I get by with a little help from my friends.....

Hi, I have not been on these boards for three years.  My life has been utter hell and I am 60 pounds heavier than I was.  I started out at close to 500 pounds and lost about 100 on my own before having RNY.  Between the fact that I have been dx'ed with a rare genetic disorder causing me to have severe degeneration of my joints (EDS) and my mother with inflammatory breast cancer the last three years have been hell.  I almost lost everything I owned and my mother while having 5, yes 5 replacements of my right hip in the last 5 years.  I am now retired and thank God and Dr. Myhand my Mom is on her way to recovery.  Two more weeks of radiation and her final breast reconstruction and we are home free.  Her scans show no cancer and her nodes were cancer free.  I just had my last hip replacement in October and had to go to the Cleveland Clinic for a follow-up.  Was told there is nothing more they can do for me.  They will replace  the hip about every three years.  Which is just about how long it takes me to be up and running great from the last one.  Doc did tell me to take off 50 pounds(like I was too stupid to know this on my own)  He was very kind about it though, which I must say did not happen in the past with docs saying drop a few.  Anyway, enough whining from me.   Doc is writing my insurance to ask them to do a revision so it could help me with pain and maybe prolong the time between surgeries.  In the meantime I am going to try to drop it quickly on my own.  I need help and encouragement.  I think I see a light at the end of this long terrible tunnel.  I hope, for God sakes it's not a damned old train.

If I were in your shoes I would look into a revision to a duodenal switch.  Dr. Hustead in Kentucky is one of the very few surgeons experienced in RNY to DS revisions.  If you went this way, you would have to be very clear to him that you no longer want the pouch, but want to have the surgically-narrowed stomach with pylorus, plus DS intestinal configuration.  Such a revision would have higher risk of complications, on its own plus with your added conditions, but I think it would be your best bet at getting the weight off.  I read of people on the DS board who have succeeded with a RNY to DS revision.

Thank you.  I will look into this today.