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Bariatric Surgery/weigh gain after gastric bypass

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Expert: - 4/8/2009


Question

Me fat again
I had my surgery 9 years ago; about 2 years ago i started to gain weight and
now I am almost up to where I was prior to my surgery.  I am getting ready to
have foot surgery (had it in 10/07 on left foot) on my right foot and will be in
cast for 8 weeks and boot for months.  PLEASE HELP!!!  I am so afraid I will get
to 300 + pounds and do not want that.  Can I lose the weight I gained and
what do I have to do?  I hate being obese again and no clothes fit!!!  Do I start
over and eat like I did when I first had the surgery what exercise can I do if I
am unable to get in a pool or stand?  I am so ashamed and hate myself for
gaining this weight back.  I seem to fail at everything and now this surgery is
a failure too.  How embarrassing for me and my family.

Answer
You should pursue/investigate bariatric revision surgery.  For those who have been post-surgical for many years and have gained back some or all of the weight they have lost, it is possible that the stomach has gotten large enough that it is no longer restricting intake to the degree that will help maintain a healthy weight.  Revision surgery is another attempt at reducing the size of your stomach to the size that will restrict your intake - again - so that you can lose the weight you have gained.

Please contact the surgeon that did your initial surgery, if possible, to discuss this option with him/her.  

Additional information regarding bariatric revision surgery can be obtained at the following website:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/

If this information helped, please respond by "grading" the assistance that I have provided.  It is the only way that I get feedback.

Steven West

Expertise

I can answer any and all questions from the perspective of a weight loss surgery patient. I have had Gastric Bypass Surgery - Roux-en-Y - and can answer questions from the perspective of one who has experienced the pain and suffering of murderous obesity. I have mustered the courage to open myself to the opportunity to live life again! Let me help you get there, too! Weight loss surgery isn't for everyone, but for those who fit some specific criteria, it is a viable option. With the rise in obesity in America, there are suddenly weight loss surgery centers springing up on every street corner, it seems. Choosing to have weight loss surgery is a major decision in your life, and choosing the right center can mean the difference between weight loss success and failure. There are three main types of weight loss surgery being performed today at most all surgical weight loss clinics: the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, which creates a small stomach pouch and bypasses part of the small intestine; the Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, which is similar to the first surgery, but is done laparoscopically, so it reduces the size of the incision, and reduces the pain and recovery time of the surgery, and the LAP-BAND surgery, which is a band fastened around the stomach to create a small pouch. Weight Loss surgery is not for everyone who is obese. In most cases, candidates must be at least 100 pounds overweight. Surgery should be the last resort, rather than a quick-fix. Surgery is a long-term answer to managing your weight, and you need to be aware it will change your life.

Experience

I am a post operative patient of Weight Loss Surgery (Gastric Bypass, RNY). I am interested in providing coaching for pre-operative and post-operative patients.

Organizations
Member of obesityhelp.com.

Publications
Profiled in Obesity Help Magazine.

Education/Credentials
Bachelors Degree in Computer Science. I am an engineer working for Computer Sciences Corporation in the Washington, D.C. area.

Awards and Honors
I am a retired veteran with over twenty years of U.S. Naval Service.

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