Bariatric surgery is one of the most effective tools we have in the battle against obesity. When combined with changes to habits, diet, and exercise, it can help even those with morbid obesity reach a healthy BMI and reduce the effect of or fully eliminate certain co-morbidities.
With that said, there are cases where bariatric surgery doesn’t work the first time around. When this happens, bariatric revision should be considered. Here is what patients should know about the possibility of needing a second bariatric surgery.
Most Failures Are Patient Driven
Only a small number of people who get bariatric surgery in Tijuana, Mexico end up needing a revision. Out of those who do, the majority require it not because something went wrong with the surgery itself, but because they did not do their part to enhance and maintain their results. Sometimes, the patient maintains their lifestyle changes for a few months, or even a year, then slips back into their old patterns. In other cases, they stop following the suggested diet as soon as they are healed.
We’ve seen people get the lap band and then trick it by overconsuming calorie-rich drinks instead of food. Getting gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana isn’t a miracle cure. It is a tool in the toolbox for patients who are truly committed to changing their bodies and their lives. If someone isn’t committed, their surgery will fail—and that isn’t something revision can repair.
When To Consider Revision
Revision is the correct decision when it has the ability to make an impact. This means that in many cases where surgery fails due to patient error, it isn’t the right choice—at least not until the individual does the hard work of altering their thought patterns and relationship with food.
If someone has done that hard work—gone to therapy, consistently followed a better diet and exercise plan for an extended period of time—it might be good to revise the surgery, especially if the stomach has become stretched out.
Other situations when you should revise a weight loss surgery include:
- Experiencing severe acid reflux months after surgery and it doesn’t respond to other treatments.
- Vomiting even when consuming small portions and eating correctly
- Having a stoma that is too large to facilitate caloric restriction
- Having a stomach that is too large to facilitate caloric restriction
If you are considering Mexico bariatric revision surgery, we want to help. Schedule your virtual consultation with ALO Bariatrics.
