Considering going from VSG to DS, Please help.

I had a VSG done Dec. 2010 and have not been 100% satisfied with my weight loss.  

Surgery day weight was 220 and I'm currently 186.  I'd like to see how others have done after having the DS as a two step process.  

BTW, I think I would be a lot heaver if I didn'****ch my diet as closely as I do.  The VSG is good but not great...

Thanks for any advice or information you can share.

OMG, how horribly disappointing! 

I hope you're not wallowing in self-loathing about this.  There are many band to DS revisions out here.  Some people just need to give their metabolism a kick in the pants, and it sounds like you're definitely one of them.  It's a shame that more docs encouraged their patients to look into their heart of hearts to examine their past to determine if simply eating less is going to give the results.  It's my soapbox topic of choice.

DSfacts.com is a great place to learn more specifically about the DS from those of us who live with it.  There are also groups on Facebook and yahoo to seek more info along with this environment.

Thanks Valerie! Gosh, what an honor to get a reply from you! Thank You very much!

Oh, no self loathing. Just looking into an available option and doing research.

I live in Frisco, TX and just found out that Dr. Folahan Ayoola is right here in the same town.  From what I've read, he's great at revisions.  I'm very excited to contact his office tomorrow to set up an appointment.

Hey, do you still have your BBQ restaurant?  My family and I were considering opening up one in Alaska.  Yep! Alaska! We vacation there almost every year and there is no where to get decent BBQ. 

Sure would be a hit during the cruise months which is May through September.

Thank you for your reply.  

I just read though your journal entries today.  You are such a beautiful person, both inside and out! Your input and advice has really helped me a lot!!

Many Blessings,

Ruby

Oh goodness - you've been following me a while if you know about the BBQ restaurant!  In the last year we sold them off, piece by piece right down to the name, wrote a book on the whole experience, then moved south to Georgia and have started an off-grid homestead project, which comes with a whole new blog (The Off-Grid Adventures of the Girly Girl) where I have started documenting our funny adventures with it. 

PM me your email address ,though.  I can fill you in on some details that the books about opening a restaurant don't tell you about, and techniques for keeping your meat good and moist in mass amounts.   I'll warn you that it's a lot of work for little pay for a while.  Even with winning awards, the public's idea of success differed greatly with our bankbook's idea, so make sure one of you has another job for a while.  We have no regrets and expereienced a lot of personal growth with that adventure.

Thanks for giving us the DSfacts.com website.  I just checked it out and it has great information on there.  My surgery is on New Year's Eve and I'm excited to begin my life. 

Is that all you lost or have you had regain? 

I had the VSG in March 2010. I went from 273 to 150-155. I've regained back to 200 and no matter what I did I couldn't lose a lb. 

I'm 4 weeks out from my revision to DS and partial re-sleeve. Last time I weighed one day last week I was 182. I did take measurements Friday and I've lost 10.5 inches total. Hoping I can reach my goal weight of 135. I'm only 5'2". 

Hi Star,

My lowest weight with the VSG was 148. Yes, I've regained a lot! And, like you, I'm having a difficult time losing it again.  

Are you glad you opted to have the DS done?

I'm thinking that since I've already had the VSG, having the second part will be much easier. I sure hope I'm right... 

Taking vitamins is nothing new to me.  If I could post a photo of my kitchen cabinet, you would see that a double cabinet is fully devoted to different (high end) supplements.  I'm totally on board with getting my blood checked and being diligent with vitamins. No problem there.  

I'm 45 years old and as we all know, the metabolism slows down considerably after 35 years of age.  I have the metoblism of a sloth. I almost have to starve myself to see any weight loss.

Thank you for your reply.  I really appreciate it! 

Yes...same here. My metabolism appears to be nearly non-existent. The weight came off almost effortlessly after my VSG. But life stuff happened and I stopped being diligent about counting my protein, fluid intake, and carbs. That's when I stopped losing. Then a back surgery, very sick with severe anemia for a year (although I didn't know that's what was wrong with me), a hysterectomy, multiple other back procedures....and I was just way off track. I always eat healthy...but during that year...sometimes for days on end all I would eat was ice and pistachio's. And I had ZERO energy. I think all of that was the straw that broke my metabolism good. 

I've tried going back to basics...focusing on protein and fluids, going down to 600-800 calories a day, and didn't lose a lb. I always ate low carb so it wasn't that I just let them back in on a regular basis. Every once in a while I would allow myself a carby treat...but it wasn't regular. 

Not to mention, I can't do a whole lot of exercise because of my back issues. I can do anything, just not enough of it to truly make a difference. So there's that added in the mix too. 

Im very glad I had it done. My insurance doesn't cover WLS at all so I went to Mexico and self paid. Found out when they did the barium swallow that my original surgeon didn't touch the bottom part of my stomach. He only took from the side. The bottom part of my stomach was quite large. Dr. Ungson did a partial re-sleeve. The surgery itself was a piece of cake...but so was my VSG. 

The loss with a revision is a lot slower than if we had the DS in one step the first time around. I've had zero complications or issues other than constipation...but I've had that problem all along since my VSG and even before that. 

Good luck to you!

Star, I also wanted to say Congratulations to you for your loss.  What an exciting journey you have decided to take.  It sounds like you defiantly made the right decision!!

Ruby, we are seeing new people all the time seeking revision from either sleeve or lap band to the DS, and I think we would see more if more people knew about the DS, and if more insurers covered revisions. You are not alone.

Dr. Ayoola has an excellent reputation and has even begun doing RNY to DS revisions, which is much tougher than a sleeve to DS revision. I hope he is able to help you. My only concern is that your bmi is not in the usual range for bariatric surgery, and I have no idea how he will react to that. And I very much doubt that insurance will cover this at your present bmi, so you may need to consider self-pay, as Star did. She had her sleeve to DS revision with Dr. Ungson in Mexico and had a very good experience with him.

Larra