What is StomaphyX Revision Surgery?

StomaphyX is an incisionless revision surgery for gastric bypass weight loss surgery patients whom have failed to lose all of their excess weight, or whom have experienced some weight regain in the years following their surgery.

How Does StomaphyX Work?

StomaphyX is a surgical procedure in which the bariatric surgeon fastens the tissue of the stoma together, with a series of plications (like pleats in a skirt), thereby making smaller the opening to the gastrointestinal tract. After several weeks, the tissues of the plications fuse, making it strong and stable.

This effectively restores the size of the stoma created during the original gastric bypass surgery, which may become stretched as years go by. This smaller stoma, in turn, holds food in the pouch longer so the patient remains satiated with small amounts of food for longer periods of time.

The result is that the patient eats less and can achieve a weight loss of 20-40lbs, on average, when the surgery is combined with diet and exercise.

The procedure is performed endoscopically. The bariatric surgeon will insert a device down the patient's throat while s/he is under sedation, making this revision procedure safe as compared to more invasive revision surgeries.

My StomaphyX Revision Surgery

Back in 2008, I was approved for the StomaphyX revision surgery by my surgeon and my insurance company - this is a big win as most insurance companies do not cover this procedure. In this sharepost, I discuss my experience with preparing for the surgery and day of surgery.

Pre-StomaphyX Preparation: Nutrition Guidance
In preparation for the procedure, I met with a registered dietician who runs a practice out of my surgeon's bariatric center. We put together a meal plan for four weeks of liquid diet. My bariatric surgeon warned me not to eat anything too 'heavy' at this time, such as pureed food, and to stick with the liquids. He informed me that the staples are very weak and they could pull out.

The nutritionist required me to get 100g of protein a day while on the liquid diet. This was to make sure that I did not loose muscle. It is critical to successfully keeping the weight off that this amount of protein is consumed. Otherwise, the body will digest muscle rather than fat, and weight lost during the post surgical diet will be regained once normal eating resumes.

The nutritionist said my fat intake should be 30-40g daily. I was concerned about losing hair and my face sagging so I researched ways to keep my fat and sodium levels up. I found that natural peanut butter is good for fat and canned soups are good for sodium.

Additionally, the nutritionist expressed concern about me getting constipated so I purchased Magnesium Citrate, which has a natural laxative effect.

Also, because the nutritionist identified me as insulin resistant, she told me to balance protein and carbs grams 2:1 at every meal. She stressed that I'd need to do this in order to lose weight.