How can I possibly live like this?

[lolyschmoney 8]

Hello everyone,

8 months ago, I had a gastric bypass surgery, and I've lost -32 kg since then. However, I take zero pleasure in drinking or eating. I painfully feel the journey of the food I ingest to my stomach. Everything makes me burp, whether it's food or drink, even a small sip of Water. I also have flatulence. My appetite is very unstable: one day I eat well, the next I can't swallow more than 3 bites. I experience nausea and random cramps. My stomach frequently gurgles, which makes me uncomfortable in public. I feel very uncomfortable at restaurants. Have other people experienced these symptoms, and do they ease with time? These symptoms appeared rather late for me, which worries me even more. I wonder how I will cope with this for life?

[GreenTealael 25,587]

Have you spoken with your surgeon about this yet? What did they say?

[BabySpoons 632]

It gets better. I dealt with most everything you mentioned during my first year after WLS. Some more than others. Still deal with occasional nausea and unstable appetite. Persistent pain should be checked out though.

Before WLS, I ran across DR V. He doesn't sugarcoat anything and drops the F bomb a lot which made me chuckle. But... he made perfect sense to me, and his truth directed me towards having the surgery despite his warnings and statistics. Watching it again he mentions using baby spoons so I'm pretty sure that's where I picked up my name here. LOL

Pitfall #2 is my favorite. Not embracing the honeymoon phase which coincides with Pitfall #5- Believing I will never be hungry again. #6- "It's not gone forever...it's gone for now." (hunger/weight)

I'll just leave this here... GL and hope you start feeling better soon. {{hugs}}

Edited March 28, 2024 by BabySpoons

[ChunkCat 737]

In people with an intestinal component to their surgery (like gastric bypass, SADI, and DS) sometimes GI symptoms can happen like chronic gas. You might consider exploring a FODMAP diet to see if you can find the foods that are triggering the gas. Odds are something you are eating is causing this... You could also try adding a probiotic, sometimes the gut microbiome can get off kilter. And a reduction in the simple carbs you are eating might help too if you eat a lot of carbs as opposed to a Protein heavy diet. As for the burping, it sounds like for some reason you are swallowing a lot of air. You might try drinking fluids a bit differently. If you drink from a bottle or a straw a lot, you might switch to a wide mouthed cup. My dietician said a lot of Water bottles and narrow shaped cups (as well as straws) can cause you to swallow a lot more air than normal, causing burping and sometimes nausea.

I'm sorry food doesn't feel good right now. I feel the movement of food in my esophagus and stomach a lot, as well as when I drink. Small sips and small bites help. Small is smaller than you think. I hear it gets better as time goes on... Sometimes I can eat relatively normally, other times (like this week) my restriction is super high and I can only eat half of what I normally do, or less. There is an ebb and flow to this. So on my high restriction days I eat less and drink more protein supplements. On my low restriction days I get more veggies in and a hefty dose of meat based Proteins. I figure it all averages out in the end!

I agree though, a talk with your doctor is in order. You shouldn't be experiencing pain at this point. On rare occasions bypass patients can develop strictures which could cause some of the symptoms you list.

[Spinoza 1,521]

10 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

Really interesting video. I've seen other videos from this doctor before.

[Spinoza 1,521]

Kinda flamboyant delivery. Also sniffs and rubs his nose a lot. I would watch Dr Matthew Weiner's videos in preference because they seem more fact/research based rather than opinion/experience I think but no harm mixing it up once in a while so thank you!

[Spinoza 1,521]

Also love how you got the name babyspoons 😍

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,680]

When I have persistent gas, I take max strength Gas-X. It helps.

Some days, I can eat pretty well. Other days (like today) I struggle to get 2 eggs with cheese down. It depends on what I eat, when I eat it, if I drink while I eat, and sometimes it's just the nature of the surgery. That's why I'm super mindful about getting my Protein and fluids in.

If you're struggling to drink or having pain when you eat or drink 8 mo out, you really need to speak to your surgeon. That shouldn't be happening.