RNY to d/s - so here's the thing...

I had RNY in May 2010. While I dropped a decent amount of weight, I never met my goal weight / target BMI. I never had a period of time where I remained at a stable weight either. I simply went down, then began to climb upward again. I kept track and in spite of intense activity, I continued to climb. While my diet wasn't perfect, it was pretty decent. While I might be considered a lightweight at a BMI of 33, I have quite severe knee issues now that would benefit from getting to a lower overall body weight.  I live in British Columbia, Canada and I have NEVER heard of anyone getting revision. So, I am looking at going to Mexico in late 2016, early 2017 (it seems like a long way off but I'm currently paying for a Masters in Leadership so money is tight). 

So, my questions are: 

1. How low can you go before you are no longer eligible for D/S?

2. Who do you recommend? And where?

Many thanks  

Check with Ungson in Mexicali.  And make sure he knows you want a true DS.

Dr. Ungson is the only DS surgeon in Mexico that most of us would recommend, and he does not do RNY to DS revisions. This is a very large and complex operation because it is necessary to take apart your entire RNY, restore you to your original anatomy, and THEN do the entire DS. This is a much higher risk operation than doing a virgin DS, and very few surgeons anywhere do it.

I understand about the financial reasons for thinking of Mexico, but unfortunately for this operation that is not a realistic option. The closest I know of to British Columbia would be Dr. Rabkin in San Francisco, CA, and the next closest would be Dr. Keshishian in the Los Angeles area. Both are very experienced with these difficult revisions. In Canada, the only one I know of is Dr. Gagner in Montreal, and he has had mixed reviews, not because he can't do it (he can) but because some patients have awakened with operations other than what they were expecting.

I'm sorry I can't provide anything more positive, but this is the reality of these revisions. For lap band to DS or VSG to DS revisions there are far more options, but not with RNY.

Larra

Thanks for your honest and kind response.  I was aware of Ganger's tactics so didn't want to go that route.  I did contact Rabkin's office and was discouraged because I don't think the secretary even read my email, but rather just shot me off the standard "here's what you do" email. To me, that's a no-no.  I will be more persistent.  FYI I have been good about my research.  I chose RNY because that was what was available to me through MSP so I took it.  At 301 pounds, it was important to address the issue immediately and through BC medical services. 

I would encourage you to be persistent with Dr. Rabkin's office staff. In general they do a good job. He operates on a lot of people from out of town because of the scarcity of RNY to DS revision surgeons, so they are used to working with people from far away. While they may not be perfect, overall they do a good job.

 Larra