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Having a complete reversal of RNY due to major complications

Massey Lady

New Member
I’m now 3+ years post op and the first 2 years were great. Year #3 has been sure He’ll!!! Severe pain radiating down under my breast bone, moving to my left lower ribcage, and finalizing moving into the back. I ve had 2+ hernia repairs done since January. On July 24th this year the Doctor said then that if all the pain & nausea returned we would have a long discussion because the next step is a total reversal of the RNY. Yes the pain returned and we sat down to discuss the last option, I cried for the whole appointment. I’m now book d for the 4-5 hour operation on September 29th.
I’m hoping that there is someone out their that has had this done or know of someone who has. I have now lost 158 lbs. and the doctor said that I will most certainly gain most of my weight back, but if I follow what I’ve learned over the last 3+ years is to eat healthy, have small meals during the day and keep an eye on my scale at Home.
 
I just saw your post and was wondering how your surgery went.

This procedure was the first reversal for him as well as the first reversal in that hospital. There have only been 3 reversal of the RNY in the Toronto area. I thought that they were going to have a party with so many people in the operating room, however this was the first for both my surgeon and the hospital. It took 4 1/2 hours to complete the procedure. He told my family that everything went very well and if I have a good night that they could take me home the next day and that was great news to me!

Unfortunately I ran into complications the next morning - I was dressed & ready to go home when I got the most God awful pain on my right side just under my breast that had me doubled over in excruciating pain. An IV was put in so they could give me some very powerful pain killers directly into my blood stream, which took the edge off of the pain and also made me relax and breath. They also put another one in, but it was only a shunt in case I went back into surgery.

After being poked & prodded, which had to be done in order for the doctors to determine what was happening. they ordered a CT scan, took 12 viles of blood and an X-ray. The scan & X-ray showed a clot/mass under the incision site just under my breast; the surgeon really didn’t want to go back in, so it was a waiting game to see if the pain would subside. In the meantime he put me on injections of blood thinners which I got 3 times a day and complete bed rest & when I needed to use the bathroom I was to either get help from my family or a nurse

The surgeon also called in a GI Specialist to help determine if there were any signs of Crohn’s Diease or IBS going on inside the bowels. After all the test results came back there still was no definitive answers as to why this happened - I spent another 5 days in hospital during which I had another 3 attacks of the same stabbing episodes.

We finally left for home, which is normally a 5 - 6 hour drive north of Toronto, but in this case it took us 7 1/2 hours due to the extra stops along the way so I could get out and walk around a bit. Unfortunately to say that I’ve had another few episodes, but nothing as bad as when I was in the hospital.

I’m back on solid foods now and am very aware of what foods go into my mouth. I’ve also lost more weight when 8 am supposed to be gaining weight. Would I do the Bariatric surgery.....you betcha because I’ve learned to eat properly and healthy over the last 3 years and I most certainly will NOT GAIN back the 160 lbs. that I have lost.
 
Thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about your pain. I was wondering if you had any issues with delayed stomach emptying or food intolerances after the reversal? Is you stomach now working ok?
 
The pain is subsiding slowly everyday. The worst time is in the middle of the night, but I’m hoping that this is just a temporary surgical pain.

As for eating, I’m still not eating very much and what I am eating hasn’t given me any problems & probably won’t for a couple of months. I never had any food intolerances with the original Bariatric surgery and I haven’t found any after this reversal. My stomach is working just fine. I have noticed that I do burp a bit more as well as indigestion than I did before this surgery. For the indigestion the surgeon put me on Previsad Fast Tabs one per day at lunch time.
 
I been thinking about reversing the RNY. Because I just went through a perforated ulcer at the RNY been in so much pain. The dr said there was no reason for that to have happen specially at the 7+year mark I have had alot of problems over the years because of this RNY. I lost a lot of weight thanks to it but wondering if it was worth it.I didn't know it could be reversed now I have research to do and decisions to make. Thank you for sharing and being brave enough to go through it and sharing now there are people going through the same pain
 
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