Bypass didn't work, 2 surgical issues

[Bariatric Bypass 1]

Hello,

Sorry this a a long post but I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's had similar experiences.

Has anyone had a gastric bypass that didn't work? I knew something was wrong pretty soon after my surgery as I had no restriction.

I'd known all of my surgical team since 2010 when I had a gastric band. After a year of filling and un-filling and coming to the end of my free fill period (they would have cost £100 after that), the bariatric nurse and I could never reach that sweet point between nothing going through the band and so being sick all the time and no restriction at all so I knew I had to give up on this.

Then in 2012, I lost 9 stone (125lb) by following a very low calorie diet (VLCD). I did this for 9 months, eating just four sachets of food at just under 600 calories a day. I got down to just over 10 stone (140lb) on my 40th birthday at the end of 2012. But in 2013 when I was off the VLCD, I struggled to keep the weight off. By October 2013, I had tried everything and decided to go for further surgery.

I was initially going to have a sleeve but the team's dietician had said that sometimes band to sleeve revisions weren't as successful and I'd read that the bypass is the recommended revision for those who've had bands. Add to this that it was sold to me as the 'gold service' of weight loss surgery and I'd read that it's the operation that has been done for many years and has lots of experience and evidence behind it, I went for the bypass.

I knew something was wrong pretty soon after my surgery as I had no restriction. In early December 2013, the dietician agreed that I should not physically be able to eat or drink Fluid in the volumes I could (I felt and still feel like nothing had changed) so he sent me for x-rays which were inconclusive and the measurements/calibrations weren't noted at the time. However, one of the surgeons said in an email that he thought the stoma was around 20mm in diameter. Everything I read says this is too large as food goes straight through the stoma, meaning I never really feel full.

The smaller stomach and stoma should mean that I feel feel on less food. It took months for me to push for a second set of xrays and I really felt that I was being ignored. Emails were replied to only after a few weeks when I chased them up and I have an email from the same surgeon saying they were deliberately slowing things down in the hope things would rectify themselves. But they didn't.

They did agree to a second opinion and I chose a surgeon in London who not only runs a centre which is ICE accredited (International Centre of Excellence) but has performed over 2500 bypass surgeries and specialises in those that go wrong.

He sent me to another hospital in London on that day for some more xrays and then delivered his report. He identified and the xray specialist agreed that the stoma was too large to have any effect i.e. 'no functional effect' at the site. He also discovered that I had a sort of extra bit of stomach or additional reservoir. They call this a hockey stick or a candy cane but the effect on the surgery is unknown. He recommended that my hospital carry out an endoscopy to rule out a stricture.

My hospital received the report and said they didn't feel the stoma was too big and in fact it was a good thing as "one of the theories as to how the bypass works is getting food that is eaten into the small bowel quickly as this has hormonal feedback to tell the person to stop eating".

I have never read anything like that before and that certainly wasn't how they explained the procedure to me. I've always understood a bypass to be the creation of a smaller stomach so you feel full on much less food (that's what makes you stop eating, I know nothing about hormonal feedback) plus the shortening of the bowel meant some calories weren't absorbed after bypass.

My hospital also didn't think the endoscopy was worth doing either as I'd had no sign of a stricture. Throughout, I have been asking the surgeons whether an endoscopy would help them to see what's going on inside there but they thought not.

One of the most disappointing things was how disinterested my hospital were from the beginning. I felt that they'd taken my money and I had to fight to make them believe there was a problem. Even then, they really didn't move to try and explore what had happened. I don't understand this as they are still doing this procedure on people. I thought they would have wanted to know what had gone wrong with me so that it didn't happen to anyone else.

Also very disappointing was the fact that I woke up to a LEAD surgeon I'd never met and never even heard of. Like I say, I've know this team since 2010. They hadn't mentioned there was a new member, let alone that he would be involved in my operation and certainly not that he would be my LEAD surgeon. I trusted this team and I felt this was a breach of that trust.

I also trusted them to look after me if anything went wrong. I'm in the process of taking on a lawyer plus, because of my tweets about my experience, a local journalist who's interested in the fact that many bands are being revised, how surgery is sold to patients and what happens when they fail, has contacted me.

I feel I should raise awareness that there are things that can go wrong that you don't hear about, as in my case. Would I advise anyone not to have bariatric surgery? No, all I would say is don't use a hospital just because its local to you or you know them. It doesn't mean they'll look after you if things go wrong. Find an ICE, look at patient feedback like mine and get a cast Iron guarantee that they'll take care of you if there are problems.

The hospital's final letter to me told me that they would not be refunding my money and advised that I pursue diet and counselling. I feel like they just put me on the 'it doesn't work for some people' pile when I didn't even know such a pile existed.

Aren't diet, exercise and counselling things we do over and over again before considering the massive step of surgery? In fact, my hospital's own website begins ... "If you’ve exhausted all other weight loss options, you might be considering weight loss surgery”.

I'm still paying off the loan for this and I'm left in the cold! David & Goliath.

Please share your feedback with me.

Thanks for reading.

[lovedXJesus 27]

@@Bariatric Bypass

I don't have any answers for you. I have not even had the surgery yet myself. But I can not imagine how disappointed you are. I just wanted to tell you that I hope all works out well for you. Please don't lose heart. Stay strong and be courageous. Keep us updated.

[Bariatric Bypass 1]

Thank you! That's a kind reply. I wish you all the best on your journey too :-) And don't worry, I'll definitely keep you up to date!

[Bariatric Bypass 1]

A couple of things I forgot to mention that I know my friends will ask when I ask them to come and read this - firstly I was self funded and the bypass cost me £11,450. The band was £6,995 if memory serves.

There definitely seems to be a 'blame the patient' attitude from the hospital and I have not set eyes on either of the surgeons who operated on me since. That does not seem professional to me.

[UK Cathy 977]

You are using Stones and quoting £s so was you operated on in the UK, just asking.

[Bariatric Bypass 1]

Yes I was. I put it in lbs too as I know some members are in the US. As for converting to kgs, I don't have a clue :-)

[ashley vazquez 6]

Hi!! I am fighting the same this right now! I had lap band in 2008, had it removed in 2013, then had rny nov. 2014. I feel no restriction and I can eat what I want! Smaller portions but I get hungry so fast! My doct said I would have to just work a little harder than others!! Was wondering if you had any update on your deal? Any advice?

[Steve Puckett 33]

I feel so sorry for you. The quality of your surgeons and care are terrible. I have a love hate relationship with my small stoma which has caused two trips to the Emergency Room, but then again, that's why I chose the RNY instead of the sleeve, to punish me if I'm not perfect and has paid off with great weight loss success.

Please pursue all legal means against you surgeon and caregivers that your legal system will allow, in the U.S. the legal system bullies the medical profession so the doctors are very careful and make things right. If you are stuck with the large stoma, hopefully you don't feel real hunger and can at least use that "tool" to limit quantity of food consumed and log every thing eaten to control your weight.

[lovecactus 1]

My problem also

I thought I was the only one.... Since the very beginning right after surgery I was different ..my surgery was the 26th of Jan. I could drink a lot eat a lot way to much then I tried to dump just to see what it would take I did find when I ate really to much and combined with eating to fast I did have done it 2 times ....I can eat to fast and eat to much drink and eat and drink fast ...one thing I HAVE not done because I have no desire for it is eat sugary things and have not eaten deep fried foods. I also had a lapband and lost weight with it but had to have fills taken out and finally none ...had acid reflux sooo bad.had it taken out and 3 months later I had a gastric bypass. I have not gotten ahold of my doc yet ...WHAT could they do. But I may try to get in this month... Not a very friendly office no nut very very busy office.

Iam 65 ???? just to mention.

[lovecactus 1]

One thing I see we all have in common is we all have had a lapband hummm

[Shone Maree 0]

Hi,

I can see that this was written five years ago but just googled a search to see if there was people the surgery had not worked for and found this. I am wondering how this is going for you all now. Have things turned around? I have had three weight loss surgeries, none of which I would say worked. I first had the band and that was never right. Constantly trying to find the right amount of Fluid so that I wasn't vomiting until I have it removed and had the sleeve. I lost some weight with the sleeve and this was okay but go to the point that I started to gain again and rapidly so the surgeon suggested he would do the bypass. I had the bypass 10 months ago and feel like it was never done. I don't have any of the results that people say should occur and had a visit to the hospital to check it was all okay in there. The surgeon says it looks juts like any other bypass he has done. I don't feel that the surgeon has made any kind of mistake and trust that he has a lot of experience but I have no idea why I am not losing weight. In fact if I eat what I want each week I gain weight.

[lovedXJesus 27]

Hi Shone,

That sounds really discouraging to go through. I am really sorry that you have gone through all that. I never really lost all that I thought that I should. I started at 243 and my lowest weight was around 170. I have since gained back 20 pounds but started weight watchers in October 2018 and have lost 10 of that. It is def a struggle and the surgery is not the magic bullet I hoped it would be. lol I have since heard about a procedure called the ROSE procedure that is like a revision surgery that I could have done, but I think it is only covered if you have gained back a substantial amount of your weight ( I have not) or you have another co-morbidity (I do not) . But it sounds like you could be a candidate for that. You should check it out. All in all, I am happy I had the surgery done. I feel better than before and I no longer have health issues. I do not eat like I should. But I never did, that is why I struggled with my weight in the first place. You are within your rights to seek another opinion. I still do not think that my original surgeon made my stomach small enough. I am still just plugging along like before, waiting to see what might help me in this epic battle with my weight! lol New stuff comes out all the time. Maybe the next thing will be better. Good luck and let me know how you are doing. God bless you. kim