My Gastric Bypass Surgery Complications – A Personal Story

The following article about gastric bypass surgery complications was written by a reader who wanted to share his reasons for choosing gastric bypass surgery. For privacy reasons, his name is not included.

“My gastric bypass surgery complications included anemia, hair loss, migraines, and nausea… “

“There were times where I woke up so nauseous, that I wouldn’t go to work….”

I started losing weight right after my Gastric Bypass surgery. Within a week I was down 20 lbs. I was excited about my new journey, but some of the things that were happening to my body were a bit confusing. Now I know that some of these things were common gastric bypass surgery complications – I wish I had been told about them before the surgery. I probably would have gone through with it anyway, but I would have been better prepared if I’d known about the common gastric bypass complications ahead of time.

I started getting the hiccups after every meal. I also noticed that anytime I had cheese or milk, I was running to the bathroom. On the opposite side of that, certain foods had me very constipated. I would have to take mineral oil 2 times a day to help me have a BM. Sometimes it got so bad that laxatives and suppositories were the only things that helped.

Along with the runs and the constipation came a lot of gas. I was either burping like a sailor or farting like one. It was a bit embarrassing at first. I found that Tums helped a lot with that. If that didn’t work good old Pepto Bismol was my best friend. Some of this probably could have been prevented if I had followed the gastric bypass diet more closely. I did try, but it isn’t always possible.

I also experienced acid reflux and heartburn, which the Tums helped with as well.

I found myself very nauseous throughout the day and sometimes actually threw up. There were times where I woke up so nauseous, that I wouldn’t go to work. It was hard for me to lift my head. I started eating the prego pops that they sell for pregnant women to help with morning sickness. A hand full of salt often stopped me from throwing up as well.

I also got constant migraines, and would also see stars a lot. I later found out that those were the result of being anemic, and may have been caused by nutritional deficiencies caused by the surgery. I found myself thirsty all the time, so constant trips to the bathroom were inevitable. I would become dehydrated really easily and would get the shakes. I started carrying a big thermos with me and would fill it at least 8 times a day.

I also noticed that every time I took a shower or brushed my hair, I lost a lot of hair. I was worried that I was going bald, but my doctor said that it was normal and would stop once my weight loss slowed down. My doctor also has me getting bone density scans every 6 months to make sure that I’m not developing osteoporosis.

I started noticing a lot of loose skin from the rapid weight loss. I joined a gym that has classes like belly dancing and pole dancing. I have started to tone up and am losing that extra skin. If necessary, I’ll look into other options later on.

But for now, my weight loss looks like this:

• After 3 weeks, I had lost 30 lbs.
• 2 months 53 lbs.
• 6 months 102 lbs.
• I am now 133 lbs. I had started out at 235. I am trying to stay in the 130 range.

The biggest loss that I noticed was my breasts. I started out at a 44E and am now at a 36C. I am a size 7 waist and for the first time since i was in Jr High, I am wearing a medium sized shirt. I started out in a XXL top, and a 24 pants.

Even after all the gastric bypass surgery complications, I’m still glad I went through it – but I do think some of the misery could have been avoided if I’d educated myself a bit better about the potential problems before the procedure.