3 years ago, I had open RNY gastric bypass surgery. The surgeon, Dr. Bolar, was regarded as the top surgeon in Ky. I was promised that I would get at least under 200 in spite of myself. These were his exact words. I weighed 326. My question was, will my stomach stretch out again? I was told no, it would only stretch out to the approximate size of a lemon and would only hold about one and a half cups of food maximum over time. The first 3 months after surgery, it was quite easy. I went from 326 to 270. Then, my hunger came back with a vengance. I was able to eat a Wendy's single, fries at one time and also easily ate a 6 inch subway sandwich with chips. It was even worse than before surgery because after I ate, 2 hours later I would be very hungry again! I went to see the doctor and he only told me to eat one cup of food three times a day until I lost all the weight. That did not work any more than if you told any pre-surgery patient the same thing. I now weigh 294 and it has been 3 years since that surgery. My daughter also, over time, has gained back most of her weight loss surgery weight. I do know of one girl, a friend of my daughters, who had the surgery and exercised daily and planned her meals and kept off the weight and she really worked at it. (My thinking is she could have done the same thing and lost the weight without the surgery). Another lady I knew who had the surgery died at a later date due to her potassium levels became so low that she had a heart attack. You MUST take vitamins every day religiously. I still have the long ugly scar that runs from my sternum to my belly button and I still have to take vitamin B, a good mulit vitamin with iron and calcium daily and still here I am, back to square one, having to go on a diet just like before the weight loss surgery. I really thought this was the answer to my weight problem. It is not worth it and all the people you hear about it being wonderful are newbys usually and .. if you research people who are 3 to 5 years out....that is where you need to draw your statistics from. Here I am on a 1200 calorie diet, trying to lose weight. My stomach pouch did stretch out and I worry about overeating because one lady died from her esophagus bursting from stuffing too much food in which her stomach did not hold soon after weight loss surgery. The weight loss surgery does not fix your habits, your mind, your cravings. Just wanted to share my experience, thanks, Pat
So you're saying that the woman who really worked at it was successful and those who treat it like a magic pill and go right back to eating Wendy's are not so successful?
I'm not a big fan of weight loss surgery, but it doesn't really appear that you were prepared for what you were doing. Better luck.
Honestly,
No matter how someone loses weight, they do have to really work it. Some people are lucky in that they can eat more calories and exercise less while others have to exercise daily and carefully watch what they eat. I find I am someone who needs to exercise every day and I need to carefully watch what I eat.
Although I don't know a lot about weight loss surgery, from what I've heard and seen, I think you were misguided by your doctor in him telling you that you didn't have to participate in your weight loss (lose despite yourself) and that your stomach wouldn't stretch out. There is no pill, surgery or device that can make us lose weight without us being an active participant. Weight loss surgery definitely isn't the answer for everyone although I have seen a lot of success from these lovely ladies on this forum. I have heard statistics that 60% of weight loss surgery patients regain the weight and of those that do lose, a small percentage actually reach their goal weight.
I do wish you the best of luck in your weight loss journey and one thing that I have found very helpful is the use of these forums to find support and learn from others. You aren't alone
you're not alone, Pat. unfortunately. and i'm not going to suggest any reasons for why this didn't work for you - there could be many many factors at play here.
the metal really DOES hit the floor after the second year, but as someone who had her surgery more than 5 years ago, i'm still doing quite well. i've had a small weight gain [less than 10% of my total weigh loss]. and i'm not happy about it. but i AM able to see where i need to make changes to my eating and will do so, as i DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK to where i was.
I think that this just kind of reiterates that this surgery is a tool and not an end all to weight problems. The benefit, I think, is that you do indeed lose weight, but from all I've read, you have to really optimize that first nine months to a year by eating well and exercising. I don't think any kind of attempt at weight loss, whether it be surgery or dieting, is going to go well if you don't make the decision to change your eating habits. You just can't lose weight and then go back to the way you were eating before.
I feel for you. I had weight loss surgery 7 years ago and it was a great success for me. I did work at it staying clear of sweets, carbs, etc. and kept up with my vitamins, protein, and exercising. I lost almost 170 lbs and felt great. I did get pregnant a year after surgery and my OBGYN was very concerned because I was still only eating a spoonful of food at a time so for the first time in my life a doctor was telling me I needed to eat more (imagine that!). So here started my downward spiral of eating. I'd still eat a spoonful of food but would do so every hour or more to keep my strength up. I didn't gain any weight during pregnancy (my weight loss equaled out with weight gained from my son). When my son was born he was almost 2 mths premature. We lived at the hospital w/him and I started up with the emotional eating again and was still doing it up until I found this website. I gained 75 lbs in the past 5 years and knew I had to do something. I was an emotional eater again and had to get control. I consider myself a Calorie Counter now. I exercise everyday, watch my calories, fat, and protein and try to limit carbs. Weight Loss Surgery is definetly a tool and not a fool proof way of losing weight. If I had to do it again I'd definetly have the surgery and I still would of had my son too. I'm the type that belives things happen for a reason, and one really great outcome has been finding this site!
Yes your stomach can and does stretch. I'm sorry that your doctor did not seem to know how to educate you about your surgery. It was stressed over and over to me that this was a TOOL and if I keep doing the things that I done before (eating junkfood, overeating, etc) I could very well undo the tool. I've competely had to work my AS# like crazy for this surgery. It's not easy by any means. I've worked out since the day I got home. I am just over a year out and every day is a struggle not to go above my 145 lbs. But I struggle and I work out like crazy. I avoid junk food. I don't eat til I am stuffed, just satisfied. I'm guessing your doctor did not inform you enough about the tool and how to work the tool. I'm sorry that it did not work for you.
You may want to consider a revision if you are lucky enough to have the insurance coverage.
I only know two people who have had weight loss surgery. One lost 120lbs real fast and is still losing. She told me she had to eat 8 times a day and can only have very very small amounts of certain things so she saves those for treats every other day.
The other lost the same amount of weight but within a few months was eating fast food again. I didn't really understand this, who would go thru surgery and then put that junk back in their body again. Anyway, needless to say she has more weight on now than before the surgery.
I thought there was all kinds of counseling and such a person went thru before this type of surgery. Doesn't look like they did a good job letting you know how things were going to be. Nor did they do a very good job letting you know how you were going to have to eat.
Maybe you could go to a nutritionist. They could help set up a weight loss plan that you can live with. For some losing weight isn't to bad, we watch what we eat and get some exercise. For others it is work. I wish there were a magic something that would take the weight off and keep it off. There isn't, we are responsible for what we put into our body's.
Good luck
Last edited by Shy Moment; 10-16-2007 at 07:30 PM.
It's very sad that you didn't have the appropriate education before your surgery. Good doctors and good hospitals require a lot of presurgery preparation, education and counseling, to help people understand just what is involved in surgery, before and after.
I researched wls very thoroughly, and decided that for me, the risks were too great not to give "the old-fashioned way" another chance. Besides, I really had to anyway, because in our area to be approved for the surgery you have to have six months to a year of documented dieting with at least partial success. They recommend keeping detailed food journals and enrolling in a weight loss program like TOPS, Weight Watchers, LA Weight Loss... So, even if I had decided on the surgery, I would pretty much still be doing what I'm currently doing (and if I decide that I need WLS, then I'll already have all of the documentation).
I thought it was nuts that they expected me to provide proof that I could be at least partially successful at weight loss before they'd approved the surgery. I mean, if I could lose it by dieting, why would I need the surgery, but the doctor heading the program explained that losing weight in the short-term, isn't generally the biggest problem for patients, it's keeping the weight off, and if a patient can or will not comply with a diet before surgery, there's a good chance they won't comply after surgery, when the possible consequences are even more dire (such as the incidents you mentioned).
Weight loss is incredibly difficult, no matter what tools you use to do so. Your doctor did you an incredible disservice by telling you that it would be so easy that you wouldn't have to work hard. However, you can't escape your responsibility in this either. I know that many people do implicity trust their physicians, and maybe I'm paranoid, but I'm not going to trust anyone to care about my health and survival as much as I do. I did enough research (and it was easy to find), that if I had encountered a doctor who told me it was going to be easy, I would have known better, and asked him what he was smokin' right before I left his office to seek another doctor.
I am sorry it didnt work out for you, but I would like to add something.
Just because you *can* eat a burger, fries and a sub with chips, doesnt mean you should, right? Who ever told you that the choices you made re: eating didnt matter? It does take a lifestyle change to make this surgery work.
goingcrazyinky, I can absolutely appreciate that you made the best choice possible given the information that you had at the time. Your story really touched me, because I have given thought to WLS many, many times throughout my WL journey.
I am so very sorry that you are in the position that you are in. It seems to me that WLS is often marketed as the "cure-all" -- the solution to a long-standing weight issue. I don't think it is fair of others to "blame" you for your situation, because regardless of what happened or how it happened, you are in an unenviable position. Your story illustrates the fact that WL is indeed multi-factorial, and that a surgical approach to a complex issue may not be effective for everyone.
I'm sure that you didn't post your story in order to have your personal story critiqued or to be criticized for your subsequent choices. I am sure that writing your story was difficult enough! And this is, after all, supposed to be a WL support forum!!!!
Thank you for sharing your story, because it certainly will provide those contemplating WLS another point of view.
I certainly didn't mean my post in a critical way. I realize it definitely could be taken that. Weight loss mistakes are easy, and we've all made them. Whether it's a small mistake, or a big one, there's nothing to do but pick yourself up and keep trying.
I think it's just very important stress how important it is to be very critical of those offering us "help" for a price, no matter who and where it comes from. The weight loss industry is BIG business, and people are getting very, very rich off of our need and desire to lose weight. And no matter how kind, generous, and respectable our doctors seem to be, or even truly are, they are still making money from the services they are "selling" us, and we have to be very skeptical of what they're selling just as if they were a vaccuum cleaner salesman going door to door.
Whenever anyone is selling you something, whether it be a goods or services, you can't take their word for it, that the product is fantastic. If you wanted to know if your surgeon was good, would you ask him? And how many surgeons would say to you if you did, "well, honestly, I'm only so/so. If someone were trying to sell you a vaccuum cleaner and said it was the best vaccuum cleaner available, would you believe him just because he said so.
There's a weight loss product advertised on tv right now that says "we couldn't say it, if it weren't true." The fact is, that is a lie. Many products can and do make false claims about their products, and if no one complains (and often, even if many people do complain) they can keep on doing it.
I know I sound like I'm on my soapbox, and I guess I am. Only get-rich-quick schemes have more victims than weight loss scam victims. And mostly for the same reason, people can become so desperate for the object of their desire, that they ignore all of the warning signs of a scam until they're caught in the trap and it's too late.
I'm not "blaming" anyone, just cautioning everyone to be careful, vigilant, and maybe even just a little bit paranoid, because so often you can prevent being a victim simply by recognizing the trap.
Don't give up! Some people have problems (whether from the original surgery or events afterwards) and end up needing a revision, either to fix the RNY, to do a DS or a lapband. See another Dr. and find out what your options are.
Pat, I can sympathize, because it didn't work well for me, either. I know a lot of it was bad choices I made, but WLS is made out to be a "magic bullet" and it's definitely not. I know a lot of people who have had it, and the average weight loss seems to be around 100 lbs. This is great but, if you have a high starting weight, it's not going to put you where you need to be. I would love to correspond with you more privately if you want. I am unable to send a PM or post my e-mail address since I am new here, but would love to hear from you.
Pat and Karen - i gotta tell you that this forum welcomes ALL experiences. we've ALWAYS been about presenting the real, honest, pro-and-con views of WLS. we NEVER pretend that it's easy, or that it's the answer to all our problems.
sooooo, i hope you'll feel welcome to hang out here and lend your extremely valuable experience to our collective wisdom. WLS has worked for many of us, but it hasn't been a smooth ride for ANYONE, and we've had several harrowing experiences among our members.
Weight loss surgery did not work for me
