Anyone have gastric stapling in early 80s

I had a revisional surgery done in September as I had fistulas (wholes from where the staples used to be) that had ulcerated as well as having a hernia repaired and my gallbladder removed. I would be interested in comparing notes from anyone who had the surgery back in the late 70s, early 80s and how they are doing now. I am 53 years old, since my surgery I have lost about 70 lbs. Weight loss has stopped completely at the moment. I find that I can eat way more than I was lead to believe I would be able to. I never get a full feeling and have been experiencing a burning sensation around the area where my new stomach is. I went to a support group meeting last night and one of the doctors was the moderator. He suggested I call into the office and have it checked out. He said that revision surgeries are harder to predict, weight loss is not as good, and the honeymoon period is shorter. Anyone else experience this. So far I have been very happy with the surgery. I have not been sick, don't dump, have a heck of a lot more energy. Would love to hear from the rest of you as to how the surgery is working for you.

Hi!! I had a VBG in 1984 and had to get it reversed about 2 yrs later because I had gotten to the point where I could not eat at all...I was able to keep the weight off for about 10 yrs but then I slowly started to gain all the weight back, and then some. I am looking into getting a revision (RNY) done. I certainly never thought I would be doing this again, but I have tried everything! I am very concerned with the added risk factor. This website has certainly provided me with alot of information and I feel confident the surgery will work good for me this time!! Its been 20 years and I think the technology is much better!

I had gastric stapling in 1979, it never really worked, I must been a guiena pig for the U of A hospital here in Tucson. It is a medical teaching hospital. I swore to never re do it. Well I did. Nov. 4-2004 I had open RNY surgery, in Phx at St. Lukes medical Center, Dr. Fang MD. It was so much easier than the first operation. I am now 70 lbs lighter and feel so much better. My health was getting bad and I was basically forced to have this latest surgery. I have had one complication since surgery. Two abscess came at 7 weeks another came at 10 weeks after surgery on the incision. They were very bad -large abscesses. Was on 1 round of Cipro pills. Then 3 rounds of liquid Keflex. It was diffinately a staph infection, but not the really bad staph everyone is worried about, because they took a culture and it was plain old staph. I give you luck and sucess, I am thrilled with the lighter me. Sandy in Tucson...RNY...open....Nov. 4-2004-------70 lbs lighter forever this time!!!!!

I had the stapling done back in 1980. One of the revolving door procedures.........aka known as no information, no follow up, no education about afterwards. In that first 5 months I lost 100 pounds but that was it. The main thing they left out was that birth control no longer worked and to NOT get pregnant. I assumed everything was fine til 5 months out I was pregnant. Played havoc on the surgery and the pregnancy was rough. I have lost another 100 pounds since then but it took 20 years. I am back to where I was ater the first 5 months, having regained the second 100 pounds. I would dearly love a revision but NOT to the RNY or micro pouch. Can't risk dumping, not even once due to other medical conditions that have developed since then. The quanderythis puts me in is: not one of the DS surgeons in MI will do a revision from a previous surgery and none of them will accept my insurance and I sure can't afford to pay for this myself. So I guess iI am not the kind of story you may have wanted to read....as I am not a WLS sucess story.

I have never dumped with open Rny---Revision surgery. I never eat sugar or many carbs like rice, pasta or flour products. I think if u watch what goes in your mouth.....you will not dump and RNY will work for you. This my opinion. It has worked for me. 70 lbs lighter in Tucson and happier. Sandy...Open...RNY...Revision...Dr. Fang Md....St. Lukes Medical Center....Nov. 4-2004

Try posting on the DS forum---perhaps someone there can direct you to a revision DS surgeon nearby. You should also try some of the DS-specific Facebook groups. There's one called Duodenal Switch Patients that has a lot of long-timers and revision patients.

I had the Stapling surgery in 1985. I never lost more than 20lbs and could eat anything and as much as I wanted. The only thing that did and still does happen is I sometimes dump from meats if I don't chew them well other than that I eat all food. I am now in the process of getting a revision. My doctor has told me that this surgery if far more dangerous and the weight does come off slower. i am now 63 yrs old but I am leaving it in God's hand because I have so many medical problems especially with my back that I must lose the weight. All of my test are coming back on and all of my doctors agree that it is a good thing to do. I will be having the open RNY because of all of the surgery that I have had. I will be happy with any weight loss. Good luck. Gladys

I had my stapling done in 1979, Halloween.  That should have warned me there.  But, I am now in my late 50's but now have developed problems with ulcers, hernias, and when I had my surgery I weighed 210 pounds.  But I had post-op complications, I lost 60 pounds, but had three surgeries.  The original, the one for the abdominal abscess that almost killed me, and they removed my gall bladder in May of 1980 because I kept getting pancreatitis.  I fought hard for a year.  11 hospitalizations.  But each year, I put more weight until age 50 when I was over 450 pounds.  I was diagnosed with a gluten problem, which later was Celiac.  In the past six years, I've lost nearly 200 pounds.  And now, I can't eat hardly at all.  I am awaiting the results of a biopsy as I write this, I have ulcers, and they believe there are more problems with the stomach stapling.    It's been since 2005 since you asked this questions, but right now, they are looking at so many problems with me that they are proposing a complete gastric bypass which I really don't want.  I would like to know what you decided to do, and how things turned out for you.  This is really a scary decision for me.