My Thoughts on Ulcers...

When you've had 15+ endoscopies in 2 years after RNY I would say that I can self-admit to having an ulcer problem. I go through check lists in my head time after time about why this is happening and I don't get answers. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I'm allergic to Iburofen... Those are the main targets of ulcers according to my doctor. I was guilty of a Diet Pepsi every once in awhile or even a margarita 1-2x a year. I admit that but I have nothing to explain why 2 PPIs (Dexilant for me) a day at the highest strength and Carafate 3x a day shouldn't take care of ulcers.

They've tested me for the diseases associated with ulcers. Nope. They've gone to great lengths to try to figure out why the ulcers kept recurring and they come up blank. Have you, friends, had this problem? Any luck finding out why?

I can say now, a week past my revision/ulcer removal surgery, I'm feeling much better. The daily pain is gone and now I just have surgery discomfort pain. Revision surgery was MUCH worse than the original surgery (still not as bad as my septic gall bladder disaster a few months after the RNY) but still much worse than RNY recovery itself. The problem is that I have felt so bad for so long that this surgery discomfort gives me a fake sense that I can do everything. Then I end up overdoing it and being in actual pain and it wipes me out. Also, I felt like I was much worse in the hospital with pain than the RNY. I actually had to stay in the hospital longer too.

So what does it look like from here on out for me? Luckily I narrowly avoided a gtube this surgery and although my doctor has threatened TPN before I think I will avoid that as well. Right now my plan is to stick with my diet restrictions (I'm on a full liquid/mush diet right now) and start reworking real food maybe in another week. I see my doctor on the 24th and I hope to see the dietician as well. That might help me gauge when I can reintroduce real food. I'm in no hurry though. I want to heal and be 100% healthy. I also promise myself not to drink soda. It's not worth it- even if it was only 1-2 drinks once in a while. It's like that ex-boyfriend that you still want to Facebook stalk/text... he's so not worth it if it is only going to hurt me in the long run :)

One thing this has done is jump kick my weight loss so I thought I would update you with a scale photo and one of me recovering with my "nurse" Gizmo. :)

That's a 152.4 pound difference since the morning of surgery 2 1/2 years ago :)

Again, I hope to have my normal update pictures at some point now that I have made the commitment to be back in the blogging world but jeans aren't coming near my belly yet. Soon friends, soon :)

So much has changed... and yet... it hasn't...

I've been a bad blogger friend. I'm completely left you all in the dark in my progress and journey for quite some time. I really hope I can jump back into this and make this blog something great for me as an outlet and for information sharing to all my WLS friends.

I guess we should talk plastics first- I love my new arms. There is a place that he has to restitch because the scar went crazy on us but it didn't stop my new arms from enjoying- tank tops, tube tops, short sleeves, you name it- this summer! Here's a photo with a tank top on with my husband from our annual vacation to Florida.

The only times my scars bother me is the place that needs fixing and when I know they are major-time showing... but then I just remind myself that I could be NOT wearing a cute top and be wearing some hot long sleeved top in the middle of summer and then I get over it. :) If I feel up to it (you will understand if you continue reading), I will post some new photos for anyone interested to see post-6 month brachioplasty scars.

So, now to the meat of the post- what has happened over the past 6 months. Weight- stayed the same. I balanced between 182-180 for the past 6 months. I know all the things I can do to recharge my weight loss but I've been really good about where I am. It would also help if I lost some extra skin in the belly area but you already know that won't be happening for some time.

One thing that did emerge in January was a constant belly pain. It was a sharp, sometimes excruciating, pain in my left abdominal section. We did an endoscopy with my RNY doctor in January which showed ulcers. Gave meds. Rescoped in February- gone. She sent me to a GI specialist to look at possibly colon issues (sometimes pain and bathroom issued correlated) because pain was still there even though ulcers were gone. Specialist #1 did an upper scope and colonoscopy in April- showed ulcers again in pouch area (where my pouch meets the roux limb) and nothing in the colon. Another scope by specialist #1 in May showed ulcers again. They raised my Dexilant to 2 times a day. Throughout the time of scopes I am having major pain. Daily pain which was controlled by pain pills and then pain where I am rushed to the ER to help monitor the pain by IV meds. Then brings us to August. The pain sends me to the ER, ER runs a CT scan, and they show fluid in my absent stomach. They have no idea why it's like that. I get sent to the RNY doctor the following day and I get sent by my RNY doc to another GI specialist (#2) to talk about a double balloon endoscopy to determine where this fluid is coming from. From what the GI specialist says- the double balloon surgery is risky- too risky- for where I am as a RNY patient. So... back to the drawing board with my RNY doctor who decides we need to do surgery.
So on Monday this week I had a revision to my RNY- they removed the bottom half of my pouch where the ulcers were and recreated it, took out part of the roux limb that had ulcers, and biopsied my stomach. Luckily whatever fluid was once there is gone now which saved me from having a gtube. The hospital stay took me back 2 1/2 years ago when I had my RNY except the pain was much worse than what I remembered. I stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and got to go home on the 3rd day which brings me to wanting to update. Basically I'm back to square one which a full liquid diet and protein shakes.
Isn't this where we all want to be though? Back at the glory days of losing weight and going back to full liquids? I can't count the times I read on boards (both OH and Facebook) where we are all asking about the 5 day pouch test, how to lose the last 20 pounds, etc. While this wasn't my ultimate goal I'm glad I'm hitting back to the basics because I believe the basics are going to give me my best chance at a pain free life. I didn't do anything to cause the ulcers or the pain, I know that, but I also probably wasn't helpful to healing them. So it's back to the grind of protein shakes and full liquids for at least a week. It's amazing how hard getting 2 oz. of oatmeal down right now can be.
I hope to update you all with some new before/during pictures. It's been a minute. I can't even believe I didn't blog a 2 year post!
I'm back RNY'ers, WLS'ers, and friends :)