Dr. Nicholson featured in WFAA Channel 8 news story about lap band surgery dallas

 PLANO — When Susie Arredondo sees her reflection, she looks much like she did seven years ago.

It's sad, considering that was when she had her stomach stapled and lap-banded.

"I initially lost 90 pounds; I gained 70 pounds of it back," Arredondo said. "I really was very disappointed in myself because I wondered, what had I done?"

She is part of a growing number of people who had major weight loss surgery years ago and are now returning for a second helping.

"We currently see three to four people a week — almost one person a day that needs what we would term 'revisional weight loss surgery,'" said Baylor Plano Dr. Nick Nicholson.

Physicians who have experienced the trend say botched surgery isn't always to blame — it's also patients who failed to follow doctor's orders to change their lifestyle.

Last year, more than 200,000 people had weight loss surgery, including gastric bypass and lap band procedures.

According to a 2006 study printed in the Annals of Surgery, gastric bypass will fail in more than 30 percent of cases after 10 years.

Dr. Nicholson said a decade after bariatric surgery became mainstream, about a quarter of his business is redoing weight loss operations — many of them lap band surgeries.

"It is possible to put a band on top of the bypass. It is possible to convert a band to a bypass," Dr. Nicholson said. "But in reality what happens if they don't make the lifestyle changes, you see the people lose weight and they do real well for about six months. The majority of people gain it back within a year."

Susie Arredondo admits when she found lean proteins and vegetables tough to swallow, she returned to bad habits. "You start eating your easier food, your starches, your sweet things," she said.

Two months ago, she had a gastric bypass procedure. Because her doctor discovered her band had created significant scarring, insurance paid for the second weight loss procedure.

This time, Arredondo is also vowing to stick with a healthy program, walking at least three times a week and eating right. "It's so much easier said than done," Arredondo said. "But this time, I'm determined."

Patients who have regained more than 10 percent of their weight after bariatric surgery should contact their surgicial center and see what support options are available.