VSG revision to DS...Please Help
I posted this originally in the wrong forum, hence the double post....
Hello Everyone,
I have a long story as I am sure many of you had. I had a Lap Band back in 10/2007 that leaked n failed me then I was sleeved back in Sept/2010 and was completely successful, went in weighing 248 and got down to goal 165. Was the best time of my life... I then got pregnant (by surprise) thought i was infertile all these years and it was all because of the weight, anyway, half way in the pregnancy i lost my baby and gained 25 lbs, before i could lose all the weight a few mths later i was pregnant again, this time i gave birth to the most precious little girl ever and gained another 50 lbs, so pretty much i am right back where i started from. Although I am so grateful for her and would have done it all over again, i am miserable with the weight and cannot get it off...I dont want to feel sorry for myself but I feel like people look at me and judge me again and I see depression starting again...I lost my confidence I had after the weightloss and even my health is starting to suffer, nothing major but i can feel it. So because I had a revision already i am really scared to now go in a 3rd time, especially now with a child, i am scared if i have complications how can I leave my child because of weightloss surgery...i dont know yet but I am truly considering the Duodenal Switch or even a bypass...my daughter is now 16 mths and i tried to get this weight off through dieting, working out is challenging now as i am a working mom away from her 10 hrs a day so changing my diet was the best i could do...If diets alone like everyone else worked I would not have needed surgery to begin with...I went to visit my surgeon earlier in the year to discuss the options and he wanted me to have an upper GI done to make sure my sleeve is still okay and speak with the nutritionist to see if she can get me back on track...well my sleeve is fine as i figured it would be since i do still have some restriction, surely not as much post surgery, i can eat more now but not as a normal person...i will say that my hunger was gone after surgery and now i seem to get hungry all the time maybe 30-45 mins after eating...that is part of the problem for me, plus i do not always pick the best foods to eat as well but i do try to eat healthy also...i did start calorie counting n charting and i did lose all of 8 lbs in which i gained right back only doubled that ugh...i need help...restriction did work for me and the fact that i wasnt hungry also worked but now that i lost some of that control it is very hard for me to get back on track...I made an appt to see my surgeon again on the 18th of this mth to discuss my options and i think he will suggest doing the Duodenal Switch but i am scared...scared of the risk this time around and the lifelong mal adsorbing issues, scared of complications in general and not being there for my daughter...I am looking for some insight from those of you out there that have been through the same...I tried getting back on track and its not working so i am weighing my other options...please give me some success stories or encouragement if u can....I know 3yrs post VSG i will not lose as much but i would be happy to lose 50-80 lbs honestly and keep it off...I vloged my whole weighloss journey on YT if anybody is interested...my name there is sunkiss718...Thanks for listening
Second, despite the fact that your sleeve is "ok," you may need to be resleeved. A vetted surgeon can guide you in this decision.
Third, if you cant eat the right foods today, then what makes you think you will eat the right foods tomorrow? For me, the chance of death is a real reality if I don't get my protein in and my vitamins.
The most successful people have this surgery to be healthy AND thin. If you have the mind set that you just want to be skinny, then the rest-of-your-life compliance issues may not be given the importance they deserve. The most successful DSers take a very active role in educating themselves and their PCPs, etc, about the surgery. Health has to be first.....the skinny body will follow.
Good luck!
i have researched my surgeon, he is one the best in NYC and actually teaches the procedures to fellow doctors as well. I have great confidence in my surgical team, i have been with them since 2006 and they have been wonderful....i said i do try and eat healthy but Sometimes i pick the wrong thing...i do not think that is any different from anyone else...i could not type my whole medical history and knowledge on other surgeries and nutrition, but obviously i am no newbie if i have already been revised and had 2 previous procedures...i did not want to get into all the reasons why i decided to have bariatric surgery to begin with...i am not SUPERFICIAL and would never choose surgery based solely on appearance..
i really didnt come here for anyone to judge me, i think everyone here should know what that is like from being fat for the most part of their lives...it is not easy to have started at 291 reached a goal of 165...encouraged a huge audience on YouTube that had their surgeries because of my journey, only to have gained most of it back...imagine how i feel now, like a damn failure....thats why i came here, to seek encouragement and success from ppl in my situation, not to be told what to eat and how to eat it, i know all of that already through proven success!!
And I do know what its like to be fat.
One of the most important decisions you can make, is the selection of a good surgeon. You picked a great one with Roslin. You will do very well with him.
on 12/6/13 4:41 am
I hear you!!! I went from lap band to DS and it was annoying to have people make comments / assumptions - about why do it again if it didn't work for you the first time! I don't know if people really ever think that but I feel that way. I finally decided that I am doing it for me and not for them. Luckily I also have a lot of supportive people on my side too.
I am wondering if you have gotten help for the depression you mentioned. Often with depression serotonin levels are off which many people know - but I don't think as many people know how much serotonin is also related to hunger. That's why it is a common symptom of depression for people to either eat too much or eat too little. Might be worth looking into.
I think with your dedication, the DS from a good surgeon, and help with the depression it might just be the right combo you need for success. If that's not keep going and don't let anyone make you feel bad about the journey to find what does work for you. As long as you are moving forward that's the most important thing.
For me the DS was definitely the right decision. Good look on finding the right thing for you! Hugs!!!!
Ok... a lot to respond too here.
I had the crapband. I lost 100 lbs because at first it kills your appetite and you do lose weight, but I got pregnant and got very sick from morning sickness. In any event I gained it back. I revisioned to the DS on Nov 13th. I am milking the weight loss phase for all I can!
Now all surgeries have a "honeymoon" phase that you lose pretty much without trying. As long as you eat smaller portions and mostly healthy. The problem with the sleeve is it is a restrictive procedure only, and the new stomach can get stretched and there goes your restriction. That is why the DS is so great...because it malabsorbs. You do not absorb 80% of the fat you eat. This is great! Fat is tasty! But it also means a life long vitamin regimen and careful monitoring of protein and carbs.
The DS is the most successful surgery option out there. It has the highest success rate and the lowest rate of regain. Why have more surgeries than you need?
You admit you make unhealthy choices, we have all been there. You need to sit down and ask yourself if you are willing to make the choice to change your eating lifestyle and your relationship with food. I get on my soap box about this all the time, lol. Its not just a matter of eating right and getting enough exercise(which you NEED to make a priority too), but most if not all of us have an unhealthy relationship with food. We should all get counseling that addresses this very real ADDICTION. We regain because we go back to this addiction, a lot who don't regain transfer there addiction to something else if they don't address the emotional issues that they were stuffing down with food.
You say you are scared of surgery because of not being there for your daughter. I have a 4 yr old son. How great of a quality of life can you have at the weight you are at? How long will you live before obesity related complications? Staying obese is far more radical that having a surgery to correct the problem. We just don't recognize it because we have grown accustomed to it. For many of us, the fat holds us back, but we have accepted it and it becomes are normal. If you had a tumor would you think it was radical to have it removed? Not at all. It is the sensible choice.
