I have to get a reversal......

I WUB OOO!

If you decide to go for a 2nd opinion, I would highly recommend Johns Hokins @ Bayview. Dr. Steele and the other surgeons in the bariatric unit are wonderful. I hope that you hang in there a little longer and see how things go. You have come so far since making the decision to do this surgery. I hope your appointment goes well on Monday

Oh Katie I'm so sorry! I thought for sure you'd be doing better since this last time in the hospital! I wish there was something I could do. However, I agree with the people who have told you to get a second opinion. Or to get dialated again. Some people say it took them many trys before it worked. I'm suprised reversal was even an option yet. You were so excited for this surgery and you've had such a rough time! I feel so bad for you! I'm here if you need to talk. Please keep us updated! You're NOT a failure! Just please make sure this is what YOU want to do! Take care!

I have to agree with a lot of what Psx Chelly (hope I got that username right... apologies if not!). You have made a number of recent posts about eating way too fast and about being able to eat "normal" food... but the things you have talked about eating/liking (I assume if you have said you like it that you have actually eaten it) are NOT foods that people normally eat when they first go to solid foods after surgery (protein bars, the meatloaf muffin things from Trader Joes, etc.). Normally solid foods would be things like soft flaky fish, cheeses, eggs, etc. I was allowed soft foods before I even left the hospital, so I am not trying to be the food police, but it really sounds like you need to take a step back in terms orf what you are eating and drinking before you go down the reversal road. Most of my surgeon's patients have no trouble with the soft foods very early, but if someone does, she has them do an extended period of liquids and purees until their pouches are better healed and less temperamental.

I, too, am surprised that your surgeon would be so quick to suggest a reversal since it does not seem like you have already REALLY taken that step back in terms of what you are eating, and -- as the others have indicated- - un-doing a RNY is an extremely complicated surgery. Additionally, it is VERY likely that you will have the same problems after a reversal (when going BACK to eating solid food) that you are having now, since you will have the same problems with your stomach and intestines being traumatized from surgery (and will have to do another gradual post-op eating regimen). They will actually probably be MORE traumarized than they are now because they have not even fully healed up from the RNY yet. Recovery in general from a second surgery will also be more difficult because your body is weakened from the original surgery and not taking in enough nutrition since then. SO... the bottom line is that if you have a reversal, you are likely to initially feel WORSE than you do now until you heal up... and you may very well still have to endure several more weeks of trouble eating (and will have completely given up your weight loss tool).

Sometimes the road after RNY is a very bumpy one and sometimes the only thing to do is suck it up and wait it out. If you health is in serious danger, that is one thing, but if you are just tired of being sick and not being able to eat "normal" food without throwing up, that is another.

I don't mean to be unkind, and I do hope you can find a way to feel better, but I would think that going back to all liquids or purees and taking things more slowly would be a much better route than a reversal! If you have already done that, and I have missed the posts about that, then I apologize for having missed them. I would still be VERY hesitant to rush into a reversal for the reasons mentioned above, however.

Lora

Okay, now I can kind of see what everyone has been saying about her "wanting" a reversal. I do see that she posted the following just a couple of weeks ago. So maybe the idea was already planted in her head:

Post Date 4/11/11 10:03 am
Topic: Sometimes I want a reversal SO bad.

"I knoow I know. It will get better. I won't feel like this always. But right now I feel like I want a reversal more than anything. How can this possibly be worth it? Now that Ive had the surgery I iknow that I would be able to do it on my own without the surgery. Through weigh****chers or something. I'm sick all the time and I throw up most of what I eat. I can finally ge****er down but any pills I throw up. How is this worth it? Please don't flame me. I'm just having a bad day. I know that I probably won't feel like this always and that it will get better. Sometimes though I really do want to ask my surgeon for a reversal. Would he even do it if I wanted him to? I have no idea. Maybe I should ask him. Or maybe not. Ugh."

Thanks for finding that.  I knew I had read it but couldn't find it quickly.  I think is is an important piece of the "information puzzle" as people respond...

Lora

I don't remember if I responded to her at that time or not, but that was my experience post-op too. I had big time buyer's remorse. I was lost. I was traumatized and I was mourning food big time.

Here I am three years later, many pounds lighter and I can eat nearly anything I want. And by the sheer grace of God most of what I want is pretty darn healthy.

What concerns me most about this situation is her doctor though. It's normal for a patient to want a reversal or to make it all go back to the way it was. It's NOT and should not be normal for a doctor to entertain such thoughts prematurely. We can't hear from the surgeon so I don't want to assume the worst, but their job is to protect our lives. If the surgeon is seriously considering revision after just a few months of a rough path WITHOUT a life threatening situation going on...I would seriously question the integrity of that surgeon.

 So I want to thank MOST people on here. Most people have really encouraging helpful things to say. However I may have said things previously like I want a hot dog or I want pizza or something but everyone goes through mourning food. I never actually ate any of that. I've been following my doctors food plan perfectly. And I have taken several steps back several times which I will again go back to pureed and no protein bars. Just because people's plans are different doesn't mean I'm not following mine,

But I do want to thank everyone. I will get sev eral opinions. I wonder why my Doctor is even suggesting it if it is such a huge deal which I ca see now that it is. Hopefully I won't need to have a reversal. I was so sad about it yesterday so I just wanted to vent but hopefully we are going to figure it out. I won't get a reversal until I am positive that it is my only option left. 

Hang in there, sweetness... glad you're realizing that a reversal is a seriously BIG deal and may not solve your problems.  You are going to be your own best advocate... definitely get those other medical opinions before going to that extreme because it is a LAST RESORT kind of thing.

I know it's been awful for you and I suspect we don't know the entire situation (other issues, too?), but if you can just hold on a little longer, you might see some changes.  Fight for it... you waited a long time to get your procedure and I'd fight to keep it any way you can, if it's possible.  Of course, if it's come to life and death and the reversal is the only way, then of course, reverse it. However, I suspect that it's not yet to that absolute extreme...

We're all behind you... continue to become as informed as you possibly can be and fight the good fight.  My best wishes to you...


tori

Katie, there is a difference between not following your surgeon's plan and not having a body that will ALLOW you to follow your surgeon's plan when your surgeon's plan is more liberal. I do not remember anyone questioning whether you were following your surgeon's plan...only whether or not you were backing off of eating to try to get rid of the nausea and vomiting. As I indicated, I did not SEE any posts from you about you backing off of solid foods for a while (and I apologized in advance if they were there and I missed them).

You have the advantage of knowing exactly what you are and are not doing... we have only what you POST about doing (or not doing) to go on... so that is what we base our responses on.

Just do the best you can to get nutrition of some kind in, and be sure to ask your doctor LOTS of questions about what your other options are (what other meds you can try, for example) and why he is already suggesting the drastic step of a reversal. (Although I don't personally agree with the approach, it is possible that he suggested it to put just a little "scare" into you that if you were not more diligent about trying to get food in and keeping it down (if he thinks you are not trying enough or are just not being patient enough) that you MIGHT end up having to have a reversal (and then all of this would have been for nothing.)

Lora