Hi LonelyOne,

I am truly sorry to learn that you gained the weight back. If I recall, you had gastric bypass surgery. Is that right? I find that there is a lack of education for the surgeon, and by default the patient, on how to use the surgery as a tool long-term to maintain lifetime obesity disease management. Plain and simple, my surgeon told me, "I do the surgery, the rest is up to you." Problem is, there was no one to educate me on how to do the rest. So, I had to educate myself. And it has taken a long time to get where I am today. That is why I write on HealthCentral, to help others who have had weight-loss surgery maintain lifetime obesity management.

Now, I understand that you may be beyond that point. However, I do encourage you to read my Sharepost, "The Tools I Use: Pouch Rules for Dummies Guide" You really may be able to take off the weight if you use the tool correctly, according to the experts. You can read it here: http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/139125/bariatric-tools

Moving on, to answer your question, there are currently four options for gastric bypass revision surgery:

The pouch is made smaller by passing a device through the mouth and into the pouch. StomaphyX and ROSE procedures both retighten the stomach by inserting tubes down the esophagus and into the stomach pouch. Permanent folds are then made around the stoma and within the pouch.

An adjustable gastric band can be inserted around the top part of the stomach and sewn into place over the gastric bypass.

Convert to a distal Roux-en-Y gastric bypass from a proximal Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. The difference in the surgeries is the amount of intestine bypassed. Proximal Roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery is where ten to twenty percent or 18-40 inches of the intestine is bypassed; while distal Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is a bypass of greater than fifty percent or more than 120 inches of intestine.

Covert to a duodenal switch, a type of bariatric surgery that divides the stomach vertically while removing more than eighty-five percent of it.

I do not know how much weight you have regained, but it must be in the area of 100lbs. Perhaps you can discuss the surgical options above with a bariatric surgeon to see if you are a candidate. Conversion to a DS will result in the highest weight loss but it also the most complicated and thus may be difficult to find a surgeon qualified to perform it.

I had my weight-loss surgery in 2003, and experienced some weight regain in 2008. Desperate to lose weight, I explored gastric bypass revision surgeries. You can read about it in a soon-to-be published series of Shareposts that explore the four options.

I wish you good health.

MBL

lonelyone

1/16/12 7:32pm

I had the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, when I had my surgery. I am currently on Medicare and won't have the money to have another surgery. At the time I had the surgery my mother was living and payed for it. I am interested in the Sharepost's that are looking for free surgery....

My Bariatric Life, Health Guide

1/17/12 9:03pm

Have you tried to get Medicare to cover the surgery? Here is a Sharepost about Medicare coverage for weight loss surgery: http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/142199/gastric-surgery Also, here is the article about a free weight loss surgery grant: http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/142353/bariatric-weight

 

Good luck! MBL

Hoopers Judge

1/19/12 9:04pm

There are ads on this site for a company offering low cost surgery, like $7k for gastric bypass, and less for other forms of weight loss surgery. I am pretty sure they do revision surgery. I have no idea how credible they are, but it is worth maybe looking into. Good luck to you!