Revisional Surgery

"Some people have previously undergone bariatric surgery but the procedure that was performed did not suit them, and therefore they had disappointing weight loss results or have started to regain weight. This can happen in a small proportion of patients following either gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass."

"In patients who have previously undergone gastric band surgery, complications of the band can mean that it requires removal. These complications include the band migrating into the wrong position around the stomach, the band eroding into the stomach, problems with the connection tubing, leakage from the band, and dilation of the oesophagus above the band.”

"In these cases of failed bariatric surgery, revisional surgery may be indicated. The most common procedure would be removal of a gastric band and conversion to gastric bypass. Other common revisional surgeries include conversion of a sleeve gastrectomy to a gastric bypass and placement of a gastric band around a previous gastric bypass."

"Revisional bariatric surgery has a higher complication rate and therefore should be considered very carefully. Choice of an experienced surgeon working in a unit dedicated to bariatric surgery, and used to the more complicated revisional surgery, will significantly decrease the risk of complications occurring."

Golden Rules of Eating

After bariatric surgery people report that their quality of life as far as eating is concerned is as good as prior to surgery. At first it is important to get into the habit of eating slower and chewing food well. If food is too dry or too much is swallowed too fast this can cause discomfort. These are the six Golden Rules on how to eat following bariatric surgery.

1. Eat whilst sitting at a table, either with company or alone. Do not eat whilst distracted, i.e. reading newspaper or watching television. Do not eat in the street. This is to ensure that the food is eaten slowly and savoured.
2. Use a smaller plate to eat from. This will ensure an appropriate portion size.
3. Chew each mouthful of food well. This will ensure that the food is of the right consistency to pass through the stomach without blockage.
4. Use a knife and fork and put the knife and fork back down onto the table whilst chewing your food. This will ensure that food is not eaten too fast and time is taken between mouthfuls of food.
5. Do not drink liquid from half an hour before to half an hour after eating.
6. Have regular meals including a regular breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each small meal should have some protein content to ensure that the appetite hormones remains slightly suppressed. A small healthy snack can be taken between meals.

Remember the simple dietary advice of what types of foods to eat. Your diet should consist of mainly vegetables (any type), meat, fish, dairy products (butter and semi-skimmed milk are ok, go easy on cheese), and fresh fruit. Fruit contains a lot of sugar so try to have a maximum of only two fruits per day. Fruit juice has the same sugar content as coca-cola so should be avoided if you want to maximise weight loss. You should see fresh home cooked foods as ‘food’ and see processed foods (anything not fresh and with added sugar or fat) as ‘a treat’ for special occasions only.