4 years post-op !!!

Well as of last month I am 4 years post-op and I am very dissaponited in myself. All those years I had tried to stay where I was at last and now I have gained a total off 37 -38 lbs back... God I knew this was only a tool as the doctor had told me before I had the surgery, but well so goes life. Wishing my gravings for pop and sweets would have never returned but they did, i am not constantly eating them but, ever so often its like its calling me...Come and get me... so what do i do i get it...*sighs*.. Need to see what can be done and if i am able to have the pouch altered to a smaller size again. But we'll see about that... Hope that everyone else is doing better then me and god bless.... Birgit...

Congrats to you Birgit. I was 4 years post op on June 19th. I went from 365 to 195 and kinda got stuck there. Unfortunately for me, I had a perforated ulcer in my pouch and had to go in for an emergency revision in October. I'm now down to 170, but I'll tell ya, it's not fun going through this again, and it's just as scary the second time around. Use the tool you have, don't go for more surgery if you don't have to. Erica

Hi Erica, well congrats to you as well on the great accomplishment and I am sorry to hear that you had problems with your pouch and such. I know i don't really want surgery anymore and yet I do. It is weird actually to be feeling two side, ya know one way pulling you towards the surgery and the other just telling you heck no. Will post more on this when i found out what works.. But I will try and just see what else i can do about it. *Merry Christmas and a happy New year to you and yours* take care.. Birgit

Hi Birgit, I too am 4 1/2 years out -- I lost 139 pounds and regained 30 pounds as well. The surgical group that I had my surgery with offers a support group and pre-surgery I agreed to attend this group once per month -- I'm the only one from my initial group that still has maintained my part of that agreement. I have benefited from this group because there are several patients who are father out than myself. I had the opportunity to learn about the struggles that occur as we get farther away from our surgery date. Remember we had surgery on our stomach not our heads. Bariactrac surgery was a second chance for me -- I would have done anything prior to surgery but post surgery I make every attempt to resume those old behaviors and those behaviors go hand in hand with weight gain. What I did to lose the weight was to get back to the basics of my initial weight loss program. I cut the carbs and faithfully took the vitamins and also I got involved into an exercise program. I did have a rather large plateau in the size 12 range but after about six months of being true to the program (that was very difficult) I broke through and am now I'm finding that once again my clothes are very loose and I now have gone past my smallest size. Nothing feels as good as having a closet full of clothes to choose from and when I try them on they are too big. The other thing I've done is start to have the excess skin removed. I'm in for a lot of plastic surgery but the after results give me additional hope and encourage me to be faithful to this program. You have come a long way -- don't be so hard on yourself for a small set back. You've taken the courage to solicit help from this site and recognising you need help is a huge step in getting the help you need. Happy holidays -- I'm wishing you all the best.

Hi Carrie ! Thank you for writing me as well I appreciate everyone sharing their stories with me after all we are in the same boat. Well I have quit going to the group for that there wasn't hardly anyone left, everyone was just simply not going anymore and i decided it was not worth coming in 25 miles out off town to sit there with a mere couple off people. So yes I sort off miss that but it can't be helped. Plateaus were always my problem and when i got frustraded i ate, well i suppose i didn't with the surgery as well. yet the first 20 pounds actually cme back in 2003 for that i got to go home to visit my folks in germany and cripes i was craving that food and i ate it. what after that made me rather angry but it happened. Yet the holidays are now upon us and that doesn't help me much either. for some reason my sweet tooth just had to come back and awwwwwwwwww thats not cool at all but i try not to get carried away with anything. As well as a lot off stress i had within this year made me hang on to the food more tightly what is when you think off it very sad. well anyways maybe 2006 will look better for us all. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.. good luck and god bless.... Birgit