I have failed my surgery...need help/ advice

I had open RNY two years ago. I started at 320/175/210 to date. I never reached my goal of 155...kind of bummed. I have had a rough two years personally which has caused chronic stress. I started off good but stopped losing weight after 9 months. I tried to cope with the stress differently but in the long run I fell back on the old habits of eating. I have never had the usually dumping or other symptoms when one would eat too much. I know my pouch has stretched...I am eating more than I probably should...by more I mean larger portions...I have gained back 35 pounds...I am terrified that it will continue...once your pouch is stretched, can you shrink it back? Please help with any comments, questions or advise...I did not have a wonderfull experience with my doctor...by that I mean that I never had any follow up lab wor****il after my 1 year, I was highly anemic by then...my count was at 4, I think it should be at 12, and then when he did find out about it he never informed my primary care doc, who was furious that he was not told,and he told me he was disappointed that I did not lose enough. I really don't want to go back and be yelled at...My job ( over 50 hours a week, and five boys at home), was the cause of most of the stress and my ob/gyn and primary care doc said that the job was killing me. I have since then paid off bills and quit my job...I have noticed that now that I have more time to exercise again, my weight is still not coming back off... I know this is long, but I felt some back ground is needed...I know I have failed my surgery. can I reverse this...thank you so much for your time

Suzanne, I am pre-op, way pre-op, but I have seen your problem many times on the Michigan board. Everyone says to start over. Yep clear liquids for as long as you did the first time at least, then full liquids for same time and so on. Hope this helps. Sue P

I'd try the dieting again as suggested in the other post but if that doesn't work then I've heard about those that have stretched their pouch get a Lapband to form another pouch. Might be what you need if you can't diet the weight off. Good luck!

Hi! I'm pre-op for my first (and I hope my only) surgery. Your story is exactly my fears realized. What if I have the GBP and still have a problem with food and my weight? What then? You may want to also check out the "WLS Regrets" message board on this site. One person suggested that I go to counselling to get to the root of why I use food to cope with stress before I have the surgery. Nobody seemed to think that another surgery was the answer if the emotional issues haven't been resolved. Hope this helps.

Hello just reading the posts and noticed yours,i am sorry you are going through this!I am about 1 year out,and have noticed i can eat ALOT more than i could before.I bought myself 1 cup containers and i fill it with food and if i can fini**** fine if not i dump it out,but i dont take seconds!this i find helps me i measure out my portions of snacks as well(if i have a treat) so i dont overeat.Have you tried the pouch rules?Sometimes when i am hungry and its not time to eat(i have myself on a schedule) then i waterload to keep th hunger at bay.I am not saying this works for all but it seems to work for me.Good luck and i hope things turn around for you! God Bless Julie 254/149/145?135?

hI, i was wondering, I read one of your responses from back in august 04, you mentioned your on an eating schedule, how many times a day do you eat?

Right there with ya girlfriend. i am 3 years out, and have gained 40 pounds back. I only lost 890 to begin with, out of the 120 I needed to lose. I don't know, I had lost only 40 pounds 6 months out from the surgery, so I guess I knew I was going to have problems. I am really sad about it too. I came on here to see if I could find info to see about a lap band maybe? Does anyone know? I know I don't want a bigger bypass, I am already anemic and dont want more absorbtion problems. Why is it it works so darn well for some, and not for others? My sister and brother both have gaining issues now too, buy my mother is maintain ing without problem, and she is 7 years out.

Have you been seeing a councelor or going to a support group? I mean that is what I plan to do after my surgery. I know it will be hard, I can not do it alone so I am seeing the psychiatrist who did my pre-op evaluation. Also, is your family supportive?

If you dont have a stretched stoma or anything like that then I would suggest that you go back to the basics. I am 8 months out and I am getting ready to do just that. I am able to eat more and tolerate more and the carbs are creeping up on me. Darn those chips! This is truly just a tool. We have a grace period to practice better eating habits and exercise. I too exercise and the weight isnt dropping off like I wish either. If I put any chips or bad things in my mouth, despite how much I exercise I wont loose. I am going to go on the stillman diet. Which is strictly boiled chicken and turkey and lean meats and seafoods no butter margarine or any carbs at all. 8 10 oz glasses of water in addition to any non-caloric drinks... go to google and type in the stillman diet and a link should come up for you with the details. It is a ketonic type diet it will put your body in ketosis which is what we all experienced when we first had surgery. I have heard that when you limit your food intake and knock out your sweets your lack of tolerance will return and you wont be able to eat as much and wont be able to tolerate those sweets. almost like it shrinks a bit since you arent eating as much. Try doing that? I am going to do it myself. I hear that you can loose like 9-10 pounds in a week doing the stillman diet and it brings you back to your basics which is protein first and foremost. Also make sure that you join support groups in your area that also reminds us how we are supposed to be eating. I wish you the best of luck! Elizabeth M