Revision from VSG to DS

I had the VSG in 2008 and lost 182 lbs, I have since gained all but 75 lbs back.  I am having a revision to the DS on April 7th.  I am so excited and nervous.  I wish I had the DS from the beginning, but that's the past and now I am looking forward to the future.  The Dr. himself told me I didn't fail the surgery, the surgery failed me.  For the first time in years I felt a weight lifted from my shoulder.  I hope if any of you have the same experience with a weight loss surgery, that you don't beat yourself up or let anyone else beat you up.  You probably had the WRONG bariatric surgery in the first place. 

I had the sleeve done in 2013, I've regained 65lbs. I saw my bariatric surgeon today due to acid refluc complications, he recommends a revision which I understand is more risky. My reflux is horrific and I don't want to take meds for the rest of my life. Anyone have a revision? and how much welght loss did you experience? My surgeon says I should only expect to loose 10lbs. I kinda of don't think that's so, since my pouch will be a lot smaller. Any help

Actually, from what I've been learning, since the VSG is the first part of the DS it is a lot easier to have the 2nd part of the DS done since you already have the first part of the DS. I wouldn't have a resleeve because I have been told that there is a bigger risk of a leak. I will PM you with more info.

I need a revision due to acid reflux but I've been hearing that I wouldn't loose weight, sounds odd since your pouch would be smaller.

Revision from VSG to RNY is what is usually recommended to cure GERD. Since you will have the same sleeve with a DS revision, your GERD probably will not improve. Stomach acid is produced in the lower part of the stomach. With RNY that part of the stomach that manufactures most of the acid is completely detached, making it impossible for that acid to get into the esophagus. With the sleeve the acid is still produced in large quantities and, because the stomach is much narrower than before surgery, it creates a high pressure system, pushing the acid into your throat.

I had a VBG in 1986 and suffered with severe GERD for 25 years. I was diagnoses with Barrett's Esophagus and had several tumors removed. I was revised to RNY in 2010 and woke up GERD free. Make sure you have the revision surgery that will actually fix the problem. GERD is not something you want to mess with.

You will lose weight with a revision if you take it seriously and follow the post WLS rules to the letter. You won't lose as fast as when you first had surgery. I am 15 pounds below goal and have maintained for almost 6 years. I take this second chance at life seriously and have become a strict rule follower.

Any surgery will fail if you don't follow the rules.

Thank you for your response. I've been asking this question in many different groups and haven't received any comments. Thank you for your help.

Many studies have revealed that stomach size has less to do with weight loss than food choice. Even poor food choices with the DS will see weight gain. I have seen DS patients (I see one now actually) that regain significant weight with poor eating habits. 70-95% of weight loss depending on genetics typically is from diet. The rest is from exercise. Even with the DS you will regain if you eat crap all time.

Revising to the DS sometimes does help with reflux. There are RNY patients with reflux too, many more than you'd think, even though it typically resolves it. I think I read one study where DS actually resolved reflux 25-30% of the time. It depends what the cause is.

I had very severe reflux a few months ago, and was concerned mine was caused by the sleeve, however after eliminating several things, dairy being one, I've none whatsoever. Any time I add dairy or increase carbs? Bam, reflux. Extra weight can also cause reflux, and it might go away with further weight loss. It's not necessarily the sleeve, is what I'm getting at. It might be worth doing an elimination diet, or eating very low carb without cheat meals/days to see if that helps.

An RNY however might be worth considering if you have damage from the reflux, or if diet does not work. Again, there is no guarantee of cure either - I have spoken to several RNY peeps here, and seen several clients, that have reflux post-RNY. Have you had an endoscopy?

Hello! I had a vsg in 2009 and lost 114 pounds. The weight slowly crept back on and I am now back to where I started-114 lbs heavier.

If you have severe reflux, then the only cure is rny. Surgeons now think that reflux in vsg patients is due to the shape of the tube stomach. Once you change the shape of the stomach with a rny, then the reflux will dissipate. Despite following your post op instructions to a t, you will likely only lose 10-20 lbs total.

However, if you are having a vsg revision do to weight regain or not losing enough then you need the ds. How much you lose is debatable with this surgery. My surgeon told me that he thinks that revision surgery for vsg's is the wave of the future. He is starting to see more and more vsg patients who have gained back a significant amount of weight. I"m having my ds revision on 4/10.

Hi.Rhonda JS, I haven't had any problems with severe reflux, I control it with medicine. But I see you are having a revision to a DS too. Just curious what Dr is giving you the revision? I'm having mine April 7th. I have seen many VSG people that have regained. It is too bad more bariatric Dr.s don't tell people this before they have the VSG. I would have had the DS if I had been told what I know now.