Has this surgery failed for anyone other than me????

[sammy]

Hi guys,

I have been hiding away from the world too scared to show my face. A year ago next week I announced to the world my intention to get the gastic sleeve surgery done and was excited at the thought that after a botched gastric banding op (that nearly killed me years before) that I would finally be thin by now. Well, after initially losing 28kgs when on the shakes pre op and recommended diet after op it all stopped. I am too scared to go back to the hospital as after they botched my first op I sent a letter of complaint. All appointments since then I have been seen by registrars and treated like crap.
I heard there is a reset shake diet if your sleeve doesn't work? Has anyone heard of this? Short of saving to go private to see someone about this I dont know what to do? EVERYONE I spoke to before surgery, those I made friends with hoping to go through this journey with them are all thin and I am still fat. MY WORST NIGHTMARE! I jump online and just feel ill. I think its amazing and wonderful for you all that have succeeded but why not me?
Can anyone please advise.

Sam

[leesooim]

First off, I am so sorry you're going through this kind of disappointment. However, 28 kgs is nothing to sneeze at! It's 28 kgs less than you were before, right? It sounds like we just need to figure out how to jump-start your system back into weight loss mode If you're really interested in the "reset" (and truthfully I don't think it's very effective, especially if you're further out than 6 months, but that's MHO), just Google "5 day pouch test" and it will give you a link to the site. But please, consider the following questions...

Hmmm... have you ever sat down with a nutritionist?

What kind of exercise are you doing, and how often?
What is your daily menu like? How much protein, how many carbs, how much sugar, etc.
How many ounces are you drinking a day?
Are you grazing?
Are you logging your food to the best of your ability?

And most importantly... how long has it been since you STOPPED losing any POUNDS or INCHES?

[SECRETSLEEVE]

How much more weight do you want to lose?

[itsmytime]

Hi Sammy-
28 kgs is 61 lbs that is a lot of weight. However, I would have expected more weight loss after surgery as well if I were you. How much extra weight did you need to lose? Are you still eating protein first? Please tell me you aren't eating and drinking at the same time. You can get a lot more food down like that. I really really am sorry you didn't lose more weight after surgery. I do know one lady who was 300 lbs and only lost 50 lbs after the sleeve surgery--she ended up getting gastric bypass. Please don't feel like a failure. You did lose 61 lbs and have kept it off right? But I totally understand your disappointment. All is not lost. You may still be able to lose more weight. Try going back to the simple rules like trying to chew slower--no eating and drinking at the same time and waiting at least 30 minutes afterward to drink---protein first and then your veggies or carbs or what have you. Big hugs going your way.

[sandyfromoz]

HI there, is it possible to go back and visit your Specialist? :?

[cowgirljane]

If you google "five day pouch test" you will find a suggestion on how to get "back on track". Basically, you start with a liquid diet and add back food according to a planned sequence. The whole idea is it weans you off simple carbs and reduces cravings and is supposed to give you back that feeling of restriction.

Depending on your total weight to lose, 68 pounds might still be a pretty good result for a year. The main thing is don't be discouraged, my nutritionalist told me that if you keep "working the sleeve" you can get to goal after that initial year. I won't make it go my goal in a year, I hope to get there by 18 months and my approach is exercise, keep following the sleever eating rules, protein first etc eetc. I stopped tracking food with myfitnesspal.com a few months post op, but i will go back that. I think trying some different things like that might get you restarted on your weight loss.

But, for perspective, I lose 100# in the first 6.5 months; and in the last several months have only lost another 15. Realistically for me at the stage I am at, losing a few pounds a month is as good as it gets.

Sometimes slow and steady gets you there, it is increasingly harder but I know it is doable. Hang in there!

[Chloe9926]

Sam,

I know exactly how you feel. Although I have lost more than 100 lbs, I am still fat and gaining. I am eating my protein first no or very little carbs, no grazing, and exercise every day for an hr and I CAN'T get under 300lbs for more than a week. It's like my body is fighting against me. So my 3 yr sleev-ersity is coming up n Oct 29 and my bmi is still over 40 so my insurance calls that a failed wls so I am considering going back under the knife to do a bypass. Maybe I need something more drastic. Granted I am thankful I lost what I did but I deserve more. The 5 day pouch diet may help. I tried it every 3 months and it helps some. Well good luck 2 u.

[BabyDoll]

Maybe you should consider the Duodenal Switch.
Duodenal switch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[suegirl]

Without knowing where you started and what your current weight is, I cannot call losing all that weight a failure... Have you increased your exercise? Have you lowered your carbs? Have you tried the 5 day pouch test to re-start your weight loss? I wouldn't look at another surgery or anything else until you do... Besides, you call yourself fat but I don't see that in your picture and I don't know your height/weight...

[Chloe9926]

That's exactly what I will be going for next

[Texgal]

It's crazy that some Dr's aren't more though. My dr sat down with me and asked a bunch of questions then we discussed what surgery is best for me. I'm sorry you are having so many issues but you have lost a lot more then you probably would have without surgery. I would go to another dr and get a second opinion. I think a lot of them run ultrasounds to see how the sleeve is doing

[itsmytime]

If I had the sleeve and I didn't lose all of my weight and was still obese or if I were regaining weight, I would definitely consider the duodenal switch as you all have mentioned. Since the vertical sleeve is the 1st part of the DS anyway--it would make perfect sense to have the DS next. But I agree with the other posters that I would try and try again until I had no other choice. The duodenal switch requires a LOT of vitamins/pills and you really really must get to your doctor every 3-6 months to check your vitamin levels because the malabsorption of the DS is even more than the gastric bypass. It is a scary surgery but it is a very effective one I will say. They have the highest excess weight loss of all surgery and they keep it off too.

[vleigh]

Hi Sam, I wanted to send you a private message. But my last few months have been extremely hard for me. I am approaching a year since surgery and have lost 50lbs. I am so disappoints in myself. I guess I should do a follow up with my surgeon and let her know my concerns. I wanted to lose 100 by this time. I feel almost no restriction at all. I'm almost ready to pay the the 5 day pouch test program. I need to do something to kick start weight loss. It's very discouraging. I would like to keep in ouch with you. Let me know how things go. The swallow test that dr Kelly mentioned seems like something I would like to do. I always have felt my pouch was too large. I really have no restriction and I am worried. I get depressed and late nite snack. Bad bad bad of me. I've started counting calories and will be doing low carb to kick start my metabolism
Keep in touch please you can private message me.

[Grace]

I'm sorry it's hard. I have dropped over 100 lbs all told but 82 since surgery 14 months ago. It stopped dead at 8 months out and nothing moves it.
My surgeon has said I (perhaps we) are the types of people the sleeve was originally meant to be for, meaning it was originally the first part of a two part system... the sleeve and then the bypass. There could be many things at play here, and mostly it's hormonal stuff like thyroid, autoimmune, intolerances of all kinds. It's not a perfect science. It would be entirely up to you if you decide you want to call it failed and the ins company will pay for the bypass. I personally would not do the ds because of the extreme malabsorptive issues. It's my personal opinion that folks like us have something else going on inside hormonally or otherwise and need all the nutrition we can possibly get. If I felt truly uncomfortable with my size at this point I would do the bypass if ins would pay for it (I don't think they would at my size, I'd have to gain some back)..... but after long thinking and work with psych I will not be doing anything further. If this is it, this is it. But that's me. If you are not going to be happy where you are, or for those gaining back, you might need the malabsorption or more yet the dumping to keep you on track. No shame in that. No problem usually with the ins company paying if you are still at 100+ lbs overweight. If you are this unhappy, I say in for a penny, in for (excuse the pun) a pound.
As for the hospital, I am sadly ignorant about your country but there must be another one somewhere you can get to??

re - restriction - I don't really have it anymore, either...at least not like early on when it simply felt like I couldn't eat another bite. Oddly, I think those of us who experience this actually have bodies that heal very effectively and our brains just find new pathways to make everything work "right" even after having 90% of our stomachs cut out. I can't tell you the number of days I wish I could go in and get sleeved every year. But we can't, and every year the same thing would happen, we'd heal and begin to be able to eat "normally" again. There is no easy answer to this. We were blessed with the sleeve as a tool. I'm grateful for mine. I'm grateful I dropped 116 lbs in a year. Would I have preferred 140? Oh, yes, very much so...but it is, what it is... my major point here is whether we drop 50, 75, 100 or more lbs in a year with this surgery it's still worth doing in my book. Where you go from here is all up to you ....

[CuirousGeorge]

Sammy, thank you for sharing your situation. I think that is one of the best things you can do for yourself is be PRESENT.....and own what is happening for you. I know I am guilty of wearing rose colored glasses in regard to my personal success with surgery and need to know that not all of us have had success that they are happy with. Although, it sound like you did have some positive results.

Here is my curiosity....Have you had any positive results (other than numbers on a scale) that have occurred since your surgery? For example, reversal of medical conditions, decreases in medication requirements, increase in physical activity, decrease in pain? Because these are also successes that come from weight loss that well, many of us, don't want to recognize. I understand that you are disappointed with your results right now, but don't think it is over yet.

If you are up for recommendations I would suggest that you get in to see nutritionist with a LOG (a good 2 weeks, including time of day, weighed measurements of food, emotions surrounding the eating situation, daily protein intake and daily fluid intake) The nutritionist won't be able to guide you much without the data. Yes, it's a LOT of work, but well, it is necessary. It could be that after a few days of logging your information you find for yourself where you need to make changes and don't need the appointment. You may also want to consider making an appt with a psych who specializes in weight /food issues. It is completely possible that you have some underlying emotional issues that are making you sabotage yourself.

Please don't think that WLS has failed you in some way or that because you haven't reached your preset goal in a specific time that you won't. Some of us take longer. Yes a year is a long time, but I have been reading about people still in the weight loss journey, post surgery, and making goal at 2 years out or more. Give yourself some more time before you think WLS has failed.