Banded 3 years ago...

YaY MyRnA!!!!! So excited for you! Please keep me updated!

Hi, angibug-

I don't have any experience with your insurance company, but I'd like to make sure you've heard about and researched the Duodenal Switch. It's an option that doesn't get a lot of press, because it's a more complicated and lengthy surgery than is the RNY... a bigger learning curve for the surgeon and not the money-maker the RNY tends to be. As a result, there are only about 75 surgeons in the US that perform the DS.

In my opinion, it's *well* worth the extra effort to get it.

There are good and bad points to each WLS being offered. You and I both have experienced some of the bad points of our original surgeries.

But having been through one surgery, your metabolism will be especially stubborn. There are many surgeons offering all three main WLSs (band, RNY and DS) who will agree that the best chance for your success is to revise to the DS. It has the best excess weight-loss statistics both short- and long-term ... has superior statistics for co-morbidity resolution, and in my opinion offers the best post-op quality of life.

I lived for 23 years with an RNY-sized pouch. I had a VBG (old stomach stapling). I am enjoying food, now, that I haven't been able to eat in decades. Right now, I'm enjoying a wonderfully savory piece of roast beef, and it's sooo good! Not just one or two bites of it ... a slightly-smaller than normal serving of it! Life is good.

Please know that revisions will generally have a more difficult time losing than non-revisions, and the DS is the bazooka of weight-loss surgeries. You owe it to yourself to research all your options, if you haven't done so already. I invite you to the DS msg board to ask questions... and to dsfacts.com to begin looking into an option you may not have realized is available toyou.

Again, there are good and bad points to each of your revision choices. I suggest you question folks on the RNY board and the DS board as to whether or not they researched BOTH surgeries, and why they chose the surgery they chose.

Knowlege is power. Whichever surgery you choose, you'll go in confident you made the best choice for yourself.

The very best of luck as you move forward, angibug!

Kathy (not yet three months out from my revision to the DS, and 65 pounds down!)

Thanks for the info Kathy.

Just spoke with Dr. Office and the paperwork is going to get started today =)

 Hi, Good on you  for checking out revisions!!!!! I had my revision done in September 08 from the VBG to the DS. 10 months later and I weight 163 lbs and am a size 6 (pants).I wished I had done it sooner. As they say better late than never, lol lol. lots of great people who can support you here on OH.

Heather

I am in the same situation... I have GERD issues and scar tissue that is blocking the opening to my stomach, I had VBG done may of 2004 and I was approved by insurance with my 1st letter and I am going to be having my revision from VBG to bypass done in September, I should have my exact date today or tomorrow.

I too am curious as to success that people have had with the revision.  I originally lost 100lbs and have gained on average 20lbs of it back.  My dr tells me that he can't guarantee weight loss, and there is possibility of weight gain, BUT right now I am not able to eat, OK i can eat, but it doesnt go anywhere but sit in my esophagus and I end up vomitting, so the change will be good and it will benefit me.  I am hoping that from all that I have heard from people who have had they bypass done that I too will loose weight, the plan is to get back on track and eat healthy and excersize.  SO I am keeping my finger's crossed that I have a good outcome, I will try and keep you posted of how it's going.

Hi, Angie and New Life!  Don't kick yourselves.  You did not fail your surgeries, your surgeries failed YOU.

I want to be sure you've researched the duodenal switch.  Many people have surgery without knowing the DS exists as another option. 

Like RnY, DS combines restriction, which allows you to lose the weight, and malabsorption to keep the weight off.  Instead of disconnecting the stomach and creating a pouch, DS simply reduces the size of the stomach to create restriction.  You end up with a fully functional, but smaller stomach.  The second part of the DS is an intestinal bypass which creates malabsorption, and keeps the weight off.  Of all the weight loss surgeries, it has the best statistics for the greatest amount of weight lost and kept off long term.   Weight regain is a non-issue with DS, because we only absorb 20% of the fat we eat, and about 60% of the protein and complex carbs we eat.  We can eat larger meals than lap band and RNY - what amounts to a normal, but smaller, meal.  For me, it had the most attractive  postop way of life with NO dieting, NO counting fat or calories, NO dumping, NO vomiting, NO foamies, NO stuff getting "stuck" and NO chewing food into mush.  DS has the best resolution of comorbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.,  An added bonus is that the portion of the stomach that is removed is the portion which produces most of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, so you are less hungry postop. 

The keys to DS are these few, very critically important rules:

1.  You must eat at least 90 grams of protein every day;
2.  You must take your vitamins and supplements every day;
3.  You must drink at least 64 ounces of water every day; and
4.  You must get regular lab work to make sure you are taking enough vitamins.

Most of us watch our carbs during the weight loss phase because we absorb 100% of simple carbs like sugar and it can slow the weight loss.  Most of us also can't go hog wild on carbs after we reach goal, but no food is off limits in moderation, as long as we have no individual intolerance to it.  Many of us get stinky gas when we eat certain carbs, like those with white flour such as bread and pasta.  However, gas is certainly an issue with RnY also.  And our poop smells pretty bad, but whose doesn't? That's pretty much it. Sound too good to be true?  That's what I thought too, but the DS is the best decision I ever made! 

I should caution you that if your surgeon does not perform the DS, as most don't, he/she is likely to give you incorrect information and repeat some myths about the DS to scare you away from it to retain a paying customer.  We've heard story after story after story about the lies perpetuated by the medical community due to their ignorance about DS, or their efforts to keep you from walking out the door.  There are fewer surgeons performing DS than the other surgeries because it is not as profitable as RNY and lap band, and there are even fewer that are qualified to perform revisions from other surgeries.  However, it's so worth it, even if you have to travel, as many of us did.  Do yourself a favor and at least check it out.  Visit www.dsfacts.com and www.duodenalswitch.com for more information, and hang out on the DS forum here on OH to ask any questions you have.  You may have noticed - on the Revisions forum there are lots of folks revising to DS from other surgeries.  There are NO folks revising FROM DS to anything else.  I think that speaks volumes.


 

I hate my band too!!!!  I was banded 1 1/2 years ago and have yet to lose more than 20lbs.  No one said it was going to be like this!  I can not stand the vomitting and sliming, and not being able to eat so many foods!  Even good foos come back up.  I am so limited!

I am looking into a DS revision.  No dumping, and much better long term weight loss.

I have BCBS too, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Ann

Banded Oct. 2, 08
RNY July 13, 09

I hated that band. I lost 16 pounds and when I finally got sick to death of throwing up and had the band drained in late March 09 I gained the 16 plus pounds! It was just like having food in your throat and always hungry for me. I also developed a hernia, probably from months of throwing up.

How are you doing with that band out now? How have you done since your RNY?