RYN revisions?? Im SO curious!

This is for those of you who have had a failed RNY procedure...

Please, tell me in full detail, how/why did you consider your RNY a failure? What went wrong? What complications are you facing? I am considering getting RNY done this summer and I seriously want to know what some of you are going through when it fails.  What you say may very well change my mind in getting the surgery all together.

Please be frank and as detailed as possible.

Thank you in advance,
Amy

This is JUST my story and MY opinion. It may not be the opinion of some of the other experts on here.

My RNY isn't satisfactory to me for a couple reasons.

1) My surgeon purposely created a 2cm stoma in a double sized pouch. Even after he saw that from prior surgeries I had absolutely NO scar tissue, he still gave me an overly large stoma because he wanted to be cautious and didn't want me to get anything stuck or have a stricture. Everything I eat goes right through. I'm not hungry all the time; YET. But it takes me a long time to get full.

2) My surgeon only bypassed 100 cm of my intestine. So in addition to creating a huge black hole for a stoma, I don't have as much malapsorption either. Ok. so being able to absorb more food has been nice. I don't have the propensity for being deficient on vitamins as much as some others, but I STILL take my vitamins.

If I were to advise you, when you talk to you surgeon, ask him/her just what surgery they do. How large will the stoma be? (usual is 1cm and that stretches over time too) How large will the pouch be? How much will he/she bypass of your intestine.

I think if I had a smaller pouch/stoma and a longer bypass, I would have been more successful with my RNY. Yes, I still lost over 100 lbs because I worked hard, I MEAN HARD. But then I got tired of working so hard. The weight came back. If I could do it again, I'd do a lot more research on the exact surgery you are going to get from your surgeon.

I love my surgeon, but I wish we had discussed a few things before my going on the operation table. He's been there for me and has been honest. He's a good surgeon and I trust him. But, he is cautious which is a good thing, but just wasn't for me. I needed a more drastic surgery because I don't develop scar tissue.

Now I'm weighing in at 188 and I'm 5'10 tall. I'm fat again. But I've lost 5 lbs since trying to get back on track.

Also in order to be successful, NEVER leave this website. I know you will tire of the newbies bragging about how much they've lost and their "wow" moments every day, especially after you have already gone through those wow moments and have lost nearly all your weight. You will think you don't need this site anymore. But for me, it keeps me a little more conscious of my diet. I don't have any other means of support from WLS patients. OBH is IT.
I hope I have answered your questions. I'm sure many others will put in their thoughts as well. Would I have the surgery again? YES. But I'd tweek it a bit.
Jen

Thanks Jen for your response.

I am not having any issues yet, but I wanted to thank you for saying to stay on OH for the support and accountability. My family thinks I am crazy to log on every day (I actually log on at work also) but for me it keeps everything up front and center in my mind.

Have you been reading the Revisions board? You should. You should also research ALL forms of WLS before making your final decision.

Amy:

The best advice that I received - and I can't stress it enough - WLS is a tool - not a solution.  The problems that I had with overeating were still there after my RNY, I just needed to get through why I was an overeater which turned out to be all emotional.  I failed by thinking that with the surgery I could go back to eating anything I wanted.  I ended up putting on 65 pounds of my original 140 pound weight loss.  I recently had revision surgery and am back on my way to a healthier me.

No matter what procedure you choose, this is a complete change from how you ate before.  If you follow the guidelines that you are given, along with seeking out advise from people who have lived through WLS, you will be successful!!

I'd be happy to talk to you personally - my e-mail is [email protected].

Kris

Hello Kris , At 296 lbs. I had RNY in 2003, I lost 96 lbs. and have gained 60 back. I am considering a revision, I checking all options including stomaphyx. Which revision did you have?

Sorry, StomaPhyx and ROSE do NOT work.  Check out the revision boards, of all the people posting there not one has ever had success with it.  They all typically lose about 20# on the post op diet and as soon as they start on solids they gain the 20# back.

Ins does not cover this procedure, it is expensive, and it doesn't work.

I didn't have bypass, I had a band and then when I was at goal due to band problems revised to a sleeve.  Even though I didn't have bypass there is something I can offer for you to consider.

I'm just plain not responsible enough to have any malabsorptive procedure.  I would never take the vitamins as necessary.  It wouldn't happen.  I'd start out with the best of intentions but I'd never do it.  I am lucky in the sense that I do well with restriction alone.  I don't think most are as lucky as me.

Now that I've been at goal for a couple of years I can look back and easily say that I would have failed bypass.  Not a doubt in my mind and not due to the supplements issue.  I know me, it wouldn't have worked.  I would have let the malabsorption do the job for me and when I stopped malabsorbing a couple of years post op I'd be in a mad dash to change my eating habits.  I couldn't do it pre op, why could I do it post op?

If the band did anything for me it taught me that I can live on liquids and I wouldn't just DIE. ;o)  I mean for days at a time, weeks at a time, and eventually months at a time.  It got me off bread and bread is what got me fat.  Well, any product with flour in it.  Flour is my trigger food.  I was forced into better eating habits.  It wasn't totally by choice and my health paid a price due to the band but it did get me off some white carbs.

I wouldn't have likely had that issue with bypass.  I would have been able to eat the same load of crap I had been eating pre op.  I would have lost well at first and about this point in my weight loss journey I'd be starting the regain process and trying to change what I never could before.

I'm not suggesting everyone is like me, clearly they are not.  But if you are a person that puts off changing eating habits, etc., think long and hard about bypass.  Once you lose and start the regain process it is very hard to lose weight again.  You are metabolically challenged.

For me bands make no sense when sleeves are available.  Sleeves are the safest surgery type long term.  MUCH safer than banding and far fewer complications with double the weight loss of a band.  I'm starting to feel the same about bypass in many (not all) cases.  Think about it, with bypass it's a trade off.  You trade two years of malabsorption for a lifetime of potential complications and vitamin issues, labs, follow up, dilated stomas, etc.  Since no WLS type fixes white carbs in the end you will have to make the same dietary changes as me after two years.  Most of us got fat from white carbs, the only way to lose/maintain is to cut down/out white carbs.  Since you have to make the same dietary changes as me long term anyway, what is the value in malabsorption?

If a high fat diet got you fat then DS is your surgery of choice.

If you have hard core reflux and it's not due to obesity or a hiatal hernia then bypass is your surgery of choice.

If you want to lose 50% of your excess weight short term then a band is your surgery of choice.

If you fear complications then a sleeve is your surgery of choice but weight loss is usually slower than bypass/DS.

Regardless of surgery type, white carbs will always be an issue, that one is on us.

I had RNY in January of 2005. I went from about 250 down to 143 10 months later. I did everything by the book at first, ate right, worked out at least 5 days a week, drank plenty of water, stayed far away from sugars and refined carbs. Did the surgery fail me? No, I failed. i started testing the waters, and saw that I could eat pizza and still lose weight, ate little pieces of cake with no consequence, etc etc. I  even started drinking diet soda. I looked and felt so good that I got a false sense that I would never gain weight again and i was going to live happily ever after, welllll, not the case. One day, I got on the scale and expected to see the 1-2 lb loss that I had seen for so long, but instead, I gained a lb, and then more and more until now, I have gained about 40 lbs back (probably more, since I don't work out anymore and lost alot of muscle) . I also started going to school for nursing which is very stressful, especially with working, so I stopped working out, started staying up late/pulling all nighters, and don't have time to cook healthy food for myself, I eat whatever is available wherever I happen to be. I still feel that the surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself, I just am angry that I let myself slide back into my bad habits, and now I just can't get a grip again and get the weight off no matter how hard I try. I just can't get back on track. I am now considering revision, which I don't know if I am qualified for with my weight at about 180... probably not. Well, that's my story, I don't regret the surgery, mine was textbook, did exactly what it was supposed to do, it was me that didn't stick to my end of the deal.

I have had a very similar experiece. I had RNY 2004. At first, all was great. I could eat very little and I had no desire for "bad" foods. Even carbs couldn't tempt me - and I would consider myself a carb addict. The weight was dropping and I found pleasure in exercise. Then, one morning I found myself unable to swallow anything at all, with the exception of water. I had a huge amount of saliva that I was unable to control. I thought I had simply not chewed well enough. It didn't go away, so my surgeon saw me on a Saturday and under very little sedation, stretched my ***** so that I could swallow. That was the end of my weight loss success. Now, I can eat entirely too  much and can eat anything. I have NEVER vomited since my RNY, and don't think I have experienced dumping. I am only 30 pounds from from my pre-surgery weight. I originally had the surgery so I could be healthy and stave off the myriad obesity related diseases that run in my family and be an active parent to my two children. I also wanted to have the energy and self-esteem to accomplish my lifelong goal of becoming a teacher.

I'm NOT an active parent anymore. I'm FAT again, TIRED again, and FEEL LIKE the BIGGEST FAILURE IN THE WORLD.

I journal, and have maintained many of the healthy eating habits acquired after my surgery. No white anything, lots of protein, little sugar, etc. I also try to exercise, but it's VERY difficult to get motivated and follow through with so much much weight and NONE coming off, despite my efforts. For an entire month I have been weighing portions, forcing myself to walk and bike and swim, and I have not lost an OUNCE. All of this atop a very time consuming and albeit my dream job - stressful - line of work annd I am simply at a loss for where to go and what to do next. I cannot live my life like this, especially since I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A HEALTHY (ier) PERSON!

I agree that some of it was me. However, I also must wonder why my tool is defunct and not working as I struggle to retake my healthier body and life?!