So even a vertical sleeve is out? Lapband?

I get it. Totally. I had the archaic stapling 35 years ago and promptly lost all the weight but I was young and over the ensuing years and 4 children and some years later, I had developed maladaptive eating and had gained back the weight. I took prescription diet pills every time I piled weight on, and your doctor is absolutely right--they are useless as a long term solution. Whenever I stopped, I gained the weight back at alarming speed and ended up heavier than from before. Initially, diet pills like phentermine and the others completely destroy your appetite and for me there was the added bonus of high energy, creativity and euphoria. That lasts a week if you're lucky. These drugs are also habit forming and tolerance is developed quickly. People with addictive tendencies (me), will begin to abuse them when tolerance sets in. My experience might be extreme but my diet pills took me on a long and painful journey of addiction to much stronger amphetamine. I never lost weight on these drugs because I would eat nothing for the initial days and when I went off, my metabolism was inhibited and my appetite was enormous.

I am having revision tomorrow, and I fear that they will wake me and tell me they can't do it for some reason. I can't imagine how devastating that must have been.

I think you should get a second opinion from a surgeon who specializes in revision surgery. I waited for years to have my revision because I couldn't accept the fact that I couldn't do it myself. It was wasted time because whatever is necessary to do this, I just didn't have.

I think the worse thing a person could hear is that nothing can be done. Perhaps it was beyond your surgeon's skillset, or creative abilities. Perhaps not.

Thank you for sharing and don't give up!

Be forewarned, this may end up being a fairly long post but I have been lurking for a while and now it's time to stop putting things off and seek the help I need because obviously, I cannot do this on my own anymore. Also, there is some personal information included in the post but I feel it is important in understanding my situation.

I'm a 48 year old female living in the river valley. I had gastric bypass surgery in my early 30's and it was a resounding success. I went from around 350lbs down to around 180. Fast forward around 4 years and I did a few things I am not proud of, and as a result, my husband and I had some major issues. It looked like our marriage was ending and that, compounded with my untreated clinical depression, led me to attempt suicide. After my stint in the hospital, I came home and spiraled down into more and more of a depression. Thanks to some wonderful friends I was able to get medical care and start medical and therapy treatment for my depression. Over time my husband and I worked things out as well, but by this time the damage was done and I had begun to gain back all the weight I had lost.

I think at this point I was in denial that I was gaining it back. Things sorta went past in a blur and the next thing I know I'm back up over 300 lbs again.

I tried to lose weight on my own at this point but nothing I seem to do works. I find it difficult to exercise because of the intense pain. My back, knees, and hips all hurt me to the point of tears if I try to stand more than around 10 to 15 minutes at a time. I have developed tye 2 diabetes and I have high blood pressure. When I try to follow a traditional "diet plan" I find myself hungry 24/7.

At this point, I looked into a revision for my original surgery in hopes of curbing my appetite enough to get back on track with weight loss and to loose enough where I could exercise and help it along. It was determined that my pouch had dilated to around 4 times the size it should be, and my stoma was 3 times the size it should be. Luckily I do have really good insurance, I have Humana addon for Medicare. However, after going through all of the requirements for surgery with Roller Weight Loss, I was taken into surgery, only to wake up and be told that nothing could be done. They said that my original limb was too short and it was taken around back behind my stomach rather than in front of it, so there is literally no way to revise it. I was offered the ROSE procedure, however, I was told that it runs around $7K, and insurance does not cover it. Besides, the research I have done on the ROSE does not look that promising in the first place.

Feeling desperate, I asked my PCP about putting me on weight loss medication, and she refused due to the fact that 1) I have high blood pressure and she said that those medications make it even worse and 2) she said that once a person goes off weight loss medication, they tend to gain it all back.

Right now I feel like because of screwing up my original surgery all is lost and I'm doomed to just die as I am. My doctor points out to me that I can do this. She uses the fact that I was able to give up smoking 20+ years ago cold turkey as proof that I have the will power. This is not like that, though. I have tried and tried again and I just can't seem to do it on my own.

I guess I hope that one of you may have some suggestions that I have not thought of yet.

Hello there,

I had the VBG in 1982 at 17, although I only knew it as my stapled stomach. It was successful and life changing. I did gradually begin to eat around the restriction, opting for the soft and easy foods. But I was active and healthy even with a substantial gain. I had no intention of revision.

In 2004, the GERD snuck in. It was mild and easily managed at first but by 2010, I began treatment with a GI doc. Endoscopy showed moderate reflux and small hiatal hernia. GI doc sent me home with a prescription the usual warnings. The GERD did not improve and I began to have respiratory problems. I had stopped smoking years before and had no allergies, but mother died of copd at 46 so it didn't seem crazy that I would develop late stage asthma.

As my respiratory disease rapidly worsened, my pulmonologist began to run every test he could find to explain my condition. At that point, my dx was asthma but nothing supported it. I had an exhaustive panel of allergy tests, tests for Alpha1 (a genetic disorder), bronchoscopy, biopsy of lung tissue-all negative. I had smoked for years with no respiratory problems and there no problems for 10 years after I quit. A baseline xray was normal and each successive one showed progressive scarring. I had been having regular episodes of micro aspiration which is when reflux is so forceful that you inhale tiny amounts of digestive juices. I purchased an adjustable bed but the damage was done. I was diagnosed with obstructive and restrictive lung disease or COPD. The aspirating was killing me. I was hospitalized often for pneumonia or such.

I am now fully disabled with about a 45% lung capacity. Chronic lack of physical activity has led to more weight gain which exacerbates the other problems. My Come to Jesus moment occurred last year when I was taken by ambulance to the hospital with sepsis and aspiration pneumonia. As soon as I recovered I went to see my surgeon, who told me that RNY is the only solution for the GERD. I have always been wary of bypass procedures. Dumping syndrome terrifies me. I don't do well with remembering to take pills so the idea of handfuls of bulky vitamins is not appealing. BUT...

The alternative is even less appealing so I am fully on board. My surgery is Monday, and for the first time in a long time, I can imagine playing with my grandkids and going to the mall again and living long enough to see my son graduate from college!

I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I will keep you all posted.

Thanks for your reply..were you able to get insurance coverage..I would be coming from the DC area...I am doing the footwork to revise to distal bypass but would prefer a DS..my surgeon here says it is too complicated..How are you doing with your revision?

How many people do you know who have had bad experiences revising to a Distal ..has anyone done well with this? The surgeon I met with in DC area said going to DS is too complicated as I got my original bypass 20 years ago and it was done in a different way, and that distal would be a good solution. Also..who is the New York surgeon *****vises to DS? Thanks..