Binxalways
Currently, I am seeking a revision. My original surgery was Lap RNY on 4/29/02 at Stanford University Hospital with Pamela Foster. Things went pretty smooth, I healed very quickly. Oddly, I lost more weight the second 6 months after surgery than I did the first 6 months. My highest weight ever was 267 and on my day of surgery I weighed 244 pounds. (My surgeon required the 10% pre-op weight loss). My lowest was 162 pounds, and approximately 18 months after surgery I started gaining weight back. Starting at 4 months post-op I was having a burning pain in my pouch/stomach area. That area felt hollow, it burned like heart burn, and always had a gnawing hunger pain. It would feel better after I ate, but then the symptoms would start up again. I got tested for ulcers, but everything was negative. I was treated with Protonix & Prevacid. It never got better, but I learned to deal with it.
My husband & I moved from Northern California to Minooka, Illinois in 2004. Since my 1 year follow up with Dr Foster I haven't seen any other surgeon. I have only seen regular primary care physicians.
By November 2006 I was up to 199 pounds. I had seen my PCP a couple of times regarding the weight gain, but was told to just keep trying to diet and exercise. On December 8, 2006 I found out that I was 6 weeks pregnant, so my main focus went to protecting the baby inside of me, not losing the gained weight or pursuing the pain I was still having in my pouch area. By the time I had my son I was up to 254 pounds, I lost down to 225 pounds 2 weeks after having him. Then I started to creep back up again. Currently, I am 236 pounds and I have made the decision that I need to see a bariatric surgeon to see if something is mechanically wrong with me. No matter how much I follow the "rules", diet, and exercise, I cannot lose weight. In fact, I seem to gain!
~~~~2/22/08~~~~
I had a revision consultation with Dr Rosen on 2/7/08. He sent me to have an upper GI on 2/13. The upper GI revealed that I have a hiatal hernia of the pouch. So, part of my pouch has pushed it's way in to my chest cavity through my diaphragm...The other part of my pouch is in my abdominal cavity. The pictures that I saw of my pouch made it look like an hour glass. This explains the burning & pain!! Thank God there is a reason! Dr Rosen also sent me for a gallbladder ultrasound and for a sleep study. The ultrasound showed some sludge in my gall bladder, but no stones. The sleep study revealed sleep apnea, so I am going back again on 2/26 to get fitted for the c-pap and for more observation. My next follow up visit with Dr Rosen is on 2/27.
~~~~7/07/08~~~~
I've been approved for revision surgery!! Yea!! At first BCBS IL denied me, but then Obesity Law got involved and I was approved after the first appeal! I am scheduled for Lap-Band over RNY surgery w/hernia repair on 7/30/08!
~~~~7/16/08~~~~
I had my pre-op appointment with Dr Rosen today! He & his staff were incredibly thorough in explaining the process. The appointment was approx 3 1/2 hours long, and in that time they went over the 14 day liquid diet that I need to adhere to before surgery, the bowel prep, spirometer, prescriptions that I will need to obtain before surgery, the post-op eating, exercise & lifting limitations, the risks of surgery, they explained to my husband what to expect & how long they *think* the surgery will take, Barb did bloodwork and an EKG...Gosh, I know I am forgetting a bunch of other things because the appointment was so LOOOONG! My head is just kind of spinning right now! I am just so impressed by Dr Rosen & his staff. When I had my Lap RNY in 2002 my surgeon did not go over any of these things, and what she did go over was not in very great detail. Dr Foster was a good surgeon, but I feel so much more at ease & prepared for what is to come with Dr Rosen. I am jumping out of my skin right now! I am not looking forward to the liquid diet, but I understand the necessity of it. I will drink my protein shakes & clear liquids with a smile on my face & know that it will all be worth it in the end!!!
~~~~8/02/08~~~~
I'm home! I'm home! I'm home! I am so happy to be back in my own bed & back at home with my family! I really don't like hospitals! Dr Rosen released me yesterday morning (8/01/08). He did the repair of the hiatal hernia to the pouch and he also placed the band over my bypass. The hole in my diaphragm was very large. It was supposed to be the size of a golf ball, but instead it was the size of a softball. From what I understand my pouch was partially sitting in my chest cavity, and partially in my abdominal cavity a couple months back, however, when he went in to do the surgeries on 7/31/08 my whole pouch was now in my chest cavity. So, he pulled that back through, repaired the hernia hole, and then placed a band around my bypass. When he sutured things into place he made things too tight & at an almost 90 degree angle, so when I did my barium swallow it revelaed that nothing was flowing through. So, the next morning after checking with another swallow & realizing that there still wasn't anything going through, Dr Rosen brought me back in to surgery and removed a couple stitches and then laid my insides flat, instead of at an angle. Now things are flowing through...They are moving slowly, but surely! Yea!! He told my husband that I had barely any scar tissue from my Lap RNY from 2002, so that made my surgery go pretty quickly. They reserved 4 hours of OR time for it, but needed less than 2 hours. All in all everything went very smooth except for the suturing of my insides at a 90 degree angle, and even though that required a second operation, things went well. I am still very sore & achey. My main port incision hurts, but my other incisions aren't terribly painful. The majority of my pain is coming from my muscles. My arms, legs, back, neck, and ab muscles are stiff & sore from sitting in the hospital bed, and from using muscles that I don't usually use to get up & down. My pain meds are making me very sleepy, so I will write more later tonight about how the liquid diet is going, if the pain is better, etc.
~~~~8/03/08~~~~
I'm feeling even better today...The soreness in my muscles and throughout my body is going away! My incisions are still very tender - Especially on my left side where the port was placed. I'm trying to get as much fluids in as possible. I have been sipping Atkins Mocha Latte Protein Shakes throughout the day, broth at night, and juice mixed with water during the rest of the day. I have felt a little nauseous, so I have been using my scopolamine patches. They seem to help. Also, I have been giving myself the heparin shots every 8 hours. I was most afraid of that part - But it turns out that it isn't so bad. Dr Rosen warned me that I would gain weight from all of the fluids that I had while I was in the hospital. Well, he's right! The day of surgery I weighed 223 lbs, and the day I came home I weighed 230 lbs. That is so not fair! LOL I am having my husband hide the scale so that I don't make myself a wreck by weighing too frequently! I have a follow up appointment with Dr Rosen on 8/07/08. I will update more after that appointment.
~~~~1/05/09~~~~
I think I might just have restriction!!!! WOO-HOO!!! I have had 5 fills and I now have 8 cc's in my 14 cc band. Up until now I haven't had any restriction and have felt as though I could eat the way I could pre-band over bypass revision. Now I am getting satisfied by a few bites. It feels wonderful!! :-) At my last appointment on 12/30, when I got my fill, I weighed 214 pounds. I am down approx 22 pounds since I began my revision process. So, hopefully now my weightloss will increase with the restriction I am feeling!
~~~~1/20/09~~~~
I saw Dr Rosen today and got my 6th fill. Now I have 9 cc's in my 14 cc band. When I received my last fill on 1/5 I had restriction that lasted for about 6 days and then it was gone. I have my fingers crossed that it lasts longer this time!! Unfortunately, I didn't lose any weight since my last visit - I think part of that is due to bloating...My period is due any day now.
~~~~2/12/09~~~~
I saw Dr Rosen today and he performed my 8th fill under fluoroscopy. He added 1.6 cc's to my band for a total of 11.6 cc's. This should finally have me feeling restriction! Yay!!
