Question:
Let's hear from the wls failures.....
To be more accurate, I would like to hear from those people who feel wls failed them. Specifically, I would like some input from those who didn't lose as much weight as expected. Even the surgeons admit that this happens to many; but, I never hear from these people on any of the boards. People speak so openly about their success and openly about post-op complications. Now it's time to hear from those who have given it their "all"; but, haven't seen comparable results. — margaret N. (posted on November 29, 2001)
November 29, 2001
This will probably get deleted. I know there were some pretty sad stories
of failures and most post about that or warnings about surgeons were
deleted.One page, I dont remember who, actually said that she stopped
posting because the sad warnings and posts that said that wls was negative
were deleted from the site.
— Courtney W.
November 29, 2001
The people who are hurt by WLS don't dare speak up as they get some very
nasty people who victumize them all over again. They have suffered enough,
then when they try to warn other people about the dangers they get crapped
on by others here who "say they want to know the truth about the bad
side". I don't blame them for not coming forward. I would'nt expect
very many answers to your question. It's a good question but those poor
souls who were hurt by WLS don't need any more grief from the few nasty
people who are here. I'm not saying everyone is nasty. Fact is most people
here are kind and compassionate but this question brings out all the
horse's a##es who like to dump over the unfortunate people who were deeply
hurt by WLS. Myself I'm very happy with it and would never dream and
crapping on someone who was hurt. I know what it is like to be hurt and
victimized afterward as I went through it after a bad surgery in 1993. If
someone is a failure there will be many others that will come here and a
damn them. Who needs that?
— Danmark
November 29, 2001
I'm not disappointed in my wls but I felt you needed to know the facts.
It's simple math. To lose weight you must consume less than you expend. WLS
works by limiting the amount of food you consume. The more you weigh the
more calories you burn just being alive. The problem is that its just a
tool, the pouch can be stretched, you can sabatoge your pouch by not
following the eating/drinking and exercise guidelines.
A lot of people who are morbidly obese have issues whether its depression,
insecurities, self destructive behaviours such as overeating, sugar
addicts, fat food addicts, snackers, carbo holics, smokers, alcohol
drinkers to handle stress,disappointment, joy etc. Until these issues are
under control with medication/counseling they can rear their ugly heads
again and again.
I know of one man who immediately post op had his family bring in sodapop(
ex large size) he burst his pouch and was sent to ICU, there he was told
nothing goes in his mouth until healed. His family continued to sneak in
soda pop/burgers even when told it could kill him, he himself actually
drank the bathwater after his bedbath. This by the way was his second wls,
he was going to do it his way no matter what.
Most surgeons give their patients a list of guidelines to follow to
maintain a small pouch and achieve healthy weight loss. Unfortunately if
you have issues that lead you to self destructive behaviour your not going
to follow the guidelines.
I did alot of research and studying before I had my wls. I decided my way
of doing things is what caused me to be morbidly obese. I figure I'm going
to stick with the experts on the matter of keeping my pouch small and
successfully lose weight, I consider the guidelines as my RULES TO FOLLOW.
Back to the math. Basic calorie intake vs activity. Most surgeons suggest a
walking program post op, muscle burns more calories than fat. As the weight
comes off if you haven't developed much muscle the weight will come off
slower unless you decrease your calories or increase your activity.
WLS is only a tool. Its everyones choice how they use or abuse it. You can
eat healthy or crap, you can work to maintain a small pouch or test the
limits repeatedly and stretch out your pouch. You can learn to deal with
stress/disappointment/issues or you can do self destructive behaviour.You
can follow the guidelines or choose to be morbidly obese at all costs. It
all comes down to what you choose.
— Helen B.
November 29, 2001
i have been home 3 weeks now. my surgery was on august 22. i was home for 1
day and went back to the hospital with pancrentitis.(sorry if misspelled) i
was in the hospital for another 69 days. i almost died and was in a coma
for a month. i also have had to re-learn how to walk again. i want you to
have this info because i had never heard of this complication in all of my
research before surgery. i thank god that i'm alive. please give much
thought to having this surgery. it would have been worth my time to try 20
more diets and exercises to not have gone through what my family and i have
already. only you know yourself and i hope that you are successful in
whatever you choose.
— [Anonymous]
November 29, 2001
I had WLS in the early 1980's. I initally lost 145lb (275 start weight).
The weight stayed off the first few years - but over the past 10 years I
have gained back about 90 lbs. If you are an emotional eater I straongly
suggest that you attend some sort of support group and/or counseling. The
amount that I am able to eat is still relatively small - the problem is
that I can eat frequently - which I do due to stress. I am having revision
surgery on Jan 2, 2002 and will include support/counseling. My surgeon
does not provide this - however my insurance at work will.
— Faye B.
November 29, 2001
OK, I was one of those WLS failures...had my surgery (stomach stapling) in
93. Lost around 130 pounds, regained 90 pounds...I hadn't dealt with my
compulsive overeating, and all the emotions that went along with the
wonderful weight loss. I started at 347, lost to 220, and then struggled,
trying to lose more...tried every diet pill, excercise, etc, and couldn't
get lower...sunk into a depression, and figured, well, if I can't get below
200, why bother. Started eating wrong and not caring and gained 10-20
pounds a year...and my comorbidities gradually came back. In the meantime,
a friend of mine had successful RNY and then both of my sisters...so I
jumped through hoops for nearly two years, and finally FINALLY had a
conversion surgery to Open RNY on 9/26/01. I had to see an eating
disorders specialist, in order to get BTC and BC/BS approval...it was very
expensive, although insurance paid for some of it. She has helped me so
much. I saw her for 4 months weekly before I got my letter, then every
other week. Thought I woudlnt' see her again until I'd lost a lot and
started panicking again, but I've found I need to see her. I've been going
weekly most weeks since surgery. And it's working...and it's easier for
me...I'm doing the emotional work. I believe this surgery CAN be the
answer, but it's not an easy answer. Best wishes.
— Yvonne R.
November 29, 2001
Thanks, Faye. We don't often read about experienes like yours
and I think that's important for people who are considering wls
and for those of us who are struggling. I think helps for people to
know that sometimes we can do all the right things and lose only a
moderate amount of weight....and that's ok....because any significant
weight loss impoves ones health and longevity.
— margaret N.
November 29, 2001
All of these responses are very good and helpful, and I agree that it is
very important, also, for those researching wls to consider all sides of
the question and to be sure that they have asked, and answered the hard
questions. With that said, however, I will add that it is important for
newbies to understand that wls has changed considerably since the early
stomach stapling surgeries. They should be sure they understand, when
reading the disruption stories and gain back stories, exactly what kind of
surgery the person had. If the surgery was more than 5 or 6 years old, it
probably wasn't a roux en y or a duodenal switch. It may have been one of
the older surgeries that had a high failure rate. The rny and ds surgeries
evolved from those failures, and the success rates today are much, much
higher. Make sure you ask when and what kind of surgery. If rny, ask if
the stomach was completely transsected. If it was, staple line disruption
is impossible. I urge you to get all the facts before making a decision.
— Anne G.
November 29, 2001
Though I think that your post brings up some great questions, as I too
would like to know of unsucessful surgeries, I have an issue with calling
the people themselves failures. As you yourself know, being an overweight
person, one of the most damaging parts of the abuse and teasing one gets is
that a person embodies that feeling and begins to believe she/he is a
failure.
I'm not meaning to imply that you yourself are calling people failures but
pointing to an overall issue with the word 'failure'. Perhaps there needs
to be a better word than failure applied to unsuccesfull WLS.
— blank first name B.
November 29, 2001
I get your point Nikki....my title was meant to get folks' attention.
As I said, it's the surgery that fails some people.....not the people
who fail.
— [Anonymous]
November 30, 2001
I'm sorry if I offended you, that was not my intention. Perhaps all of us
could think up a better word for unsuccessful WLS?
— blank first name B.
November 30, 2001
GM, Margaret. Like any surgery, this surgery contains risks. So the
medical failure is a risk like others that are implied when a patient has a
major surgery. Psychological failure is another story. I did my psych
preparatory work IN ADVANCE with a therapist, whom I was seeing in
connection with the acute, severe clinical depression that I had been
living with. I was able to cope with everyday stuff, but it took many
months of medication and lots of hard work, soul searching, tears,
patience, and determination to get to the point where I was able to make a
positive choice for myself. I feel that doing the work in advance helps to
maximize my chances of success. The WLS surgery is NOT the goal. It is a
tool to help me on my way towards the goal - which is, of course, a long,
active, and healthy life.
— Marjorie B.
December 1, 2001
It is all a matter of how this surgery is approached. I lost 218 lbs the
first year and after the 2nd year regained 64 lbs. I failed the surgery,
it did not fail me. I chose to pick up the sugar and get immune to
dumping. I reset my dump o meter in 2/99. I went back to exercise, stopped
grazing and got my head screwed on right. You see, in the past, when ever
I went on a diet, I was dieting to lose weight so I could eat again. I did
the same thing with wls. Well guess what....I regained 64 lbs. Today I am
at maintenance, 185 lbs,(-278 lbs) wearing normal sizes
(12s/mediums/smalls) I used the surgery as intended...as a tool, not the
panacea I was hoping for.
I excercise, eat 6 times a day, drink 80+ ounces of water, eat protein
first then veggies, do not drink with meals, do not drink soda and low
carb.
Hey, Your mileage may vary but it works. I still love food, I am a food
addict but I pick and choose my splurges....
Hugs
Rita
463/185
OPen Proximal RNY 3/31/94
— vt_rita
March 26, 2002
Oh that's a bunch of bunk!! They don't delete the negative information.
Haven't you read the memorial pages? Or the pages of the few poor souls
who have had complications? This site has saved my life. Let me repeat
that.. SAVED MY LIFE... It has been wonderful in providing me information
to research ALL aspects of WLS - from the horror stories to the stories
that make you cry in joy for the person's sucess - and to make my OWN
choice.
— msjmcalpin
May 4, 2002
I had a LAP RNY on 12/4/01. I just got the word yesterday that the surgery
failed me. My surgeon believes my stoma is too large, and anything I eat or
drink is passing immediately into my intestines. I have never dumped or
vomited and can eat food portions at pre-surgery sizes. If I try limiting
my food portions to the small size recommended to WLS patients, I get
extremely hungry shortly after eating. While I lost 30 pounds at 6 weeks
after surgery, I have only lost 20 pounds in the 3 and a half months since
then. I have all the negatives of this surgery (hair loss, which proves I'm
malabsorbing) but none of the positives. He says there is no way to correct
this and the only options I have are: (1) bypassing more intestines, which
will leave me with a bunch of life-long health problems or (2) follow a
diet and exercise program as if I had never had WLS. My surgeon said he has
discussed this with other surgeons, and no ones seems to know why it
happens, but that they are seeing it more and more (probably because more
and more people are having the surgery). I am extremely frustrated and
unhappy about this, as I'm sure you can understand. I have heard of an
experimental procedure where the stoma is reduced via endoscope and have
emailed several bariatric surgeons, looking for more information. I'm not
willing to give up until I know for sure there is nothing that can be done,
but I'm also not willing to allow surgeons to cut me up and use me as some
science experiment. I have heard from others who have the same problem, so
I know I'm not unique, but I admit it not's a common failure.
— Cyndie K.
May 13, 2004
I had the lap band in Nov 03. I lost 33 lbs right away from the liquid
portion of the diet, now I am having difficulty swallowing and I Cant get
any solid protein down. My dr gave me Reglan to help me , but I have
resorted to soft, mushy things which are sometimes higher in calories so I
am basically standing still 6 mo post op. I hurt my back real bad while
doing exercise , so I cannot even do a walking program. I do drink the
water, but its hard to get it all in with timing of the meals, so yes it is
a tool, but for me I wonder why I did it. If I knew I would have to be on
such a rigorous diet (1200 calories) and would not lose without daily
exercise, I would have re considered my actions. Unfortunately I was unable
to have the RNY which may have worked our better for me. Karel M
— Karel
Click Here to Return