HELP!!! Anyone else considering or needing a Revision???

God, I need help here... I had my surgery in October of 2002 with a starting weight of 317.5 pounds. The first 4 months were hell! It started with me losing a large amount of blood on the 2nd day after my surgery and requiring several transfusions. Then I come home after a week in the hospital and I couldn't drink the protein shake because it made my throat swell up. For 4 months, I could barely walk because my body was so incredibly weak. And to top it off, every single day since about a week after I had my surgery, I vomit anywhere from 2 to 4 times a day. That's almost 3 years now. The reason: I don't have that internal "switch" that tells me when I've overeaten. So, "blah" it comes right up...very attractive, lemme tell you. Everyone says "stop when you know you've eaten too much". Great...how do I know when I've eaten too much?? Hmmm...by PUKING?!?!All I've managed to do is stretch my pouch and after having lost about 100 pounds, which is not impressive when I read others' posts, I've managed to gain back almost 50lbs. At this point, I'm so frustrated that I don't know what to do. I'm wondering if anyone else has gained back a significant amount or has had problems with excessive vomiting or has also considered a revision. Sorry for the crappy attitude, but I'm sure you can tell I'm pretty darn disgusted with myself. By the way, I have had 2 endoscopies to try to shrink my pouch again, but it didn't last in both instances. I think I just need some support...any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Jo-Jo :o{

Well it sounds like you've really been through the ringer with the first surgery. Have you talked to your surgeon about what he/she thinks went wrong? I mean I would hate for you to have to go through that all over again. I know that if I were in your position I would probably consider it. I feel like I didn't have surgery to still be fat. I would talk with your surgeon and maybe another and get their opinion. Erin 277/168/165

JoJo: 1st off don't be so hard on yourself!!! The operation we have is on our tummy not our head. We were all used to eating a certain way and that is hard to break just because our tummy is now the size of a shot glass. Does your surgeon provide after care in the form of support groups? If not I would find one and attend. I know I get a lot of my motivation from attending the ones at Yale. Do you measure your foods? If not I would start there since that will help you to know the volume you are eating instead of throwing up because you have become too full. I know I also throw up if I drink too soon after eating. Does your surgeon know you have been throwing up for the last couple of years? That can not be good for your tummy, teeth, heart etc... Best of luck to you. Chryssie

Hi there... I'm so sorry you're going through this. I hate to give a simple or stupid answer, but the obvious thing that jumps out at me is - portion control... Do you measure your foods before you eat? This would stop all that puking, and fast! It stinks that you don't have the apropriate sensation to make you stop- but you do have another tool you can use. If you're not sure about portion size, get on over to your nutritionist and ask for help. I think that at this point I would consider going to another surgeon for a 2nd opinion. If it's been this long, and your surgeon hasn't been able to address it, then it would be wise to involve a fresh set of eyes on the problem. I do wish you the very best of luck. Your frustration comes through, loud and clear. I hope you can find the answers you need. Best wishes, Lisa C

Wow! Thank you guys SO MUCH for responding! Honestly, it was all this frustration coming out and I didn't expect anyone to respond, so I do appreciate your kind words. In all honesty, I don't have any idea as to what size I should limit my portions to. I'm open to any suggestions in terms of ounces, etc. I have trouble keeping any amount of beef, pork and chicken down. Sometimes I'll eat about 3 to 4 ozs. of a certain type of meat and be able to keep it down and the next time...well, you know. Of course, I'm usually combining it with a small side of some type of starch and veggies, but all in all, I don't think I'm eating more than 8 to 9 ozs. at every meal. The problem is after I throw up, I'm still hungry, so I go back and eat more...of course, slowly by surely putting back on this weight. I've kept my doctor informed as to what's been going on. At that point I had gained about 20lbs and he wasn't too concerned with it. But that's why he decided to try to "shrink" my pouch, but he also told me that it only works permanently in about 50% of the people. Of course I'm on the other 50% side... We did the procedure twice. They do an endoscopy and inject an agent into your pouch which kind of "burns" it, causing scar tissue which in turn is supposed to cause it to shrink down a bit. It's pretty painful for about a week...kinda feels like someone punched you full force in the stomach. In the first couple of days, you don't want to eat, but I actually felt it "give" after 3 or 4 days. My doctor decided that if these procedures didn't work, we would consider a revision. I have an appointment with him in a few weeks (hopefully, if they don't cancel...again) and we'll see what he says. Again, I appreciate the responses and I didn't mean to tell my life story (again), but I think it's great that I can find support here. Hugs, Jo

Jo, The procedure that you are taking about creates scar tissue in the stoma, not the pouch. Sometimes it takes upto 3-4 times for it to create enough scar tissue. As someone who has had the scar therapy done, I know personally that it takes a few times to get the right amount of the necessary scar tissue! But once its doen you do need to modify your eating habits (like measuring your food). Have you contacted Judy to re-educate you on your food choices and portion size? If not, I suggest you do that as well. Dr. Barba is a fantastic surgeon, but he relies on the nutritionist to provide you with those answers. I think that if you had the scar therapy done again and then modified your food choices, you'd be very successful without needing a revision! Jessica

Jessica, Thanks for you reply. It's a bit frustrating, because Dr. Barba told me that if the scar therapy didn't work after the 2nd time it probably wouldn't at all (he said it only worked in 50% of people) and that we might have to look at a revision. I know things change all the time and maybe that's why I was misinformed. Or maybe I'm just a tard. :P I am going to attempt to make an appt with Judy, as you suggested and maybe that will get me somewhere. By the way, sorry for being such a crabass (okay, b*tch is more like it) when you called to reschedule my appt with him. I'm just dying to know where to go from here before things get really out of control and having to wait an extra month is a little irksome. I know it's out of your control, though (I work in a doctor's office as well), so I apologize for the attitude. Thanks for your help! Jo