NEW HERE..........NEED HEL[

i HAD WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY IN 2002 AT UCLA HOSPITAL AND LOST 100 LBS.  i HAVE NOW GAINED IT ALL BACK WEIGHING 250 LBS.  i HAVE NO CLUE WHERE TO BEGIN.  MY DOCTOR WORKS OUT OF PIONEER MEDICAL CLINIC IN CERRITOS, ALL I GET IS THE RUN AROUND.  SEEMS AS THEY DO NOT WANT TO DO ANY WORK, I HAVE PACIFIC CARE HMO.  I BELIEVE THEY WILL COVER A REVISION SURGERY.,..WHICH I BELIEVE ITS WHAT I NEED.  ANYONE WHO CAN SUGGEST A DOCTOR OR SOMEONE TO HELP ME IN THIS CRAZY PROCESS????

I GREATLY APPRECIATE IT

First of all you are not going to like what I have to say and I am sorry but I will give you tough love.  I do know what I am speaking of.  First off I do not believe that your insurance will give you a revision. Most policies state that they will not do revisions unless there is a significant medical problem.  So with that being said go to your PCP and you can ask to get an upper gi with gastrograffin.  That will let them see if there are any structural defects ie enlarged pouch or stoma. 
Secondly, go to support group.  You need to get in to see a dietician to get back on track.  I would be sure that will help you. Also if you journal you will see what you are putting into your mouth.
AGain, I am sure that this is not what you want to hear but this is the cold hard facts.
Liz

Good morning Liz, great minds think alike eh? Was typing the same time you were.....

Have you tried going back to basics or the 5 day pouch test to re-train your pouch and yourself? I would try some of theses methods before going to the extreme of revision. Revisions do not work the same as the original surgery, they are much slower.

Do you go to support group meetings? if not, I would sugest you surround yourself with people that know what your going thru and will help and support you.

Congrats for coming here and asking for help, that is a big step.

Lots of variables with revisions, if your mechanics are working and that can be tested, I would opt to going back to the beginning, if the mechanics are broken, then by all means do a revision. Weigh all your options and types of surgies available to you, find the one your doctor and you agree upon that would work best for you....

Good luck, keep us posted.

Liz great suggestions.
IMO you need to figure out WHY  you gained the weight back and deal with that lomg before you get a revision. There appears to be a bigger issue at work here.
Good luck
sorry all out of sunshine today

Liz, I am so sorry that this has happened to you. It's tough enough facing wls one time, and I think you are very brave to consider a second try.

    I would recommend that you look carefully at all your options, esp revision to a different wls - the duodenal switch. For whatever reason, gastric bypass (I'm assuming that's what you had) hasn't worked out for you. It works great for some people, but not for everyone. We are seeing more and more people on the DS forum who are pursuing, or at least looking into, the option of the DS as revision surgery, and we are seeing people who had poor results with gastric bypass or lap band go on to have excellent results with the DS. Revision surgery is more complex and higher risk that a first time around surgery and has to be taken very seriously, but for some people it is the best option. I do agree with the people who posted about getting an upper GI study done to take a look at your pouch and stoma, both to determine if there is a technical cause for your problems and also because any revision surgeon would want the information before proceeding.
    As far as your insurance goes, you will need to check on the details of your policy to see whether or not revisions are covered, and if so what type. But keep in mind that unless you have an "exclusion" where no wls is covered, you can appeal a denial to the DMHC (dept. of managed health care). Most people who are denied the DS and appeal are winning. This includes at least one case I know of involving a revision. So check your policy but don't give up hope even if the policy doesn't look good.

Larra

Lara,
Please be sure that you are responding to the correct person.  I am not the person with the issue.
LIz

Liz, you are absolutely right! There were other posts referring to your input, and I thought they were referring to the OP by name. So I hit the wrong reply button and will try to be more careful in the future.

 

Larra

Hi there,  I have had a similar issue.  I lost almost 100 pounds during the 2 years after surgery which was in 2002 also.  I have only gained 40 of it back but I was very disappointed.  I thought I had it handled but guess what, I did not.  I am currently in day 4 of the 5 day pouch test and I have realized that I have a lot to change.  But the good news is, I know what I have to do.  I would suggest that you log on to www.5daypouchtest.com and go from there.  Read through the rules and such and see if you are following them.  Nancy

Why in heavens name should any of us have to pay for a puoch test? When you can find it on the board for free> Duh?

JOY

Good luck butterfly.