Question:
I have not lost weight the last 6 months I've gained 24pounds back

I want to make an appointment with my doctor but I'm scared. I have no feeling of fullness. I know this is only a tool but what do you do when the tool doesn't work. I have no feeling of fullness nor do I dump. Do you think something is mechanically wrong? I'm afraid that my doctor is going to tell me it's my fault and theres nothing he can do. What tests do they usually do to see if everything is working. Has anyone else get no fullness or dumping? If you had these symptoms what did your doctor do about it? I eat a lot of protein and drink lots of water but I also eat carbs and sugars. I wouldn't of had this surgery done if I knew this was going to happen. How does someone lose that sense of fullness? I do not want to be fat anymore its so depressing. The day of my surgery I wighed 327, I got down to 193 and now I'm at 216. I'll take any help or comments, Thanks so much    — Missy S. (posted on February 3, 2004)

February 3, 2004
Missy, You're not alone in this. There are many who have been where you are. There is a great Yahoo group where you may be able to find some people who can tell you about their own experiences which are similar to yours: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DS_Revision/ Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride

February 3, 2004
They can do an upper-GI series (with barium), to see how things go through your system; if you had your stomach stapled, it's possible the staples didn't hold and that you no longer have a pouch separated from your stomach, which could account for the absence of a feeling of fullness. Worth checking. If that's what happened, you may want to consider revision surgery.<P>If the pouch is intact, and your stoma's not enlarged (that, they can also check for ... that's the opening between the pouch and intestine which, if it gets too big, can also leave you without feeling full), then the posters who responded initially gave you great suggestions.
   — Suzy C.

February 3, 2004
You actually have two things listed... One the 'full feeling" and two the gaining. The gaining can be stopped/reversed by stopping the consumption of 'sugar'. Not everyone does dump. and if they do, it lessons over time. Sugar is alos easy to eat.. you can eat alot of chocolate (been there done that). No revision will 'make' you dump. The second is the feeling of fullness. IF you had an RNY there is a risk that you might have stoma failure. This risk is the opposite of strictiure (where the stoma tightens to much) a few people get the opposite, where the stoma does NOT srhink after surgery. YOU didnt mention too much your eating, so I'll just rely my eperience. With a stoma that does not shrink after surgery, it basically renders your pouch non functional. When you eat, the food goes directly from your esogus into your intestines. INTESTINES, will act as a 'stomach' and intestine do stretch also .. you will notice right away that you can eat more than your other RNY peers. Most surgeons, (according to the bariatric association) will not fix you if this happens... They just tell their patients to diet and excerise. A hard road for a WLS person especially if diet and excerise 'worked' NO one would have gone and had surgery. You can read my profile if you like. Bottom line, 3 surgeons down and 3 years latter I was finally 'fixed'! To fix a stoma protem (or at least one) the use of the lap band works just fine . Also my insurance covered it since it was to 'fix' the rny. The ONLY way for PRE OP people to insure they never have this problem and trust me if you get it is a lonely place to be. Your peers dont understand, alot of doctors refuse to understand, andyour left alone. The DS is the only way to avoid this problem. Unfortunaly alot of insurance' are still only paying for the RNY as long as that is the case... YOU could be a 'victim' of this problem. good luck.. hope you find your path. oh, ps ... my surgeon ordered an upper gi that showed the stomach wasnt working. The endoscope showed I was in 'normal limits' but evendently not normal for me.
   — star .

February 3, 2004
When I eat carbs I never feel full and am certain that something is wrong. The only way for me to control the carbs is to simply cut them out. The second I cut them out I lose weight. I was recently on a 3 week bender and gained a few pounds and within 2 weeks of no carbing I lost 9 pounds and was not hungry at all and felt fullness again. Call your doctor. You are not alone in gaining weight and it is better to nip in the bud than to gain even more. It may be hard and embarrassing but at least you are making the effort to set it right adn if there is something wrong you will find out and fix it.
   — Carol S.

February 3, 2004
Missy, you and I weighed in EXACTLY the same weight (327lbs) so I thought I would reply to your post- I am in the SAME boat as you- Early on, I could tell I could eat more then everyone else, and I don't dump- I was really having a head trip about this- I just KNEW I would fail- I went to my Dr. about 6 mo. post op and did the barium swollow, and he said everything looked fine- he explained to me that sometimes nerves that send the "full" signal to your brain can somehow be damaged- (ughhhh go figure) so I had to really look at my life/my situation- and I came up with the conculsion- that I was not going to get the "honeymoon period" that everyone talked about- I never once said, like everyone else "Oh my, one or two bites and I'm STUFFED" I'm sorry to say- but if you don't have a medical problem with your proceedure- then this is going to be UP TO YOU- I think the key to my success, is learning what the word MODERATION means- You said you don't want to be fat anymore- so your going to HAVE to cut out the carbs and sugar- But the wonderful part is, you can learn to cook/bake low carb/Sugar free things- There are LOTS of "new" things on the market that are really nice subsitutions for a "treat" I will make things like sugar free cheescake and fudge (splenda) I'm am SO glad you are here asking for help- it means you still want this- DON'T GIVE UP- you need to get yourself back on track- and someone like you and I, need to put a little more effort into thing, because we don't get full like everyone else. You need to MEASURE your food- get a little kitchen scale- Have lots of high protein snacks on hand- I have my own areas in the cupboard and fridge, I keep them stocked with protein bars, pork rinds, LOTS of cheese, deli meats, jerky, cottage cheese, meats- You need to follow the pouch rules, drink lots of calorie free liquids- and don't drink with your meals (very important) You have lost ALOT of weight- and YES you can gain it all back- so catch yourself now, psyche yourself up that you CAN do this :) Having a good support system is SOOOOOOOOOOOO important, so know there are people out here who REALLY do care and are rooting for you (smile) I would be HAPPY to lend you an ear of support via email- feel free to write me- Best wishes Kim 327/156 -171LBS
   — WABBIT F.

February 3, 2004
Your profile lists your surgery type as AGB, not RNY, so your not going to dump. Just doesn't happen with the AGB. You might need a fill, when was the last time you went in to get one? It is possible to have a revision to AGB to RNY, but that's not garanteed to make you dump - some don't ever with the RNY. I don't know a whole lot about the band, but if that is what you have, most of the advice you have gotten so far would not apply as it is for an RNY post-op. Go talk with your dr., it might be something as simple as getting the band filled to help you with having more restriction.
   — Ali M

February 3, 2004
Sounds like you need your "adjustable gastric band" adjusted (filled). Call your doc. He can help you.
   — mom2jtx3

February 4, 2004
GET BACK TO YOU Doctor! You deserve to be thin, Iam sure they can help you. Don't suffer alone.
   — Mrscookie

February 4, 2004
This is confusing. Do you have the lapband? Or do you have the RNY? If you have the band, you have to get a fill. The band does not work unless you are properly filled. If you had the RNY, then you will need to get back to your doctor and get back on program. Whatever the procedure that you had, it is only a tool to help you. It won't do all the work. You will have to watch the carbs and sugar. With any of the surgeries, you will have to change your eating habits to become successful. Good luck!
   — Sheryl W.

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