I had a revision 1/25/05 - I'm doomed

I wish I had done more research before letting this doctor do my surgery. I had the "revision" and then he tells me that he didn't touch the pouch. He extended my bypass from 40cm to 115cm and tells me I will loose weight - WRONG!!! I can still eat anything and a lot of anything - it's like I have never even had surgery. I am so upset and depressed about this I can't even work. I don't even want to go to my follow-up appt because I can't even talk to this doctor. I didnot find this site until after the fact and have since found out that it may be a problem that can be fixed with endoscopic surgery - if anyone has any info on this please contact me. THANKS!!!!!

Nancy who was your doctor? Where did you have your fist bypass at? What kind of surgery did you have? Why did you even have to have a revision? How much weight did you loose from the 1st surgery to the 2nd one? And most importantly how do you feel now? P.S I don't think you'r doomed, it will just take a little longer than usuall, but also remember everyone's body is different, so we all loose at a different rate. P.S.S I have not had surgery yet, that why i'm really concerned about the procedure you had, along with your currrent symptoms, this site is very helpful Leslie

Leslie - i had a rny i***** by dr. yazrebi - lost a little over 100 pounds - kept most of the weight off until about 4 years ago and was able to eat anything and a lot of anything and started gaining weight - up to 320 pounds. after seeing dr. yazrebi for a year in hope of getting a revision he dropped a bomb on me and told me that he would not do a revision on my because i had not lost any weight on my own. Like a dummy, I came home and called the first doctor i could find that does revsions and made an appt. He told me I did not need to loose any weight prior to surgery and wrote a letter to ins. company and received approval within 5 days. Well, he told me that he would redo my pouch size and extend the intestinal bypass from 40cm (original amt done w/first surgery) to 115cm. I was very excited and looking forward to surgery. It seems that he did only half of the revision (as well as 3 hernia repairs). He did nothing to change the size of my pouch or stoma and did the extension to 115cm and told me i would loose weight - well, i have lost 15 pounds since 1/25 - ONLY BECAUSE I HAVE STARVING MYSELF TO DEATH AND BARELY EATING ANYTHING!!!! I WANTED THE REVISION SO THAT I WOULD HAVE FOOD RESTRICTION. I HAVE ALREADY PROVEN THAT I CANNOT DIET AND NEEDED THE STOMA AND POUCH SIZE FIXED. After doing much research - I have found out that I am not the only one with this problem and am currently looking into other options. After finding this website, I have found many people that have had great success with the wls surgery and some that have not. I don't know why either but with my luck I'm one of those that did not. I donot understand it - I am not one of those people that go to mcdonalds and eat two hamburgers, fries and apple pie - in fact, I donot care for and never eat sugar or candy or fried foods. I do like my breads and pasta which is probably worse. All i know is that I DONOT HAVE A METABOLISM - I DONOT EAT ENOUGH TO WEIGH THIS MUCH - i know that sounds like I am in denial but really i am not. Anyway, donot get discouraged - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SURGERY - in fact that is why i had it done the second time - I just had the wrong dr. (dr abassi) Good luck to you

I think you need to step back, take a deep breath and use the tool you have, start from the basics, eat protein first with your meals, get at least 80 gram per day, get rid of most of the carbs (at first, later when you have lost enough weight you can add them back in) aim for under 30grm per day. I really know that if you get rid of the carbs you won't crave them after a few days, as soon as you let them back in you crave them more and more, so just stay away from them, except for some good carbs like veggies and fruits and an occational whole wheat carb. Drink at least 64 oz of water or sugar free fluid per day, don't worry about the fat content at first because we only absorb probably half of it, stay away from caffeine, and if you can add alittle walking. You have let two surgeons rearrange your insides, i don't mean to be mean but now it is your turn to make this work, it is not magic, it is hard work. If you want more help in figuring out your food, use fitday.com or email me. Louise 255/153/150

Louise, Before you had your WLS if someone had given you the same advice could you have followed it? If so why did you have the surgery? For those of us for whom the surgery has failed (and there are many more than you would imagine) we have no tool to use, & to suggest we use willpower alone is on par with saying the surgery is unneccessary because we could all have jus****ched our carb & protein intake & lost the weight on our own. Most of those who post on this message board have, for whatever reason, experienced a failed WLS surgery & are looking for advice on revisions. It might be helpful to keep this in mind when posting replies on this board. Nancy, I'm sorry to hear of your problems, I am waiting on a revision & find this frightening! Have you considered consulting a different surgeon or an attorney experienced in WLS? Please keep us posted.

Nancy you couldn't have said it better it makes me so angry when someone suggest that it is you when they have been through the samething they just have a tool that WORKS. People shouldn't play the blame game. We aren't

I had VBG and regained almost all of the 120 lbs I had lost. The surgeon said he was now offering his new pts RNY and that he could revise me. He also told me that my pouch wan't stretched. When I got home I could eat just as much as I had before the revision. I did loose about 50 lbs, but I never dumped. My radiologist says that my films show that I did not have a true RNY. I don't know what he did in there. I certainly don't know any measurements. I am now looking into the BPD/DS. I am confering with Dr. Husted in Tenn. because he is supposed to be one of the top surgeons for revisions. If you want restriction, you might check into having the Adjustable Gastric Band. I understand that they are putting this over RNY stomachs. If ins. wont cover you could look at Mexico. Pretty cheap there.

Kerry, I'm a little bit confused. Make me understand, so you had VBG surgery 1st, then a RNY, and now your'e looking into getting the BPS/DS? When did all of these surgeries take place? Why do you think they didn't work? Can you breakdown each one of your expirences with each one of the procedures? I am thinking about WLS too, but I am trying to research which method will be best for me. At 1st I was looking into RNY, then Lapband, now I'm leaning towards the DS. I have a question for you is the BPD/DS the same as the DS Leslie

I would be happy to explain. I had my 1st WLS in 1990 when I was 30 yo 5' 7.5'' 290 lbs. I had very few co-morbidities. Other than being SMO and getting breathless with little exertion, I was pretty healthy. I also had post-partum depression. This however was not diagnosed at the time. I had a VBG in Lubbock Texas. At the time I did not have a computer or internet. I just saw an add in a newpaper and I was desperate and my insurance approved me with no problem. I lost about 120-130 lbs and kept it off for over 2 yrs. About this time my life changed drastically. I divorced and moved and my ex filed bankruptcy (of course the vultures cirlced my tent) I moved to a place where my only neighbors were in their 80's, I had no comtemporaries, no famial support and a young child. I became clinically depressed (still undiagnosed). I had suicidal ideation. If I hadn't had a strong maternal instinct and knew I had to be there for my son, I am sure I wouldn't be here. I had gained about 20-30 lbs and the returning weight scared me witless and of course fed my depression which fed my weight gain (they are so intertwined). I sought psychiatric help. I was diagnosed Bi-Polar and was put on anti-depressants. The 1st ones I tried caused major sugar cravings. I packed on about 60 more pounds. I was even more depressed. I contacted my original surgeon and he told me that he was now performing the RNY on his new pts. and that he could revise me and I would loose 50-70 lbs. I grabbed at it. I was so desperate. In hindsight, this was a surgeon without a track record for this procedure. After the RNY I recovered very quickly. I noticed that I could eat the same quantity as I could before the revision. I asked my surgeon about this and he said that he had not altered the size of my pouch because it measured 2 oz with saline. Of course it would. He should have added 4-6-8 oz and see if it would hold that as well. ( I am 40 yo., I am also 20 and 30 yo. See?) Can you say stretched? I adhered to the no sugar diet and lost 50lbs. At Christmas my son begged me to try the cookies he made with Grandma, it is hard to explain to a 5 yo. about digestive restrictions (and believe me, this child had to have a very detailed explanation for everything!!LOL) So I sampled it and waited for the fall out that didn't come. Because my nerves were shot and I was still depressed, my parents took me to New Orleans for a little get-away. There I sampled the irresistable Bread Pudding and had no dumping. I found that nothing made me dump (except ice cream, I am lactose intolerant now). And I could eat pretty good quantities. I slowly regained the 50 lbs. Over the last 10 yrs, I have tired various diets and I have had some success. Most notably I lost 50 lbs on the Prisim Diet (Faith based). I did well with that. They started me on a higher caloric intake based on my initial weight, I had a problem with the transition to the even more calorie restricted diet when my weight decreased. By that time I was sick of measuring and documenting everything I ate. I slowly regained. I am now almost 46 yo. I am now 5' 6" and 265 lbs. I am Diabetic, I have arthritis in my hips and lower back, I have heel spurs and plantar facia and compartment sydrome in my calf muscle. I have gall stones (and a hiatal hernia) and I am having chronic pain with that. It needs to come out. If I am going to have to have another surgery, I would like to have a revision if at all possible. My current upper GI shows that I did not have a true RNY. I am not sure what that means. I haven't seen the films. I am guessing that it was a simple bypass and was likely proximal. It may be why I I didn't dump and wasn't very sucessful with the revision. I am conferring with Dr. Husted in Tenn. He is an expert on revisions. He is very highly regaurded in that field. I am having a CT scan in the morning. Dr. Husted couldn't tell clearly what is going on with me from the GI film. I am going to rely on Dr. Husteds opinion if he thinks I am a good candidate for the revision or not. If he thinks I am at too high a risk or that I wouldn't loose substantial weight, I will not have the DS. If I was starting out today and know what I know now, I would definately opt for the DS. My research suggests that DSers have a more normal eating pattern and keep the weight off longer. They absorb iron and I have been seriously anemic since my WLS. For me the restriction was a problem. You know it will happen, but the reality of it is harder to deal with. I did learn to 'eat around' it. When I ate dense foods, like meat, I felt bad and unsatisfied. I learned that high calorie, high carb & high fat foods went down easier. I was satisfied with them. My brain recognized that I had been fed. I cringe when I see profiles on this site stating 'XXX lbs Gone Forever'. Don't count on it. Why do I think it will work this time? I am older, wiser and more motivated (due to health reasons). My depression is stablized with a medication that makes me feel good and I am a much more spiritual person now. (Tht powerlessness thing is major) The BPD/DS is the same as the DS. BPD is Bilopancratic Diversion. It is sometimes done by itself with a stoma. The Duodenal Switch is a hybrid procedure performed with the BPD that uses the existing pyloric valve. That is what makes it different than an RNY. The DS restricts by reducing the size of the stomach. Whereas the RNY has a pouch separated off from the rest of the stomach and a stoma is created to connect the pouch to your intestine. Food goes directly into your intestine. It doesn't stay in the pouch long enough to absorb iron & other nutrients. I know this is long, but if you are like me, you lap up all the info you can find. The more detailed the better, good or bad. Good luck with your research and I hope you have success with whatever procedure you go with. Kerry