Vaping after Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery... Ulcers?

[kalojado]

Hey fellow vapers, i have a question. I had RNY Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery on December 8, 2009. I had stopped vaping the day before surgery and had quit up until a few days ago. We went out, and I started vaping and haven't been able to put it down. This damn thing is haunting me

Anyways, they don't want us smoking because it can increase the chance of getting an ulcer on the remnant stomach and it is hard to get to without surgery. So I am wondering if I have the same risk of ulceration from vaping? If so, I will put this thing down for good, but I would like to be able to vape if I could. I can't drink soda, I am limited on what I can eat and vaping makes me happy. Any of you smart medical people have any answers for me? I would like to put my mind at ease, but please let me know if there is any chance I could get ulcers. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance!

 

[MsSki]

I had WLS surgery 8 yrs ago I have no fears . inhale into your lungs not your stomach ( gulping the air ) WLS changed my life. I lost 180 pounds and I hope to never find it again....LOL
Tara

 

[martha1014]

My daughter had gastric bypass surgery 3 years.She loss 120 lbs. Nobody ever told her that smoking could cause an ulcer. She only smoked about 10 cigarettes a day. I would think vaping for anyone is better than smoking. Good luck on your weight loss. Be sure to take the supplements and vitamins they give you. Look for thinks like hair loss, medications not absorbed correctly and birth control not working correctly. You many want to take liquid medications.

 

[kalojado]

Yeah, I at at 12 weeks and down 75 lbs! It has been pretty great so far. I do take all my meds and vitamins and will do so. My sister in law had this done and wont take any meds and she has already had to have a couple iron infusions. My brother tries to get her to even take flintstones vitamins and she wont do it. I think that is pretty stupid. She is 6 years out and thinks she knows it all. I dont even know what to say to her. But anyway, yeah, I just was worried about the ulcers. Not sure if it is even tru, but I have had people tell me that and it kinda worried me. Thanks so far for the responses, it is greatly appreciated!!

 

[pisacandy]

Had bypass almost 4 years ago... took analogs back up 8 days after the surgery and hadn't had any problems with ulcers, nor was told about the possibility, just that I shouldn't do it (thought it was the 'quit now since you're doing something good for your body' aspect)... no problems with vaping so far either, I don't think the nicotine is what causes the ulcers, more like the nasty crap in analogs that has all that bad stuff associated with it. Good luck, it's a wonderful journey (170 pounds lost, only 10 pounds found their way back, May 2006)

 

[DMS2009]

My daughter wants to have gastric bypass surgery real bad, but no insurance. she is about 330 lbs. anybody have a suggestion on how to get help paying for this?

 

[kalojado]

go to obesityhelp.com the forums there are filled with great people who may be able to help!

 

[martha1014]

I realize this is an old thread but I wanted to ask a few questions. I am BP I which has been stable for years. I also had a narcotic dependency years ago. Will these prevent me from having a gastric bypass surgery. What did your insurance company require for approval. Did you have to be on a diet and lose weight prior to surgery. How soon could you began taking your meds after surgery.(especially mood stabilizers. Did they test you for nicotine. Do doctors tell you to quit smoking prior to surgery. Did they tell you to quit all nicotine prior to surgery.

My research shows nicotine by itself improves wound healing. Smoking delays wound healing.

 

[andrea0121]

Wow, interesting to find this on ECF! I'm actually having WL surgery on Nov. 23rd, I'm having the LapBand instead of the gastric bypass.

I have insurance, very good insurance that actually doesn't make you jump through hoops for this procedure. I know from being involved on another WL forum that some don't have it that lucky. Some people have to commit to 6 months of supervised (expensive) diet from the nutritionalist and psychologist.

I only had to have 2 co-morbitities and a BMI over 35 ORRR (I fall into the OR category) a BMI over 40 without required co-morbidities.

If anyone is interested in the Lapband the forum is lapbandtalk.com. Obesity help's website is great as well for anyone interested in the other procedures available.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'll try to help.

 

[andrea0121]

Also, I told my general practitioner and my surgeon that I haven't smoked an analog since January 2010 and that I strictly vape. From what I gathered from our discussion, smoking actual analogs has something to do with how you wake up from anesthesia. That is my totally uneducated guess from the convo. It's harder to come out of? Neither of them seemed concerned with vaping before/after surgery.

Also, my cousin just had back surgery a couple months ago and they LET him vape in his hospital room afterwards. The nurses and doctors thought it was great rather than smoking. Seriously, lol.

 

[Sdh]

To reply to orginal question. The concern of nicotine related to surgery. The basis is that nicotine produces vasospams-constriction of blood vessels. Therefore less blood to needed area for purpose of healing. Another noted it may allow carbon monoxide to bind to area and not allow oxygen to be released to area. Thus reducing healing time. With gastric bypass sugery B-12 is compromized and nicotine may further reduce this.

A good doctor would be monitoring the b-12 levels anyway. I personally don't think nicotine would be that harmful after healing has occured. In addition, Nicotine is being studied for possible pain reduction. However, in large amounts it can cause nausea/vomiting. One thing to note is YMMV.

This is just my limited knowledge on nicotine. I would personally do a google search on Nicotine and its effect on surgery.

 

[Ast_Isis]

I realize this is an old thread but I wanted to ask a few questions. I am BP I which has been stable for years. I also had a narcotic dependency years ago. Will these prevent me from having a gastric bypass surgery. What did your insurance company require for approval. Did you have to be on a diet and lose weight prior to surgery. How soon could you began taking your meds after surgery.(especially mood stabilizers. Did they test you for nicotine. Do doctors tell you to quit smoking prior to surgery. Did they tell you to quit all nicotine prior to surgery.

My research shows nicotine by itself improves wound healing. Smoking delays wound healing.

1. Your BP and past dependency should not be an issue.
2. What insurances require before surgery can vary greatly. Some even want you to spend X amount of time with a registered dietitian or psychiatrist before surgery. You would have to ask your insurance or bariatric surgeon for specifics.
3. My surgeon put me on a specific diet for 2 months before my RNY. The diet shrunk my liver so that there was less of a chance that it would be nicked during surgery. He also wanted me to lose 10% of my weight since it has been shown that people who do this bounce back faster post-surgery.
4. I did not take meds but I am sure your Dr. will address this issue with you.
5. My Dr. did not test for nicotine but I have read about some that do. I was told to quit at least 1 month prior to surgery. Unfortunately I started smoking again 6 months later and wished I had known about ecigs then.

NOTE: Things may have changed since my surgery was 4 yrs ago.