please explain revision?

What is revision?  Is it like a do-over?  If so, that is what I need. I'm six months out and something is wrong.  I have very little restriction to what or how much I can eat.  The pouch is way too big.  Will a revision make it smaller?  Will insurance pay for it?  Is there anyone in or near Memphis, TN who will pay for it?  I"m so very disappointed so far.

I had a revision in July of 2006.  My original surgery was the Vertical Banded gastroplasty 10 years ago. Basically all that does is control the amount of food you eat. However, it didn't take long before I figured out how to eat the foods I wanted.  Then in July I had it revised to the Gastric Bypass.  This surgery not only limits the amount of food I can eat, but the kinds of foods.  I can't eat anything with large amounts of suger or fat.  It's very different.  I would talk to your doctors.  If it's only been 6 months, maybe there's something that can be done to make your pouch smaller.  I'm not sure.  Could it be that the foods you eat are ones that pass easily through your pouch?  I found that I would "graze" all day.  I could eat chips and ice cream all I wanted and never get full.  Anyway... I hope this helped.  Good luck to you! Deanna

Deanna, Thanks so much for your response.   I did find out that I could graze all day and never get full, so I quit doing that.  I also found out that some foods, I can just eat and eat and never get full.  I found that if the food is physically 'heavy' that I can't eat so much.  Even so, it seems to me that I'm eating more per sitting than I should be able to do.  Someone made me aware of 'fissures'.  I'm going to check and see if  my Roux N Y gastric by-pass is the type that could allow for fissures.  Then, I'll have to make this surgeon of mine listen to me.  I have already killed my credibility with him because I had the nerve to gain 7lbs between my 3 month and 6 months check ups.  I was drinking protein shakes and eating protein bars not allowing for the calories.  I thought I was supposed to be stressing protein consumption.  oops.  I lost 5 of those lbs in 5 weeks after I quit with the shakes and bars.  My next issue with him will be the fissure issue.  I was hoping that I would have the dumping syndrome so that I could use it as aversion therapy for me to stay away from sweets.  no such luck.  :) again... thanks for your response. Susan

A revision is when they revise your original surgery.  I can be from RNY to revised RNY, from RNY to DS, etc........ I am a failed RNY patient and didn't want another surgery that could fail me, which is why I went for the DS after regaining all my weight, plus more. Good luck to you.

Have you done the cottage cheese test yet to see what your actual pouch capacity is?  At six months your pouch is supposed to be healed and able to stretch to accomodate between 1/2 to 1 cup of food  (depending on how large your surgeon made it to start).  Dumping is never a guarantee with RNY, my surgeon stresses that.  Like you, I'm praying I'll be a dumper but have a good support system in place to help me battle sweets if I end up not dumping, too.   Check your insurance policy.  Something new that was brought up at a recent support group meeting here is that many insurance companies are adopting 'once in a lifetime' wls guidelines.  Meaning they will pay for no revision.  You get one chance at it and that's it.  For many of us, DS is not even an option and the RNY or banding have to 'make do' so we have to go into it knowing that it will be a lifelong struggle and the surgical tool is only that...a tool and not a cure-all.   It seems to dim the bright hope that wls presents, but at least it is realistic. Best luck to you for better success! Molly