Weight Loss after Revision Surgery

I have been seeing a surgeon about an RNY to DS revision. He said the weight loss is minimal, 20% of the weight I gained is about what I could expect to lose after the DS surgery. That's it!!  Really?? If I gained 100# after RNY surgery and I have a revision to a DS, I am only going to lose 20%??  Has this happened to anyone who has had this revision surgery?  Thanks in advance.

Barb

I only had revision about two weeks ago so I have no results to share but my dr told me I should loose 75 to 80 percent. Hope my dr is right and yours isnt?

I actually had a revision from a DS to a RNY, not because of the weight gain but because of major complications I was experiencing.

My doctor told me not to expect to lose any weight even though he was giving me a pouch.  I don't know if he told me this because I had failed so miserably with the first surgery or if it was just his experience that people *****gained their weight with WLS don't have the discipline needed to lose weight and keep it off.

At that point I honestly didn't care if I lost weight or not.  I agreed to the pouch because I didn't want to continue gaining but I just wanted my health back.

But I knew exactly why I had gained most of my weight back and I figured that since I had to have surgery anyway I might as well give it my best shot and try to do things differently this time.

That included actually following directions, sticking 100% to the post op eating plan and avoiding the junk I had never bothered to give up after my first surgery.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why I had failed but I knew my eating problems went much deeper than just eating too much because I was hungry.  I knew I was a compulsive overeater and that if I didn't address my food addictions I was doomed to have the same result as I did the first time.

What I am trying to say is that the outcome is in your hands.  If you do what you did after your first WLS you will get the same results.

But if you have taken a serious look at why you failed and are completely honest with yourself and willing to address your eating issues you have a much better chance of winding up where you want to be.

It isn't magic.  Every surgery, no matter what kind you have, requires a change in eating habits.  And if you have a problem with refined carbs, bread, crackers, cake, candy, fast food and generally just eating garbage, which many of us have, dealing with those problems is mandatory if you want to be successful.

No matter what surgery you have simple carbs are absorbed 100%.  Having a DS gives you malabsorption of mainly fats and protein so you do have an advantage there, but if you don't get the other things under control expect to only lose 20%, if that, and not be able to maintain a healthy weight.

I lost all the excess weight and have kept it off for many years now because I changed my eating habits.  The surgery has helped me manage my hunger and gives me very adverse reactions to eating sugar, which definitely gives me motivation to avoid them.  I am using the tools the surgery to my advantage to help me stick to a good way of eating but I still have to make the choices of what I put into my mouth.

If you look into the reasons you failed the first time and take steps to deal with those problems, whether through counseling, support groups or self examination, you should do great.

I am addressing many health issues that have developed mainly over the last few years, why I failed at my first surgery being the primary focus.

So thanks for your replies.

Happy Holidays!

How did you address your food issues?  I struggle with the same issues but am unsure how to address them. Did you go to therapy or overeaters anonymous?  I have done therapy for other issues and I know I need to do something but don't know what. 

I'm in therapy for other issues, but we have been discussing the food issues as well. Being in a deep depression because of chronic pain isn't helping at all. The only thing NOT affected by the pain is my appetite. Once I get a handle on the depression and am on the right medications, I'm really hoping it all gets straightened out.

I just recently had a revision from lap band to VSG. At my post-op visit, my doctor told me not to expect the same kind of weight loss that people just receiving VSG would have. Because of the lap band, I would already have experienced the major portion of weight loss. He strongly encouraged me to join a gym.  Why didn't I hear anything about this BEFORE I had the surgery? I did talk to a woman I know that had the same revision (different doctor) and was told the same thing but I didn't know that before.  I had my surgery on 12/13 and I'm down about 7 pounds. I'm hoping to prove him wrong.

My new surgeon told me that until I can exercise, which is difficult now because of severe chronic pain issues, he wouldn't do the revision.  Before my weight gain, I joined Curves and really enjoyed it. Then I was traveling so much for work it became difficult finding a facility in the cities I went to as well as time.  Working 12-16 hour days didn't leave much time or energy for anything but going back to the hotel and crashing.

Now I can barely walk to my mailbox at the end of my driveway. And before anyone says anything about that last statement, NO, weightloss will not make my particular situation any better. 

I wish you well and hope you do succeed, Kathy. 

That is generally the experience, the loss is slower and not as drastic as first timers...I revised to rny...I have to say, my dietician was surprised when I told her my numbers and said I'm losing on par with a first time rny'er.   

Mind you when my band failed I gained weight to the point I was 30lbs higher that my pre-band high weight.  I'm down 61lbs since mid September.  It will likely start to slow down now as I get closer to goal weight.

Congratulations on your success. Right now, I'm 5 weeks out, down 20 pounds and feeling pretty good about it. I don't mind the loss being slower, I just want to be at a reasonable weight and be healthy. I have a renewed determination this time around to make this work!