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35 year veteran

M

marsha191

Member
I am a 70 year old woman,35 years after a full on gastric bypass.Weight has fluctuated over the years,but in general I’ve kept over 75-80 pounds off.I am interested in the types of vitamins-supplements some of you take until this day,what the after effects have been and whether this procedure has had a long term positive impact.I have three married children and seven grandkids,but none of them has any recollection of my surgery or even that I was once so severely overweight.
Happy to have found this forum after much searching.
 
Marsha, welcome! I am delighted to have such a veteran here. In fact, we are honored by your presence. You have shown what we believe to be true IS true.

What kind of surgery did you have specifically?

I have a list of supplements I'm going to send in my next post, or you can find them then I searching for posts other by me with the word supplement in the search field. But I wanted to warn you about something.

Make sure you look at the date of the post that you are reading. If it is an old post then you may find it valuable for its content. But there is no point in responding to something from 2018 or 2010 or 2014 because in most cases, the members have ambled on.
 
dianeseattle said:
Marsha, welcome! I am delighted to have such a veteran here. In fact, we are honored by your presence. You have shown what we believe to be true IS true.

What kind of surgery did you have specifically?

I have a list of supplements I'm going to send in my next post, or you can find them then I searching for posts other by me with the word supplement in the search field. But I wanted to warn you about something.

Make sure you look at the date of the post that you are reading. If it is an old post then you may find it valuable for its content. But there is no point in responding to something from 2018 or 2010 or 2014 because in most cases, the members have ambled on.
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Hi All-and Diane,thanks for your reply.
35 years ago there weren’t many options available and important to note-I was living in another country at the time.Bypass was a huge event involving almost 2 weeks in the hospital and a long recuperation.I won’t go into all the gory details,but the effects have lingered until this day.I lost a lot of teeth and had to teach myself the “delicate “ art of regurgitation.I have a finely tuned sense of what is going to stay down and what isn’t-always stay cautious when out eating or among friends and family.The surgery has a tight mental and emotional hold-I know my whole disgestive system has been permanently altered and I have to respect it.
Over time life went it’s own way-I went through a brutal and unexpected divorce at fifty,went through a relocation from half way around the world and had to drastically downsize just to survive and make a living.No, having your stomach capacity shrunk to the size of an egg doesn’t solve everything!
As to my original question-I see vitamins specifically targeted for bypass patients and wonder if I should have been taking them all these years? I have my own personal combo that seems to work. By the way, despite being very active and consider myself healthy,I have chronic anemia and have had an ulcer.Doctor says this is typical of long term bypass patients.So many nutrients just don’t make it thru the system naturally after the surgery.
How about you-weight still a challenge?Anxious to hear from more posters who are a little older and have endured the after effects for a long time-how is everyone coping?
Thanks for listening and offering a safe spot to vent and share.
Marsha
 
Hi , Marsha, I still have a raging eating disorder. I have to fight it all the time. The surgery helps and I have maintained my weight for 12 years since surgery. But there are still foods I crave, and there are also foods make me sick just to think about them. I remember wondering why I bothered do this if I would still have my eating disorder. But I just have to look in the mirror or in my doctor's records or at the clothes in my closet and I have my answer.

FYI, I did post a list of supplements I used 2 hour latest resources area. Go to the page called what's new then scroll down.

I am glad you're here.
 
dianeseattle said:
Hi , Marsha, I still have a raging eating disorder. I have to fight it all the time. The surgery helps and I have maintained my weight for 12 years since surgery. But there are still foods I crave, and there are also foods make me sick just to think about them. I remember wondering why I bothered do this if I would still have my eating disorder. But I just have to look in the mirror or in my doctor's records or at the clothes in my closet and I have my answer.

FYI, I did post a list of supplements I used 2 hour latest resources area. Go to the page called what's new then scroll down.

I am glad you're here.
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Diane ,do you mean an eating disorder in the more conventional definition? Because,frankly,that’s how we all got in this predicament in the beginning...speaking for myself,and I am only 5 feet tall and weighed almost 200 pounds-talk about disordered?!My lifelong battle with eating still rages on,even 35 years after the surgery.After backsliding about 9 months ago I got on the no carb-no sugar-no junk bandwagon and have combined that with what is probably an extreme amount of power walking to get to around 125 lbs. But I still struggle every day! I eat NO bread,rice,pasta,potatoes or baked goods-and I am a total foodie who loves to cook,bake and read cookbooks!This has created a huge void in my life and left me in a state of almost obsessive vigilance.I am concerned about every calorie,carb and gram of fat and rarely eat a crumb after 5 pm.Is this normal,healthy living?I think not-so yes,I too have a chronic eating disorder.And I dare say most of the posters here do too.
 
Marsha, yes I do mean in the conventional sense, like anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder and any other named diseases that I don't know.

And yes oh, I agree, that most everyone here, if not all, suffer from an eating disorder of some sort. I'm not sure what it is but it seems common to me that even after having surgery, sometimes on the way home from the hospital, a patient will swing into a drive-thru and order food he or she should never eat, and certainly not at that stage.

It seems that food is an obsession, and sabotaging oneself is a part of it. It comes out looking like an addiction, but I'm not sure if there was ever an addiction described as such.

It most closely resembles bulimia in my opinion. There is a constant desire to eat, then to hide that fact from everyone, and get rid of it somehow, whether by vomiting or another means.

I don't think people like it very much when I also describe the eating disorder as being deceitful, hiding, lying, obfuscating, blaming other things. People don't like to be painted as liars and I understand that. But I have clearly seen it in myself and in others.

We have to carry the weight of lifelong mistakes. I have said this before and I don't want to come off as religious, but Martin Luther said something I actually turned into calligraphy and framed and hung on my wall. He said, "Love God and Sin Boldly." Who ya trying to fool? In the words of a friend who is an alcoholic and advocated for sobriety by being truthful after admitting to backsliding or rude alcoholic behavior, "Admit it. What are they going to do? Take away your birthday?"

You have been as candid and honest as anyone who succeeded ever has been. I share your sorrows and your big loss, which is the delicious food that is bad for you. But there really isn't an answer. It's the card you drew.

The best suggestion I have to live a life without fabulous food, where are you used to reward yourself with a cupcake when you had a victory in your world, is try to train your brain to see Rewards in a different way. Reward yourself with a bubble bath, or a new outfit, or a new recipe made completely of the foods that are good for you. There are a lot of recipes out there. Reward yourself with money that you will not share with anyone. Really learn to talk to your brain and tell it what a wonderful person you are. Repetition gets results.

My alcoholic little brother, who died recently, used to steal from people, pick fights, break things, wreck his car, screw around, and finally, push you out of his life. It took me a long time but one day I realized that if he could make any other choice of how to behave, he would. It wasn't personal. It was a defect of character. I lightened up and loved him, and he gave me love back for the last 9 years of his life. I don't think people would eat and balloon up until they were super obese if they could make any other choice. For us, we make a choice, finally, by having surgery to help us along.
 
Hi ladies, I celebrated my third year of sobriety on May 21st.

I've struggled with anxiety since early childhood. Started drinking at age 12, was a binge drinker by 15 and a "functional" alcoholic by age 25. My body and mind were deteriorating with each bottle but addiction had me fooled into thinking that I was a normal single woman. Finally I woke one morning, 41 years old, with such overwhelming anxiety, regret and physically shaking like a leaf (not uncommon during the last couple years of my drinking). I was dreadfully ill and terrified. I went to the hospital and was admitted/medicated for 5 days before I was stable enough to even look into a rehab facility. The doctors told me that I could have died if I tried to stop without medication. My body didn't know how to function without this poison anymore.

I write about this because I know firsthand that addiction will come and find you if your soul is vulnerable to it. Be it via drink, drug, food, sex, etc. I'd been diagnosed years before with Binge Eating Disorder: Binge Eating Disorder but after giving up alcohol, my addiction found a powerful new life in food. I'd never had a sweet-tooth before, I quickly realized that this was because I was drinking copious amounts of sugar in my booze every day. Suddenly I couldn't get enough sweets. Giant bags of candy, cartons of ice cream, entire pies... I gained 40 pounds that first 3 months.

About a year before I decided on surgery, I began meditating and searching for peace outside of my compulsive thoughts. I continue to work hard every day to detach myself from my cravings. I'll always be susceptible to addiction but as long as I'm on the offensive and recognize that, I hope for continued success with quieting urges. Thanks for listening. :p
 
Wow, Brenda. Congratulations to you and your story is inspirational. I remembered also that sure was a craving for alcoholics who had quit drinking. It's even a craving while still actively drinking. People wake up after the alcohol wears off and want sugar like crazy. Now I am not anti sugar. It's never been one of my weaknesses. I have a low tolerance for sweets it seemed Chloe and gagging.
 
dianeseattle said:
Wow, Brenda. Congratulations to you and your story is inspirational. I remembered also that sure was a craving for alcoholics who had quit drinking. It's even a craving while still actively drinking. People wake up after the alcohol wears off and want sugar like crazy. Now I am not anti sugar. It's never been one of my weaknesses. I have a low tolerance for sweets it seemed Chloe and gagging.
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I was trying to correct my voice typing typo in my last post where I said cloying but the computer heard Chloe. Somehow I shot off the rocket it went to the group.

I didn't have anything profound to say because Brenda really said it all. But in remembering that Sugar connects people to alcohol just as it does to food, I'm now really feeling like food might be an addiction.

Again, Brenda, thank you for sharing.
 
Brenda2010 said:
I write about this because I know firsthand that addiction will come and find you if your soul is vulnerable to it. Be it via drink, drug, food, sex, etc. I'd been diagnosed years before with Binge Eating Disorder: Binge Eating Disorder but after giving up alcohol, my addiction found a powerful new life in food. I'd never had a sweet-tooth before, I quickly realized that this was because I was drinking copious amounts of sugar in my booze every day. Suddenly I couldn't get enough sweets. Giant bags of candy, cartons of ice cream, entire pies... I gained 40 pounds that first 3 months.
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Wow, Brenda, I really found that article interesting. I had never heard of binge eating disorder. I was surprised to read that people with that disorder don't necessarily even present as obese! This is the paragraph that was a real eye-opener:

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF BINGE EATING DISORDER
The health risks of BED are most commonly those associated with clinical obesity, weight stigma, and weight cycling (aka, yo-yo dieting). Most people who are labeled clinically obese do not have binge eating disorder. However, of individuals with BED, up to two-thirds are labelled clinically obese; people who struggle with binge eating disorder tend to be of normal or higher-than-average weight, though BED can be diagnosed at any weight.
 
dianeseattle said:
Wow, Brenda, I really found that article interesting. I had never heard of binge eating disorder. I was surprised to read that people with that disorder don't necessarily even present as obese! This is the paragraph that was a real eye-opener:

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF BINGE EATING DISORDER
The health risks of BED are most commonly those associated with clinical obesity, weight stigma, and weight cycling (aka, yo-yo dieting). Most people who are labeled clinically obese do not have binge eating disorder. However, of individuals with BED, up to two-thirds are labelled clinically obese; people who struggle with binge eating disorder tend to be of normal or higher-than-average weight, though BED can be diagnosed at any weight.
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Right??? I was actually diagnosed when I was at a healthy weight. But you couldn't have convinced me of that. Because of my secret binge eating, I carried the same shame and self-hatred as I did at times when I was obese. It didn't matter what the scale said at the time, I was a fat failure who didn't have any self-control.

Since you read the article, you know that this is different than normal overeating (which I'd also do of course), it's an obsession. Not just act of the the binge itself but also shopping and preparing for it, covering it up and the constant dieting that follows to make up for it. My memory of my first binge was when I was 7 years old, hiding in the pantry eating everything I could stuff down my little throat and being disgusted with myself the whole time.
It took 30 years of therapists to finally get a diagnosis. It's something that wasn't recognized as a true eating disorder until about that time. Once I started reading everything I could about it, I finally felt understood. There were others out there like me!!!
 
Brenda2010 said:
Hi ladies, I celebrated my third year of sobriety on May 21st.

I've struggled with anxiety since early childhood. Started drinking at age 12, was a binge drinker by 15 and a "functional" alcoholic by age 25. My body and mind were deteriorating with each bottle but addiction had me fooled into thinking that I was a normal single woman. Finally I woke one morning, 41 years old, with such overwhelming anxiety, regret and physically shaking like a leaf (not uncommon during the last couple years of my drinking). I was dreadfully ill and terrified. I went to the hospital and was admitted/medicated for 5 days before I was stable enough to even look into a rehab facility. The doctors told me that I could have died if I tried to stop without medication. My body didn't know how to function without this poison anymore.

I write about this because I know firsthand that addiction will come and find you if your soul is vulnerable to it. Be it via drink, drug, food, sex, etc. I'd been diagnosed years before with Binge Eating Disorder: Binge Eating Disorder but after giving up alcohol, my addiction found a powerful new life in food. I'd never had a sweet-tooth before, I quickly realized that this was because I was drinking copious amounts of sugar in my booze every day. Suddenly I couldn't get enough sweets. Giant bags of candy, cartons of ice cream, entire pies... I gained 40 pounds that first 3 months.

About a year before I decided on surgery, I began meditating and searching for peace outside of my compulsive thoughts. I continue to work hard every day to detach myself from my cravings. I'll always be susceptible to addiction but as long as I'm on the offensive and recognize that, I hope for continued success with quieting urges. Thanks for listening. :p
Click to expand...
Fascinating story Brenda. Congratulations on your 3rd year of sobriety and well done with your 80lb weight loss! You must be feeling fabulous
 
Brenda2010 said:
It took 30 years of therapists to finally get a diagnosis. It's something that wasn't recognized as a true eating disorder until about that time. Once I started reading everything I could about it, I finally felt understood. There were others out there like me!!!
Click to expand...
Yeah, as I was reading through there I noticed that it never even got a DSM description until recently. It's now in the DSM-V. When it wasn't, insurance companies wouldn't pay for treating it. How infuriating.

I hope everyone here reads that article and decides if they see those symptoms in themselves. This sounds like exactly what every struggling post-op person says here when they arrive. Now if only the therapeutic community could come up with a treatment.
 
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