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@gailb

@leona1966

Welcome to the Mayo Connect community. I am a Volunteer Mentor and am not a medical professional. I can offer my experience and support for what you are experiencing. I also provide references for you to learn more about possible resolution of your issues. I'm sorry to hear that you're having an extended time of pain. I have some questions for you about your experience.

1. When was your gastric bypass surgery and what kind did you have?
2. Have you seen your surgeon about the pain that has lasted 5 years?
3. Are you taking your vitamins daily?
4. Have you had your vitamin and mineral levels checked since your surgery?
5. Do you belong to any other social media groups for people on the Gastric Bypass journey?

Please explain to the detail level you are comfortable sharing, more about your pain and any other effects you are having? I had RnY surgery 4 years ago. I don't have pain with mine, although I've had a couple of other things over the years that have bothered me. I have put on 6 pounds this winter that I'm hoping to get rid of this spring and summer.

Let us know how we can help you.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

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Replies to "@leona1966 Welcome to the Mayo Connect community. I am a Volunteer Mentor and am not a..."

I had my surgery April 2011. I lost 140 pounds and have managed to keep my weight consistent give or take 10 pounds. I don't let myself gain more than 10 pounds. I did inform my surgeon about my pain meds before surgery. I do take a multivitamin among other supplements. The pain has progressed a lot more in past 2yrs. I was told not to take any naproxen or ibuprofen. I still have chronic pain that percocet doesn't alleviate. Ibuprofen is the only medication that alleviates my knee and other muscles pain. I'm concerned my stomach might start to bleed due to my more frequent consumption of ibuprofen recently. My anemia panel done 2 weeks ago show all are extremely low. It made me think that I might have some bleeding in my stomach I don't know about. I consume 3-6 ibuprofen a week for the last 4 months. I need to see my surgeon but still waiting on a referral from my pup. It has been 4 years since I last saw my surgeon.

I had rny 12 years ago. All is going super well with that still at weight. My question is this. I am having “golfers elbow” I only take Tylenol is it ok to take aleve?

2013 gastric bypass RYn.
Yes
No
No
No
I’m bipolar, have Borderline personality disorder and ADHD.
I had my first serious depressive episode in March/April after surgery the following November 2013.
I have since also been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, migraines, chronic pain and fatigue.
I have been hospitalized 3 times and 1 outpatient online/video course last May 2020. I honestly believe, due to the increase in frequency of manic and depressive episodes, lack of pain management meds longevity and only two or three hours of focus and vision/concentration from Vyvanse which is supposed to last 8 to 12 hours Per day. I live in Arkansas and I’ve had Pharma genomics testing in DNA testing. My PCP thinks the farmer genetic testing and genetic testing is hogwash and will do nothing to help better treat me. My psychiatrist knows that I’ve had gastric bypass and then I do not absorb my medication like I did before surgery and refuses to acknowledge that I might not be absorbing the medication and I need it in another form. I applied at Mayo clinic praying to get to see somebody that could put my genetic testing and Pharma genetic testing together while also taking into consideration my past surgery of gastric bypass. Unfortunately I have not been able to work since May 2016 when I was a teacher I lost my job because of my bipolar disorder. I’ve been waiting on disability for three years at least. So obviously we cannot afford great insurance and therefore we are on Arkansas Medicaid which covers pretty much next to nothing. The mayo clinic turned me down before I even got a chance to discuss financial assistance. It took me almost 2 weeks to get up the nerve to call the Cleveland clinic yesterday. Once again they took all my information and ask about my insurance and I knew from that point I was probably screwed and wouldn’t get seen by anyone. Someone supposed to call me about financial assistance, I don’t Think I’ll hold my breath. I would say six days out of the week I wish I was dead I’ve been functionally suicidal for at least two months if not longer my fibromyalgia pain has increased exponentially and now my pain doctor says I’m at the limit in Arkansas doesn’t want you to be at the limit for pain medicine they want you to be right under it so they took away one of my six oxycodone pills for the day. But I have To say based on my Pharma genomics testing my pharmacist did I carry the comment one gene and something else that makes pain medicine like hydrocodone oxycodone and morphine codeine, not work for me at all. Unfortunately the medication that my testing says would be the best for me and my jeans is absolutely unaffordable through Arkansas Medicaid, pretty much they won’t pay for any of it and it’s over $400 and it’s a patch that might actually absorb into my skin better than oxycodone‘s do.
I feel so badly most days that I have a deep dark death pit so like that cannot be put into words and I wonder how much longer I can stay in this even though I have three kids and they’re my life. I just wanted somebody to look at my case look at my medication look at my jeans figure out which medication would work best for me and put it in a form that’s bio available. But apparently according to mayo clinic I’m not sick enough or else they don’t wanna mess with me in my financial assistance. But I can tell you I do have my tax returns ready starting with 2017, my husband farms by himself, are just a gross income was a -$5000, we didn’t even make any money that year we lost money. The next year we improved, and no we are a family of five, to about 18 to 20,000 adjusted gross income and this last year it was about 23,000 adjusted gross income. Unfortunately most people want to look at your gross income but because we farm it’s sucked up immediately by insurance utilities and all things Pharm related. We literally have no money right now I can’t even go to the grocery store and my car broke down on the way to church camp and it’s gonna cost $3000 to rebuild the transmission. If I can’t get in to see somebody at Cleveland clinic, I honestly don’t know what I will do besides the fact that I’ll fall apart. I’m at my wits end and the bottom of the barrel I don’t know what I will do if they do not except me or take financial assistance from me. Basically they are my last hope and when you’ve tried ketamine therapy 13 electric shock therapy‘s and more medication than I would ever remember to count, where is the hope? When there’s no hope of a new drug or a new procedure and it hits you, you’ve tried and done everything you know to do and now there’s nothing left. So what do you do when all your hope runs out? It’s hard to keep hanging on day after day when you feel as mentally and physically ill as I do, I do not have a high tolerance for pain and I pretty much cry every day all day and give myself migraines because of so many tears.
I apologize for this being so long; thank you for letting me get it out.