stomach pains after gastric bypass

[Cari155]

I had gastric bypass surgery about 15 months ago.  Two weeks after surgery I had my gall bladder removed and spent a week in the hospital with dehydration and pancreatitis.  I have had that same stomach pain a couple other times since pancreatitis.  Last week as I live by myself I had to call an ambulance as the pain in stomach was so severe.  They did blood work and said my pancreais enzymes were elevated a little.  Gave me pain pills and sent me home.  I had a cat scan and endoscopy which did not show anything.  Pain radiates to the back.  What should I do?  
I live in a small area and do not like the doctor that did my surgery.  Also.  I weighed 248 lbs at time of surgery, and am still losing but not trying.  I am now at 117 lbs.  Any suggestions????????

Please help

Cari

[Strobelight]

Cari and everyone that has horrible stomach pains after stomach bypasses or bands,  you are swollen and you cannot eat or drink one drop til that pain passes.  It's like something gets "stuck" and you die for hours or a day.  It's like your stomach is allergic to some foods especially rice, bread, you have to see how you do with certain foods.  You swell shut and it is soooo miserable.  You will be fine for months and then it here it comes again.  You might also have too much scar tissue and need to get stretched especially up to 6 weeks or longer after surgery.  If it happens too many times you must go to the surgeon that did the surgery or someone who does your type of surgery.  Pills can cause this stuck feeling especially if you take them late at night with no light food chaser.  Go to *****.com or those weight loss websites and you will get more help there.  So sorry you suffer with this too!  Allyson

[Gailbarfoot]

I had my gastric bypass surgery 9 months ago.  I have been craving sugar so I eat sweet cereal and cocoa with marshmellows.  Well I have excruciating pain in my upper stomach everytime I eat anything with sugar, I pay for it with several hours of terrible pain.  I guess I know the answer is to stay off sugar.  Have you had sugar that may have caused your pain?

[teakietot]

I am so so so sorry for your loss.I want to thank you though. You may have saved my life, and I thank you for sharing this from the deepest depth of my heart and my mom says thank you too. My drs are at a loss and are talking about exploratory surgery and possible a full gasterectomy. I've been grasping at every possibility to try and find a way to live through this. It's been going on a year now. No answers. I'e lost over 100 lbs and am barely able to function most the time due to malnutrition and dehydration induced dementia.. I will bring this up to my drs. I am so sorry, but thank you.

[skinny_minnie43]

I had rny gastric bypass surgery May 18, 2008 I weighed 277lbs. Within 7 months I was down to 117 lbs and having stomach problems that would make me scream in pain!! It went on a month or so my pcp Doctor at home said I was havin telescopic intestinal problems. I lost so much which in so little time that my intestines were being sucked in the pouch. Terrible pain doesn't cover it so they put me in an ambulance and I had the surgery again which helped for about 5 years I'm just sorry to say it's starting again.  Check this out if you are having this problem pain meds and a drought drink of GI cocktail will help a lot. I hope this helps. I am currently below my goal weight at 120 but my goal weight is 131 so I think after all these years I am doing ok!!

[KennethHawkins]

Hi,

I hope you get to know the exact reason for the pain and get well soon.
And as a newbie I am have learned a lot about the bypass, so thanx..

[manicNVegas]

Hey I'm not sure if any of you are still experiencing pain in your abdomen, however, i had my R-Y gastric bypass 5 1/2 yrs ago.  About 2 yrs after my surgery i had lost 125 lbs (wanted to lose 15-20 more) anyway i started having the pain you have discribed as well as abdominal distention, gas, belching diarhea and some constipation. I tried explaining to all my doctors (not bypass doctor, he won't see you more then 18 months after surgrty unless you pay large consultation fee or you stayed in his stupid study) anyway, no one did anything to help me because i was already on pain management prior to surgery for chronic pain all over of unknown nuerological ediopathy. also i am bi-polar (not really crazy by-polar but more like bi-polar lite with 35% less crazy and full knowledge of what in my head inn't always real. Anyway, I stopped going to any doctor except pain doc. i would be fin for weeks sometimes a couple months and then BAM!!!! It's back. even my husband started believing it was in my head. i became so depressed that for almost 12 months i did nothing but eat cry take too many pills and eventually never left the couch for 6 months straight. my kids are now teens and my husband took care of everything but pay bills. i could do that from couch. I went from 145 to 180 in those 12 months.  Then something wonderfull happened 6 months ag0 in went into a moderate manic state (some reaction to sleeping pill that is also anti-depressant), I told my pain doctor about the past 12 months (i never did because i did not want to deal with the judgement and people assuming things).  He told me to go get an annual physical and make sure they do colonoscopy (mother had colon cancer. I was starting to believe i did too),  and all the bloodwork you can get them to order. Since i had all this energy from being manic i complied. Meanwhile i start losing weight like crazy and i have continues constipation. not even suppositor meds helped after using them for 1-2 wks. by the time i got in to see GI i weighed 144lbs (i lost 36 ils in less than 6 wks after the severe chronic constipation started) the following wk he does colon oscopy and EGD. The lining of my stomache wall looked a bit inflamed so he took samples from several parts of my stomache and my small instines and my colon and sent them all for  biopsy. only my stomache was inflammed but he wanted to be check everything. Surgically, he said i had the best looking gastric bypasses he'd ever seen or heard of. It had healed so well that it almost looked like i was born that way. SO, he did not believe the pain was related to any post surgical issue with the structure. 1 wk later and 6 more lbs of weight loss I had my answer...H -pylori infection. H-pylori is a bacterial infection that basically you can get from fecal matter. KNOW, THAT DOES NOT MEAN i AM NOT HYGENIC. You can get it from hand to hand or mouth to mouth if you have a really bad attack. Plus public rest rooms, hotels and the grosest part - fresh fruit and veggies (apparently some fleid workers think it is ok to "relieve them self" anywhere. However, most people who get h_pylori never know they have it and never experience the pain like I did. Usually only old people, very young children and people with a poor immune system have significant problems. the bacteria takes up housing in the lining of your stomache and proceeds to change the atmosphere to a more hospitable place to live. Well, people with R - Y type bypass are extremely likey to have a lower immune system because of mal - apsorbtion.  In addition during periods of constipation you don't expell the bacteria, if your pain epidodes get a lot worse or starts with during the time you are constipation, It is very likely you could have this bacteria. most doctors don't think of it because it is not a commom problem in the USA unless you are in some sort of crowded living space like a home for the elderly. It is however more commen in places like Vegs, Disneyland areas, you know places people from other counties visit. It does not lives outside the body very long, so just keep washing your hands and disinfect bathrooms if you have anyone else in your family that may have immune problems (that includes people with asthma, cancer, aids, etc). It does not always show on stool sample, because it is not necessarily expelled during ever BM. You can have blood test, but I have heard that can have a false negative sometimes because it is looking for anti-bodies your body created, depending on how badly your immune system is malfunctioning you may want to request EGD with biopsy (even if stomache is not inflammed).  Other symptoms I have include bad taste in mouth and most food taste bad to me (especially pork and most beef, sometimes lunch meats) even the smell of meat cooking can make me nauseated. Hear is the really bad news, it is difficult to treat and often requires multiple courses of treatment (even in people who don't have problems absorbing medication). Water based medication is more easily absorbed by the small intestine, also if you have it, part of threatment requires you to take prilosec 2 x daily, unfortunately, I believe it only comes in time release which, depending on the person, is very, very had for our digestive systrm to absorb even when we don't have a bacteria blocking absorbtion through stomache lining. i have done alot of research (still in mild manic state). You must take the prilosec, so what i did was break the casule open, carefully, there is a small pill inside surounded by all these little white balls that is the time release, dump it into something and try smashing it a little (or just put it in the table spoon as is) add water, and drink it. Wait 20 mins or so and take half the little pill inside, take the other half in 6 hrs. I got no relief from the prilosec until i did it that way. I do not understand why doctors don't provide us with liquid meds when ever possible. Make sure u ask for liquid meds. my doctor said it was not necessary, but i am starting my 3rd couse next wk, haven't had post treatment test but symptoms are returning. If you get tablets, they can also be crushed to powder and added to water to drink. ask pharm they know alot about alkiline and non alkelines  and base forms. if you can't get rid of it it can givr you extreme ulcers (mine was in the earlier formation of ulcers, not just 1 but 5. you doctor needs to read about absorbtion in people like us. i was able to google the question and read a  two posts and it confirmed what i already knew but can't get one doctor to grasp the concept. It is actually quite disturbing. not even my GI listened when i explained what i had read and printed it out for him and my pain management doctor. ANYWAY!!! GOOD LUCK signing manic in Vegas. (BTW - JUST BECAUSE I'M CRAZY DOES NOT MEAN I CAN'T BE RIGHT) look in to it, for your own good.

  

[209sylvia69]

I thought I was the only one with the pain in the abdomen.  My surgery was done in 2002, i had the gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y Surgery.  Immediately after surgery, I was sent home.  I didn't feel well and I let the CNA know this and she said that I would be alright.  I should have let my doctor know I wasn't feeling good, but he didn't come around to my hospital room the day I was discharged.  I went hope, but in so much pain, literally crying on the airplane (Surgery was done in L.A., CA. and I lived in Modesto, CA.) That night when I got home, I was rushed to the ER, I later found out that I had Pulmonary Embolism (PE).  I almost died, had to be on Coumadin Pills and Heparin Injections because of PE.  After my year of blood thinning therapy, I had really no more problems, until about 2 years ago.  I start get ting the pain in the upper center abdomen underneath my incision.  You see they had opened me up, I have a large incision scar from the top off abdomen (about 1" under the center of my breast) to the middle of the abdomen (just about 4" above my belly button).  It is also around 1" wide all the way from top to bottom.  I get the pain right on the top but underneath the incision.  It hurts so much when it hits, I literally cannot breathe, there's pain all under the incision. When I try to lay on my stomach, the pain hits, so I don't lay on my stomach anymore.  Now the pain just comes on without warning, but it starts slowly then hard and lasts about 20 minutes, then like nothing and goes away.  I'm thinking it's maybe scar tissue growing over something that's causing this pain.  Or like I read in one of the comments above, it's probably the "Loop Syndrome" or something like that.  I also get massive gas when the pain hits, belching constantly and vomiting but only when the pain hits, then poof goes away.  What can it be?

[pain50163]

I to have had of these symptoms been in and out of the er and inpatient.  I had my gbs 2007.   And the pain started about 6months later and has not stopped. The doctors ignore me I think they think I am nuts  The surgeon that did my surg told me the last time he did an endoscopy told me that I needed to lose 70 lbs and go see my gyn.  He is the quack not me.  I go to see a gastro dr on Tuesday and I am going to show her all the information that I have found.  I will not be leaving her office until I get some answer.

[jambillie]

I truly can relate to everyone's pain and frustation. I too have had GB, 12/2012 and I remember waking up from the surgery with pain in this area that never really went way, the pain lessened with time but I was never able to ware anything tight around that part of my waist. After 6 months the pain changed from just being there to a horrific, stabbing, cramping pain that sent me immediately to the ER. As I am in the waiting area screaming in pain, the nurses first have to rule out if I am just there seeking pain meds. Once they take their time and figure out that's not the case, the finally call me back and want to ask me a ton of questions that I said I would gladly answer If they would first just make this pain go away. The agreed, gave me Dilaudid and the pain subsided, thank God! The tests began and like everyone else nothing was found but then they refocus their efforts on other things like your iron or potassium is low so lets admit you for that but in the mean time I'm still in pain. After many many trips to the ER and many hospital stays, I am yet to find out what sourse of the pain is. I had surger this past June because they said it was an Intussusception, they were conviced that is what it was so I went and had the surgery and low and behold 8 weeks later I was back in the ER with the same damn pain. I have been tested for everything and everything is fine. The last hospital stay which was just las week, they got stuck on my gallbladder and insisted it be removed. I argured that it wasnt the problem and after the HDIA scan and it came back normal I was right and was able to save my gallbladder. I think they didnt know what else to do. My question is, what are we supposed to do for the pain? They don't want to prescribe anything strong enough to help. So I am forced to return to the ER each and everytime this pain flares up which is averaging every 6-8 weeks. I was told I can no longer have a CT Scan because I have had too many and to have MRIs, ok that's great but my insurance isnt so quick to approve MRIs. I am at work today after being out all last week dealing with this pain, I'm sitting her typing withing with my stomach in pain. Is this my life?

[Checkoutzoe]

I hope you can read this... Go to the doctor, or find an experienced bariatric surgeon... It sounds like you have what is called petersens defect, an internal hernia which is extremely difficult to find in gastric bypass patients! Go now! If you don't find it there can be fatal complications! Go and asked to have a laproscopy looking for petersens hernia, or in the least for the doctor to do an investigative laproscopy... A doctor on a hunch saved my life and found this as well as removed my gallbladder, and cleaned out my bowel ducts, and had to realign my whole bowel it was twisted around my new little stomach! Don't delay... Go now!  If you want more jnfo google petersens defect xxx

[gloworm121]

I am 3wks post gastric bypass surgery. I started my pureed food phase . the first night I got dumping syndrome. it lasted 3 days. everything I ate made me sick. I tried everything  to help with the stomach pain. nothing helped. finally I got beano. it helped but now Im afraid to stop taking it. don't wont to hurt but cant take it forever. can someone give me some advice

[lilly686]

this is me to a tee just like all of u under the rib cade sever pain radiats into the back i thought i was going to pass out it does not happen all the tme maybe 3 times its ha[ppend i have my surg 17 months ago lost 150 in like 9 months im 150 now i spoke to me doctor when you get your gallbladder removed a stone can stay in the passage way and if you eat something your not suppose to it will aggrivate it and it will go up and down the passage way and feel like your having an attack it can be brutal that could be what is happening to some not all i hope this help

[ambdl2010]

not sure if our pain is the same but i too have this type and am getting NO answers!

[ambdl2010]

not sure if our pain is the same but i too have this type and am getting NO answers!

[sparker108]

You have a bowel obstruction. The pain described as" the most excruciating and stabbing pain, the pain is located right in the center of my stomach, above my belly button, but below my chest.  it stabs right straight through to my back and down my lower back" is exactly the symptoms of a bowel obstruction. It can cause death if not treated. You must tell the ER that you are a Gastric Bypass patient and you believe you have a bowel obstruction. They must open your abdomen to correct this. This is most common in patients that have multiple abdomen surgeries and is caused by adhesions of the bowel to the scar tissue from your operations. It will cause your bowel to twist like a garden hose and nothing will pass. It can also be a partial obstruction which will still allow passage of waste but it will eventually cause a backup. You MUST go to the ER if this is your situation.

[Mlpick29]

I had Gastric bypass rRNY IN SEPT 1997, I have experienced on an off stabbing stomach pains ever since. The one thing that does work is 1 TBSP RAW APPLECIDER vinegar( must be raw and not processed) with about 4 oz of water drink and it  quickly and it goes away instantly. Sometimes u have to repeat it several times a day but it has kept me able to work and live after surgery, I keep a mixture in a water bottle with me at all times. Hope this helps someone

[kitten031981]

I had gastic bypass 2/14/12 and I have been having the same pains. Went to the ER they did a ct scan and couldnt find anything said if pain gets worse come back and sent me home. Next day the pain was even worse. Went back to the ER where i sat in the waiting for for an hour for a lady to come out and tell me to go see my pcm ( primary care manager .... or main dr ) so i went and seen here. She pushed on where my new stomach is located and the pain was so intense it made me cry right then :( She told me to go back to the ER and dont leave til i see the on call surgeon.. So i went back seen the surgeon just for him to say he doesnt know why i am in pain gave me pain meds and sent me home once again. Its crazy that there are so many of us that have this mystery pain and yet no one seems to know what it is from. I go back tomorrow to see my main surgeon to see what they say. He thinks its a possible Ulcer. But we shall see tomrrow. Will keep you all posted.

[harr1sm]

hi Stephanie, I has gastric bypass back in 2006 and a correctional surgery in April of this year where they found two gaps in my intestines and a bunch of scar tissue they had to remove. I have the same pains you have, my Dr.s have done evrything they can, tests, endoscopys, etc., and still can't find anything.  I have these spurts of pain sessions that put me in the emergency room and all they do is treat it with protonix, daladed, and zofran.  I also live on pain meds as these pains do not seem to go away.  I am also looking for an answer. I have lost 100 pounds but sometimes I wonder if it was worth it after allI have been through. The pains are in my upper stomach above my navel and below my chest, hard to explain what it feels like but it will ruin your entire day. I just was in the ER last night for the same reason, I don't think the Dr.s there understand what we go through and sometimes think we are just there for the pain meds.... Does anyone else have the same problem?

[vintagedee]

Hi Texas Angel,

Take a look at spincter odi dysfunction. It fits all of your symptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphincter_of_Oddi_dysfunction

Good luck

[vintagedee]

Hi Marshafacey,

I had gastric bypass around a month and a half ago.

Yes, you will feel tenderness under the cut this can be expected for a few weeks more.

[Marshafacey]

I had the sleeve surgery done on the 24th Sep. Now I am having a pain and tenderness above the cut, I wasn't feeling it before. Is this normal?.

[jrolfson2000]

I'am so amazed that so many people suffer from this debilitating mysterious pain, especially since all have had a Gastric Bypass. In going through all the posts there was one answer that made a lot of since to me called the Blind Loop Syndrome. Which actually can be caused from a surgeon who unintentionally through surgery creates the blind loop. I have had (3) Surgeries beginning with Gastric Stapling (1978) never had a problem with pain after that surgery but as soon as they revised me to the Gastric Bypass (1980) about a year after I began experiencing the pain...My pain begins in the back and radiates up under the top of the middle of the stomach right under my breasts...I have tried everything to make this pain go away which includes sticking my fingers down my throat to make me throw up and this actually worked for several years but doesn't anymore. The pain lasts for up to an hour or more and leaves me completely exhausted. I began having the pain maybe once a month and now I experience sometimes once or twice a week. I feel it coming on and I can tell when it is subsiding and leaving me. To me it feels as if I have an obstruction of some kind and that the obstruction sooner or later passes and the pain subsides. It is horrible. I have to unhook my bra and pants or I will actually feel like I'm going to pass out from the pain...I had a 3rd surgery to a distal gastric bypass in 2009 and since then I get these attacks way more often. What is really horrible is that the pain medicine that the Dr.'s have given me actually bring one of these attacks on. I remember receiving a lortab from my dentist for some work he did and this was a couple years after my Gastric Bypass Revision, after I took this pain med I began to have an attack...So not only do I get them just randomly but if I take pain meds I will get one and it is the exact same kind of pain either way...Bariatric Surgeons need to study this as it is a common problem for GB Patients...My Daughter had GB Surgery and now she is going through it and being tested with everything under the sun and I told her I hate to tell you Sis but they won't find anything I can almost guarantee it...I believe it is definately something that the surgeons do while doing the GB Procedure that creates this because it doesn't happen to all patients but it is happening to a large percentage of patients...You can just look on this site and see that and there are tons more....

[gvsieler]

Hi there, don't know if this reply will find you but I too have developed debilitating abdominal pain.  Had many tests to no avail.  I have a doctor appointment with a new doctor from my surgeon's office to discuss.  By reading many internet blogs I am not hopeful that there is a cure.  I have had several doctors tell me that this is something I will have to live with.  I have never known this kind of unrelenting pain!!!  All the doctors seem to want to keep pumping more pain pills into me.  That's no solution!!  I had morphine and percosets while being put into the ER and they did not stop the pain.  Do you know of any support groups for people like us??  BTW way everything else is healthier for me so the surgery was a success in that respect.  Take care and much luck to you~Georgiana

[allisonofcalifornia714]

I had a gastric bypass three years ago and have lost 90 poinds. I have had the same pain as all who have written on this site. The doctor removed my gallbladder a few weeks ago and then said the EGD showed two hiatal hernias and that my pouch was enlarged and I should get a traditional revisional surgery. Has anyone had this done? If so, did it help the pain?
I am not having the stomach pain as much as before after removal of the gallbladder. But I do have chronic constipation and that really concerns me.
I am going to a specialist this week but main concern is whether I should even have the revisional surgery with this constipation and stomach issue?
Any replies to assist me with my worries would be greatly appreciated.