Question:
Is it true revisions lose slower?

My mom had a revision and the nurse told her that people who have revisions lose weight slower. Is this true?    — jenpatalano (posted on December 19, 2003)

December 19, 2003
Revision from what to what? Why? How long post-op? I have hosted many revisions here and one (18 yrs post-op) lost 147# in a year (better than me) and was mad cuz she didn't hit 150#! One (11 yrs) lost 160 in about 18 months, but her poorly made pouch was not changed, so she didn't have that help. Another (2 yrs) lost 60 of the 60 she had to lose in less than a year. Did they say not as FAST or not as WELL? All of the others hit their goals, but I can't remember everyone's time frame.
   — vitalady

December 20, 2003
Here is what I was told as a revision from VBG to RNY: I already had a pouch, the only thing my doc did was transect that and bypass my intestines. Most "virgin" surgeries lose very fast at first due to the drastic decrease in the amount of food. As time goes on, and the body gets used to the small amounts of food, the malabsorption is what continues the weight loss and helps in maintaining. Since I already had a small pouch (even with a staple line disruption I could not eat the same amounts I could as a pre-op) I did not get a big "whoosh" of weight loss at first. On my first post-op visit, at 3 weeks out, I had lost 8 pounds. This is when my dr. explained why some may lose slower. But, I had lost 7 inches off my hips, so my disappointment was balanced a little bit. At my one year anniversary I had lost 90 pounds - the same amount I had gained since my staple line disruption (I never got to goal with the VBG).
   — Ali M