BPDS vs DS

 Are these the same?

I had the BPDS in 2004, but it was reversed in 2007, now I'm in touch with Dr K and Dr Rabkin to get the DS. I'm trying to learn and re-learn a lot. 

Thank you 😊

Hi Weaura

Post this on the Duodenal Switch Forum (DS), they are very knowledgable and supportive

Hi there, 

if it's not too forward a question, how did you end up having a reversal ? And now you are considering d/s? Could you give some details. Feel free to pm me if you like. I'm interested in your story. 

I lost 188lbs, went from 306llbs to 118lbs, but unknown to anyone I had an insulinoma (tumor in my pancreas). When i got so thin my blood sugar started crashing. The doctors were unsure if I was having a reaction to the WLS or if it was an insulinoma. Tests showed that there was a tumor, but were inconclusive about where it was located in my pancreas. So they first revised my WLS, told me to gain weight. That didn't solve the problem of low BS, so they reversed the malabsorption part of the BPDS. This was done so I could gain weight because the belief was that if I added weight my body could handle all of the extra insulin my pancreas produced. I did gain weight, probably about 100-125 lbs, and for a while it seemed like it was ok. Then in 2011 my BS started crashing again, so the tests were redone, and this time were more conclusive. At that point they removed a portion of my pancreas and got the tumor, they also removed my spleen. Since then my BS has been fine, but I now weigh 270 and want to have the DS again. The surgeons here in Portland OR (at OHSU) do not do the DS anymore, and refuse to do ANY surgery on me at all. So now I have reached out to Dr Rabkin and Dr K in CA to see if one of them will be willing to take me on and give me back my DS so I can lose weight.

Thank you for sharing your story. This must have been so traumatic. It seems grossly unfair for you to be denied surgery near home. It's good to hear that you are pursuing it elsewhere. Hang in there.

I emailed Dr. Rabkin's office a while back and got the standard answer of needing to go to several information sessions. For me, that would be highly unlikely as I live in British Columbia, Canada. I had RNY in 2010 and never really reached a steady low weight.  From about six months out, I felt like my surgeon didn't take a big enough limb. I still have approximately 60-80 more pounds to lose and would have opted for D/S if it were an option in Canada. There is only one surgeon in Canada who does D/S and he is in Quebec, at the other side of Canada from me. Plus, if I pursue this further,  I am not planning on defaulting to a Canadian surgeon because he's the one who is available. 

I got a response from Dr Rabkin's office which invited me to attend a group meeting. I called and said that's just not possible because of the distance. I was told that for patients who have a distance to travel they only require one visit, whi*****ludes the surgery itself. I have submitted my preliminary information form as well as a copy of my insurance card. I'm told the next step is for them to verify the insurance and then I'll get a call from them. You didn't say when you contacted Dr Rabkin but perhaps their policy had changed since you contacted them last.

You might also consider Dr Keshishian, in southern California. I've also contacted him and will be doing a video conference with him this Thursday. 

People on this site have nothing but high praise for both of them, which gives me comfort. 

They're the same surgery (biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch). DS is just further shorthand. Sometimes it's also written as BPD/DS.  

Now, was it BPD or BPD-DS?  These are very different.  The DS (aka BPD/DS) is an improvement on the old Scarpinaro BPD, which is what I hope you didn't get in 2004.  Why was it reversed, though, and why do you want to get it again?