At what point would you get a revision - knowing you will GAIN WEIGHT?

I have always assumed that the VSG was done the same way as the "stomach part" of the DS...including tossing the "amputated" part of the stomach.  (In the RnY, the "remnant" stomach just sits there.)  So in the stomach part of the DS and in the VSG there is nothing to reconnect...you just always have a smaller stomach.

The REST of the DS...where there "digestive juices" go down one trail and the food goes down another and they all meet up at a common channel at the end...the DS plumbing...that part can be reversed.

Theoretically the RnY can be reversed...and they do that when revising to the DS...but the challenge comes in, I think, in trying to reassemble a stomach from a pouch and a remnant stomach--there area lots of staples and lots of chances for a leak when putting it all back together, and in wondering if the pyloric valve will actually work again.

So as far as I understand it, the VSG is the only surgery that cannot be reversed because there's nothing there to try to put back together.  The RnY seems (to my unscientific mind) to be more of a challenge to take down because of the potential for a leak in the reassembled stomach and the question of whether the pylorus will work.  The band, should be the easiest to reverse, depending on WHY it's coming out.  If erosion into the stomach was an issue, then again, there's the issue of making the stomach whole again.  My band was a piece of cake to remove because it was placed by a pro...but anymore...there are MANY people placing the band who should still be watching or assisting.

HTH

but anymore...there are MANY people placing the band who should still be watching or assisting.

I really agree with this statement!  I cringe when I hear of some people's experiences with so-called expert docs and the band. This is purely an opinion on my part but it seems like the band is seen as the easiest surgery and that some docs are doing a conveyor belt process for profit. I know they have to be certified and trained but when you read what some people post about what their docs have told them, you have to wonder!

Thanks for the info about the other surgeries. I am always interested!

Kate

I take a middle approach - for those who have sleeves that DON'T cause problems, which is the majority of them (although I think VSGers who have been given tiny sleeves to try to mitigate the eventual sleeve stretching are much more likely to HAVE problems than DSers who are given more comfortable sleeves), I don't think of the sleeve as being something that is a consideration in whether you can have a successful "reversal" - it just doesn't matter.  People who have properly functional sleeves are never going to "need" a reversal of the sleeve part of their surgery, because they just have a smaller stomach and no malabsorption/malnutrition issues that need to be addressed.

This is, of course, a circular definition.  Because if the sleeve IS the problem, or part of it (e.g., a too-tight sleeve that is causing intractable reflux; a too-tight sleeve that also has a stricture and no way to dilate it without tearing the tissue; a too-tight or malformed sleeve that is causing feeding problems), then of course, you have a situation where you have an "irreversible" surgery, because there is no redundant stomach tissue to use to repair the problem.

Similarly, the band is reversible - except when it isn't.  And that is when the problems caused by the band - which are now being found to be increasingly frequent - cause damage to the body that can't be fixed - erosion into the stomach wall, scar tissue, adhesions, abnormal stretching of the upper part of the stomach, Barrett's esophagus, etc.

The RNY can also sometimes be undone - although it is a MUCH more problematic surgery to fix, with a high risk of complications due to the pouch and the possibility that the defunctionalized pyloric valve will not be viable.

Fortunately, intestinal rearrangements are generally fairly straightforward to revise.  For that reason, the DS is in fact an easier surgery to revise/reverse if there are problems, because it only involves altering the intestines, whereas much if not most of the time, the problems that would cause an RNYer to need to undo their surgery are because of the pouch.

RNY is reversible.

Thanks, Katari! I hadn't realised! Kate

I think it's more in the "it could be" category. 

We've heard of a few who were revising from RnY to DS and taking down the stomach part of the RnY (trying to put it back together so that they could have a normal but smaller stomach) was too risky and they ended up with a hybrid surgery...RnY pouch and DS intestines.  All they'd have to do after that is slap a band on top of it for the worst of all possible worlds...band barfing plus dumping plus possible (from both malabsorptive surgeries) stinky poo and a lifetime of supplements.

I know we've had a few on the RNY forum that have had theirs reversed (rather than revising to another WLS), but I'll have to get the details from them on the exact surgery details. Hmmm. Now I'm curious. LOL.

This is a really good point . I have two GF's one had Bypass the other DS and both have had numerous health issues post surgery.Both have also faced weight gain post surgery. All WLS carries a risk but for ME the whole malabsorption thing was scarey so I chose my band and I am SO glad I did I love it !!!! I would revise any situation if my health and/or quality of life was in danger.

The first year I had a band, I might have made the same comment.  But later, when the band had to be removed because it was killing my esophagus, malabsorption sounded WAY less scary.

As it turned out, living with malabsorption was/is far less of a negative impact on my life than the band turned out to be.   I'll stop there because the OP asked about malabsorption...

 non DS weight loss patients dont fully absorb chemo therapy?