Question:
People having Revisions after RNY Gastric Bypass?????????

I had my stomach stapled with a silastic ring put in place in 1995, (similar to vertical banded gastroplasty). I had a Revision to RNY on 02/01/08. Stomach stapling is an outdated procedure that is rarely done anymore, and long term results have shown people do not lose adequate weight, and also tend to gain weight back. So, I feel it was an "upgrade" to get the Revision to RNY and I am thankful... I was just reading the message boards here for Revisions, and was surprised to find people who had RNY Gastric Bypass several years prior, and are now looking for a Revision? This frightens the hell out of me...... Stomach stapling only restricted some foods, sugary liquids, ice cream, and so on still went through. But RNY, it restricts quantity, suagry foods, greasy foods, has malabsorption, reduced Ghrelin production....how is it that it fails people so badly, (or they failt it so badly) that they gain so much weight back? I am terrified of that happening to me! I have already had a Revision; I can not and will not have yet another... I can see how someone could fail stomach stapling, or Lap Band because all they do is restrict quantity, but with alllll the different ways RNY works, how can people eat past it? I want to succeed and never gain the weight back gosh darn it!!!!!!!!!!!!    — Gina S. (posted on August 21, 2008)

August 21, 2008
AND YOU WILL SUCCEED AND NEVER GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK GOSH DARN IT! JUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND STICK TO ALL THE RULES AND YOU WILL SUCCEED AND NOT REGAIN THE WEIGHT. JUST DO IT!
   — SkinnyLynni2B

August 21, 2008
I want to correct something.....Lap Band is a great surgery and when you have had it for several years and start to over eat you can go in and get a fill.....that will get you right back on track...we have several people in our Support Group that have had RNY revision with Lap Band as they started over eating and continued to eat a bit more and a bit more until they stretched out thier stomaches ( pouch ).....they couldn't lose the weight and had gained almost half of what they had lost....so the only answer they had was to get banded....that is one of the good things about the band....we never have mal-absorbation......and we can control our weight loss with fills........we lose slower but can lose as much as RNY patients if we are deligent about following the rules.....several in our Group have lost over 100 in a year and some as much as 135 lbs in a year.....but they followed the rules....they don't cheat ...they stay in the food guidelines that are laid out for us....so it doesn't matter what WLS you chose you can be successful ....but only if you chose to....but if you don't deal with the food issues that made you obease in the first place ......you will have a much harder time maintaining your loss.......with Lap band we have a saying....the band is around your stomach not your head and that also goes with any other WLS....your stomach may be smaller but if you drink with your meals...have carbonation ( which is the biggest no no of all...as it expands the pouch)......eat things that are not healthy and good...don't get in your protein......keep on eating bread and carbs....keep drinking alochol then you are going to have issues long term that will put you weight back on....and that goes for any surgery you chose....you can't be good in the first year or year and half then think you are invincible......so I would suggest you decide this is a life style change......weigh your food ...follow the rules and be true to yourself......this message is not written just to this person...as I think she has her head on straight but WLS is just a tool and will work only as long as we work with it and not against it. Pam / Ft Worth...Bandster Bites [email protected]
   — pphillips4720aol.com

August 21, 2008
I think what ever tool you have, you can mess it up, or "out eat" whatever procedure you have. Stretch out. I've read that the malabsorption "feature" of the RNY is corrected somewhat over time by the body. It's way of "fixing" itself. Alot of people are fooled into thinking that malabsorption, means if you can tolerate a food, that it will go right thru, unabsorbed. Well, if you eat 3,000 and your body absorbs 2500 cals, and you burn less than that, you will gain weight. That is why exercise is so important and we have to always be mindful to limit proportions, and take care of the tool, and make it more benefitial by eliminating the fats, carbs, empty calories and sugars. It gives you a chance to start over from scratch, but it can fail, if we don't take care of it. We all have to take it one day at a time, and make proper choices in our diets. And not fall back into the old habits that got us so out of control to begin with. You will suceed, your in control of that, just do what you are supposed to do. Good luck to you!
   — lesleigh07

August 21, 2008
Gina, You keep stressing yourself out from the failure of others. They are people that have abused the tool, eating everything and anything, like healthy dinners with Mashed Potatoes with Gravy :>) No you know the rules and if you follow them and you do your excercise you will succeed. If you don't you then become a failed loser. If you abuse anything God gave you, it will fail. The facts are simple. There are lost of successful RNY patients, but like any surgery there are those that fail, because they thought the surgery did 100% of the work and they could eat anything they wanted. Stay focused and keep losing. Best of success to you.
   — William (Bill) wmil

August 21, 2008
After I had my RNY almost 5 years ago (I CAN'T wait til I can say 5 YEARS!!!:))...I started reading the boards and back then, it seemed like all people talked about was their problems and not their success...I didn't want to read about that stuff. I wanted to go thru my journey by myself with no support and all the research and classes i took to prepare myself for the surgery. I didn't obesess about how many ounces my pouch was or how much protein is too much or too little or can too much water harm me ...Is my pouch stretched because i ate too much a few times....See? these things are fears brought on by reading all the crap people post and not having confidence in yourself and your surgery. Being scared is a good thing....It keeps you cautious and aware...Being crippled by fear makes you doubt not only yourself but the surgery...and that is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. So I did 4 years completely and utterly alone. I did great! I wondered now and then if I was losing too slow...but I was losing so I knew it was working. I remembered to give it year and sure enough I lost 150 lbs! I had aches and pains and I wondered if something got broken...But the pains went away...I had gas and rumbling and it was uncomfortable to eat...I went to my appts and the surgeons assts told me i was fine and doing quite well...I ate what my nutritionist told me to eat...and I followed the rules for 2-3-4 years...I gained 10 lbs at Christmas last year because I figured out that I can eat a chocolate kiss every 20 minutes and NOT get a belly ache..I discovered grazing and the carb monster. It took me 4 MONTHS to get back on track. But those ten pounds were totally my own fault and I KNEW IT! Oh, I sure felt like I broke my pouch! LOL I felt like I totally distroyed the last 4 years...It's hard to lose the weight once you start gaining it back...but it's not impossible. You must take care of yourself and be confident in you and your surgery. learning to graze doesn't ruin your RNY...It ruins your confidence and cripples you with fear that you begin trying old diet methods, thus the crazy insane questions of "can I use ALLI or WW or green tea pills or which does slimfast help you lose weight...I hear it all. POUCH RULES help you lose weight and maintain it. Calories determine what a pound lost or gained is....No a magic pill for crying out loud! LOL!!!! Eating healthy food..taking your vits, exercise, not drinking with meals, limit sugars, get bi annual or yearly labs (no longer)...Stay up to date on Vits and supps, and new info...Learn your own body and KNOW it might be the same surgery, but you might have other problems that contribute to a little gain. Malnourishment will aid in a gain...Thyroid problems, natural aging process usually leads to a gain. We are human still and just because we lost weight, doesn't mean we won't gain any either...Does the Prom queen still fit in her prom dress? Or the Army hero still fit his uniform? Does the supermodel stil fit her swimsuit?...after we hit our prime 20-30's...MOST of us gain some weight...It's natural. You are doing wonderful and your revision was a great choice..Stapling ended up being unsuccessful...But RNY has produced many many successes. You will be one of them because you want it...That's not saying that something might happen that is not your fault...but if it is...you WILL know it. People don't fail sooooo badly...Old diets and fads failed so badly. We all know how to lose weight...keeping it off is another story. RNY has helps many people lose 100-200 lbs (low and high) and some have gained 20-30 and even 50 or more. I don't know about you, but wheni went on diets preop...I'd lose 75 and gain 150 back over time. Almost always double came back...I honestly do not know a single person that had gained back 100-200 % back. Do you? The people who I know have gained 50 lbs have gotten pregnant or a dialated stoma or some other glitch in their RNY. The ones that didn't just went back to eating everything with reckless abandon. If you watch your scale once a week at the most....and keep on top of weight gains of more than 3 lbs, that little gain NEVER becomes a mountain that you have to move. You can do this Gina. I can do this...We all can. EVERYTHING in moderation is a safe and wise way to go...That sweetie, includes FEAR! Don't let it cripple you. Sorry so long...I just wanted you to know you are not alone to worry and wonder...I fear gain too...but on my toes...not in a wheelchair...
   — .Anita R.

August 22, 2008
The surgery is only a tool, what we do with it is up to us. If you have your mind set on not regaining the weight, and you follow the rules, eat sensibly, exercise regularly, you won't regain it. I'm still pre-op, but I'm sorry, I keep seeing posts on here where people are going on about eating ice cream, bagels, on & on, and I thought that was the kind of stuff that we were supposed to avoid after surgery, yet it sounds like some folks are just tempting themselves needlessly & then when the weight comes back they wonder why. I don't mean to offend anyone, but seriously, you can use a tool to build something great (a healthy body) or you can use it to destroy something that you worked hard to build. We need to educate ourselves, ask questions - of your pcp, your surgeon, your support groups, whoever - make a plan & stick to it. I'll be damned if I'm going to go through major surgery to lose weight and then fritter it all away by going back to the same old lifestyle that got me here in the first place.
   — sem51

August 23, 2008
I think any of the surgeries can be defeated. I am almost 2 years out RNY. I work hard to maintain my weight. I can eat foods I should not eat and I can eat more than I wish I could. I have to make a consious decision to use my tool. It is not as easy as one might think. I think it is still mind over matter like it was before surgery, only now we have a tool to help us to succeed. Good luck to you! You can do it!
   — robinmarra