6 years out and gaining

I am 6 years out. I initially lost down to 240 and am now pushing close to 300. I don't get full like I used to and am so scared of climbing back in the hole I used to be in. Is there a time when you may have to have the surgery revised? Can the stoma stretch out? Has anyone experienced this? Have you been to a doctor about it? Any comments are appreciated very much! Thanks for your time and comments. Terri (actually Lewis now, not Hodges) I got divorced in 2004.

I wish I could say I had an answer but I will be watching this post closely because I am almost 7 years out and I have gained about 50 lbs. I can't seem to lose weight at all. I was wondering if I needed to go back and get a lap band.

There are so many problems with the lap band after wls.

Reconsider your decision and always remember what you were taught post op.

I am 13 yrs out this past May

 

YES- your pouch will stretch out and you can eat more over time. That is why it is EXTREMELY important to get your underlying reasons for over eating/ gaining weight in the first place under control. If you are a stress/boredom eater and you don't get a handle on it while you are in your weight loss phase, then you WILL eventually gain it back. You have to keep up with exercise and watch what you eat for the rest of your life- you cannot be lax about it and depend on the surgery to keep you thin. That was only a tool to GET you thin. KEEPING thin is all up to you. I had my procedure in May of 2001 and lost about 200 pounds. My lowest weight was about 185. Currently, I weigh about 195. I did gain up to 220, though, so I know exactly what I'm talking about. I got lazy- took a trip to Europe (I could fit in the plane-woohoo) and ate whatever I felt like that month. Even though I couldn't eat much at once (still can't), I could certainly eat a little bit often, and I did. I came home almost 20 pounds heavier than when I left- EVEN though I did lots of walking and hiking while I was gone. I probably would have gained even more if I hadn't! It has taken 2 years of being careful of my food choices and making sure to exercise several times a week to get back down near my all time low. I still want to lose about 30 pounds and will have to work just as hard at it as I would have had to before surgery- but at least, I'm small enough now where 30 pounds will be significant and not just a drop in the bucket. I wish you good luck- but remember the mantra- "it's only a tool". Mickey Birt finally average! javascript:setMainIcon('cool',15,15)

Hi Terri. I had Open RNY in May of 2001 and initially lost 134 pounds. In the past couple of years I have gained 65 of it back so I definitely know what you are going through. It is scary to say the least! I recently came back to this sight for info about regain and to possibly consider a revision. I really don't want to go through another surgery of this magnitude especially since I consider it so serious. During my search I came across a post that recommended a "5 day pouch test" (5DPT) on the site www.livingafterwls.com. I had decided to give it a try before I went to drastic measures. The pretense of this test is to help you kick the "carb" habit, teach you the tools of your pouch again, what foods are considered "sliders" and to tighten up your pouch again so that you can get back on the right track. I have to say that at first I was extremely skeptical. I was absolutely positive that I messed up my pouch and that this would not work for me. But I figured I did not have nothing to loose so I am giving it a try. I am on day 4, and I can already feel the difference in my pouch. I can not eat as much and get full sooner. It has only been 4 days and I have already lost 4 pounds. But keep in mind that this plan is not about loosing weight. It is about getting on right track again. Check it out. You will be surprised! There is a lot of good support there as well. Good Luck to you. Let us know how you are doing. MEW

Hi Terri, I am also almost 7 years post op and have gained 60 pounds. I am horrified and embarrassed by this. I recently saw my surgeon (I did not go for three years) and discussed why this could be happening. He said that either my stomarch streached or it was not made small enough at surgery. He ordered an upper GI to see what may be going on. One question he had was if I was drinking sodas. Yes, I do. Not daily but I do drink it. He did mention that there is a procedure where they go into your stomach throught he esophogus (sp?) and they can use a device to gather the stretched area and suture it which results in reducing the stomach size. We just touched on how this is done. If it should be that this is an option, I will talk to him in much detail. What type of surgery did you have? I had the Gastric Reduction DS. Would be very interested in hearing what you find out so if you could keep posting. Thanks and good luck, Jackie

hi there:

Yes it can stretch if you stuff yourself. 

Just try to remember what got you to have wls then remember what you were taught post op and drink lots of water.