Revision surgery with Dr Gagner
Hi, I had a VSG done in 2011 where I lost 150lbs, but due to things in life and falling off the wagon and having a 4-year long pity party I've gained most of that back on, I'm sad to say.
I'm based in the province of NB where there's a good 7 year wait to even get a first consultation with the only surgeon who does the DS. By that time, I'll have aged out of the system, which is 55 so I decided to go self-pay. I've also decided to go with someone with a great reputation, Dr Gagner.
ive had my first consultation with him and he brought up SADI. I hadn't heard of it before, so I wanted to read more about it. I have another consultation with him next week where I want to discuss having the DS because I really want to lose as much weight as I can and to keep it off.
i guess my question is has anyone here had Dr Gagner as a surgeon? And what are thoughts on SADI vs DS.
thanks so much!
Your choice. There are SADI patients who have done well and others not so well. My personal opinion, I would insist on the real thing.
The VSG is just another diet with a smaller stomach. You need the power of malabsorption to succeed. They sold you the wrong surgery. And this time you need to get it right.
Gagner is well known. Have you considered Ungson/Esquerra in MX? Bet he would be much less expensive.
Hi Patty,
thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I agree with you on needing the malabsorption this time around to both lose and keep the weight off. I have another consultation with Dr Gagner next week to talk about the DS. My anxiety feels better just knowing that I have that option.
i did look into going to Mexico, but the exchange rate from CDN to USD makes it more expensive, plus the flight down there. I'm within driving distance of Montreal, so that's another reason why I'm choosing to go this route. Thank you for thinking about me though for suggesting those options. ??
I'm sorry I don't have any advice. I just wanted to say that VSG did not work out for me. For the first 4-5 months I was losing steadily, but then I stopped losing. I've gained back 10 pounds. So since my surgery I've only lost 20 pounds. It's so disappointing to be just over a year out and not have the results expected of me. There's definitely room for improvement on my part, but I have made huge changes to my overall eating habits and feel so defeated. I'm hoping with the New Year and new doctors that somethings will change for the better.
Good luck on your next journey and hope it all goes well. Please keep us informed on which procedure you have done and why. It's very helpful for me to read about other VSGers.
Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear about the setbacks on your VSG journey. Big virtual hugs to you! I hope that you can find a solution to your problem.
i think what helped me with the most with the VSG was keeping low-carb wits high protein and walking. My problem was that I fell off the low-carb wagon and never got back in again. All the slider foods went down too well and I wasn't eating protein first, nor keeping to 1 cup of food servings. I gained almost everything back after that happened.
I'll let you know what I decide - I have my next consultation with Dr Gagner this week to talk about the DS path.
I was originally planning on DS but my surgeon was an expert in both Hess DS and Sadi DS. He recommends Sadi for most patients. It's been performed since 2008 with great success comparable to Hess DS but far less vitamins and malabsorption issues. I'm in year 8 post wls and can eat an elephant a day and still be the thinnest person in the room. The Sadi works and is recommended by experienced surgeons for a reason. As long as your surgeon is qualified to perform both surgeries, then he or she is probably right on whatever they are recommending.
Fyi - Shorter common channels definitely cause higher malabsorption risk but not higher weight loss. Sometimes you get better results with more balance.
