What kind of medical problems can you have years after a gastric bypass surgery?

[ErinM911]

I had a gastric bypass surgery in Jan'04 & so far i have been pretty healthy(despite not following all dr instructions). But about 8 years ago i began suffering from some severe mental health issues which have only worsened over the years. At the beginning, in order to cope i started drinking, and i went from being a person who drank 1 or 2x a yr to being a 24/7 drinker that required a medical detox so i would sieze out and die. I went through detox and rehab 3x, but continued to relapse and was hospitalized with pancreatitis 2x. The 2nd time the dr scared me to death and told me i only had 30% of my pancreas left. Can that be true? And if it could be true, is that a permanent thing?i stayed sober for over 2yrs after that and decided to order a drink at dinner one night, and then a 2nd-and have way through the 2nd i got a strong pain in my stomach and i stopped and it lasted about 2 days..maybe 2 months later i tried again and the same thing happened..i havent touched a drink again since and that was maybe 8 months ago...so is possible that pain was from my pancreas? Thats long after being sober? And with such a small amount of alcohol? And is it because ive had gastric bypass?

[specialmom]

By the way, my dear friend has gastric bypass many years ago when it was newer as well.  I want to say about 10 years ago.  She lost initially 120 pounds.  Over time she has gained weight back.  So hard to maintain.  I hope you have a strong support group.  She goes to a walking group of gastric bypass people and a water aerobics class a couple of times a week.  Her downfall is she still enjoys food and is part of a big robust family of people that use food to reward and celebrate.  Anyway, I hope you've maintained and are doing well!

[specialmom]

Doctors are under a hypocritic oath and really don't 'lie' just to scare people out of drinking.  My husband's cousin was an alcoholic.  He was hospitalized for esophageal issues and the doctor said if he even has one more binge, he can die from the condition caused by his drinking.  He died a month later, sure enough, from the esophageal issue they said could kill him.  So, I'd take their information about your pancreas as true.  Were you give a protocol to follow post gastric bypass?  

I would just say that if you have 'tried' to have alcohol and both times it resulted in pain, don't drink.  I'd go with the cause and effect and eliminate the potetial cause.  good luck

[ErinM911]

Also i wanted to add (bc i guess u cant edit posts) when i had gastric bypass it was still considered a relatively "new" procedure and there wasnt a lot of information on what the long term effects would be ...and now here i am 14 years later flying blind not knowing what to expect as far what the long term effects are..and im sure there are some...i have physically altered the internal makeup of my body, my digestive tract..i have 2 stomachs, my intestines have been cut and rerouted..my body doesnt have the same absorption capabilities as a "normal" person..so taking all those things into consideration what potential problems could be being overlooked by regular doctors who dont work with post gastic bypass patients on a regular basis and do they even know what to look for? I feel like a guinea pig for the 1st time since having this surgery