Hi all,

I had gastric bypass at NEMC Boston almost 7 yrs ago and am forever grateful. I lost 100lbs and very appreciative for the helping hand.

I need to make sure my 'sistahs' and brothers know what has happened to me.

2 yrs ago I formed kidney stones which I'm reading now may be linked to a higher increase of chemicals possibly linked with the bypass. The chief urologist said he's sees quite a few folks from the Obesity Consult Center (1 floor down who do the bypasses) after their wls.

I didn't realize that these stones had caused a severe loss of kidney function (permanent- was described to me that it's like a sweater- once it's stretched out, it doesn't go back). 1 yr later, I'm at the ER for heart palpitations and feel like I'm having a heart attack. Results come back extremely anemic and too low on magnesium.

Liquid Iron 2x/day for months now, the counts will come up (iron) and the week I reduce to just 1x/day to try to wean off the liquid iron, I go right back down. Why?

Well, the funny thing about kidneys is that they tell (via a hormone) your bone marrow to create red blood cells. Poor function= poor red blood cell production = anemia.

I have an appt. w/a Nephrologist now that I have 30% function in one kidney, 1/2 of my other kidney removed last year due to a fatty tumor. I'm hoping he'll be able to give me Procrit shots that they give Chemo patients.

In the end, I'm grateful and would never tell a "non-WLS' person that I'm anything but. But I will tell you here that I am extremely disappointed with myself that I had to staple my stomach and change my physiology for the rest of my life- impacting my organs and possibly shorten my life. I used to joke that if anything happened, I'd at least be skinny in my coffin at the wake. It's still kinda funny.. I guess. But I'm really f'ing mad at myself.

Just be aware, my friends- I'd tell you WATER is first.

All the best in health and happiness in 2008.

Thanks,
MartiniMomma

Sorry you're having these issues, Momma. Hope you will get a good word from the nephrologist.
Thanks for sharing your story.

Thanks for the information.

Thanks for the advice!
Hope your Doctor has a good word for you!
Darien

I wish you the best in your struggle for better health. I think that people like you that have the courage to tell others of the mistakes that they made will really help those of us who are just starting out. It makes us fully aware of the pitfalls if we don't follow the rules. We all think that once we get the weight off, then it can't hurt to slide from time to time but that is so dangerous because we get lazy and slide more often than we follow the rules. Your example of organ problems and anemia is frightening and people should listen to you and re-assess where they are. I know I will. Thank you for being so candid.

Well, I'm stunned and shocked by your post. Thank you for telling us this stuff. If you look around on the website, you'll see that I've been posting about my anemia issues. But if I'm reading your post right, your severe anemia lead to your kidney problems, or was it your kidney problems that lead to your anemia? Your post gives me tons of questions I'd like to ask you, if you can spare the time.

Please PM me if you're willing to talk to me specifically. I'd be forever grateful.

I hope and pray that they find a better solution for you! Sincerely.

Sorry to hear you are struggling so. Thank you for spreading such important information. What does your doctor say is the cause of the kidney damage? Is it lack of water? Is it too much protien? Or what? I asked in my orientation if you could eat too much protien. I was told that too much could damage the kidneys. Or maybe it is the combination of metabolic changes?
If you know or can ask what the culprit is, I'd really like to know.
Thanks. I'll be sending good thoughts your way.
ITM

Thanks for the information...I have recently developed kidney stones - am scheduled for a cat scan tomorrow as a matter of fact. It never ceases to amaze me the information that gets shared here - there is just so much to know and it seems not even the docs have it all together.

Thanks for your story - I hope all goes well for you as you move forward.

OK... having already had my galbladder removed, that f**king freaks me out.

Great info...

Sandi, the way that I'm reading the post is that her kidney issues led to her anemia. This is all very interesting.

MartiniMomma, I sure do hope that all of this gets better with treatment.

Hi there,

The kidneys went first and I believe it's mostly due to me not drinking enough and possibly a combination (from recent readings of wls studies online) of the bypass. I also think that when we lose so much weight, all of the 'crap' that was stored in our fat (bad things from all of the old food we ate) can overpower our system and your kidney's process all of that. I'm sure all of these things were components.

So kidney stones in one kidney and a fatty tumor in the other that was beginning to grow and had to have 1/2 of my 'good' kidney removed- left me with about 40% total function. Then about 6mons after they did that surgery- 8/07, I began having such bad anemia that my heart was actually skipping beats. After months of being on liquid iron and then cutting back only to have iron counts drop again... I did my own research and found that low kidney function (chronic kidney disease is even for someone like me who just had low function due to an infection and 'hydronephrosis' a kind of puffing out of a kidney due to it having been blocked for a while) also can suffer anemia. Your kidneys are responsible for making a hormone that tells your bone marrow to make more red blood cells. With lower kidney function (thanks to old stones issue and the other kidney having 1/2 removed due to tumor), they're not making enough of the hormone. So anytime I try to cut back on the liquid iron, the counts drop so low again that I can barely get through a day.

I'm telling you, friend.. I am not pleased with NEMC (tufts in boston). They should've done more to keep in touch with us to ensure they're on top of what issues can come down the road to help save others. I would tell people from the rooftops to get a lapband before ever- ever messing with not being able to absorb nutrients properly. I would never have guessed in a million years that it would affect so many organs... that trickle to others.. etc. Now I see that my heart could actually be getting thicker due to being chronicly anemic for so long. Your heart actually has to pump harder when you're anemic and over time.... long term, irreversible affects.

It sucks. I'm only 34 and have a 12yr daughter that I want to not have to see me go through more health issues b/c I couldn't control what I put in my mouth- just being real.

It seems like WE are the only ones digging this information out. You can bet on it that I will be marching right back to the OCC (NEMC) to tell them exactly what I think of them and their 'hands off' approach to following through with people AFTER they get their money.

I hope all is well and we really need to stick together and be our own doctors here. Bottom line is take control of your health- get regular labs, see the dr. if you have lower back or side pain, heart palp's, etc. Most doctors will not know these things that are very specific to wls patients.

Thanks,
MartiniMomma

MM--

quick question---what does your eating plan look like each day---

Exactly!

I'm curious when you learned you'd developed a fatty tumor in the one kidney?

[i]Savanah,
Nice new pic! [/i]

Thanks!

MMOMMA...have you heard from your Dr? Has anyone heard from MMomma??? I just saw this post tonight and I am intrigued....would like to know more...

Hoping everything is ok with you Mmomma...lots of hugs to you!

Amelia, I haven't heard any more from MMomma. I did ask my surgeon about this and he said basically that it's very important to keep on top of your lab work, and that kidney function can be watched with your Creatinine levels.

The biggest warning MMomma posted was drink your water! People who lose weight rapidly and are on high protein diets really give the kidneys a big challenge. If you're drinking nothing but coffee, tea and flavored drinks, you're making it that much more of a challenge for the kidneys to do their job. The vitamins that we take, especially Vitamin C in such high doses can form crystals in your kidneys and that's when you start having the troubles that MMomma described.

You NEED to eat the protein. You NEED to take the vitamins. So how do you keep from having the kidney problems? Well, the most important thing you can do is to drink your water! Every time you want something to drink that isn't pure water, make yourself drink a glass of pure water first. Then have that other thing. Make sure your urine is clear every day. Secondly, don't become obsessed with losing your weight so quickly. Slow and steady will get the job done, and it'll be a lot easier on ALL of your organs. The need for speed is very hard on our bodies. Slow down and give your kidneys a break.

The other really big warning of MMomma's post is: if you feel pain in your kidneys LISTEN to that pain and get to your pcp. Analyze your diet and fluid intake to see if you may be overtaxing your kidneys. Here are some questions to ask:

* Am I consuming alcohol?
* Am I drinking as much pure water as I am coffee or tea?
* How many grams of protein am I eating daily for the past week?
* What is my Creatinine level?
* Have I been taking huge amounts of Vitamins and/or minerals (even salt)?

MMomma's warning here is a huge wake up call. I have a feeling that she wants to spread the word as far and wide as possible. The message: stay alert, stay on top of your health, get your labs done frequently and KNOW what the numbers mean. Don't wait for someone to tell you what they mean.

I just wanted to mention this about kidney stones. My husband developed a large kidney stone about a year after his WLS. They sent the stone for analysis, to see what it was made of. The Urologist told us that the stone was made of Calcium. When I questioned him about my husband's need for calcium post WLS, and his tendency to kidney stones (family history), he told me something that REALLY surprised me. He said that not having enough calcium would be worse for my husband than taking his supplements. He said that low calcium can actually contribute to getting kidney stones. He said it had something to do with how calcium is metabolized from your circulating blood supply. He explained it very well, and even as a nurse, he lost me after about the third sentence. I walked away with this understanding: Even in the case of calcium kidney stones, as a WLS patient, you MUST take your Calcium, unless your urologist tells you differently. It was certainly something that surprised me.

Hi everyone,I'm new here and just read a whole bunch of stuff I have been dying to know if everyone else experienced thes things like me. I too suffer from kid stones, anemea, had gall bladder removed, artthrits, and many numerous pain in th neck issues. I go for lab work every 3 mo., I have occational Iron infusuons, I take multi vitamin, calcium citrate plus d and hoping this helps. If ask I would never have had the surgery again knowing what I know today. The lasting ongoing health problems with major organs is way to scary, I hate myself for not being in control enough to handle my eating habits and now I've gained most of my weight back, it's really not worth it, but oh well I can't go back, this web site is really going to help me, I've wanted something like this for a very long time, I felt so alone but not now, I'm dying to here from martini mom, How are you doing? Would welcome any advise from anyone!!!

I'm new on these boards and I just found this post today. A few thoughts come to mind.

My story is almost the polar opposite of MM in a way. About 30 years ago, the doctors discovered that I had kidney stones in a lower pole. They had never given me pain, but I did have blood in my urine. I went through years of kidney procedures.

I was also severely anemic. Finally, one doctor put me on Procrit injections. They were prescribed because it was determined my kidneys did not sent the message to my bone marrow to make red blood cells. The shots were no fun. I had to give them to myself, and until I discovered that they made two different kinds - buffered and unbuffered - and they prescribed the buffered Procrit for me, the pain of each shot was baaaaaaad. Eventually, my hemoglobin began to rise and they cut back the shots to every other week, then once a month, and now I don't have to take Procrit at all.

Interestingly, it was after my gastric bypass over three years ago that my hemoglobin began its upswing. My hemoglobin is well within normal limits now. My creatinine level before surgery was steady at about 2.5 (which is very bad). Now it is stable at about 1.4. My kidneys will never be perfect, but I am here to tell you that they can improve.

By the way, when I was deciding whether to have gastric bypass, my urologist warned me that too much protein will overwork the kidneys and reduce function. I know the rule is protein, protein, protein; but I've had to modify that somewhat. Of course, in time I added plenty of slider foods that I'm now dealing with. What I needed to add was more complex carbs - not pretzels. He also explained that calcium citrate will help prevent the formation of stones.

I recently had a checkup with the urologist and after looking at my most recent ultrasound, he told me that he no longer sees stones in my kidneys. We (he and I) had resolved ourselves with the fact that I would never be rid of the stones. We are both surprised and pleased. My kidneys are still cystic, but I've come a long way baby.

I sincerely hope MM has had better news from her doctor.

Martini -
Thank you for the warning.
It is so important to get our labs done on schedule.

We've come this far - keep it clean and take care of yourself (ourself).

Blessings on regaining your health!

Hugs

I just keep wondering what was the cause of the fatty tumor that caused MM to have half of her kidney removed. I haven't found any jump in the kidney function as long as u stay hydrated. And lets face it tea and coffee are just flavored water (decaf only for me). But I always follow a cup with an equal amount of plain water just to be safe. I really wish MM would return to answer some more ???? Also remember that everybody is different and don't draw parallels to your situation until you get a CMP (blood test) and a CBC and a creatine level before you start going crazy. It may have nothing to do with her WLS but it is always smart to keep up with all of your blood work. I get it once a year from my surgeon and I have my PCP do it 6 months again after my surgeons tests to just be safe.

I had a kidney stone just about a month ago... the doctor said it was caused by dehydration, to drink more.

My question is, if your magnesium is low, wouldn't this show up in your labwork? How often do you get it? I am wondering, since I get labs done every 3 mos, my doctor would tell me if something looked off... my vitamin D level did come back low this time, but many times gastric bypass patients do have vit d thats low... and I'm wondering if we should FOREVER take a vitamin D supplement like we have to take the calcium, multis, sublingual b12s, etc...

Will these problems show up in our labs?

I am so sorry that this has happened to you.

Just thought that I would add my thoughts to this. My husband is in renal failure. He has not had WLS but I do know that his protein intake has to be 5ounces or under every day to limit the damage to his kidneys. This would be a contradiction to WLS as we have to have increased protein. He also has anemia and I give him a shot one time a month. It is not procrit but starts with an A. It helps build his red blood cells. He and I both have a history of kidney stones so we both drink alot of water. He pretty much drinks water exclusively. Hope this is helpful to some. We definitely need to get our water in every day.

Diamond Girl

WOW!! It's so great to hear from everyone!

I followed up after surgery with my PC, but have been having difficulties adjusting to post-GBS life. First it was going from high blood sugar and blood pressure to low blood sugar and blood pressure... Recently I was diagnosed as having nesidioblastosis - my pancreas is producing too much insulin, hence the frequent "lows." I also found out recently - after breaking my first bone at age 50 - that I have osteopenia. To add insult to injury, I am now undergoing tests for gallstones and to make sure my intestines are not compromised. I have had 13 surgeries so far and am now looking at number 14 (gallbladder removal).

I would really be interested in hearing what y'all eat everyday and what vitamins you take. I was taking Tums for calcium, because they were easier for me to digest. My bloodwork always came out well. Good calcium levels, etc. I recently switched to Calcium Citrate, after the osteopenia diagnosis.

I am having one heck of a time trying to balance everything. I thought I was doing well, but after writing down my foods for a few days, discovered that my diet sucks... Too high in fats and almost no carbs.

I am five years post-op... I think my warranty expired....

WOW, I’m in shock, I had a problem with anemia where I was dying, this was 4 years after WLS, I called the Dr’s at where I had my Surgery but I was told that it was not due to the Surgery. I know better now. I was dying and of course the Dr’s in the town I was living had no clue that WLS causes anemia. So, I had all kinds of test, to see where the blood was going. I had a bone marrow test and that is what showed that I had no RED BLOOD CELLS AND NO IRON. So I got an Iron infusion, but the whole think about the kidneys scares me…. I will be drinking my water everyday from today on and find a doctor who is knowledgeable about WLS after care.

I guess we all have to take the part about drinking more water seriously. Being overweight we have pounds of pollutants in our system. When we lose weight all that nastiness starts filtering out of us, putting a strain on the kidneys. But lets face it, not losing the weight also has our bodies in a strain. We can't say the surgery is the villian here, and not everything that happens to us can be blamed on the surgery. Sometimes you just have to put your big girl panties on and face what is coming at you. No one wants to be sick or have kidney problems but it happens to fat, skinny, short or tall, it just happens.