GASTRIC BYPASS REVERSAL?

Hi Joe...I was basically "in hell" for the first 12 weeks. I had nausea 24x7 because my stoma took a very long time to heal. It was all swelled up in there. By the time I actually got my upper GI (and yes, an upper GI will tell the radiologist a bit about the stoma, although not as much info certainly as an EGD), my stoma was healing pretty well. I also got to see my pouch on film. Still, I was dxed with a "slow-emptying pouch"...but because I could actually eat a bit and drink a bit (it just took forever for things to go through my pouch), my insurance would not give me an EGD (more expensive than the upper GI/barium swallow). Kaiser is wicked conservative and prefers one to be 3/4th dead before they'll do any testing on you. (an exaggeration for sure, but you know what I mean...the just don't budge very easily, and once they do, they move at a snail's pace). I also remember posting on the Q&A section of this site at about 3 weeks out saying "I do not recommend this surgery to anyone". I was in rough shape. BUT, the minute the nausea went away (right around the time my stoma healed and was opened the width it was made to be open, not all swollen and nearly closing), my attitude changed. It was literalry overnight that I could eat again and drink without it backing up my esophagus. I was so grateful. I stopped being scared to eat. My depression lifted. I finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel...I had renewed hope that I would succeed (and I have). It's not an easy road for any of us in the early days. Please give it a chance and have your mechanics checked ASAP. One thing though for me, I did NOT vomit (many, many times I "threatened to", but didn't) and have not vomited since my surgery in May 2002. Vomiting should be avoided...when you vomit, muscles squeeze your pouch and you could get a staple line disruption. I think this was also the reason my surgeon didn't "hop to it" when I complained. If I was vomiting daily I think I would have had an emergency EGD/endoscopy. But because I could still eat a bit and keep fluids down, they took their sweet time (3 weeks). I pray for the best for you, Joe. If there's anything I can help you out with, please email me [email protected] I've been kicking around here for 4+ years, and if I don't know what to tell you, I'll try to find someone who does know. Gotta run...the Westminster Dog Show is on!! Hugs a bunch, Joy

Thanks for all the replies and I mean all. I don't mind a swift kick in the ass once in awhile so I welcome even the nasty stuff. When I was 17 years old, new in the Navy, my company commander booted me in the butt for a minor offense. He did it in front of everyone and it worked. 40-some years later, I still remember that kick. Dani, thanks for the offer of support. I will visit your web site and perhaps contact you by email. I realize that it's much too soon to consider reversal, given the newness of the operation. I'll have to wait at least six months and then maybe things will get better. People have recommended endoscopy, which I am aware of. I consulted my doctor and he ordered the barium swallow and said an endo would be appropriate only if something wrong was found in the barium test. The test was normal. Only negative finding was a slightly spasmodic esophagus. He prescribed diltiazem, which is a type of muscle relaxant as well as a drug used to open blood vessels. I've been taking it five days now with no apparent effect, good or bad. Here's the irony. Before WLS, you couldn't keep a spoon out of my mouth. Now, post-op, I can hardly pick one up. My wife is getting increasingly frustrated with me because I won't finish my food. I tell her I'm eating all I can and she tells me it's all in my head. I tell her it's all in my golf-ball-sized stomach. While they were doing the barium test, I watched the black-and-white screen and was amazed by how small my stomach is now. It literally is no bigger than a golf ball. It stands to reason, then, that this pouch cannot possibly accommodate more than a few spoonfuls of solid food. Liquids generally pass through in a short amount of time, according to the test, but food stays awhile. I asked the doctor if the pouch would stretch over time and he said "slightly." My doctor claims to have done 1,100 bypasses, and had only four deaths. I asked him if I was out of the woods, four weeks post-op, and he joked: "Go one more day and croak and I don't have to report it." After 30 days apparently, mortality is not tied to surgery per se but post-op complications. I remain pessimistic despite all the encouragement. Those who are much further along say that in time I will be able to eat and enjoy life again. However, if my stomach with stretch only "slightly" over time, how will I be about to consume more foods and liquids? The thought of living on a few ounces of food every day for the rest of my life is not a happy one. People ask if I knew what I was in for pre-op. Yes, I got all the counseling in the world and was prepared for a dramatically altered lifestyle. I knew that my food intake would be severely restricted; I was prepared for that. But what I wasn't prepared for so small a stomach. I asked the doctor if the size of my newly created pouch is "standard" and he said yes. But, judging from the experiences of others, stomach sizes clearly vary from patient to patient. It would be impossible to eat three squares a day with a golf-ball-sized stomach, but it wouldn't be if you had a baseball-sized stomach. Hence, my theory is that not all pouches are created equal. So much for meandering. To all that have written and will write, thanks again. And, let's remember, that WLS is a strictly individual decision. To those that are pre-op, I strongly urge you to consider a non-invasive form of weight management. Dieting is absolutely the BEST WAY to control way, I am convinced. I was successful on Jenny Craig and Weigh****chers, losing hundreds of pounds in the past. Yes, it came back, but the point is that dieting works. You just have to be disciplined and continue to work at it. Dieting is flexible. WLS is not. Reversal is a distant option that, as some have pointed out, can be more dangerous than WLS itself. So, the future is a blank page. We'll see what happens.

Joe, I am not a doctor, of course, but I am an R.N. and I can tell you that your doctor is wrong in saying a barium swallow will show if something is wrong. That is the test that is done on stroke victims , people in nursing homes and etc to guage their ability to swallow. You need to go to another doctor or even a gasto doctor could order this test. Your PCP can also order it if you tell him your concerns and what your surgeon has said to you. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.