Total Colectomy after RNY Gastric Bypass

wbtn1963 posted:

I had RNY Gastric Bypass surgery in 2011 and lost a total of 265 pounds.  I am now a potential candidate for total Colectomy due Chronic Constipation-Colonic Inertia, with a slated time frame of surgery in mid to late July, 2015.  I have researched, but I am not finding much information about this procedure and it effects for weight loss surgery patients.  Any advice or pointing me in a direction where I can find some useful information would be greatly appreciated. 

Hi,  I had a gastric bypass back in 2002 and lost a lot of weight myself. However they discovered on 2/29/16 that I had colon cancer due to a genetic mutation. I had a colon resection on march 16th but a new tumor developed so now I'm going to be having my entire colon removed on January 23. I'm wondering how you did with your procedure as you are the only person I have found who's had a gastric bypass and then a colectomy.   I welcome any feedback I hope you're doing well 

Hello there!  Checking to see if anyone is still in this group that has mentioned they had gastric bypass surgery.

I had gastric bypass surgery (Roux N Y)  March of 2007 and had a total colectomy April 30, 2017.  

Would love to chat with others who have the same/similar issues...

Hello liberty, I had  your gastric bypass in 2002 and  I had a total colectomy and the majority of my rectum removed.  I had a bag for several months and recently been reversed it a month ago.  I'm losing a lot of weight which I don't mind but I also want to be healthy. However, the diarrhea is very frequent about 15 to 20 times a day and at times I find myself depressed over it  because it seems the nighttime is the worst so I'm not getting a lot of sleep.  Imodium helps a little bit and I do not like lamotil as it makes me dizzy & tired but I'm going to have to take it.  I'm still trying to find a balance as to what foods are ok to eat and what to avoid.  I would love to talk with you and others who may offer some more wisdom. 

MelissaHathaway posted:

Hello liberty, I had  your gastric bypass in 2002 and  I had a total colectomy and the majority of my rectum removed.  I had a bag for several months and recently been reversed it a month ago.  I'm losing a lot of weight which I don't mind but I also want to be healthy. However, the diarrhea is very frequent about 15 to 20 times a day and at times I find myself depressed over it  because it seems the nighttime is the worst so I'm not getting a lot of sleep.  Imodium helps a little bit and I do not like lamotil as it makes me dizzy & tired but I'm going to have to take it.  I'm still trying to find a balance as to what foods are ok to eat and what to avoid.  I would love to talk with you and others who may offer some more wisdom. 

So much "yes" to your reply!  I wander if it is more difficult for us that have had roux n y?  I lost so much weight...   I too got so upset/depressed.. I felt like a bag of bones... and I hated looking in the mirror .   

I had a 1 step surgery, so I have been dealing with crazy diarrhea for almost 4 months. I always wear depends.. I found silhouette "fit" and they are wonderful!   

My healthy range "goal weight" is 155... right now I weigh 122... it's insane..  

i hear ya on the diarrhea. I have never had anything but very watery diarrhea with maybe some food chunks...  thankfully, I have been going 1-2 times after I eat, so depending on how many "small" meals I have depends on how often I go..  usually 9-10...  BUT, yesterday I decided to try to make myself NOT go and see how long I could last...  amazingly, I was able to do it.  Yesterday I went to the bathroom 5 times...  today, only 2 times (almost 10p here)... I know I will go at least one more time.

my nutritionist put me on at least one ensure a day...  truthfully, it doesn't stay in me long either, but I try..

I do not drink any plain water.. It goes straight thru me.. I only drink things with a lot of electrolytes in it.. Gatorade G2 is low in sugar. This is my main drink...  along with Mio electrolytes... I try to drink some pickle juice too here and there.. I salt everything like crazy (ha)...  sometimes I add Himalayan salt to my drink just for added electrolytes.  Maybe see if adding electrolytes to your liquids will help..  for the first 6-8 weeks, the only thing I could drink that I didn't run to the toilet for was Sprite Zero.. no joke! It was awful .... 

i just started back on imodium...  I tried immodium, fybergel and also guar gum...  but it made me feel constipated even though I wasn't ...  so I stopped them all.  Decided to just try immodium.  Morning and night for now.. 

It is weird.. the only time I have to get up at night to go is if I eat and eat late at night... some days I feel as if I eat and eat non-stop!  

it is so good to see someone else on here with the same crazy insides as me .   

Thank you  for sharing, I am hoping that I will find a better balance. When I take Imodium it seems to hurt me too it's as if things are not really different but  just coming out of the speakers. I would almost rather get it over with at once than to have to be a slave to the toilet  ��.  Also, if I have to pass gas I can't tell the difference sometimes so I always just go to the bathroom.   I'm not going to be eating at night to see if that helps. But I have so much diareah at night that I find myself so hungry and parched.   I'm also dealing with hemerhoids right now because of all the pressure and going to the bathroom so much. I am using various creams to help.  I wish there was a study done on people like us who had the gastric bypass because I wonder what it would tell. 

I am the same with gas... I "think" I might be noticing a difference between the two, but I am not always correct, so I run to the bathroom... ha!

yes! That starving feeling from going to the bathroom so much....  it's awful...  I am trying something different (eating less times) to see if it helps.

i think it's just gonna take time... thinking "time" is the magic answer with all of this... 

hemrhoids . No fun..

i agree... I think a study would be amazing.. I have a feeling there aren't a ton of "us" out there... haha.

I had gastric rou-n-y in 2010 and due to slow bowel and chronic constipation and severe bloating for several years, had to resort to having colon removed in 2019. I have my rectum and no bag. I was told that my bowels would get use to a normal diet after 4-6 months. It is 20 months later and I go almost immediately after eating.. almost like a dumping syndrome, but definitely not that. I in addition developed hyporeactive hypoglycemia which results in sugar drops and the need to eat again to get it up. My low weight on my 5’ 4” body was 142 and I was feeling great about 15 months after my bypass in 2011. I gained a few back and stayed steady until about 2015. Then things began happening that results probably changed from diet, stress and other things. Of course you can’t overeat too much with a bypass and I was having to use saline enemnas to go to bathroom otherwise I would look 6 months pregnant (not good in my mid 50’s then). Now I can’t stop pooping.. I go and go.. my weight is high and I just don’t know what to do. I need iron infusions about every year now and my hair is falling out to an alarming rate since colon resection. Going to see my gastro doc that did the bypass tomorrow morning and frankly just want to know how to fix some things and why wasn’t I informed of some things when I was told I would get my colon out and be fixed. Wrong!!! Any advice would be appreciated.

does anyone know if you can get vitamin and supplements administered by shots to take place of supplements that I feel certain my body is only taking minimal quantities in and the rest is quickly being flushed down toilet as it leaves my body. Sorry for being frank here but it’s the truth.

can’t wait to get some other people answers or stories.

thanks

vjojo

Hi Vjo,

I am so sorry...I know that this is not an easy path.

When a surgeon decides to remove your colon, it is rarely if never an 'option' but an 'obligation'. They don't take them out unless it is absolutely necessary.

That said, everyone reacts differently to colectomies. Some symptoms are similar in a lot of patients. You are the lucky one who did not need a bag of any sort (did they really just reconnect you to your rectum without creating a J pouch? Wow!!!)

So now you are stuck with a colonless body and a bypass...2 conditions that shorten your digestive system and may (or often) cause you to suffer from 'dietary shortages' like iron or certain B vitamins.

Your body is doing its best to adapt.

If your body is dumping and things and they are not hanging around long enough to get absorbed then there are other ways to compensate.

As you said, Iron infusions are the one way to get your iron levels up.

But other vitamins can be taken in patch form or under the tongue. I take B6 in patch form or under my tongue (most of my B's get taken that way), Copper, silver and gold are also sublingual (taken to boost my immune system), Vit A also comes that way and many others come as gummies or chewables...even liquids are better than pills...they absorb quickly in the stomach or in the small intestine.

You might need to visit a nutritionist who is specialized in people with short bowel or bypasses. If nothing else, they could help you to find your way through all of the complications that you are suffering from dietarily. They can also suggest foods that might 'hang around a bit longer' and supplements that will help your body regain some strength and energy.

Any 'unessentials' (according to your body, not me)  will suffer from malnutrition (hair, nails, skin, teeth can all fall out and even your eyesight can weaken or become fuzzy...) meaning that the human body makes choices. It decides what is essential for its survival (essential organs like your brain, heart, lungs, and circulatory system...) and protects it by sacrificing other parts.

Talk to your surgeon or doctor and get a letter to see a specialist who can help you.

Sharon

This sounds hard, @Vjojohnson. I’m sorry you’re going through it.

There are a few folks here with IRAs (ileo-rectal anastomosis). They haven’t reported great results, but I don’t think we can conclude anything about the overall success of IRAs based on that, since the ones doing well are unlikely to visit a J-pouch forum. As Sharon writes, there are other ways to get vitamins.

Are you doing anything to slow things down (e.g. Lomotil or Imodium) or thicken things up (e.g. psyllium)?

@Vjojohnson posted:

I had gastric rou-n-y in 2010 and due to slow bowel and chronic constipation and severe bloating for several years, had to resort to having colon removed in 2019. I have my rectum and no bag. I was told that my bowels would get use to a normal diet after 4-6 months. It is 20 months later and I go almost immediately after eating.. almost like a dumping syndrome, but definitely not that. I in addition developed hyporeactive hypoglycemia which results in sugar drops and the need to eat again to get it up. My low weight on my 5’ 4” body was 142 and I was feeling great about 15 months after my bypass in 2011. I gained a few back and stayed steady until about 2015. Then things began happening that results probably changed from diet, stress and other things. Of course you can’t overeat too much with a bypass and I was having to use saline enemnas to go to bathroom otherwise I would look 6 months pregnant (not good in my mid 50’s then). Now I can’t stop pooping.. I go and go.. my weight is high and I just don’t know what to do. I need iron infusions about every year now and my hair is falling out to an alarming rate since colon resection. Going to see my gastro doc that did the bypass tomorrow morning and frankly just want to know how to fix some things and why wasn’t I informed of some things when I was told I would get my colon out and be fixed. Wrong!!! Any advice would be appreciated.

does anyone know if you can get vitamin and supplements administered by shots to take place of supplements that I feel certain my body is only taking minimal quantities in and the rest is quickly being flushed down toilet as it leaves my body. Sorry for being frank here but it’s the truth.

can’t wait to get some other people answers or stories.

thanks

vjojo

Hi vjojo. Are you still active here? I just have few questions regarding diarrhea and going to 💩 all the time.

I am here, what’s up?

Hi. I had a complete colectomy back in 2020 and now im approved to get the RNY bypass next month.

Since we are almost similar with our surgeries mybe you can give me some advice oh how is everything since you got colectomy and bypass?

Do you have any issues? Is it true once you eat you run to the 🚽 asap! Will I ever get diarrhea for life? Im just scared of the posibilities. So mybe you can tell me what issues you got. Thank you.

Hi Liberty, Melissa, Frank,  I had a total Colectomy, one- step back in  1991. Initially, I lost 17 pounds. I was hospitalized for 9 days.  Regardless of needing Imodium, Ducolax softener occasionally and Phazyne or Gas-Ex frequently, my quality of life was 10 times better that having chronic constipation!  They are my go-2 drugs with me at all times.  I frequently only need a half of Immodium to manage. I wish I would have had my color removed years earlier!

I had a gastric sleeve done 7 years ago. I lost 60 pounds and have kept off. It did not seem to have any adverse effects with not having a colon. Since my blockage in July I am carefully restructuring my diet. I also have occasional blood in my stool from the diarrhea and explosions.  I had a rectal scope exam earlier this year and they found rectal ulcers, though painful  were causing the bleeding but they were biopsied and are OK. No one told me what I could eat or not eat when I had my colon removed back in 1991!  No one told me what to expect after the surgery. Being in this group for a short amount of time has taught me SO MUCH!!

Since my gastric sleeve I have incorporated  1or 2  -30gm/160cal Vanilla Premier Proteins now so if I make a couple bad choices for food during the day between the protein and my megavitamins,  I will be healthy, active and strong!! It is SO important with the stomach reduction surgery to keep up your strength and muscle mass!  My husband had a RNY Gastric Bypass and followed none of their suggestions and lost all of his muscle mass. BIG MISTAKE!!  Now all the weight he gains goes right to his tummy and no where else!  

Since my blockage (at my connection of small intestine to my rectum) from lettuce and raw carrots(and scar tissue)  (who would have thought and I thought I was eating really healthy!), I eat low cal Greek Yogurt for breakfast (great flavors these days!), with or w/o  mix with FINELY chopped up non fibrous fruit like apple sauce or watermelon or strawberries, 1 Protein and coffee w Nutriment. I keep hard boiled eggs handy and processed turkey or chicken thin sliced (more Pr-) to grab for lunch or when hungry. I still throw up chicken, turkey or beef!  I can eat a little GROUND beef like with pasta. I do tolerate seafood like shrimp or crab well! I drink V8 diluted and w ice, during the day since I can't eat salads, veggies and tomatoes anymore and that is filling. Too many people resort to carbs and gain weight and lose their health!  Use Pr- supplements that you like. All flavors!  I just prefer incorporating into my coffee, hot or ice!

I make and eat a lot of soup. Very flavorful, just don't eat the things you can't tolerate. (Like beef or chicken noodle, I just don't eat the meat.) It is manageable!  Fill in with another protein if you feel hungry and also have a little pasta home made, or restaurant and stretch it our for several days.  Eat slow, small portion and spread eating out!  The majority of my diet is protein so the pasta, rice  and occasional cookie I eat still keep me well balanced.

This is DO-ABLE for me.  Anything is better that pre-surgery or ending up in ER with a blockage for 5 days!  Believe me! The  pain of BLOCKAGE was my wake-up call to take control of what I was eating!

I wish you well on your journey!  It take time, trial and error and patience.  For me, the "Group" is a blessing!  Thank you! Take care-

Hi Drbev603. Im glad I found this site and all of you here who have the same issues as me. Im just worried about some complications.

But reading all your comments gave me some hope. Only thing that really worries me is loose diarrhea or cant hold it.

But my surgeon said there is lomitil for that 💁🏼‍♂️. I like to travel so that scares me.

So the blockade came out of nowhere? But you where eating carrots and lettuce before it happened right? TIA

Correct. But I have always been eating salads and raw vegs and I was never told no to! It is a no-no! My floor nurse had a J-pouch and also was hospitalized after a salad after 7 years. The Immodium will also control your looseness.  Even a half may be enough. I wear a long liner pad just in case. It's manageable . Still way better then before the surgery🥰🤞🙏 

@Drbev603 posted:

Correct. But I have always been eating salads and raw vegs and I was never told no to! It is a no-no! My floor nurse had a J-pouch and also was hospitalized after a salad after 7 years. The Immodium will also control your looseness.  Even a half may be enough. I wear a long liner pad just in case. It's manageable . Still way better then before the surgery🥰🤞🙏

So you had colectomy, Bypass and J-pouch correct? Is the J-pouch the reason of your blockage?

No, I had my pouch in 1991 and a Gastric Sleeve in 2014.  The blockage was at the collar where small intestine is connected to my rectum....+ lettuce, raw carrots and scar tissue.