Question for You Two-Parters

Those of you who had the DS in two stages (i.e., started with VSG, then got the BP switch later), how much time elapsed between surgeries? Did you wait until you had some regain, or had you leveled off and realized you weren't going to reach your goal?

Thanks!

I am three years out from Sleeve. Lost 140#. Only regained 15 lb., but I can only eat 1000 calories. Can't live like that forever. Just found out the sleeve has stretched a LOT since surgery. I am having a Revision sleeve and adding the DS in Nov.

I lost a little over 60 and gained back about half of that. I chalked the regain up to not working my sleeve correctly. At about 1.5 years after being sleeved, I started having pretty severe reflux issues, including getting sick during my sleep. At 2.5 years out I went in for the DS. My sleeve was started too high (only a couple cm from my esophagus) and the bottom of it was not touched.

So I wanted the DS at 1.5 years post-sleeve but it took almost a year to get it.

If you haven't had any surgery yet, don't accept the 2 part thing unless there is a very real reason for having it done that way!  At least get a 2nd opinion!

I've just had VSG in July. Now I'm having second thoughts. Dr. Aceves said he wouldn't complete the DS until 6 months out at the earliest (this says a lot about him as a surgeon, in terms of ethics and integrity). I may not need it at all, but if the sleeve isn't working for me after 6 months or a year, I'd rather not wait until I gain the weight back to get the DS.

The sleeve can be a great tool for many people. You have to stick to a low calorie, low fat, low carb diet and incorporate exercise. I wish I would have done this - pick a regain amount (like 5 pounds) that will be your trigger to re-evaluate your food and exercise regimine so the scale doesn't keep slipping higher and higher. You can do it if you stay on top of things. Good luck!

I though Dr. Aceves was one of the recommended dr for the DS.

My first Dr wanted to do it in 2 stages and I refused . Dr said i need to lose some more weight after the sleeve then fini**** in 6 month.I am to fat ? I only wieght 350. So I had to go out of town to Dr Stewart and he said i was a very good weight for D S ! the first Dr was to scarred to do it in one stage and it would have cost a lot more . Dr Stewart did an awesome job.

Gary

 

Good for you!

Why spend twice as much and go through two surgeries?  Plus it's hard to get insurance approval for the 2nd OP.  There are plenty of docs doing the DS in one surgery on people who weigh 6 or 8 hundred pounds.  You just have to question if it's for your health or is it an indication of the docs skill.  If it's the doc go elsewhere!

I had my VSG in 2007 and revised to DS in 2011. I lost about 110lbs with VSG and had regained about 30-40 pounds before I revised to DS. I never reached goal weight with VSG alone. MY VSG starting weight was 325.

Since DS revision I have lost120 lbs and am currently weighing around 145.