WLS FAILURE - REVISION NEEDED?
I had Lap RNY surgery in 1998, lost around 60-70 pounds during the first six months and then the weight loss stopped. (For the record, my surgeon was Dr. Phillip Schauer of UPMC hospital in Pittsburgh.) My feelings of fullness were gone, I was hungry again soon after eating, and I started to be able to eat and drink more than I was told I should have been able to. My weight started to creep up again as a result of all this, plus my depression and hopelessness over the whole situation, and I am now at the same weight I was before the operation. I contacted my surgeon in 2001 about the problem and he said he probably should have bypassed more intestine (he had done a proximal bypass instead of the distal that I had requested) but I should try diet and exercise instead. Gee thanks! If that had worked in the past, I wouldn't have had to have the surgery you idiot!
So I have been suffering in silence for five and a half years, crying every time I see another program or magazine article about someone who lost their weight thru surgery and now has a new life, and blaming myself again for another failure. I've basically given up on life at this point - I don't care about whether I eat right or exercise because obviously nothing is ever going to work for me, if I die from this 'disease', I die.
Why I suddenly typed in a search for 'weight loss surgery failure' this week, I can't tell you. Some tiny spark inside me, I guess. Anyway, it has led me to your group and some other sites that have opened my eyes to a few things that give me the idea that the problem may not be me, it may be a problem with the after-effects of my surgery that needs fixing.
About a month after my surgery, I started having severe pain in my upper abdomen and couldn't keep food down. My surgeon had me get an upper GI test done and found that my stoma was trying to close up completely, so he had me go into my local hospital and have them 'stretch' it. Who knows if the local doctors had any directions from my surgeon 300 miles away on how much or how little to stretch the stoma? They had probably never seen anyone who had ever had that surgery before.
Now I am reading that people who have had the RNY done and not lost weight are getting revisions because their stomas are stretched and the food is not staying in the stomach, but falling directly into the small intestine. Their symptoms sound exactly like mine. I think this may have been my problem all along. I haven't had a upper GI done since, but now I'm thinking of asking my family doctor to order one.
I am looking for guidance at this point - what type of revision is recommended, will insurance cover it, etc. Is there any type of 'home test' (like the cottage cheese test) that I can do myself to see if my suspicions are true? I have also located a doctor in my area who list revisions on his website, and would like to know if anyone has any knowledge of him - William S. Peters in Peckville, PA (near Scranton). Any input will be appreciated.
Contact the surgeon near you who does revisions and make an appt for a consultation. His office staff should tell you what to bring. Ask them if he accepts your ins. If he doesn't, find someone who does. Yes, it sounds like you need a revision and there is no sense in beating yourself up emotionally for something that is not your fault.
sorry you have suffered in silence. If you had an RNY; the best 'revisiion' would be a DS. Does insurance cover it??? Yes. since you were scoped and dilated - I would also have another scope to measure your stoma. You can do the cottage cheese test; I did that once but this far out the gi/scope would be a better test. If the stoma isnt working the tool is 'basically' broke. The pouch; especially after the initital weight loss is important .. hand in there 
your not alone.
your not alone. 
This is me to a tea! I too have been frustrated with my doctor's complacency And a disregard on any solution to my problem. Instead I was blatantly told to go see a therapist. As if that's going to make my hunger stop. I signed up for this surgery because it was also a tool. 1 which I've only had for the first 6 months when I started complaining about this problem. Any help Anyone who has Dealt with the same issue would be appreciated!
On September 16, 2004 at 8:24 AM Pacific Time, jeanne B. wrote:
I had Lap RNY surgery in 1998, lost around 60-70 pounds during the first six months and then the weight loss stopped. (For the record, my surgeon was Dr. Phillip Schauer of UPMC hospital in Pittsburgh.) My feelings of fullness were gone, I was hungry again soon after eating, and I started to be able to eat and drink more than I was told I should have been able to. My weight started to creep up again as a result of all this, plus my depression and hopelessness over the whole situation, and I am now at the same weight I was before the operation. I contacted my surgeon in 2001 about the problem and he said he probably should have bypassed more intestine (he had done a proximal bypass instead of the distal that I had requested) but I should try diet and exercise instead. Gee thanks! If that had worked in the past, I wouldn't have had to have the surgery you idiot!
So I have been suffering in silence for five and a half years, crying every time I see another program or magazine article about someone who lost their weight thru surgery and now has a new life, and blaming myself again for another failure. I've basically given up on life at this point - I don't care about whether I eat right or exercise because obviously nothing is ever going to work for me, if I die from this 'disease', I die.
Why I suddenly typed in a search for 'weight loss surgery failure' this week, I can't tell you. Some tiny spark inside me, I guess. Anyway, it has led me to your group and some other sites that have opened my eyes to a few things that give me the idea that the problem may not be me, it may be a problem with the after-effects of my surgery that needs fixing.
About a month after my surgery, I started having severe pain in my upper abdomen and couldn't keep food down. My surgeon had me get an upper GI test done and found that my stoma was trying to close up completely, so he had me go into my local hospital and have them 'stretch' it. Who knows if the local doctors had any directions from my surgeon 300 miles away on how much or how little to stretch the stoma? They had probably never seen anyone who had ever had that surgery before.
Now I am reading that people who have had the RNY done and not lost weight are getting revisions because their stomas are stretched and the food is not staying in the stomach, but falling directly into the small intestine. Their symptoms sound exactly like mine. I think this may have been my problem all along. I haven't had a upper GI done since, but now I'm thinking of asking my family doctor to order one.
I am looking for guidance at this point - what type of revision is recommended, will insurance cover it, etc. Is there any type of 'home test' (like the cottage cheese test) that I can do myself to see if my suspicions are true? I have also located a doctor in my area who list revisions on his website, and would like to know if anyone has any knowledge of him - William S. Peters in Peckville, PA (near Scranton). Any input will be appreciated.My hunch is this, it's not that the endoscopy stretched your stoma too much as you were able to lose well at first. I suspect it is as your surgeon told you, he didn't bypass enough intestine.
Do you know how much he bypassed?
Bypass is a tricky thing, you stretch your pouch and/or stoma and you are history. Plus, the bypassed intestine often times isn't enough as the body compensates over time and begins absorbing fat and calories but it never absorbs nutrition properly again.
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