RNY Revision 10 Years After Surgery

Any one out there who is multiple years past their RNY surgery and has researched RNY revision surgery types?  

I'm looking for info on whether this is an option and, if so, what type (there are 3).

Thanks in advance.

Ann

I would like to hear some feedback too. I'm 11 years post rny. I'm looking for a second opportunity. I have hypoglycemia as a result of my rny..sometimes even veggies trigger a drop. I would really like a chance to be successful in my weight loss, but equally important is that the revision does not exacerbate dumping. Ideally, I could find something that could improve my hypoglycemia. I'm looking at either rny to rny, or band over bypass. I'm self pay, so a $30k DS isn't an option. I would love some help making this decision.

What ever you do don't do band over bypass.  Bands have a 50% complication rate without being put on an already operated on stomach. In some cases they cause irreparable damage.  My band stretched my esophagus, I know people who've had their stomach adhere to  their liver because of the scar tissue that built up around the band.  I developed terrible reflux.  Follow FindingNirvana on youtube  she did it and now wants a revision to DS and because of the band she can't do it.  it is now too dangerous.

My surgeon says there is so much evidence against the band any surgeons doing them should be sued for malpractice. 

I had a RNY in January of 2004.  I weighed 310lbs.  My lowest weight after the RNY was 190 (120lbs and 70% of what I needed to lose) and I quickly gained it back after having a baby.  It seemed nothing I could do would take the weight off.  It's my crack-pot theory that my metabolism was so screwed up that dieting and exercise had lost it's magic (not there it every had magic).  Going into the RNY I was told (and sincerely believed) that if/when weight began to come back that I new had the tools to drop it quickly and rather easily.  That didn't pan out.  Once my weight hit 250lbs...I started searching for opportunities for Revision to Duodenal Switch.  I did the research (at least all that was there in 2010) and was very much liking the statics of maintenance experienced by folks who chose DS.  At that time more than 75% of patience lost every bit of the extra weight and kept it off.  (I have no idea what the stat are now).  I started looking for surgeons that performed revisions to DS.  At that time there were only two in the world that did it (weird).  Dr John Rabkin worked our of ST. Mary's in San Francisco.  That was about a day's drive from my home so I'd have to stay in the city.  I et with Dr. Rabkin and he thought I was a great candidate for revision, and so we did.  His web sit is    http://www.paclap.com/pacific-laparoscopy/dr-rabkin.cfm

I am so glad I did it...I feel like I can eat whatever I want without gaining anything back....and when I do lose (when I was sick with pneumonia last year) ...the weight I lost then didn't come back.  There are down falls.....your poop is always loose and stinks like toxic waste...ugh...the worst)  There are remedies out there for them...pills that lessen the stink.  And your gas will be extra stinky too....again, pills out there to help that too...althoug I find that good probiotics help a lot towards that.  I carry room freshener everywhere with me.  :)  Also...food that are high in fat make those problems even more pronounced AND you body will no long absorb all the fat you take int, so if you eat a pile of bacon (which I sometimes do)  I pay for in the bathroom...the fat is simply oil by then and not pleasant.  

All the downsides are not near gross enough to outweigh the fact food has no more power over me....after being hugely obese and dieting for 20 years....do not even have to consider what I'm eating or how much (and I graze all day) I never ever gain weight.  (I was put on some kind of anti-represent for awhile and I gained about 30lbs....but they switch it to welbutrin and I lost 40).  Now...7 years later....I waver between 155 and 165...depending on my cycle (and the effects of peri-menopausal bloating and retaining water)  

That's my story and I'm SO GLAD I made the decision to do it.  Dr. Rabkin is a world renown surgeon and specialized in revision.  Check out that link.  

I will say, though.  That was the longest and hardest recovery I've every know...but still worth it.  

Good Luck!  Hope is still there!!  

Thank you for sharing your advice and stories. I really wish I had the means to get a DS, but the reality is I just can't financially manage it. From the research I have done it would cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $35K Canadian, which just isn't going to happen. 

Alternatively, I don't want to injur myself or throw money away on a procedure that won't help.

In a perfect world I could find an excellent surgeon who would do a revision to DS that I could afford. What's the next best option? 

I have no idea what the options would be...in 2010, when I was searching for options...that was about it. revision surgery. I think, once upon a time, the medical community considered RNY the "gold standard" for weight loss surgery. Now, a person looking for a wls solution to obesity has several options and some primary care doctors are realizing that the type of surgery matters...there is no "one size fits all" solution. Some medial professionals take the time and go the extra mile to determine why you are obese in the first place.

It's a weird process, because when Dr. Rabkin (the revision surgeon) met with me, he was peeved that I was given an RNY in the first place. My food issues (and no-0nes for that matter) didn't go away after the surgery and the issues I have made it highly likely that I would regain all, if not more, of the weight. Why? Because food is a vice for me. Hunger doesn't, nor ever will, matter. I eat, hungry or not. It's coping mechanism for me and that will never change. Some people are obese because the weight came on after a life event and they could never take it off. There is a point of no return with weight gain. Once your body is obese, it is statistically impossible to lose that weight on your own. The main reason for that is weird too...your body doesn't want to let go of the fat. The part of the brain that tells you you're hungry or that you need to lose weight...that part has no idea you are obese. When you reduce and restrict your calorie intake your body goes into survival mode. That means it holds on to the calories you take in and also produces much more of the hormone that causes you to feel hungry. On top of that, when an obese person exorcises your lungs cannot expand to take in all the oxygen you need to feed #1: your metabolism #2 feed the extra tissue #3 feed your vital organs with the oxygen they desperately need to function properly. My hubs is 6'3" and weighs about 155lbs. Pretty wirey. My surgeon explained that if he put on a back pack with an extra 155 lbs (to match my weight) and we walked side by side that it would be much easier for him and way more beneficial because he is taking full lung of oxygen. This is why I say it's the point of no return. You body fights you every step of the way. When he told me that...I wept. Not just because I felt so powerless and held captive by my body....but also because that info took away the shame I felt for being obese. It was bittersweet. He told me that once the medical community started to approach obesity as a medical problem rather than a sin of sloth and laziness we would start seeing an entirely different approach to using surgery as a treatment, rather than some cosmetic wish.

I SOOOO wish I could help you. My revision was just around 30K...not including the long, horrible recovery. Dr. Rabkin's staff was pretty good about navigating through insurance and I paid $15K out of pocket and insurance paid the rest. I know there are ways to finance the cost. I borrowed from my 401(k).

If I were you, I'd be all over the internet finding a way to finance. This revision literally saved my life.

I wish all the best!

Thank you for sharing your advice and stories. I really wish I had the means to get a DS, but the reality is I just can't financially manage it. From the research I have done it would cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $35K Canadian, which just isn't going to happen. 

Alternatively, I don't want to injur myself or throw money away on a procedure that won't help.

In a perfect world I could find an excellent surgeon who would do a revision to DS that I could afford. What's the next best option?