Do You Know What It's Like To Be an RNY GB'er?

RNY GB = Roux-N-Y Gastric Bypass

Not the joyous freedom I thought it would be. 

At my highest weight, 310

August 4th will be the 10 year anniversary of the RNY GB surgery I had in Georgetown, KY. It seems like yesterday in some ways. In others, it seems like a lifetime ago. So many things have come about because of, or despite the surgery. I almost think I can't put into words the story that I really want to tell, so I won't. What I will tell here is how I'm living today, day to day, dealing with the after-effects of the surgery. It granted me considerable health and long term life benefits while at the same time giving me unexpected side effects that, without constant monitoring, were potentially devastating in the long run.

Wish I had a better full length picture but
I don't. I look like this now at 200. 

Truly I am in pretty good health physically. I am currently 110 pounds less than I was when I went in for surgery. I was 310, now I'm 200. At 5'11" I'm not too dumpy looking. Of course, I had originally lost down to 160, but a baby and a sedentary lifestyle changed that. Everybody said I was too thin anyway. ;-) I would love to be at around 175. No one is ever happy with their weight though, right? Anyway, the surgery added more years to my life, allowed me less chance of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. in theory. It most certainly added a little higher self esteem than I had before.

This is pics I took as I was losing weight from beginning
to end. The last picture was my lowest at 160.

Here's the tricky part. In order to stay healthy I have to do these things: Take vitamins all the time. And not just any vitamin. Dissolvable/chewable ones. Plus I take extra potassium, B12 and Vit D. I have to get my blood checked twice a year to be sure I'm not malnourished because it can lead to neurological problems. This isn't paranoia. I got pretty low on my vitamins once and got sick. My whole body wasn't working properly and attribute that to not taking my vitamins the way I needed to. This is a lifetime thing for me, not an option. 

Also, hey, the depression I thought was caused by me being fat? Nope, Me being depressed probably caused the weight so I still continued to be depressed. So I take Antidepressants, still, because I haven't worked out all my problems. The kicker here is that I worked long and hard with my doctor to find a medicine or two or three that would work for me. It turned out that I didn't absorb things the way I used to so medicines didn't work the same way. It's the same with any medication I take so I have to work with doctors who know how to deal with RNY patients, or I have to seriously educate new doctors before I am comfortable with them (such as when I changed cities I had to change doctors). 

And food? Sometimes I truly hate eating. It is not a pleasure for me at all. It is a necessity to live. There are many times I don't even taste the food I'm eating because it doesn't matter what it is, as long as it gives me enough of the nutrients I need to survive. One of the main reasons I hate eating is that almost every time I eat I get what is called Dumping Syndrome. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, sweating, and dizziness. I don't get all of those at once of course, but I experience one or more of them each and every time, especially the weakness and fatigue. I have to sit or lie down for a while after eating because I can't do anything else. What brings this on? The fact that my food goes into my intestines too quickly, digesting stuff it was never meant to digest because the stomach used to take care of it. My stomach is only golfball size and actually doesn't even work anymore since the hole from the stomach to the intestine is stretched too big to do any good keeping food in the tiny stomach. (It can actually be fixed but the procedure costs $14,000). 

Another reason I hate eating is that I can't have a real meal with my family. There is no point to make an entire dinner when only Ken is going to eat it. The rest of it, except for maybe a tiny bit I eat, goes to waste. Ken isn't big on eating leftovers. Ken likes to cook. He gets no joy in cooking for us because I can't eat the food and it's always too much for him to eat. Of course Gavin won't eat it. So, we each do our own meal every night. Therefore, I hate mealtimes and food. 

Also, I'm an alcoholic. After the surgery I discovered I liked red wine. (Before that I didn't drink but once or twice a year.) Because of the surgery I learned I can get drunk faster than normal people and I can also metabolise alcohol faster than normal people so I sober up quicker, or so I think. So I tended to drink a lot, really fast and keep drinking. Alcohol ended my 2nd marriage and almost my current one. However, right now we're dealing with me being a recovering alcoholic. A whole lot of stuff went in to getting me from raging alcoholic to recovering but in August I will be 3 years sober, thank God for that. It's yet another thing I deal with day by day and will for the rest of my life.

Out of all this do I find any good parts from having the surgery? Of course. I've mentioned a few already. There are the long term health benefits. I have to do my part if I want to stay healthy so it's my choice. The only reason I'm over my preferred weight now is that I don't exercise the way the doctor's plan was. I can keep those long term health benefits just by doing what I'm supposed to do. Other good things seem small, but are hugely significant since I had not had the privilege of enjoying certain things all my life. Like, I didn't have to get an extender belt on an airplane seatbelt. Yup. They have those. I could fit into regular seats instead of have to choose the large ones made for larger people. I could ride carnival rides with the kids because I fit them. I could actually shop in a whole lot more stores. People smiled at me and even held the door open for me sometimes. People are naturally nicer to skinnier people. It's just ingrained. You can't help it. Even now, a few pounds overweight, I can tell a difference in the way I'm treated. It's interesting to say the least. Oh, another thing I enjoyed - my kid could put her arms all the way around me and hug me when she was 8, after I lost the weight and she was ecstatic! So was I. She could do that anyway now she's 15. But it was cool. And once, I actually found a pretty blue prom dress at Goodwill and dressed up like Cinderella for Halloween at a Kids event. The little girls there actually thought I was the real Cinderella and asked for pictures with me and even my autograph! The parents let them and it was awesome! 

I have had some really fantastic moments because of losing this weight and I wouldn't trade that to not have the surgery for anything in the world. Even with all the stuff I complain about having to deal with on a daily basis I wouldn't give up the surgery. 

If someone asked me today if I thought they should do this surgery I would tell them to seriously weigh all their options before going through with something that will change them for life. Look at the unexpected things that have happened to people. Read their stories. Don't think it won't happen to you. Dumping Syndrome happens to most RNY'ers at some point. Also, there are other surgeries now that are considered safer than the exact one I had anyway. Check them out first. Something called the Gastric Sleeve is being done and is supposed to stop some of these side effects. Go to www.obesityhelp.com and check it out. There is a slew of info on there just waiting to be mined. Then make an informed decision. Only that individual can know what is right for them. 

Please, contact me if you have questions about my specific journey or just want to be friends on Facebook and connect with me like that somehow. I'd love to answer any questions and just talk to someone for support with their journey no matter when you are in your process.