Question:
In such pain I'm considering reversal. Will I gain my weight back?
I'm considering reversing my surgery of 4 years..I have had a Roux-En-Y 10-99. Since surgery I have had pain in between my last 2 ribs, at the top of my incision line. I throw up a lot. I was reopened in Feb of this year but nothing was found. I finally found a surgeon to look again. If nothing found, he is willing to completely reverse it. But he warns me: YOU WILL GAIN YOUR WEIGHT BACK. I'm scared, my body is beautiful. Who knows the ratio of regaining weight? Which is the lesser of 2 evils, pain or beauty? Yikes. Email me. [email protected] Please reply in the next few weeks, I'm so worried. — Laura H. (posted on August 5, 2003)
August 5, 2003
I had intestinal bypass in 1981 and started out at 218. In Feb, 2002, due
to a lot of health problems, a blockage and many other things, my bypass
was reversed against my will to save my life. From Feb,2002 until
November, 2002 I gained back to 228.6. Nothing i did helped stop the
weight. I lived on salads and water that whole summer. I joined weight
watchers (again) at 203 and the nexxt week at weigh in, I weighed 210. It
happened very fast. I couldn't live like that. I couldn't tie my shoes or
take care of personal needs. (I am short 5'1". I had rny in Feb,
this year and am down 70 lbs. I would rather be sick than have it
reversed. I would have died if I kept on gaining weight anyhow. I begged
them not to reverse my previous surgery but it was an emergancy situation
and they had to, to save me. Do what you think is best for you and what
you can live with but I will tell you this, you asked what ratio gained it
back and from what I know, that is 100%. Not only what you lost but you
can count on gaining more. Sorry, but it's the truth. Be very careful.
— Delores S.
August 5, 2003
You may want to look into a revision. Just a thought!
— Cera H.
August 5, 2003
I looked at your profile you look AWESOME! Sadly reversals result in regain
plus some. How many doctors have you tried to find the cause of your pain?
It would be very sad to be reversed, regain all the weight and still have
the pain. My surgeon Dr Philip Schauer does revisions, he is in pittsburgh
thats not far away. Most support group meetings are on the web
here<P>http://www.upmc.edu/obesitysurgery/monthlySupportGroup.htm<P>
The web broadcast begins at 7:15 PM tomorrow wednesday evening you can ask
about your problem by e mail. Perhaps he can help. I think our group is up
over 2000 RNYs. My surgeon might have seen this problem he is highly
experienced.
— bob-haller
August 5, 2003
If they can't find the cause of your pain, how do you KNOW that a reversal
would help it? I would definitely want to know what EXACTLY was causing the
pain before getting reversed. Like Bob said, it would be a shame to have
the surgery reversed (which in itself is a risky procedure!)only to still
have the pain!! I would definitely want assurances that my pain would be
fixed. Just my thought... I am really sorry you aren't feeling well.
Shelley
— Shelley.
August 5, 2003
How do you know for sure that the pain will be eliminated by reversing the
surgery? This seems like a hige gamble for no guarantee. I would not go
through a reversal surgery until they figure out what is causing the pain.
Have you seen a neurologist? Maybe there are some nerve situations
involved and they could be deadened permanently. I don't know but I would
be finding out the cause. I wonder if there are adhesions from the surgery
that are attached to the ribs and hence the pain. I know of a person
pre-op that had horrible rib pain etc. and when they did her WLS found that
she had lots of adhesions from previous surgeries and they spent a total of
5-1/2 hours fixing them and doing her WLS. That solved her situation. I
think it is fine for another surgeon to go in and take a look but I would
not do the reversal right away. Will your stomach even work normal? My
understanding is that over time our pyloric valve loses the ability to
function and if the surgery is reversed you won't have normal stomach
function, which means the food won't stay in your stomach but move right on
out. Sort of like continuous dumping. You may not have the sickness from
the dumping but I would be willing to bet that your bowel will revolt. I'm
just not sure this is going to produce the quality of life you seek.
<p>Please do not take this wrong but have you discussed this
situation with a counselor of psychiatrist. Are there possibly some other
issues behind this pain? Just trying to address all bases not declare you
delusional.
<p>Have you been to an gastroenterologist? What does your original
surgeon say? Have you talked to another WLS surgeon to get their take on
this and what life will be like afterwards? Good luck and I hope a
solution can be found without reversing the surgery!
— zoedogcbr
August 5, 2003
Hi Laura- Please keep looking with a doc who is willing to investigate
your pain further until the source can be identified. You have come so
far, and to gain it all back would only be asking for the problems
associated with obesity such as diabetis, etc. (I'm sure you remember them
all.) As others have said, the WLS may not be the source of the pain, then
you may still have the pain PLUS new problems stemming from obesity. You
look so happy in your post-op pics! Good Luck! Mea
— Mea A.
August 5, 2003
Laura: I agree with all the other posters. Please keep searching for the
source of your pain before you consider a revision. I can vouch for Bob's
testimonial to Dr. Schauer. He was my son's surgeon, and has amazing
skills, and is also one of the most caring doctors I've ever met. Maybe
the pain isn't WLS related, either. Another avenue to try might be
alternative medicine - biofeedback, acupuncture, etc., for pain relief, if
the source can't be found immediately. Hang in there.
— Carlita
August 5, 2003
Wow! How scary! I agree with the others. Try to find the source of the
pain before taking such drastic measures. If you decide to do the
reversal, can you get the lapband to prevent you from regaining? I have
read other's posts about their getting the lapband after they had a
reversal. Just a thought. Good luck to you!! Sheryl
— Sheryl W.
August 6, 2003
Hi! I had my RNY on April 2000. I too have Chronic Pain.
I don't think reversal is an option for me. I do take pain meds daily. I
also go to a Pain Management Dr. I have had 3 nerve blocks so for. There is
a good web site, "Tame the Pain". Jerry Lewis is the spokes
person. I hope this info can do you some good. I want you to know you are
not alone. You are only a one of a few who admit WLS is not a miracle fix.
It did fix one problem. If you gained all the weight back, and some, would
you be suicidal again? Try to decrease the pain to where you can live with
it. There are PSYC meds that decrease the pain along with relaxing the pt.
Good Luck, and let me know the outcome --
— CohenHeart
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