I know this isn't the revision forum BUT

I had gastric sleeve 8 months ago, stopped loosing weight at 5 months and my health issues are not resolved. I have a small frame so my ideal weight is around 110. I am weighing in at 178. I know that's not a lot but I'm hoping my insurance will still pay for it. I know there are light weights who have had Ds and Bypass ( i'm going to post in Bypass forum too ) I'm wondering for those of you who have had revision how long of your weight being stable did you have to wait before you could have revision? My insurance does not require a specific BMI as long as I have comorbities which I still have. So any ideas?

It's probably worth discussing with a DS surgeon or 2. Have you seen the list of DS surgeons on dsfacts.com? If insurance here won't cover it Dr Ungson in Mexico and Dr Marchesini in Brazil are excellent DS surgeons.

--gina

That's going to be a hard sell, but it doesn't hurt to ask.  Usually the requirements for revisions are the same as a virgin wls.

I was sleeved 3 yrs. ago and have the same problem. I was fine up until last year. I went down to my ideal weight then last Spring for some reason my stomach re-opened and well here I am looking for revision. I am a light-weight also. I am looking towards DS. My sleeve surgeon tried to talk me into a RNY because apparently DS'er's have a more stringent vitamin protocol and you can't skip vitamins otherwise you get really sick. But I don't want to butcher my sleeve or cut off my valve. Also with RNY you get dumping issues that you won't get with DS.

I am also a self-pay. I had my sleeve in Mexico and will more than likely go back to do DS there. But you have to watch the doctor you use there. In Mexico they're not strict about BMI like they are in the states. But I am taking my time researching and thinking it over. I will more than likely end up converting. Also the doctors won't resleeve you. They'll just give you the distal bypass which is the second part of the switch. The sleeve is the first. Know that you're not alone and don't feel bad. Apparently regain with the sleeve is a common occurrence. 

" My stomach re-opened" ... what does that mean?  I've never heard that before.  Thanks.

I can't provide details, but I do know that some people get resleeved when they get the DS after having the sleeve. You might want to search for people on her or the revision boards and find out the pros/cons of resleeving.

As fas as resleeving it depends on the surgeon/your sleeve size. I've asked a similar question and the two people that responded didn't need resleeving. If your sleeve is shaped like a figure right then probably. I don't know if I'd want to touch my sleeve but that's up to the doctor and what he suggests I do after seeing it. 

My sleeve doctor and also another Mexican physician told me a sleeve revision is rare. I've heard of some doctor's doing one, but you'd have to seek them out. If you had one of the old sleeves done earlier you can get it resleeved because in the beginning of the DS procedure doctors would only remove 50% of the stomach to make up for the malabsorption. If you were one of the old-timer sleever's there is room for revision. If you have had one of the new sleeves where they remove 75-85% of the stomach, they more than likely won't touch it due to a possible leak, or crossing staple lines. Anyhow from what he explained to me change in a sleeve where most of the stomach has been removed isn't going to effect weight loss as much as rerouting the intestines will. In other words, the sleeve is merely restriction where the actual weight loss will be from malabsorption or the rerouting of the intestines.