8 years post op wls failed

8 years post op. rny i gained 50% of what i lost back have had 4 hernias and feel abandoned by the DRs. My stoma exit is 2-1/2 times larger than it should be, and had fight to get a scope test with the doctor not the insurance. so i'm on the 1/2 an hour i'm hungry again diet. Docs don't want to do revision, i'm told just exersize.Like i got extra time for that. If your not a spectacular weight loss type they just label you non compliant,i think it messes up thier claims of succsessful surgery ratio. any body else ever feel the same way.

I was diagnoised with a 'failed' stoma in 2000. Back then there wasnt anything information out there.. I finally talked with the Bariatric Association and they told me that "surgeons have 'known' about this problem 'for years' failed to fix it and when it happens to their patients revert them to 'diet and excercise'. Some have failed stomas from the start (i.e. me) some the stoma stretches over time ... the fact is if your stoma is not working your food is bypassing your pouch and going into your intestines. There are doctors out there that do 'revisions' You might want to check the yahoo message board about revisions/DS alot of RNY's are revised to DS. Since the DS does not have stoma problems. What I ended up getting to fix my failed stoma was the lapband. Again, this might be an option for you, if your sure its just your stoma. Where you transected?? with a 50% gain its possible you have staple line distruction. The lapband is very easy to put on and the LESS dangerous as far as a revision. something to look into at least.

Brian, I have had problems since day one wirth not feeling full and being able ..especially, to drink as much as i could. I tried relating this to my dr, and his nurse and they did everything they could to blame it on anything besides an enlarged stoma. But i think that is what it has been from day one. The doctor had been having problems with strictures and I think he just decided to let it be a little bigger on the next few patients..wheter conscioiusly or not. I don't want to sue him or blame him. I just want to be taken seriously. I took all kinds of dietary record in to them fpor the first six months and they never looked at a page. I stopped losing weight in the seventh month and am having a difficult time..actually gaining some back. I am considered a "success" becasue I lost over seventy pounds and have an appointment with the surgeon who did the surgery in October where I am sure he will blame all of this on non-complince. Well it was not non-compliance when i started with this... but now at being hungrey every half an hour and having acid and bile gushing into my stomach its so hard to not eat every couple of hours to try and calm things down. I wish someone would listen to me. I have had other baratric physch and dieticians say they think it is my stoma..but the surgeon won't here of it. When I went to his reccommended gastro guy he said if the stoma is enlarged no one will do anything about it anyway .... I feel lonely and guilty and yet I have not brought this on by non-compliance. I hate the idea of going in to talk with this guy again but where else am i to go? He is so afreaid of being sued..all i want is to have this thing looked into correctly and fixed if possible. I feel like a pyrahha at the support meetings becasue I am not the norm. So I stopped going. How many of us are out there like this? I hear enough about it to know it is not a falasy. There must be truth in it. I think I am going to insist on a endoscope and see if my own Gastro guy can tell what has happened. Is there some specialized test for the stoma? Does anyone know? I had an upper gi but all it said was that there was no stricutre and the stomach was small.....(back about at the fifth month) Hang in there and let me know if you find out anythjing else.

Hi lyn i know exactly how you feel, i to sufer from acid reflux, my family DR. has me taking prilosec now that's otc try it, it does help . I don't bother with support groups any more also you do seem like an outcast i know i did. The Dr. that took over when mine left the practice thinks that a procedure that is used for acid reflux suffers my work. Instead of doing it at the top of the stomach where the esopogus meets the stomach as normally done do the same thing at the exit of the stoma. Now the problem is that it is not accredited procudure at this time and getting accredidation takes time. thanks for the support

I know how you feel. My surgeon was new; and I brought it up the first post visist, I thought I was eating too much ; even though it was 'puree' he was surprised I could eat 1/2 cup of anything; but assumed (like alot of people) that since I wasnt throwing up; I wasnt overeating. I managed to 'diet' for about 6 months; then emotionally I ate 'more' one day and that started the ball rolling. After we figured it was the stoma; my surgeon said he wouldn't 'touch' the stoma - but change me into a DS (he did both) - I also felt 'different' from my support group peers - hard to relate to not being able to eat one egg - when I knew I could. When it came time to 'fix' he refussed saying since I wasnt gaining he wouldnt touch it. All I knew was that I had this surgeon to have food limiations!!! and I felt so different and CHEATED.. Alot of rnY are going to DS; but word is slowly getting out; that the lapband does help with stoma issues.. and its very 'safe' to do.. no stoma touching.. You might bring that up as an option, if he doesnt want to surgically fix your stoma; then apply the lapband to it. Hang in there... hopefully you'll get it resolved. but know its NOT in your head.. and your not the only one out there.

Helen and Brian, Thanks so much for your input and support. I am feeling a little less depressed knowing that others understand what I am going through. I have an appointment to see my gastro guy on Oct 4th. Will set up for endoscope and upper gi through him hopefully before I go back to surgeon. i am also going to go see another surgeon about my surgery just have to fidn one and decided. The idea about the stoma surgery is very intereesting. if you hear any more on it i would be interested. i will bring up the lap band when I go in next in October. am already on protonix twice a day... avery BIG Gerd medication. I have to switch every now and then to Prevacid as they tend to wear out thier effectiveness after a while. Unfortuneltly Prilsec and Nexxus have never really helped. Although an older ulcer medication called carafate does and so does some Digestive enzynmes that a very expensive nutritionist gave me that she gets through a vitamin co. I will let you know how I am doing. I am very thankful to have this chance to talkl to the both of you.

hi brian i am also looking for a dr to help me, i had a vbg in 87 and i am now at 350 . lots of health problems. please let me know if you get help and where. we are all in the same boat and feeling hopeless. my best to you. kathy

i dont understand you guys you have had the chance to lose alot and then gain back some weight by overeating again!when is it going to end! if surgery does not help then what will? if you really wanted to keep the weight off you would ignore your cravings after surgery and make time to excercise it takes 20-30 to finish a meal and all day to snack on fattening foods,take that time and excercise!!!!!!!!!! i'm sorry but this is rediculous no matter how many revisions or surgeries you do nothing is going to work for you that is long lasting, if you dont work with it !!!!!!!!!!!!

Tiffany i checked your profile you stated your still learning about surgery. Don't belive all the propaganda from the some of the surgeons out there . remember this is a for profit operation. And until you are a few years post op it's better to listen than speak of what you have not expierenced.

Wow Tiffany, I hope that if you have surgery, everything goes perfectly for you. I have not had the problems described in this forum (Thank God) but I am scared every day that I might. I am greatful for the surgery and pray that I will continue to be successful, but I am not nieve (sp?) enough to believe that I will be immune to the pitfalls that can come post op. The "advice" that you have given above could have been given to each one of us BEFORE surgery - including yourself. If it is that easy, please take your own advice, lose your excess weight and don't waste your time with WLS. Please don't continue to berate others about something that you have no personal experience with. JMOHO Patrice