RNY to DS

Has anyone had a RNY and gained weight then got approved for a DS? I had a RNY in March 2002. I lost between 75-80 lbs. My doctor told me my surgery failed. I didn't go back to see him after that. Over the past 3 years, I gained 70 lbs back. Has anyone been in my situation and been able to do it over again with a DS?

I'm only 6 months post-op from my revision but wanted to chime in and tell you how much happier I am with my DS than my RNY. I've lost 92lbs. so far.  It's too early for me to know where I'll end up weight-wise in the longrun but I am already very happy with my decision. No more worries about my stoma, no more reactive hypoglycemia, no dumping and no more diarhea either. I traveled to KY to Dr. Husted for my surgery, he's wonderful.  Come on over to the DS board, there are quite a few revisioners there!

Thanks Tabitha...I am so confused about what direction to take. I started out at 399 lbs. I lost 7lbs before the RNY. My lowest weight 1 yr. post-op was 317 lbs. I am back up to 383 lbs. I know My surgeon left town, but I was able to find him. I am waiting on my file so I can make an appointment with another doctor. Tell me why you opted to travel to KY? Are you in NC? Did you not find a doctor that you were comfortable with? I am considering several NC doctors.

As of when I had my surgery, there were no doctors in the NC area that did RNY to DS revisions, not full ones anyway. Some only did RNY to ERNY but call it a DS. (be careful about this, ask specific questions!) The closest was Dr. Elariny in Virginia but although he accepts insurance, he charges more than the insurance covers and we didn't have the extra thousands to pay.  My next choices were between Dr. Greenbaum in NJ and Dr. Husted in KY.  After doing some research I found that Dr. Husted had done a lot of this particular surgery and I was most comfortable with choosing him.  It's a pretty complicated surgery as you probably already know, and it was important to me to have someone that was ready to deal with any complications that may arise.  And I did have complications and was very ill but luckily Dr. Husted had the experience to help me. I highly recommend him to anyone that is seeking a RNY to DS revision...he's pretty much seen everything and is prepared.

I'm happy for anyone that is successful with the surgery of their choice but for me, the RNY was a mistake. A mistake that robbed me of quite a few years of my life and threw me into a depression feeling like a failure.  I am already so much happier with the DS and I have a lot more faith in it for maintaining weight-loss longterm.

PM me if I can be of any help and Best Wishes!!

You have already helped me more than you know. I have been through most of what you described. I think it began for me when the doctor told me my surgery was a failure. At that point the weight loss stopped. I did everything I knew to do to get it started again, but that didn't happen. Until 2 months ago, I started researching the possibility of having another surgery. My biggest fear now is that BCBS will not approve another surgery. I am having health issues as a result of the weight gain. I am hoping that those issues along with my doctor's failure statement will be enough to get me approved for another surgery.

Can you elaborate on the specific questions I should ask the surgeon? And, are you familiar with Dr. Roc Bauman in Concord, NC? Thanks again!

I'd like to suggest that you contact Jon Pirrello at Presby Bariatric and General Surgery.  He would be able to talk thru the actual physiology of it all.  He mentioned to me at my two year that our intestines are not all the same length and so some of us can end up after a RNY with a longer length usable of intestine than others.  Each of us is different and exactly what type of surgery will work best varies.  Jon is amazing.  He interacts with you as a trained professional who provides knowledge and experience to you so that YOU can make the best decision for your own health.  And he doesn't make you feel like you are a child who is misbehaving.  
B****here is a support group at Presby Matthews that meets on the fourth Monday of the month (ie. June 22 this month) at 6 at the hospital.  You may be able to get some insight from folks there, too.  
As far as I know, Roc Bauman doesn't do DS but I could be wrong. 
Does your BCBS pay for DS?  Jon told me that he could explain things well enough to the ins so that they could cover a second surgery for persons who were having problems and fit the criteria.

I think you can do a revision to any of the surgeries (lapband, DS or VSG) from an RNY. I would do a search for NC surgeons and weight loss surgery revisions. There is also a revision forum, i think. Good Luck to you.

Hi everyone,
I'm so glad I found this forum! I was beginning to think I was the only one that this has happened to. I had a RNY in 2003 and lost 150 lbs. I should have lost around 190 or so. I only kept it off for about 2 years and then the weight started to pile back on. Here it is almost 6 years later, and I weigh MORE than I did BEFORE I had the RNY! Talk about feeling like a failure! I've done some research on NC doctors who do revisions (the surgeon who did my RNY doesn't do revisions), and I found one in Charlotte- Dr. Voellinger. I don't know at this point what his reputation is like, but I've been to the required seminar and already sent in my patient packet. My consultation is scheduled for early next month. My fear is insurance won't cover me either to have another surgery- even though, I have different insurance now. I also fear for some reason the doctor is going to tell me there is nothing he can do for me because I've gained so much weight and I weigh so much. (400 lbs). I don't even know if he does revisions on people who gain all the weight back plus more! I'm hoping to get a revision to a DS. Guess I will have to wait for my consultation to see what he has to say.

Hey Daisymom,

Please keep in touch with me. I am in the same boat. However, I did not lose as much weight as you. I now weigh 379 lbs. I am leaning toward Dr. Enochs in Raleigh. I am just waiting to get my file from my original surgeon. Lets compare notes.

I have a friend who attempted to get a revision and the insurance company denied her because she had lost 140 lbs and has kept it off. I have all of her documentation including her denial letter. I know what my insurance company is looking for. Its appears as though they will consider a revision if : you have gained the weight back, your surgeon (present or past) considered your first surgery a failure, and your weight is midigating factors for other health problems. They will not consider a revision solely if you stretched your pouch.

PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ME AT [email protected]!

Hi again. :-)
I just wanted to let you know that I went to Dr. Enochs about getting a revision last summer. I liked him but I was pretty far into the process before he let me know that it would be a revision to ERNY, not a full DS.  He did not want to touch my stomach, just alter the lower half.  Please be aware of that.  There are so many surgeons that say they do revisions but then you have to ask them specifically if they do a revision to a full DS, getting rid of your RNY pouch, restoring your pyloric valve.  That is why I ended up going so far away.  Dr. Elariny in VA does do it and has a great reputation but as I said, he charges a lot over insurance.
Some surgeons also have somewhat of a reputation of their patients waking up with only an ERNY usually because of 'scar tissue'.  You will have scar tissue but it seems some surgeons are willing to work a little harder to get it done completely.  I would strongly suggest that you come to the DS board and ask about others' experiences with certain surgeons.
It's a pain but it will be worth it in the end!!     :-)