Time for a Revision??

[Nanook 2]

TxC...

I don't know where to start after reading all the critiques by people here on your obvious weaknesses and failures, lol. Well I know it's not really funny but still...

I gave myself a year as did my WL surgeon who does two procedures, banding and RNY. I was too chicken to have RNY in the beginning becasue I knew ice cream was my friend and I didn't want to have a procedure that would do something horrible to me after eating it.

Little did I know I could still eat gallons of ice cream after banding, I was old school and came to the world of WL forums after banding, what can I say.

Anyway long story short I also developed GERD which made it possible for me to have my band removed after a year of "trying" to lose on the band but then gaining instead and becoming very depressed because I felt "I" was the only one failing at this! I was so depressed I didnt' think anything would work for me so just had it removed. Afterward I was given my stomach back to it's same large size I started to gain even more weight and weighed the highest I had ever and became even more depressed.

Luckily my daughter had her RNY about six months after I was banded and had done well with weight loss and so I decided to give myself one more shot and discussed it with my surgeon and went through the steps to get approved all over again including the psyche eval etc..etc..etc.. and had the surgery done and haven't regreted it once.

I am lucky enough to have dumping syndrome but I also had type 2 diabetes and sometimes wonder if there is a correlation. I am off my meds for that now so it's under control, had gotten worse during my awful diet during banding. I definately have restriction now as my stomach is much smaller and nothing goes through it like it did when I was banded.

Now everyone is different and so I suggest you discuss with a good surgeon, if it's not the one you currently have and also join a good forum that has many types of WLSs on it like Obesityhelp.com. They also have a revision section which I found to be wonderful and helpful and also positive. Now people do compete for "my surgery is the best" over there so you have to really take the time to educate yourself to figure out which is going to be the best for you. For me so far it's RNY and I still live pretty much day to day and keep a check on things.

We all have issues or weaknesses with food, doesn't make us bad or failures just makes it harder for us to get to a weight that makes us happy and healthy. I wish you luck finding the right procedure, Nancy.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Nanook

[Manda87 3]

And please - don't you be so judgemental! We are stuggling every day ourselves to keep on the right track - it's not any easier for us than for you. Not one of us that posted an answer has been lucky - we've worked our butts off!

I agree. IT'S NOT MAGIC. IT'S HARD WORK!

[Manda87 3]

TxC...

I am lucky enough to have dumping syndrome.

Is this a typo? Do people want to have dumping syndrome? I've heard of people having bowel movements on themselves in public. Gosh, I seriously hope that was a typo...

[Nanook 2]

Is this a typo? Do people want to have dumping syndrome? I've heard of people having bowel movements on themselves in public. Gosh, I seriously hope that was a typo...

When people hear the term "dumping syndrome" they think "dump" so I understand why you think that's what it is but it is not! Well possbly for some everyone is different but basically it has to do with your body eating a bit of sugar and thinking you just ate a truckload and it reacts that way.

When I have "dumping syndrome" after eating something that is high in sugar or carbs I feel bad, really bad. I feel nauseous but do not vomit. I feel like I have to lie down and do nothing till it passes, not out, just passes over time.

During that time you do not want to think of food! Because of this "ill feeling" it keeps you from wanting to eat more, not saying you never do it again but you eat small amounts because or not at all. Ice cream used to be my best friend now I don't even crave it! It makes me feel sick to my stomach. It's a positive in my book as I was able to lose a lot of weight by not eating sugary foods that I craved all the time. The lap band did nothing to keep me from craving sweets but this has.

Not everyone experiences dumping syndrome and yes I am glad I do as sugar was my enemy!! I still drink it in my tea every day but just a teaspoon. I cannot eat a bowl of Cereal anymore as the combo of milk and carb does something to me too even if it's a high Fiber Cereal. I can eat some chocolate as a treat but try to eat some with nuts to get some Protein with it, makes me feel better about eating it but I don't eat a ton.

Hope this clears it up for you a bit, Nancy.

[howdybooth 4]

Blue_Eyes - it looks like the two of us got banded pretty close to the same time.....mine was 11/16/09. I started at 290 and I'm down to 225 as of today!!! I actually managed to gain 7 pounds between my surgery and my first fill in January. Been pretty steady since then.

[Blue_Eyes 0]

Blue_Eyes - it looks like the two of us got banded pretty close to the same time.....mine was 11/16/09. I started at 290 and I'm down to 225 as of today!!! I actually managed to gain 7 pounds between my surgery and my first fill in January. Been pretty steady since then.

Hey Howdy! Seems like we are loosing at the same rate too :biggrin: I need to update my ticker, but I'm down 65lbs also. I have a Realize band and have 8.5cc's in it right now and feel like at my next fill I will be at my sweet spot (fingers crossed). It has not been the easiest road to WL, but I knew that getting the band was totally different from other WLS What kind of band do you have?

[Rsilversea 2]

Even after that description of what dumping is, I still don't know why anyone would consider themselves lucky to have it. It sounds awful but if you think it's helpful and it keeps you from eating wrong, then more power to you.

[howdybooth 4]

Blue - I have the Lap Band AP, but I'm not sure if it's L or S - but it holds 10cc and I'm at about 7 cc. My surgeon doesn't just do bariatric surgery - he's a general surgeon and the banding is only 5% of his business. He's very easy to talk to and allows me to be as aggressive with my fills as I want. My first fill was 2.5cc, my second 3cc, and my third with 2cc, but I had to go back and have some removed the next day……just too tight. From April, May, and June I was going great and then just stopped losing. I was still tight, but I'd lose 2 than gain 4. Then from one week to the next I went from tight to feeling like I was wide open. So I did get another fill last week, only .6cc and I'm tight again.

But - I'm 49 and I've started having problems with hormones, which my doc was very common with women and losing weight. From what he told me, estrogen is stored in fat and as I've lost fat, I've lost estrogen and I'm just not producing it as much as I did in my younger days.....the joys of getting older!

Any way - with the bump I got last week, I'm down 7 pounds this week and I don't believe it's all because of the fill........I think it's part of it’s hormones and not retaining Fluid this week!

[howdybooth 4]

Rsilversea......my sister had RNY and has dumping and it's pretty awful. She gets very, very gassy and runs to the bathroom non-stop with diarrhea. She had her surgery 10 years ago this month and has lost about 180 pounds. She went from 400 to 220 – most of it lost during the first 18 months after the surgery. She now struggles to keep her weight down; she’s around 235-240 right now and is considering going in for the band. Like a lot of RNYs, she’s discovered that she has stretched out her stomach and can eat more food.

My hero is a gal where I work. She has gone from 335 to 145. It took her about 2 ½ years, but she’s kept is off. And if she starts getting were she can eat more, she goes and gets a fill. That’s what sold me on the band over RNY.

[btrieger 21]

Even after that description of what dumping is, I still don't know why anyone would consider themselves lucky to have it. It sounds awful but if you think it's helpful and it keeps you from eating wrong, then more power to you.

And keep reading. The dumping is temporary. Before long your body gets used to the excess sugar and starts storing like it did pre-surgery. That is why most by-pass patients gain back most of their weight.

Not a very good deterrent at all.

[btrieger 21]

Howdy, does your sister still dump after 10 years?

[Nanook 2]

I think the focus should be on finding the procedure that is right for you and if you can't lose weight dieting anymore and then still fail at the lap band then it's probably not the right procedure. Everyone is different and so some dump some do not. Some stop having dumping syndrome some do not so it's a gamble, the lap band was a gamble for me and I lost. I've had both procedures done so feel like I know a little bit about it.

If you go to obesityhelp.com you'll see people revise to and from every type of procedure. The OP wouldn't consider a revision if the lap band had been the right choice for her. It's not easy to revise and going from lap band to DS or RNY is a big deal so it would be nice to encourage her instead of telling her right off the bat that she will fail at that also, just saying, Nancy....

[howdybooth 4]

Btrieger: Yes she does and it isn't pleasant to be around!!! Hey looks like you're doing an outstanding job with your weight loss. Congrats!

[btrieger 21]

I think the focus should be on finding the procedure that is right for you and if you can't lose weight dieting anymore and then still fail at the LAP-BAND® then it's probably not the right procedure. Everyone is different and so some dump some do not. Some stop having dumping syndrome some do not so it's a gamble, the LAP-BAND® was a gamble for me and I lost. I've had both procedures done so feel like I know a little bit about it.

If you go to obesityhelp.com you'll see people revise to and from every type of procedure. The OP wouldn't consider a revision if the LAP-BAND® had been the right choice for her. It's not easy to revise and going from LAP-BAND® to DS or RNY is a big deal so it would be nice to encourage her instead of telling her right off the bat that she will fail at that also, just saying, Nancy....

Nancy, the lapband didn't fail her. She failed the lapband.

Do you honestly think a revision will help her if she refuses to do things as simple as not drinking soda and whole milk?

Howdy, I only know a handful of bypassers but none of them dump any more. They all did for the first year or so.

[Nanook 2]

Nancy, the LAP-BAND® didn't fail her. She failed the LAP-BAND®.

Do you honestly think a revision will help her if she refuses to do things as simple as not drinking soda and whole milk?

Howdy, I only know a handful of bypassers but none of them dump any more. They all did for the first year or so.

All I know is sometimes the behaviors are forced upon you as they were for me. I used to be able to drink with my meals as a lap bander which I know is a no-no but I did. Now I physically cannot drink with my meal or I get full-er. You don't really know what is going to happen until after you've had the surgery. I also was never able to lose that big chunk of weight in the beginning which is something some people need for their own sanity. That was something that is going to happen too, so weight loss was forced upon me too.

Trust me I've heard all the "the lap band doesn't fail you, you fail the lap band" crap from people here but not from my surgeon so I was lucky to have a good one, take care and peace, Nancy.:biggrin: