About This Procedure

Take a trip to Midtown Manhattan, and you see the iconic Empire State Building towering 1,250 feet in the air. With 102 floors, it’s among the top 25 tallest buildings in the world. An estimated 4 million tourists a year visit the Empire State Building to get a bird’s eye view of New York City. And then there’s the Empire State Building Run-Up, or race to the top.
How long would it take you to climb the 1,576 steps to the top of the building? If you’ve struggled with your weight, even after bariatric surgery, something that physically challenging is probably not an option. Even if you don’t have your sights set on stair-stepping your way to the top of one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan, you don’t have to settle for less than average results after your first bariatric surgery to lose weight.

In fact, an estimated 10 percent of weight-loss surgeries will require Revisional Bariatric Surgery to correct problems or improve results, according to a study published in the journal Gastroenterology Research and Practice. A variety of problems can develop after bariatric surgery that can cause health problems, prevent weight loss or lead to weight gain. If you’re not satisfied with the results of your initial surgery, you may be a good candidate for Revisional Bariatric Surgery.

FAQs

New York Bariatric Group

What is Revisional Bariatric Surgery?

It’s a collection of surgical techniques and options used to correct or improve primary bariatric surgeries such as the lap-band, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy. When a patient develops a problem, loses weight then gains it back, or never really achieves a satisfactory result after weight-loss surgery, a secondary surgery may be recommended to improve results.

In some cases, the underlying cause for poor results is patient-failure to follow recommended diet and exercise habits. Many times, simply recommitting to eat healthy and exercise can jumpstart weight-loss results. But if a secondary surgery is recommended, Revisional Bariatric Surgery includes several options such as:

  • Sclerotherapy. Before scheduling surgery, sclerotherapy can be an effective way to help patients control hunger, get back on track, and resume losing weight. If your doctor recommends sclerotherapy, you’ll receive a series of shots in your abdomen. The medication used in sclerotherapy is designed to increase scar tissue in the stomach. The process helps reduce the stomach’s capacity to hold food, increases satiety, and helps control portion sizes.
  • Undergoing laparoscopic surgery to resize the stomach. A variety of surgical techniques can be used when resizing the stomach is recommended, depending on the primary surgery. Physically reducing the size of the stomach via surgery is another effective way to control hunger, limit food intake, and promote weight loss.
  • Restricting the remaining portion of the stomach after gastric bypass with an adjustable lap-band. In most cases, this option can be completed via laparoscopic surgery and adjusted as needed to help with satiety, improve portion control, and aid in weight management.
  • For some patients, primary surgery may need to be corrected by altering the length of the Roux-Y limb, which is part of the small intestine. In a study published in the journal, Obesity Surgery, researchers found that doubling length of the Roux-Y limb helped increase weight loss without causing diarrhea or other complications.
  • Another more invasive option involves using surgical techniques to reroute the digestive tract. When a vertical sleeve gastrectomy it’s completed as the primary surgery, it’s sometimes considered the first step in a two-pat procedure. This secondary surgery to reroute the digestive tract may be completed when the patient is well enough after primary surgery, or if the vertical sleeve gastrectomy doesn’t provide optimal results.

What are the Benefits?

  • When bariatric surgery is effective, patients can lose and estimated 50 percent of their excess body fat with in the first one to two years, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. If you haven’t lost that kind of weight, or gained a significant amount of weight back Revisional Bariatric Surgery can help. Being overweight, obese, or morbidly obese significantly increases your risk for chronic diseases. Corrective surgery to improve weight loss after a primary surgery can also help you:
  • Live longer
  • Lower your blood pressure
  • Improve your quality of sleep and resolve issues like sleep apnea and snoring
  • Make breathing easier and control asthma-related symptoms
  • Reduce bad cholesterol levels
  • Prevent of control diabetes, regulate insulin, and better control blood sugar levels
  • Reduce joint pain commonly experienced by obese people in the knees and back
  • Lower your risk for a heart attack, stroke, and heart disease

What is the Recovery?

There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to recovery time after Revisional Bariatric Surgery. Every patient arrives with different health conditions and issues associated with their primary surgery that warrants Revisional Bariatric Surgery. It’s possible that simply adhering to a healthy calorie-controlled diet and exercising regularly is all you need to do to start losing weight again. If you need Revisional Bariatric Surgery, you may be able to resume your normal activities and eating habits in as little as 48 hours. For more advanced procedures used in Revisional Bariatric Surgery, recovery time can take 6 to 8 weeks.

What are the Dietary Guidelines After Surgery?

Healthy food and portion control is one of the most important dietary recommendations to follow after Revisional Bariatric Surgery. In some cases, patients can resume their normal eating habits after surgery. Depending on the recommended Revisional Bariatric surgery and current eating habits, some patients will need to reintroduce food a little at a time, beginning with a liquid-only diet. If that’s what your doctor recommends, you’ll slowly introduce other foods like purred fruits and vegetables, soft foods, and small portions of solid foods over the course of six to eight weeks. Keep in mind that overeating and certain foods may cause digestive problems.

Is There a Follow-Up Plan?

If you want to achieve optimal results after Revisional Bariatric Surgery, lose weight, and improve your health, keep all of your follow-up appointments. Research published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases found that bariatric patients who kept their appointments lost 24 percent more weight than those who made excuses for not showing up. You’ll meet with your doctor every couple of months during the first year after Revisional Bariatric Surgery during the first year. These check-ups give your doctor the opportunity to evaluate your progress, measure weight loss, discuss your diet and exercise habits, and can motivate you to stay on track.

Take the next step to long-term weight loss and find out if Revisional Bariatric Surgery is right for you. For more information, contact the Manhattan office of the New York Bariatric Group.

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