New guy here...

Hi all, I just found this board, thanks to a nice gal over on the main board.  I'm considering a revision to the bypass I had done back in 1980. The original bypass work well for me for almost 20 years before I lost it and gained all my weight back. I'm 56, 5'10" and 283 lbs. The only health problems so far is controlled hyper tension and sleep apnea (controlled with a c-pap) I'm looking at a straight bypass revision, lap band and DS. Any suggestions? Thanks, Kerry

Take a look at all your options and you will make the best choice. Each surgery has its pros and cons and there are boards and plenty of people (women) who are more than willing to cram their opinion down your throat. Your doctor and you will make the best decision for you. SInce I don't know all of the medical history and other problems willingness to stick to a program etc I would not recomend one over the other. We will offer support no matter which one you choose. It is the journey that gets you there. There are many steps. I had a RNY. I probably would choose something different but that is what the insurance paid for. Others had good luck with DS and lap bands.  ALL SURGERIES CAN FAIL IF YOU DON"T WORK A PROGRAM

It's pretty hard to get a good suggestion since we are all pretty biased to our own procedures. Your best bet is to seek out hard data when you can. Also pay attention to the downsides, since IMO this is were the procedures vary the most. The band is defeatable, RNY has dumping and vitamin malabsorption, DS has... I don't know what the downsides of the DS are, but the information is out there.
There is no perfect procedure, you have to pick the one that fits you the best. If a doctor is pushing you too hard, walk and find another. Take your time. Any tool will work if you stick to the guidelines.

Hey Kerry, Welcome to the Men's Forum. What type did you have? Vertical Banded Gastroplasty? Those were really popular in the early 80's I know a few people who've had those revised. One to a straight RNY and the other to the DS. or was it the older jejunoileal bypass (JIB)? I know of one person who had that 22 years ago, and had it converted to an RNY about 8 years ago. If yours is a common RNY rather than just "stomach stapling" Then some have also gone the cheap route And had an Adjustable band placed to add back restriction. I also know one who had a "non-transected RNY," and the Staple line opened up (Staple-Line-Disruption) And they had it revised to a transected RNY. A lot of options, but based pretty much On what procedure you originally had, And what you have available to you Price wise. There's more ways to skin a cat, Or make a cat skinny! Throw out more specifics about your priginal procedure on the revisions Board,- http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/ And you may hit on some who have tackled the exact same problem. Best Wishes- Dx

Thanks for the reply DX, I really wish I could answer your questions, but I'm not sure what the proceedure was. The surgon that did it moved away a year or two after my surgery and I haven't heard of him since. And, there are no medical records that I can find about it. I know it involved stapling because one of the staples tore and I almost bled out a few months after the surgery. I had to get a blood transfusion and got Hep C from the transfusion. Of course at the time no one knew about Hep C and in fact I didn't discover I had it until 1996. I was very lucky in that I discovered it before it did real damage to my liver and that I was able to get a complete cure after taking interferon injections for a year. I also remember the Doc telling me about how he would re-attach my small intestine, so I think it's probably a gastric bypass using a stapled off stomach pouch. I believe a staple that tore was where my pouch drained because my pouch emptys quickly even though it's now stretched to the size of a normal stomach. The more I look into this, the more it seems like I'm going to have to have an open surgery and that the surgon will have to see what's there before he will know what he can do. I really don't like that idea, but that's sure where it seems things are headed. Kerry

Dam Kerry! At least I had all my complications in one fail swoop. Have you had an endoscopy to get a look at the problem? Some have a stretched stoma issue, where the food Simple drains instantly into their intestines Without providing any sensation of “Fullness.” The procedure “Stomaphyx” is touted here on OH, But that’s because the good people at “Stomaphyx” Buy ad space and pay the bills. The only folks I know who have had a “Stomaphyx” Procedure done to reduce the size of their stoma, ALL say it would have been more useful to have Flushed the money down the toilet! At least they could say they had seen “where it went.” Open does sound pretty sensible bet. Many folks who have had complications Develop a lot of scar tissue and irregular adhesions internally. From reading WLS Message Boards (several of them) over the years What many people recommend is- Make Sure the Surgeon you go to for your revision Does a lot of Revisions.  Not just one procedure or another. Yes? Order Enchiladas at the Mexican restaurant, Not at Waffle House. Hope you find answers and a Great doc to meet your needs. Best Wishes- Dx

 

DX I really only had the one problem related to my surgery; the staple tear, which was proabably my own doing. I can't really blame that on anyone but myself. The blood transfusion took care of that problem and had medical science known about the Hep C virus, I wouldn't have had that problem either. In retrospect, even though I messed up my stoma, the surgery did it's job very well for 20 years. My weight gain after that is also all my own doing, so I don't want to give anyone the impression that the problem was with the original surgery. It seems that my particular case is a bit complicated for a number of reasons and that I need to keep digging until I find the right combination of surgeon, proceedure and hospital. Adding to the difficulty of finding the right combination; my health insurance doesn't cover any WLS or complication resulting from. However, I have the cash to do what ever I want to, so the insurance issue really isn't a show stopper. Thanks for the great advise, it's really good to bounce ideas and thoughts off you guys, I really don't have anyone else I can talk to about this decision without the conversation turning into an emotional event.  Kerry

Kerry, The awesome news is that you aren't completely held hostage by your insurance, and that you could pony-up the cash for a procedure. If the Re-gain has, as you are saying, been from your actions rather than a mechanical failure with your surgery, then hey, that’s fixable too.  I like to shoot things with a shotgun to make sure at least some of it hits the target. Getting a new procedure could give you the “Re-Boot” to your system and give you another “Re-Deal of the cards” to get back into the game. BUT- If you don’t “Fix” the things that allowed you to “out-eat” your original procedure, the problem will still be there to screw up round two.  Yes? 20 years later I’m betting you are wiser, and more determined, as well as more financially capable. Spend some of the bucks on a Psych-Doc and get some extra help with motivation and self-control  / coping skills to ensure that this time you get the total and full benefit /advantage out of your procedure. Follow? People always say- “The surgery is on your stomach, not your Mind.” So, big deal.  Take care of that one the same way, with professional intervention. Check out the DS Forum.  The DS has the highest % of long-term success at keeping the weight off.  If the eating and lifestyle tradeoffs seem worth it to you, then you may have found your “Straight-Flush.” Keep looking all you can.  The Revisions Board seriously. Hope to hear one of those- “Turned it around and pulled Victory out of the jaws of defeat” Stories from you in the future. Best Wishes- Dx

DX What you're saying about fixing the reason I put the weight back on first is IMO spot on. In my particular case it was more of me getting discouraged about life in general and not caring about my health for a period of time. Eating became an escape and what I percieved at the time to be my only enjoyment. My company lost a ton of money while I was doing interferon and I was on the verge of bankruptcy. My life prior to that was very active; I flew my own planes, I water skied during the summer, snow skied during the winter, I hunted during the fall and vacationed in the Carribean duing the spring time. It was a wonderful active life. But of course all that was funded from my business and when the income stream dried up so did all the activities and I believe a depression sort of took over me.  Looking back is sort of strange because I can see that I never gave up trying to fix the business, but I did give up on myself and my health. Giving up on my self is what led to overeating; the fact that my stoma would drain quickly just made the weight gain a little easier, but it was not IMO the real reason I gained the weight back. The real reason was I didn't care if I lived or died and I was working both ends to put an end to the misery. Thankfuly I finally got the business back on course in 2003 and by 2006 was starting to enjoy life again. It's taken me this long to really figure out what was going on inside my head and get to the point I want to really do something about my health, looks and weight. I don't know why I'm spilling my guts all over the place here, but I suspect it's therepudic vent to help get to where I need to be to deal with my complicated self.  Weird. Thanks for listening..... Kerry

Kerry, "Eating became an escape and what I percieved at the time to be my only enjoyment." Hundred guys here who have all sung that same song. Start feeling bad for a legitimate reason And then start feeling bad, for feeling bad, and spiraling on down from there. If you asked for a show of hands for guys who've "been there?" You'd be lookng at a room full of armpits! Spilling your guts through the anonymity of the Message Board format, is why such places as these work. It is therapeutic to hear yourself say what you are really thinking For a change, rather than what you'd be willing to say In the presence of someone who would judge you for saying. Out here in the Virtual world? Doesn't really matter what pixels pop up on the screen... We're hear to listen and respond, But we're 2-dimensional "Dot-Comrades." You get the real benefit from hearing yourself. Keep listening to yourself! Keep throwing out thoughts and questions, ideas and sugestions... This place is sort of like an all request station... Only as good as the requests. Best Wishes- Dx