Question:
I have a friend that had WLS 18 yrs. ago and has gained all the weight back

and she says that she can eat as much as she ever could. How can that be?    — YvonneBryant (posted on May 20, 2002)

May 20, 2002
With the old stomach stapling they didn't cut the stomach, use titanium staples and then fold and sew the line. The staples would come loose and the stomach could fill completely again. That's why it is not done anymore. Too many failures.
   — grammie5

May 20, 2002
I had the stomach stapling in 1985 and I also gained my weight back plus more. I'm in the process of having the gastric bypass done. Most people that I have talked to that had the stomach stapling found that in the long run it didn't work.
   — Sue F.

May 20, 2002
I can tell you that at nearly 2 years post op, I can eat a bit. Not anywhere near where I used to, I wouldn't even try it. But I can eat 10-12 ounces depending on the density of the food. This surgery is not the magic wand that many people perceive it to be. It's magical indeed but it's a tool and must be worked. You must obtain new habits and stick with them for the rest of your life.
   — Jeannet

May 20, 2002
I too know people who say they had surgery around 10 years ago and all or most of their weight is back. I just hope in the next 10 years (and some other surgery besides RNY is standard then- most likely) that "we" are NOT the ones who have gained it all back as the "stomach stapling" patients have. ;) And as one other poster said, that they can eat 10-12 ounces of food... so can I. I can eat "most" of a Healthy Choice dinner. However I DO make wise food choices MOST of the time and shun high calorie drinks all the time. I hope this will make my WLS keep working for me. At least with the RNY we have a "chance" to lose and keep it off. But I believe we must always be careful.
   — Danmark

May 20, 2002
What is sad that some people who hear about WLS think it's an instant answer to their weight problem. Like my doctor told me, there are NO 'magic' pills or away out of the weight problem, but there are TOOLS available to help one achieve their goal. WLS is just that, a TOOL to help us loose the weight and it is a life long change. You will always have to work at your weight loss and learning how to maintain that weight. I read the postings here and the frustrations that some have because they have plateaued and haven't lost anything for quite sometime, and I think it is so important to remember that you haven't gained what you lost. Be happy that you have achieved your current weight loss and take one day at a time. Think positive, hold your head up high and SMILE ;)
   — Jena C.

May 21, 2002
Most surgeries that far back are very different from what they do now. Most were just a stomach stapling where the stomach size was reduced and if the staples are pulled out, a very common occurance, they are right back to where they started out. Now the "gold standard" and apparently most successful in a RNY gastric bypass with transected stomach. There is no chance of staple line disruption, and the lower part of the stomach and a portion of the small intestine is completely bypassed with no chance of it undoing itself where some that only have the pouch created by a staple line. In order to get a permanant solution, you need a permanant surgery, not one where staples can be pulled out.
   — Dell H.

May 21, 2002
Sherri, I had gastric stapling done 10 years ago. I have to agree with everyone else. Most of my staples came undone which enabled me to eat more. I did lose weight with it, but it was not permanent at all. Once I was able to eat larger portions, I gained back the 80 pounds I had lost and plus an extra 70. I tried more dieting which my only success was losing 20 pounds and then gaining it back. Luckily I just had Open RNY 4/10/02...a revision of my stapling of 10 years ago. I've lost 40 pounds so far..in six weeks that's not bad! The things I am encountering with surgery are much different than the last surgery, and medical advancements being what they are make the surgery performed today more successful. But, like someone else said, it's not magic. I know how much work I have ahead of me so that this time I kept it off. If you have any questions, email me.
   — bevewy