Revision

Has anyone ever had a revision? I am 6 years out and gaining! Wondering if anyone could help and guide me!
Thinking about looking into a revision. I have the RNY.

Hi Michelle,

If you have not done so already be sure and post this on the Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forum and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery Forum (RNY) for more responses.

Please keep us posted on how things are going.

Regards,
Member Services

I have heard good things about the "5 day Pouch Test" you might take a look at it before going the revision way. :)

Before looking into a revision, I would take an honest look at your current eating and exercise habits. Are you tracking what you eat? Honestly managing your portion sizes, and therefore your calories? Eating protein first, then veggies, and then starches only occasionally and in small amounts? Are you still keeping foods separate from drinking any liquids for at least 30 minutes after eating?

What Pam said.  Revisions are not to be taken lightly.  I totally feel your pain - I'm 5 years out and struggle with regain - but in most cases, including mine, I can and have lost the weight again when I went back to being mindful of my eating.  ALL of the surgeries can be out-eaten.  There are even those who have out-eaten the Duodenal Switch.  There is an OH member actually who is very helpful on this topic.  Her screen name is Lady Tazz.

I'm not saying either that no one should ever have a revision.  Some are necessary and successful.  I'm just saying I hope you take a long hard look before you leap, for your own safety=)

And besides the RnY Forum, you may want to post this on the Revisions Forum as well at: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/   You'll probably get some feedback there too.

Best of luck to you on your journey.

amy

 

 

You already have the second heaviest "hitter" of weight loss surgeries.  The only thing more drastic would be to revise your bypass type to the more extensive DS bypass.  That is a rather complicated surgery, though, and it is unlikely -- as others have already mentioned -- that you NEED physical revision/intervention.

It is far more likely that if you start tracking everything that goes into your mouth via one of the online trackers and start measuring your food portions to be sure that you are accurately recording your intake, you will find that either you are simply consuming too many calories (via portions that are too large or via food choices that have become too relaxed) or are eating too many carbs.

I am also 6 years out, and it is VERY easy to allow the portion sizes to creep up as the years pass (if you start measuring food just for a while, you may be very surprised at how little 1/4 cup of something is!),  and it is also very easy to get too lax about making healthy food choices or to let too many carbs creep back in.

Lora

Like Amy said, I have a lot of experience with regain after WLS, having managed to regain 100 lbs after a DS.  It takes work but I was up to the task ;)  There is no WLS that will cause you to malabsorb simple carbs like sugar, cake, candy, bread and all the other goodies that were my weakness.  A restrictive surgery may mean you eat less but with many carbs it seems to be easier to eat a lot of them as opposed to dense proteins like meat.

Even though I had a revision I do not recommend then and never would have considered having a revision if only for regain as I knew beyond a doubt that the problem wasn't the surgery, it was me.  The surgery worked great as designed but the recipient didn't use it as designed and instead mistakenly thought it was a license to continue eating as I always did and not gain weight.  I had my revision because of side effects that made my quality of life non existent, side effects I might not of had had I been compliant.  I actually didn't seek a revision but a reversal of my WLS because I had so many negatives and not a single benefit.  One thing that didn't help is that I had no restriction at all due to the way that my surgeon did the surgery.  Had I had restriction I may not have gained as much but I will never know.  What I do know is that the surgery didn't fail, I did 100%

My advice is to go to your surgeon and find out if your surgery is intact, meaning your pouch still small and your stoma not stretched.  If you find that your pouch has enlarged to the point of offering no restriction, or your stoma is enlarged then you can discuss what can be done to correct those issues.  Keep in mind that procedures like the ROSE or stomaphix have no proved effective and pretty much the only effective revisions I have heard in that case is either to redo the RNY or revise it to a sleeve or DS.  They may talk about giving you more malabsorption but I wouldn't recommend that as you may be adding vitamin deficiencies to your problems since your absorption of vitamins will be even worse and you will still have the same pouch issues you may already have.  Also, run from any surgeon that tells you the lap band is the way to go.  Just run.

If things are intact then a revision isn't really necessary and if your problems are due to your behaviors then you probably won't have much more success with a revision then you are having now.  Revision or not it is important to take a long look at your eating habits and if you have any problems with refined carbs or continual snacking those things will need to be addressed or you will find yourself back where you are now.  I think all people considering having a revision due to weight gain should have some kind of evaluation or eating issues and treatment if necessary or you may be putting yourself in a risky situation having complicated surgery without changing your way of eating.  Or, as I put it, it is like giving an alcoholic a new liver and he continues drinking.  Soon the new liver will go the way of the old liver.  If nothing changes then nothing changes.

I am not sorry I had my revision as it eliminated all my side effects and gave me a useful tool, restriction, that has helped me lose my excess weight and thus far keep it off.  My quality of life is much better but that is also because I changed my behavior as well.  I used the revision as an opportunity to take a long, honest look at what I had been doing and a chance to do it right.  I know I would never have been successful had I continued the way I did after my first WLS.  Revision or not, permanent weight loss will not come without changes in our eating.  The magic bullet that allows people to eat what they want, when they want, in the amount they want and still lose weight hasn't been invented yet.  When it is I am sure I will be standing in a long line to sign up for it.

Good luck to you no matter which direction you take

Thank you Lady Tazz.  I was hoping you would see this, but don't know of a way to "tag" a member like we do on facebook so that it would come to the top of your screen or something.  There is so much value in your journey and I'm always so grateful when I see you sharing it.=)

I inquired about this same thing a few years ago,  The surgeons nurse told me not to do it, it just causes more complications..Glad I never did it...