My Gastric Bypass Experience

Six years ago I had a gastric bypass operation. Though my BMI was only 33 - slightly under the minimum required 35 - and I needed to lose about 100 pounds - the most important reason I had the surgery was because there was a chance it might cure my insulin dependant Type 2 diabetes. The doctor said that as many as 80% of people in my situation found the surgery actually cured the diabetes. I also felt that a thinner body would make me more successful in social and professional circles. I qualified for a Roux-en-Y laparoscopic procedure. That meant they would make seven small holes without any long incision, staple most of the stomach closed, and reroute the intestines so there would be less absorption of the food. My stomach would be about the size of a shot glass and I would not be able to eat and drink fluids at the same time.

It took an entire year to complete the application - the insurance company wanted a full description of every weight loss effort I had made in the past and the results before they would approve the procedure. Once I received the approval I had to wait for the surgeon to have an opening and that would not be for another six months. So from the time I began making inquiries about this to my doctor until the day of the surgery it was actually 12 months.

The surgery went well and I recovered quickly. I lost 70 pounds in about 4 months and couldn't seem to lose any more. My diabetes was not affected at all by the surgery and I remained insulin dependant. I still needed four shots daily. I looked much better but had not achieved the goals that had I had set for having the procedure. No matter how careful I tried to be about my food intake I seemed to have hit a plateau. I don't know if my age had anything to do with it or not. But I was in my early 50's at the time and knew that losing weight had become much harder for me then it had been when I was younger.

About three years after the surgery I began getting very sick. After getting severely dizzy, having tremendous pressure in my head and losing my vision, I would pass out. I was hospitalized and had extensive tests. The only symptom they could document was an extreme increase in my heart rate. The palpations could be seen just looking at my chest and neck. After ruling out everything they could, I was told I had dumping syndrome. They explained that my symptoms were caused because the food I was eating was going into my intestine without staying in the stomach and being digested first. Granted, that's an oversimplification. But I could not eat outside of my home without fear of getting ill and not being able to get home. I could not eat all day while I was at work. My friends quickly learned that they would have to sit at the table with me if we went out until the symptoms passed and sometimes we had to sit for an hour or more. Eventually I just stopped going out to eat at all.

At first the doctors wanted to treat this by adjusting my diet. I was told to eat fat 30 minutes before my meal. This would line the stomach and make it harder for the food to pass quickly. And under no circumstances was I to drink anything 30 minutes before or after a meal. This was something I just couldn't seem to do effectively. The doctors got angry and said I wasn't trying. Finally they offered medication.

I began taking a shot of Octreotide before each meal. That meant, along with my insulin, I was now taking 7 shots a day. It worked well. But it was very expensive. Each shot was $200.00 or about $18,000 a month. Blue Cross paid it for about a year and then insisted that I try an alternative treatment. At that point I was placed on Precose. I really don't know why that med was chosen but my liver stopped functioning and I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. While lying on the gurney I heard a nurse ask if this was a dead body. I quickly responded that it was not. But I must have looked pretty bad. I survived but the Precose would be no more. Now I was back to square one - no meds and passing out.

At this point I had an additional symptom - pains in my upper abdomen. They turned out to be from the gallbladder and I had to have surgery to remove it.

I tried to live my life with they symptoms but was becoming more and more depressed. Feeling that I was reaching my limit I went back to the doctor and insisted he give me the Octreotide again. He refused. I believe that, considering my close call, he no longer wanted to treat me for this condition at all. I searched the internet for another treatment and found that the Octreotide now came in a monthly shot. I found another doctor, took the information with me, and he agreed to prescribe it. I now take a monthly injection instead of one before each meal. I still occasionally get sick but the symptoms are much less and I recover from them faster.

Despite my difficulty eating the weight has begun to come back. I noticed many television people - like Star Jones and Carly Wilson - seem to also be putting the weight back on. While some people can keep the weight off, it's a lot to go through and a lot of risk for a procedure that might not last a lifetime.

This is my experience with the Roux-en-Y procedure. I am sure everyone has their own story. I know, if I had to do it again I would not.