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Gastric Bypass Complications

Hi, I was 355 lbs. in 2005 when I had a gastric bypass. I had diabetes, sleep apnea, painful knees/back/neck, GERD, and shortness of breath. I was in a wheelchair and had a caregiver and service dog. I lost the weight rather quickly and all the above conditions resolved. I continue having difficulty keeping food down and I have a chronic ulcer at the site where my bypass was made. For the past year I've been having problems with HYPOGLYCEMIA after every meal, my blood sugar will crash to the 30 to 40 range. My dog has done a great job alerting me when my sugar is going to crash so I can get to the ground and take my glucose tablets, however, in the past few weeks I'm no longer getting any warning. I've had an upper GI, endoscopic ultrasound, MRI, endoscopy, Octreotide Nuclear Scan, a zillion blood tests and they have all been negative. I've been to UCLA, Fountain Valley, UCI and so far they are in agreement that I need to have the bypass reversed, except for the bypass surgeon who believes my PANCREAS is the issue. The only test I haven't been able to get is the "GLUCOGON LIKE PEPTIDE 1" because we can't find a lab in California that does the test. I'm currently with a Doctor at UCI and he is trying to find a lab that will help. I've fallen 3 times in the last week and a half when my blood sugar dropped without warning. I've done a ton of internet research but there have only been a few studies and so far there aren't that many of us with this problem so it's not rating high on the research list.

Lorrie

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Wow not to much fun Sorry for all the problems. one of My girlfriends had this surgery 2yrs ago.She also had many problems.and lost weight quickly. Finally with the right diet and excersie she is on track,but it took a while. Now she barely eats enough to feed a bird,but she eats tons a meals a day. Maybe you will get some post from others who have had the surgery. Good Luck with this.

Smile

Sheilah

hi lorrie i just read your story and i am having alot of the same issues. i had my surgery in march of 08 and i weighed 325 i now weigh 193 but i constantly vomit after eating just about any food except candy and i now developed low blood sugar and have had several very scary attacks where i get disoriented. ive had 5 endoscopys and upper gi and alot of tests but noone knows why i vomit and cant hold anything down. i cant believe you have similar issues i just got news that i have barretts esophagitis but i still dont know how to get better. if you have any suggestions i would love to hear about them thank you jeannie

Ok, now I had my surgery in 2001 so I can relate to your stories. First of all, any doctor preforming gastric bypass should have a regiment written out for you when you have the surgery. The foremost thing is that you should take multivitamins 2 x a day, you should take calcium in the evening, you should have your vitamin D level checked within a year of having surgery to make sure you are producing enough. If you don't have a high enough Vitamin D level you will not absorb your calcium. This surgery helped me get rid of my diabetes but like you guys I had very low blood sugars. The way to get around it is to eat something every couple of hours. Even if it's something small. I normally will eat a small piece of fruit, a small salad, some type of protein, drink something, 8 oz of juice. This will help stablize your sugars. Gastric bypass is a tool, it is not a cure all. You must learn how to eat properly and within limitations. I've gained a little of my weight off, but i still have 150 lbs off.

Hi again, thanks for the comments. Since my last post I've finally received a diagnosis, I have Nesidioblastosis which the consensus is that it was caused by the bypass. I'll be having part of my pancreas removed on March 17. I have tried every type of diet and eating from 6 times to no times per day and nothing was changing, I thought I was crazy.... At least now there is something they can do about it. During one of my last blackout episodes from the hypoglycemia I fell down my exterior stairs and managed to rupture the disc above where I had my cervical fusion. I have limited use of my right hand and no real use of my left. I can't get in to see the Orthopedic surgeon until March 12 so I'm just going to hope for the best. Again, thank you for your comments.

Lorrie

I am considering gastric bypass or the lap band i dont know which one is better, im doing research now , but from what i have seen from all of these comments its making me think twice now , i dont know, its scaring me now cause of all the side affects you guys are saying u have well ill talk to the doctors and see what happens, wish me luck- Kelly

Hi Kelly, please don't give up hope! The bypass was the both the best and worst thing I've ever done. Hey, I'm out of the wheelchair and able to go hiking with my dog, that alone is probably worth the bad stuff. But I would have the lap band now after all the research and all the pain I've been through. I was ready to give it all up last month, it had been a year and a half of doctors telling me nothing was wrong (I have 17 doctors listed in my cell phone), and then it happened.... My latest doctor finally ordered the Calcium Stimulation Test I'd been begging him to do after all my research pointed to it being the defining answer, either I really was crazy or that test would prove oncer and for all that there was a problem. The test was one of the most painful things I've ever been through and when I went in for the results I was terrified, it had all come down to this. If he said nothing was wrong, let me just say I had the plan and the means to carry it out. The doc came in with his PA and the results, he said all my numbers were within normal range, I started to cry, his PA took the results and went out and the doc said he would call my bypass doc to do the reversal. They both ran back in and said "disregard everything i just said", this test needs to be plotted and once we did, you do have Nesidioblastosis. I just finished preop today and my pancreas/spleen surgery is scheduled for March 20th, moral of the story.... I would have given up 2 days short of having an answer. Do the research, be informed, and yes be brave but do what you need to do to have a real life Good Luck to you,

Lorrie

My issue was almost a mirror of yours after a Gastric bypass. My sugar levels would go to 350+- and then crash to 30. I suffer from severe headaches due to the sugar swings. My Dr', Dr Pasumarthy in York, Pa, diagnosed a rare conditiom of adult Nesdioblastosis. I had an arterial calcium test which "mapped" the pancreas to identify where the most insulin was being produced. After being on the table for about 12 hours, I was left with 1/3 of my Pancreas. Since the operation, I no longer have the crashes but still get spikes after injesting food. The resulting sugar spikes varies from day to day so I can not take insulin prior to eating. The best eating schedule I have developed to minimize the effects, is to eat 6 or 7 "small"meals per day. Since the surgery, the sugar is manageable but I must be constsntly vigilent during meal times. Good luck and if you need any further information, I would suggest reading Dr Savage's aricle in the New England Journal of Medicine. He "seems" to the Dr doing the break through research right now. He is at the Mayo Clinic.