If you’ve had gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, you already know that one of the key components of this procedure is creating a smaller stomach pouch that fills up faster, so you feel fuller longer. This helps to significantly reduce your daily food intake, resulting in dramatic weight loss after. Most patients lose 60 percent of their excess weight.
Over time, however, as you begin to eat large meals or fall back into some of the eating habits you developed before your gastric bypass, the smaller stomach pouch your surgeon created may stretch. This causes your potential stomach volume to increase and may result in weight gain, sometimes as much as you initially lost.
Pouch revision surgery takes the pouch back to an effective size for weight loss. It’s also helpful for those who never experienced the success they expected from their original gastric bypass.
At Healthy Life Bariatrics, we see patients from around the nation who opt for pouch revision to help restart their weight loss journey.
What is pouch revision surgery like?
The surgery itself is similar to what you experienced initially. Though the risk of serious complications following this procedure is low, it is major surgery that requires two to three days in the hospital afterward and careful monitoring regarding wound infection, nutritional intake, and your body’s response to its new, smaller stomach.
What should I expect before pouch revision surgery?
Before scheduling the procedure, you can expect a thorough physical exam as well as a detailed discussion about your eating habits, exercise patterns, and other factors that contribute to weight gain. The intention is to identify whether you can make changes in your lifestyle that will accomplish your weight loss goals without the need for surgery. This process also helps you develop an effective strategy for losing excess pounds and keeping them off.
We also carefully review your medical history and require extensive details regarding your overall health, which may include diagnostic studies to check your presurgical nutritional status, previous pouch creation, and other issues that may affect the procedure.
What can I expect after a pouch revision?
The recovery process is much like what you experienced during your initial gastric bypass, but it’s probably a little less worrisome because you know what to expect. Most patients return to normal activity within two to three weeks. You can also expect routine blood tests to make sure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs, such as iron and calcium, and doctor visits to track your overall health and progress.
What are the benefits of pouch revision surgery?
Excess weight is a known link to heart disease, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions. The weight you lose, improved dietary habits, and exercise routines on which you embark following a pouch revision can greatly improve your odds of living a healthy and active life. For, this is incentive enough to undergo the procedure.
The rapid weight loss associated with successful pouch revision surgery is also highly motivating. Even with surgery, however, successful weight loss requires commitment and effort on your part. Many people who struggle with obesity find revision pouch surgery gives them the willpower they need to stick with healthy lifestyle changes that help them lose excess weight and keep it off.
If you’re experiencing weight regain after bariatric bypass surgery or never achieved the success you hoped to have, call Healthy Life Bariatrics for a consultation and detailed discussion of pouch revision surgery. Or use our convenient online scheduling service to book your visit.