Q. I was reading your articles on stomach stapling surgery, and felt others may be suffering as myself. I am a 36-year-old mother of 3 children. I had stomach stapling surgery almost 13 years ago. I lost approximately 120 lbs in one year, and kept it off until I recently had a nervous breakdown and am finding it is returning rapidly.

Over the course of the past 13 years, I have had great difficulty finding healthy foods that would stay in my system. I cannot eat any citrus fruits, nor take citrus pills or chewables. My diet is limited, therefore making it difficult to maintain energy and a healthy lifestyle.

I vomit when I eat most foods. Taking pills of any kind is very hard as my stomach gets upset and fills with acid very quickly. My family Dr does not seem to be able to offer any suggestions on how to fix this problem, and it scares me. Can you offer any suggestions or guidance?

A. You are having significant problems some years after your surgical procedure. If possible, it would be best to return to the doctors that performed the surgery to see what options are available. Further tests may be needed to determine if the symptoms represent a new problem. In addition a consultation with a nutritionist familiar with your procedure will be important to assess your nutrition needs and find foods that agree with you.

WEBSITES:

http://www.obesity.org/

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/nutrit.htm

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_home.htm

http://www.asbp.org/faq.htm

MEDICAL ARTICLE (from a hospital library)

Balsiger BM, Murr MM, Poggio JL, Sarr MG. Bariatric surgery. Surgery for weight control in patients with morbid obesity. Med Clin North Am. 2000 Mar;84(2):477-89. Review.

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