Article - Have Surgery, Lose Weight, and Start Drinking

No, really?  When will you start listening and not just suggesting it's .... someone else's problem? Put down the glass for a minute and read.

Bariatric Surgery = increased likelihood of ALCOHOLISM.

Timely, as nearly one thousand of us descend upon Las Vegas today through the weekend for a weight loss surgery related event.

I am already seeing the alcohol posts on Facebook IN. THE. AIRPORTS.

Hello, my name is Beth, and I don't have a problem with alcohol (...and I thank my lucky stars every single day...) however, I AM SURROUNDED BY ALCOHOLICS AND OTHER ADDICTS POST WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

In full, from Medscape -

May 15, 2012 (Lyon, France) — Bariatric surgery is associated with an increased likelihood that patients will report and be diagnosed with problems related to alcohol consumption. Different levels of risk are associated with different gastric surgery procedures, Per-Arne Svensson, PhD, from the Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, reported here at the 19th European Congress on Obesity.

Rare Genetic Disorder After WLS

I have copied and pasted this article in full, because I think we need to see all the details of this story.  I have never heard of this issue before, "Urea Cycle Disorder" in gastric bypass patients.  Hilary Lane,  a young vibrant music teacher passed several years after her gastric bypass surgery due to this rare genetic disorder.

I do not post this to frighten anyone, it's just somethng that interests me greatly since I am also a medical mystery since my gastric bypass.

ABC 20/20 Losing It: The Big Fat Trap - Full Episode - The Greatest Scams Goin'!

Pamela R Davis Bariatric Program Director of the Centennial Center for the Treatment of Obesity writes 

"I am completely disappointed, irritated and flat out disgusted at the so called "journalism" that went into this ABC 20/20 episode. They completely and totally missed the opportunity to focus on legitimate, successful medically [and surgically] appropriate treatment for obesity and severe obesity. Instead I felt like I was watching a rogue episode of Entertainment Tonight.

When I first heard they were pulling the segment with Dr. Robin Blackstone and Melting Mama, I thought it was so they could dedicate an entire episode to bariatric and metabolic surgery and how it is a life saving treatment for so many. Instead we got a 60 minute long sensationalistic expose on practices those of us who are healthcare professionals working diligently to help those with obesity and severe obesity would never support!

Not good ABC, not good-shame on you."

the full episode '20/20 5/11: Losing It: The Big Fat Trap' from ABC's 20/20
abc.go.com

Thank-you Pamela, you echo my feelings that I was not able to accurately share last night, and surely not before I saw the episode.

I watched it, I did.

This is what I got out of it... and I am full of the snark right now.  (I just started a new anti-seizure medication with a big fat black box warning, so hey!)

I learned a few things from the 20/20 episode!  

• It's important to have cute boobs.  NUMBER ONE.
• And Charles Barkley's Vegabuls! 
• If you want to make some fast cash, get famous, really really famous?  Gain weight on purpose to get sponsored by a diet or supplement company.  Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money
• This works better if you are Jessica Simpson and have a beautiful frame to start with, because selling diet plans is about selling the IDEA THAT A DESPERATE DIETER MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK LIKE JESSICA SIMPSON *WILL LOOK LIKE IN ABOUT 9-12 MONTHS FROM THIS PHOTO-

• It does not work if you are a short balding man celebrity.  *See cute boobs.
• If you want to crash diet for $150 a day, get a NG tube and look super-sexy at work.  Then you can plan to regain and rebuy the diet.
• Diet pills are wicked awesome!  Take them!  Except they don't help you lose weight.  You are buying the idea.  You hope for a Kardashian badonkandonk, but there's about 0.0% chance you can actually do it.
• And, for the quickest weight loss, try the death method a la 1-800-Get-Thin, but they don't care, cause they be RICHER THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE.

And, when you are finished messing around with all of these weight loss methods and you are more desperate than you've ever been AND morbidly obese?

Come talk to me, talk to all of us, because then?  

...You will have a safe and effective weight loss procedure with a Reputable Bariatric Surgeon.

Don't say I didn't tell you so.

20/20 Interview Confessions

I am aware that I did not share the details of the interview with 20/20 this week in my previous post about the show.  I wasn't purposely keeping anything from you, in fact I wished I had documented the process as it happened, but I only had a phone and it happened so. very. fast.

MM Interview for 20/20 today

This is all I have right now. Will blog more later. OMG!

• ABC 20/20

That time MM was on 20/20.

American Broadcasting Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I'm going to be on TV.

I'm going to New York City next week to film an interview with ABC's 20/20.    

Then, because of the way things go:  I am going to the neurology inpatient unit for 7-10 days for video EEG monitoring, coming home, and flying to Vegas for the WLSFA Event.  Because.  It's all or nothing for me. 

PS.  Send clothes.  OMG.  I have nothing to wear.  And I need a haircut.  Save me. 

What?!

Yes.  I agreed to go.  You know I am terrified of Such Things as Being On Camera, and I have said no a couple times before to things like this.  There are people in my life who feel that I can't possibly have stage fright because "REALLY, YOU!?  Attention WHORE!"  But I am typically scared shitless, you just don't know that.

But this opportunity feels different.  It's 20/20.

I WATCH THIS SHOW.  OMG.  I'm going to speak with Deborah Roberts.  OMG. 

I spent one and a half hours on the phone today with a ABC producer, and I taped it.

Why did you TAPE yourself, Beth?  For one thing, I have had more than one seizure during Important Phone Calls that I do not remember HAVING.  (Sorry, Chike Protein, and whomever else I've done it to.)  Knowing the call would be long, I figured it was a possibility and I wanted to remember what I said.  It didn't happen, but now I have this record of my half of the conversation, I figured I would share it.

This is completely unscripted, random and much of my off the cuff thoughts.  Please do not judge too harshly.  I did not prepare anything because I had no idea what she was going to ask and what the topic was.  As for the actual show topic, I figure it will be loosely connected to the things she asked in this interview:

 

Related articles

• Inpatient EEG Testing and a little brain surgery, perhaps? (meltingmama.net)
• Free $10 for Vitamins and free shipping? Yes MM will. (meltingmama.net)

NPR - Bariatric Surgery: The Risks And Benefits

NPR -

Two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine show that bariatric surgery may treat, or even reverse, the effects of type 2 diabetes in overweight and obese patients with high blood sugar levels. Some fear that the risks of the operation overshadow the rewards.

Eight Years Post Op - And I may NEVER QUIT.

 

Eight years post op

Eight years ago today I had roux en y gastric bypass surgery.   Do not say it.  I already made that clear in my previous post.

Since then it's been a whirlwind of ups and downs -- but mostly -- it's been good.  I often refer to my life as a country song.  Because it is.  

But you know what?  Regardless of the roller coaster of life --

Intervention - Terry - Gastric Bypass - And a realization...

I fell asleep last night before catching all of last night's episode of Intervention, however, I saw about three minutes in the middle and said: "This woman is a WLS'er."

I have a sixth sense about other post ops.  It's bizarre.

I did not know, in fact, until I just got a Google Alert for this episode in my email from Google due to the words "gastric bypass."

I am telling you alcoholism post WLS is RAMPANT.  And, hidden.

You can have as many chicken - egg conversations about it -

• What Caused "Us" To Gain Weight?
• Is It The Same Problem That Causes Us To Drink - Drug - Party - Etc. LATER?  
• Often, yes.  Directly related.
• It's not always about liking food too much.

Mr. MM looked at me and said, "You know, I'm lucky that isn't me."

And he's right.  If he did not EAT - even now at eight years post op food is his drug - he'd drink.  It's in him to be addicted to something.  Anything.

And that is a VERY FRIGHTENING REALIZATION that is VERY REAL.   This stuff often isn't realized until YEARS post op.  It's true -- he had no idea why he ate too much.  We're only just scratching the surface now -- in 2012.  

Sigh.

TV Replay -

A&E saved one of the most heartbreaking stories yet for the season finale of "Intervention" (Mon, 10 p.m. ET on A&E). Terry's descent into alcoholism was easy to understand as her story unfolded. She was pressured to be beautiful by her mother. She even went into modeling, but gave it up after her mother and the agency suggested diet pills.

So Terry turned to food, gaining a tremendous amount of weight, before gastric bypass surgery and ultimately alcoholism took over. Even during the taping of this show, her mother said, "I think appearances do make the person." She also refused to believe her daughter about an earlier molestation from a family friend.

So starting from a young age, Terry felt like she was never quite good enough for her mother. In a society that puts an undue burden on women in regards to appearance and beauty, Terry's burden was even heavier because it was her mother telling her she wasn't good enough the way she is. By the end of the episode, though, her mother had apologized and Terry had found sobriety, so there may yet be a happy ending to her story.

Related articles

• Intervention - Julie - Alcoholism After Weight Loss Surgery - Gastric Bypass (meltingmama.net)
• Carnie Wilson has weight loss surgery. Again. (meltingmama.net)
• My 600 Pound Life - Henry (meltingmama.net)
• 2012: It's not the end. It's the beginning. (meltingmama.net)
• Nutrition for Reactive Hypoglycemia (meltingmama.net)

UK Surgeon - 10,000 Kids Need Gastric Bands

Dr. Ashton, a medical director in the UK thinks obese teenagers would benefit from being banded. He suggests that since "diets don't work," that he might as well band everybody. 

Uh.  What?  Can you imagine when/if doctors in the US took a stance like this?  Millions of young kids with bands, and Dr. Ashton suggests that their national health insurance pay for each UK kid who "needs a band."    It's an overwhelming thought to say the least.

What do you think?

Daily Star UK -

Dr Ashton, medical director at healthcare organisation Healthier Weight, said: “There is a group of young people with serious weight problems for whom the only effective treatment is going to be surgical intervention.

“I’d say at least 10,000, or even several times that amount.

“Some of them are suicide risks. Should we wait until they’re 18, have failed at school, already have diabetes and heart problems?”

 

Related articles

• 12 year old gastric sleeve patient. I have no words. (meltingmama.net)
• Dr. Oz - The Gastric Surgery You Should Be Getting (meltingmama.net)
• Juliet gets gastric band for herself and her two daughters (thesun.co.uk)
• Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Better Than Gastric Banding For Rapid And Safe Weight Loss (meltingmama.net)

1-800-Get-Thin President Quits - Oops

Robert Silverman, the marketing director and president of all of the 1-800-Get-Thin campaigns has resigned.  

Not surprising.

Hey, maybe bloggers won't be poked to remove posts anymore?  Heh.  

 

 

LA Times - 

The president of the 1-800-GET-THIN marketing company, which has blanketed Southern California freeways and television and radio stations with ads for Lap-Band weight-loss surgery, said he has resigned "to pursue other career opportunities."

In a news release Thursday, Robert Silverman said that his resignation was effective Tuesday. He had served as the firm's president since February 2010, the release said.

"I believed in the mission and I believe that I was assisting individuals [to] overcome their battle with obesity, which has reached world-wide epidemic status," Silverman said in the release.

The 1-800-GET-THIN campaign had come under increasing scrutiny after the deaths of five Lap-Band patients since 2009.

In December, the Food and Drug Administration sent warning letters to the marketing company and its affiliated surgery centers, saying the ads for Lap-Band weight-loss surgery were misleading because they did not adequately display warnings about risks of the surgery.

The California Department of Insurance also has confirmed it is investigating the surgery centers affiliated with 1-800-GET-THIN for possible insurance fraud. In February, Lap-Band manufacturerAllergan Inc.said it had halted sales of the weight-loss device to all firms affiliated with the marketing company.

In addition to his role as president of 1-800-GET-THIN, Silverman, a lawyer, had represented the firm and its affiliated surgery centers in several lawsuits. He said in an email to The Times that he no longer represents them.

• Allergan halts Lap-Band sales to 1-800-GET-THIN (meltingmama.net)
• FDA Wants to Yank 1-800-Get-Thin Billboards. (meltingmama.net)
• 1-800-GET-THIN or 1-800-GET-DEAD? Weight Loss Clinic Causes 5 Deaths and Counting (blisstree.com)
• 1-800-GET-THIN Lap-band ads getting congressional scrutiny for "aggressive marketing" (daveibsen.typepad.com)
• No More Lap-Bands For You! (huffingtonpost.com)
• You: State launches Lap-Band investigation (latimes.com)
• FDA Takes Aim at 1-800-GET-THIN's Lap-Band Ads (adweek.com)

Intervention - Julie - Alcoholism After Weight Loss Surgery - Gastric Bypass

On last night's Intervention -- Julie.

 

A gorgeous 40 year old mother of two, who happens to to be about seven to eight years post gastric bypass postop.  She also, happens to have a little big problem in her smaller body.

"Julie often turned to food and alcohol to find comfort in tough times. She had gastric bypass surgery when her weight ballooned, but now she spends her son's child support money."

On alcohol, a lot of alcohol.  You see...

First thing you must note, Julie started drinking at six months post surgery.  

This is extraordinarily dangerous.  Your surgeon told you to be careful for a reason.

Alcohol + early gastric bypass = possible brain damage and Wernicke's encephalopathy.   Wernicke's can occur even without the aid of drinking heavily, do not help it along.

Gastric bypass triggers impaired vitamin intake in the best of situations, and pairing this with alcohol abuse can increase the risks of things like thiamine or Vitamin B1 deficiency.  Typical people have a hard enough time metabolizing, removing nutrient intake and adding alcohol is a very bad idea.  Don't do it.  Don't take advice from internet peoples, but don't do it.

 

Also note that alcohol really messes you UP post op -

 If you aren't one of the gastric-ally enhanced like your super enhanced *sarcasm* blogger here, let me explain something to you:  

• Diet coke and rum, and I'm on stage.  
• A few sips of a martini and I'm holding walls.  
• I'm pregnant in one half-glass of wine.  

Alcohol is a different beast with a short gut.  Your mileage may and should and will vary, but for most of us, alcohol hits our systems FAST, HARD and feels like it leaves just as quick, even if it doesn't - - which can lead "us" to drink more.  

It can be a sick cycle, and the longer I live with my own super enhanced system, the more I realize how much it's all quite interconnected.  (Hello, carbohydrates, let's get shitfaced!)  I'm not an expert in any way, I just live with it, watch others deal -- and read about it daily.  (And, damn it if my opinions aren't changing.)

• Gastric Bypass Lowers Alcohol Tolerance 
• Gastric Bypass Increases Risk of New Onset Alcohol Abuse
• After Gastric Bypass, Women Battle Alcoholism

I'm not really blogging about Julie here, you see.  I feel like I/we can't judge.  Because, you know what, she is any one of us.  It would not take much to jump on that slip and slide of transfer addictionfor any of us, and who are we to judge that?  (As I sat with my heavily buttered toast and ATE FOOD during this episode, right?)  

Transfer addiction can hit ANY OF US if we aren't dealing with our triggers...

...To over eat, drink, compulsively shop, gamble, ludicrous hobbies that suck up ALL time and money,  taking off to do stupid shit, (Yes, I Am Talking About You, CUT IT OUT, what you're doing is totally destructive though you don't see it, and you probably won't see this anyway...) overusing the internet *coughIknow,* obsessions, sex addictions, etc...so forth, so on and yadda yadda yadda, this list, really has NO END...  And, we all know someone who has a problem.  And, yeah.  

My Name Is Beth And I Am Addicted To Caffeine, Simple Carbohydrates And Online Gratification Via Instant Results Via ADHD Brain With A Side Order of Seizure Disorder.

Also:  who's to say what addictions and compulsions are truly destructive vs. not?  I mean?  Sure, I use the net too much, but... what if I was knitting so much that my house was full of yarn?  <g>  There are things to consider here.  Also: addicts will rationalize everything to make their addictions seem okay for THEM.  *beam*  Am I NOT right?Any of us who ever used food to deal with emotional reasons or anxiety is at risk to transfer to something else, or continually cycle back to heavily buttered carbs.  We substitute WHAT-EVER we can to get the same effect in our BRAINS.  It's just a cycle of fail until we can fix what's broken to begin with!  If you have ever said, "As soon as I lose the weight, things will be better -" that's a sign that they won't.  Start working on it yesterday.

Also - I must mention it.  I notice the chatter - "OMG HOW MUCH WEIGHTED DID SHE GAINED?!"

The woman was on Intervention because she's drinking herself to death.  Her weight regain is of zero importance.  Priorities:  #1 - Live.  #2 - Stay Alive.

At the close of Intervention last night, we were told that Julie is attending AA and was sober as of September.  I wish her the very, very best.  

Are you out there, Julie?  

PS.  The realization that the individuals on these shows WATCH themselves on TV and how does THAT feel?  *thud*

• Increased Alcoholism Rates Seen in Gastric Bypass Patients (meltingmama.net)
• Tis The Season To Transfer Your Addiction - WLS and Alcoholism (meltingmama.net)
• My 600 Pound Life - Henry (meltingmama.net)

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Better Than Gastric Banding For Rapid And Safe Weight Loss

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Better Than Gastric Banding For Rapid And Safe Weight Loss.

Results taken after the six years showed that the percentage of failures (BMI above 35 or reversal of the procedure/conversion) in the GB group was 48.3 percent, compared to only 12.3 percent in the RYGBP group. Those in the GB group were also more likely to face reoperations (26.7 percent compared to 12.7 percent) and long-term complications (41.6 percent compared to 19 percent). 

Joseph Nordqvist. "Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Better Than Gastric Banding For Rapid And Safe Weight Loss." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 16 Jan. 2012. Web.
16 Jan. 2012. 

A blood sugar meter that tracks your patterns? The OneTouch Verio

 

 

Niiiiiice.  

This post is absolutely copied from PR for OneTouch, but I am super intrigued by this product.  I want one and I want to play with it.

 A meter that tracks your blood-sugar trends and gives you feedback on predicted lows -- highs.  I can see the potential use of this for those of us who have hypoglycemia issues after weight loss surgery.  If I were more aware of my lows or potential lows, perhaps I wouldn't pre-treat so often.  (My pre-treating?  EATING TO AVOID LOWS.  LOL.)  I wonder.

Via Diabetes Health -

LifeScan has introduced the OneTouch® Verio^TM IQ, a meter that not only tracks and displays blood sugar patterns, but also announces them with messages, such as "Looks like your blood sugar has been running LOW around this time."

The meter, which incorporates what LifeScan calls "PatternAlert^TMTechnology," is specifically designed fordiabetes patients who take insulin. LifeScan's reasoning is that insulin users are at greater risk of hypoglycemia than non-insulin users and must monitor their blood sugar throughout the day to adjust for meals and physical activity.

"All meters will tell you your blood sugar level at a particular moment in time, but this is the only one to compare your current result with your previous results and proactively alert you to important patterns you might not even be aware exist," says Michael Pfeifer, chief medical officer at LifeScan, Inc.

The PatternAlert Technology reflects the recommendation by diabetes experts that patients identify patterns of highs and lows that last at least two or three days in a row.

A "High Glucose Pattern" consists of three before-meal highs within the same three-hour window over the past five days. High (before meal) results are preset to 130 mg/dL or above to match current American Diabetes Association guidelines, but can be personalized to any result at or above 100 to 160 mg/dL.

A "Low Glucose Pattern" consists of two lows within the same three-hour window over the past five days. Low results are preset to 70 mg/dL or below to match current ADA guidelines, but can be personalized to any result at or below 90 to 50 mg/dL.

When the meter finds a pattern, a message appears, such as "Heads up. Your before-meal glucose has been running HIGH around this time." Patients may choose to view additional information about each test result in the pattern, such as the blood sugar value, day, time, and type of result (before or after a meal, for example).

A companion OneTouch® Verio^TM IQ Pattern Guide is available to patients from healthcare professionals or by contacting OneTouch directly at 888-567-3003. The guide offers possible causes and potential solutions for high and low patterns, based on guidance from leading diabetes experts.

Watch for the OneTouch Verio release on Twitter.

Study - Seizure Increase Not Seen Following Gastric Bypass

I am sharing this particular study because I am a seizure patient following gastric bypass who has a list of about 160 people with a similar issue.  

This makes me happy, relieved even...and a little sad at the same time.  Why?  Because it would be REALLY REALLY GREAT if someone found a definitive trigger for us who have conditions like this.

Seizure Increase Not Seen Following Gastric Bypass

By: MIRIAM E. TUCKER, Clinical Psychiatry News Digital Network

BALTIMORE – No notable increases in new-onset seizure disorder or exacerbations of a pre-existing seizure disorder were seen following gastric bypass surgery in a retrospective case series of more than 1,500 patients from the Mayo Clinic.

Reports of new-onset or exacerbated seizure disorders following Roux-en-Y surgery are often posted on epilepsy patient-oriented Web sites such as epilepsy.com, along with reports of other neurologic complications such as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, polyradiculoneuropathy, myelopathy, and optic neuropathy. However, few previous studies have examined a potential connection between gastric bypass and epilepsy, Dr. Richard S. Clemmons and Gregory D. Cascino said in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society.

A diagnosis of epilepsy pre-existed prior to Roux-en-Y surgery in 12 of 1,542 patients who were operated on at the Mayo Clinic between September 1997 and September 2007. Those patients were selected from a larger group of 1,776 patients because they had more than 1 year of follow-up, had undergone surgery for morbid obesity, and were aged 18 years or older. Despite evidence that gastric bypass surgery might result in decreased absorption of drugs with high proximal absorption or low pH (Am. J. Health Syst. Pharm. 2006;63:1852-7), 8 of these 12 patients had no decrease in drug levels, based on patient report or on serum testing before and after surgery. One patient who did have a low drug level was suspected of poor compliance. None of the 12 had exacerbations of their seizures.

"Based on the limited data here, there was not a decrease in serum drug levels for valproic acid, carbamazepine, or levetiracetam. ... Even patients with significant seizure risk factors did not manifest an exacerbation of seizures," noted Dr. Clemmons and Dr. Cascino, both of whom were affiliated with the division of epilepsy in the department of neurology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., at the time of the study. Dr. Clemmons is currently in private practice in Denver.

Only 5 of the 1,542 patients developed new-onset epilepsy following surgery. Of those, only 3 (1.9% of the total cohort) could be considered to have unprovoked epilepsy. One of the other two patients had a history of meningoencephalitis and had just a single seizure 2 years after surgery that was possibly associated with hypoglycemia. The other one had a seizure in the setting of a stroke 3 months after surgery. None of the five developed intractable epilepsy.

About three-fourths of the patients in the study were female. Their charts were examined for evidence of seizure exacerbation post surgery, defined as an increase in seizure frequency above preoperative baseline where another cause was not identified. Patient questionnaires were used to supplement where data were lacking.

"Based on the reviewed data, there is no clear exacerbation of preexisting seizure disorder following gastric bypass ... Most patients with seizure disorder do well following Roux-en-Y," they concluded.

 

Too Much Thinkings

If I made comics they might look a lot like this.  That's me and my brains.

Year of abdominal pain -- Hydrogen Breath Testing

Update -

Mr took me into Boston today for the Hydrogen Breath testing.  I thought I took to be there super-early, turns out I waited in the wrong part of the GI unit for an hour before realizing it. 

I had to drink a lactulose solution, and puffed into a bag with a syringe on it.  My air was injected into a super cool gas analyzer machine and that's that.

I think I passed -- or I failed?  I watched the numbers of the machine during each breath sample collection and I saw an increase in the numbers, however the tech said that she didn't see "much change."   So, bacteria may not be my problem.  Interestingly, the drink triggered more pain.  Thanks!  I don't DO 'OSES for that reason.

Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome (SBBOS) or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) - the patient is either given a challenge dose of glucose, also known as dextrose (75-100 grams), or lactulose (10 grams). A baseline breath sample is collected, and then additional samples are collected at 15 minute or 20 minute intervals for 3–5 hours. Positive diagnosis for a lactulose SIBO breath test - typically positive if the patient produces approximately 20 ppm of hydrogen and/or methane within the first two hours (indicates bacteria in the small intestine), followed by a much larger peak (colonic response). This is also known as a biphasic pattern. Lactulose is not absorbed by the digestive system and can help determine distal end bacterial overgrowth, which means the bacteria are lower in the small intestine. Positive diagnosis for a glucose SIBO breath test - glucose is absorbed by the digestive system so studies have shown it to be harder to diagnose distal end bacterial overgrowth since the glucose typically doesn't reach the colon before being absorbed. An increase of approximately 12 ppm or more in hydrogen and/or methane during the breath test could conclude bacterial overgrowth. Recent study indicates "The role of testing for SIBO in individuals with suspected IBS remains unclear." ^[2]

The excess hydrogen or methane is assumed to be typically caused by an overgrowth of otherwise normal intestinal bacteria.

Tomorrow is marked with the most exciting of several tests in an attempt to narrow down my year of abdominal pain. This test could show the presence of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth -- which is somewhat common in those who've got lower gut issues and also in those who have had gastric bypass or who have had abdominal surgeries.

Bascially -- I breathe into a bag every so many minutes for a few hours.  The samples are collected and tested for the presence of excess gases.  'urp. Reading about these tests, and watching test videos and the excessive use of the word METHANE only brings to mind ... cows.

If I get a positive result on this test -- I am starting a post bariatric energy company.  <sarcasm intended> There are far too many of us with broken guts who could probably power up our own houses with malabsorptive misfirings.

Hydrogen Breath Testing

The hydrogen breath test is used to identify lactose or fructose intolerance, or an abnormal growth of bacteria in the intestine. It is used to diagnose a lactose or fructose intolerance, which is the inability of the body to digest and or absorb lactose, the sugar found in dairy or fructose, the sugar found in a number of foods (fruit, vegetables, soda, etc.). Hydrogen breath testing can also be used to diagnose intestinal bacterial overgrowth. A breath sample will be collected and tested for the presence of hydrogen. To obtain the sample, you will be asked to blow up a balloon-type bag. Normally, very little hydrogen is detected in the breath. You will then be given a lactose, fructose, or lactulose solution to drink. Breath samples are collected every 15 minutes for 2 hours to detect any increase in hydrogen in the breath as the solution is digested. Increased hydrogen breath levels indicate improper digestion. The testing procedure lasts about 3 hours.

Super-fun, but likely the easiest of the tests because nothing goes inside me.  See? 

Next, is the capsule endoscopy. Then, the colonscopy for the holiday. 

Dear Santa, I thought I'd been good...

On the first day of ...

Something....the gastroenterologist gave to me... three Super Fun diagnostic tests that I probably needed done 11 months ago.  Okay, so I'll never write songs.  Shut up.

"Why would you ask for this kind of torture?"  (Well, because like one of my favorite commenters haters says, "Melting Mama Has Munchhausen's Syndrome."  Take THAT, keywords.)

Because, at this point? Any. answer. will. do.

Like I told the doctor today: I have forgotten what it feels like to feel good.

I go to bed with this discomfort -- and it wakes me up. Every day. Every stinking day.  Even on the best days where I walk all day long and can "forget about it" for a while, it comes back when I am sitting, stopped or in bed.

Even if we get through the testing to find out, you know, it really WAS just a hernia (which has already been confirmed, I have a small hernia near my bellybutton) and/or a bacterial overgrowth problem, or even celiac... Crohn's -- something -- GOOD!

At least I have an answer instead of THIS. Constant dull pain -- constant discomfort -- constant reactions to food -- that I cannot predict. I can't tell if one stab is related to the digestive distress, I just have no idea. I only know that it hurts every day, and I am quite sick of it. 11 months.

Colonscopy - check.  Capsule endoscopy - check.  Bacterial overgrowth breath test - check.  PS.  Biopsies for extra fun.

"Yay."  Testing starts in two weeks.

Increased Alcoholism Rates Seen in Gastric Bypass Patients

Something (another article with a "DUH!?" factor) that comes as zero surprise to a post operative gastric bypass patient, who reads about other gastric bypss patients, and talks to hundreds of them.  <insert heavy dramatic sigh>

Increased Alcoholism Rates Seen in Gastric Bypass Patients

European researchers have found gastric bypass patients have an increased risk for postoperative alcohol dependence. Based on a retrospective cohort of bariatric surgery patients, the investigators are calling for clinicians to examine gastric bypass patients for postoperative alcohol-related diagnoses.

“The results of this study clearly indicate the need for physicians to screen for alcohol abuse as part of the workup prior to bariatric surgery and to follow patients who undergo this operation carefully for signs of alcohol abuse,” said Craig Fisher, MD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, in New York City, who was not involved in the study.

According to investigator Magdalena östlund, MD, a researcher in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, patients’ increased risk for acute alcohol intoxication, dependence, and weight gain after gastric bypass surgery may come from greater alcohol absorption in the small intestine and a more immediate spike in blood alcohol levels.

In light of previous research that showed substance abuse and mental illnesses were more common among obese patients, Dr. östlund’s team set out to investigate whether bariatric surgery might reduce the frequency of these illnesses. She and her colleagues examined data from 12,277 Swedish gastric bypass and restrictive surgery patients treated between 1980 and 2006 and followed for a mean of 8.9 years postoperatively. The researchers compared data between these patients and 122,770 age- and gender-matched controls who did not undergo bariatric surgery; they did not control for obesity in the matched group.

Compared with controls, bariatric surgery patients had significantly higher rates of psychosis, depression, attempted suicide and alcohol-related diagnoses, such as acute alcohol intoxication, and alcohol dependence before surgery. Preoperative rates of these illnesses were similar among patients undergoing restrictive and gastric bypass procedures; however, patients undergoing gastric bypass were 2.3 times more likely than those receiving banding procedures to get inpatient treatment for alcohol-related diagnoses postoperatively (odds ratio, 2.3 for bypass vs. banding). The only other diagnosis that changed in frequency after surgery was psychosis, which decreased in both groups.

“Patients need to be warned of the risks of alcohol consumption following gastric bypass,” Dr. östlund said at the 2011 Digestive Diseases Week (abstract 266).

Dr. Fisher said the strengths of the study’s design make the findings exceptionally reliable. “These data are unique in that they capture a population with very complete follow-up information,” said Dr. Fisher. “In the U.S., researchers often find it difficult to follow patients continuously, since they sometimes receive initial treatment at one center but go elsewhere for follow-up care. As there are a limited number of bariatric surgery centers in Sweden, the researchers were able to track all of the patients who underwent surgery.”

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Drs. Fisher and Ostlund had no relevant information to disclose.

Source - General Surgery News