gets approved- I find my mobility worse than ever, breathing difficult given mild COPD and carrying this weight isn't just a cosmetic/ego thing- it is dragging me down. I have a hard time getting around, climbing stairs, walking any distance.

Wish me luck. I'll let you know assuming I go in and get it done- I have Barrett's, GERD and atrial fib (which I attribute in part to the weight gain). I know I have work to do- this is not magic bullet, but I'm psyched! I've been on a modified FODMAP diet for a while.

I'm getting close to 70 years old and want to have another ten or more years to travel and do things.

I thank all of you for your support. I'm sure I'll have questions as this process continues. But, my continued thanks for this forum and its participants as a resource.

regards to all,

D6

[Deep6 68]

I'm pleased to report that my surgery is now scheduled for early next week. I've been following all the pre-op guidelines to the letter- including the diet. I actually feel pretty good- way better than before and the surgery has yet to happen. Today, I did the pre-admission process at the hospital and the folks there --they have a specialized unit-- could not have been nicer.

They use some method to reduce pain that does not involve opioids and the fact that I will be on a liquid diet for the first several weeks after the procedure will no doubt lead to some immediate weight loss. But then the real work begins, and I'm looking forward to it-- walking (something that has been more difficult during the last year due to weight) and eventually getting back to the gym. I am eager to get back into good physical condition. Mentally, I'm psyched.

As to food and eating, I've found that even apart from the pre-op diet, my taste for a lot of food and my ability to eat large portions has already diminished due to gastric problems so I'm not going to be disappointed that I can't carve into a big honking' slab of steak. We'll see if my attitude changes over time--I never obsessed over food though I was always a good eater. It's just that all the tumult of gastric pain and reflux made it unenjoyable.

And I'm really looking forward to fitting into some clothing that I've not been able to wear for a while. I know this is going to take time, but I feel like I'm fortunate to have explored this path and want to take full advantage of it.

Will report back post-surgery and may have questions. The surgeon's office has been wonderful and seems to be very well coordinated with the bariatric unit of the local hospital here. I've been very impressed, having had some terrible hospital experiences in NYC when I lived there.

[KD in CT 7]

I have a similar situation, chronic GERD that has caused several GERD asthma exacerbations. I have a 90 min educational session on Monday and appt with surgeon on June 16. It makes so much sense at this point to fix it all at once, I also have a hiatal hernia which I hope can be fixed at the same time. Good luck to you and I look forward to hearing of your progress.

[Deep6 68]

@K- they will absolutely fix the hernia as I understand it, as it is a contributor to the GERD. Interesting (well, maybe not for you) that it exacerbates the asthma. I never had any stomach problems- zero, nada, zilch- until a couple years ago, doing a long drive back from the far west, slamming coffee, eating PayDay candy bars (couldn't imagine eating one of those now) and had a burning sensation in my stomach (no mystery). I started eating Advils like crazy (also not good for stomach lining). That's what started this journey--and my GP said let's do a endoscopy/colonoscopy which resulted in the finding of Barrett's and got me on the PPIs- those in turn led to complications. I was looking for a way out of this vicious circle- since the PPIs in turn led to SIBO, which was horrible. Of course, the weight loss isn't to be discounted as a factor. Truth be told, during Covid, I quit going to the gym, was sitting on my ass and eating lots of delivery food which, all told, probably added 50 lbs. It's strange, the different paths that take us to the same point. Funny thing is, my wife was going stir crazy and I was happy as a pig in _____.

I do expect that achieving and maintaining weight loss will allow me better overall health. I'm also looking forward to increased mobility without shortness of breath (I do have mild COPD but I had that for a long time and it only manifest itself if I worked out too hard and got lightheaded). I also had the hernia for a long time but it wasn't an issue until I gained all the weight.