HELP! SO FRUSTRATED!
okay. I need some clarification. I had a RNY done in 2000. I was almost 450lbs. My doc then said I would probably need a revision- she doubted i would get to goal before I plateued. I lost 150lbs. had four babies. Now I am gaining weight.
I know my eating has changed but in addition to that i never had any instruction on eating restrictions. She said everbody tolerates things differently, stay away from too much fat and sugar and no carbonation. I never learned about " slider" foods, or restrictions on eating and drinking etc. I'm feeling a little cheated about my WLS experience. I am also responsible for becoming lazy and changing my eating habits but coupled with everything I just want to get back on track. My original doc is retired.
So....I saw Dr. Thompsen in Boston he performed sclerotherapy, I had a reaction to the solutuion an developed a giant ulcer and lost tons of blood. Stayed in the Hospital for a week and recieved 6 blood transfusions. Needless to say- thats not happening again.
I called Dr. Jones and had my records faxed over and they said because I don't have anything "wrong" no hernias no fistulas or anything they won't do a revision. I called a couple other surgeons and got the same response.
Is this the way it is with everyone? Isn't the fact that my pouch is stretched out and i"m gainig enough. Did everyone on here have a "problem" before they could get a revision? Help!!!
I know my eating has changed but in addition to that i never had any instruction on eating restrictions. She said everbody tolerates things differently, stay away from too much fat and sugar and no carbonation. I never learned about " slider" foods, or restrictions on eating and drinking etc. I'm feeling a little cheated about my WLS experience. I am also responsible for becoming lazy and changing my eating habits but coupled with everything I just want to get back on track. My original doc is retired.
So....I saw Dr. Thompsen in Boston he performed sclerotherapy, I had a reaction to the solutuion an developed a giant ulcer and lost tons of blood. Stayed in the Hospital for a week and recieved 6 blood transfusions. Needless to say- thats not happening again.
I called Dr. Jones and had my records faxed over and they said because I don't have anything "wrong" no hernias no fistulas or anything they won't do a revision. I called a couple other surgeons and got the same response.
Is this the way it is with everyone? Isn't the fact that my pouch is stretched out and i"m gainig enough. Did everyone on here have a "problem" before they could get a revision? Help!!!
Though my story is different than yours - bottom line is, neither one of us had anything "wrong" with our original surgeries, other than lack of success.
I had the lap band in May 2007 - never lost a single pound after surgery. Now, I am actually about 15 pounds heavier than before surgery. I did have nausea and vomiting every day, but aside from that, I've not had any reflux, slipped band, band erosion, flipped port, etc. My only real issue was the vomiting and the fact that I never lost any weight.
I'm having a revision to a DS soon (waiting for a date any day now). Both my lap band surgeon (who doesn't do the DS) and my DS surgeon have agreed that, due to my lack of weight loss, I should have/can have a revision surgery. And, my insurance (BCBS of MI) is covering it.
I would think that regaining your weight is enough to allow you to have a revision. Is it just the doctors saying that, or do you have insurance that's refusing as well?
Hopefully, someone else will chime in soon and give you some better advice. Just wanted to share my story as it's similar.
Good Luck to you,
Stephanie
Hello Sweetchef:
So what I have interpreted from your post is you began your weight loss journey at 450 lbs and lost 150 putting you at 300...am I correct on that? If so, your BMI and co-morbidities is normally the reason a Revision Surgeon would submit to Insurance for surgery. I would assume that your BMI is high and do you have comobidities such as: high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes...if so, you definately need to contact one of the bariatric surgeons on this website. Go to right under the search bar, bariatric surgeons it will bring up a map click in your state and there it will give you a list of several choices.
While searching this site...go back through several months of the revision site as well and you will see all kinds of posts regarding very qualified revision surgeons who I'm sure will be more than happy to help you.
Good luck, no easy decision. I know, I'm having my revision May 20th. I'm revising to an ERNY.
Good Luck...
Janie
So what I have interpreted from your post is you began your weight loss journey at 450 lbs and lost 150 putting you at 300...am I correct on that? If so, your BMI and co-morbidities is normally the reason a Revision Surgeon would submit to Insurance for surgery. I would assume that your BMI is high and do you have comobidities such as: high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes...if so, you definately need to contact one of the bariatric surgeons on this website. Go to right under the search bar, bariatric surgeons it will bring up a map click in your state and there it will give you a list of several choices.
While searching this site...go back through several months of the revision site as well and you will see all kinds of posts regarding very qualified revision surgeons who I'm sure will be more than happy to help you.
Good luck, no easy decision. I know, I'm having my revision May 20th. I'm revising to an ERNY.
Good Luck...
Janie
"The Joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10
Hello Sweetchef:
Do you think 300# is an ideal goal weight? I don't. I had a RnY in 2001 and had a
revision March 3, 2009. I have lost 22# and almost 2 sizes. I only lost a total of 50# the first time. I have a well known Bariatric Surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Lord at the Sacred Heart Institue in Pensacola, Fl. His staff at both the office and Surgical Unit are very supportive. The key to his program is education! The very thing you and I missed out on the first time through. I have had a complete paradigm shift. While things are slower the scale indicates I am doing things right. If I can answer any questions don't hesitate to ask, I've done a lot of research. Besides the sugar white sands of Pensacola Beach is not a bad place to recover!!
Do you think 300# is an ideal goal weight? I don't. I had a RnY in 2001 and had a
revision March 3, 2009. I have lost 22# and almost 2 sizes. I only lost a total of 50# the first time. I have a well known Bariatric Surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Lord at the Sacred Heart Institue in Pensacola, Fl. His staff at both the office and Surgical Unit are very supportive. The key to his program is education! The very thing you and I missed out on the first time through. I have had a complete paradigm shift. While things are slower the scale indicates I am doing things right. If I can answer any questions don't hesitate to ask, I've done a lot of research. Besides the sugar white sands of Pensacola Beach is not a bad place to recover!!
What we resist - persists; what we reveal - heals!
to 
Thanks for your replies....at least there is hope, even if it means having to travel outside of my area. I really don't understand why this is happening, I feel like the doctors around here(RI,CT, &MA) aren't taking me on because I failed at my surgery and I had my one chance and didn't do it right. Then I look around this forum and I see so many other people who have had similiar situations and have had a revision. I called my original surgeon even though she doesn't do them anymore, I am having a consult with her and hopefully she can advocate on my behalf to another doc. Also, I read an article at a local hospital that has a well known bariatric program and in there brochure they cover the fact that one of the surgery types they do is the RNY initially and then once weight loss slows they revise to a DS. They save this for the morbidly obese. I am certain that was what my doc had originally said. Hopefully I get some good news soon. Its sooo discouraging. Thanks everyone! xox
Thanks for your replies....at least there is hope, even if it means having to travel outside of my area. I really don't understand why this is happening, I feel like the doctors around here(RI,CT, &MA) aren't taking me on because I failed at my surgery and I had my one chance and didn't do it right. Then I look around this forum and I see so many other people who have had similiar situations and have had a revision. I called my original surgeon even though she doesn't do them anymore, I am having a consult with her and hopefully she can advocate on my behalf to another doc. Also, I read an article at a local hospital that has a well known bariatric program and in there brochure they cover the fact that one of the surgery types they do is the RNY initially and then once weight loss slows they revise to a DS. They save this for the morbidly obese. I am certain that was what my doc had originally said. Hopefully I get some good news soon. Its sooo discouraging. Thanks everyone! xox I can`t believe that there seem to be docs out there doing a RNY and planning to revise them to DS later. The RNY to DS revision is very complicated and much riskier then a virgin DS - so why the h** don`t they give their patients the DS as the first and only WLS if they think their patients need it anyway?? This is f** irresponsible and I am just hoping that you misunderstood something.
Regarding your questions - yes the fact that your pouch is strechted and you`re gaining and still at 300+ pounds is enough for a revision. Have you researched the different revision types? Band over bypass, ERNY, DS? The one which gives the best results is the DS. Given how much you have to loose, I´d strongly recommend you to research the DS. Results of the ERNY are mixed, it seems many don`t loose more then 50 pounds AND you will have even more malabsorbation then with the DS and in combination with the RNY pouch, a higher risk for malnutrition. Most surgeons, even those who do RNY revisions, don`t do the DS revision, because it is complicated, but if you ask at the DS board they can give you a list of docs who do, and who won`t tell you that you should be happy with 300+ pounds!!
Regarding your questions - yes the fact that your pouch is strechted and you`re gaining and still at 300+ pounds is enough for a revision. Have you researched the different revision types? Band over bypass, ERNY, DS? The one which gives the best results is the DS. Given how much you have to loose, I´d strongly recommend you to research the DS. Results of the ERNY are mixed, it seems many don`t loose more then 50 pounds AND you will have even more malabsorbation then with the DS and in combination with the RNY pouch, a higher risk for malnutrition. Most surgeons, even those who do RNY revisions, don`t do the DS revision, because it is complicated, but if you ask at the DS board they can give you a list of docs who do, and who won`t tell you that you should be happy with 300+ pounds!!
StacysMom
on 5/3/09 8:14 am
on 5/3/09 8:14 am
"Also, I read an article at a local hospital that has a well known bariatric program and in there brochure they cover the fact that one of the surgery types they do is the RNY initially and then once weight loss slows they revise to a DS"
This is not the current, modern DS that they are talking about. It is OLD Scopinaro procedure where they left you with a large pouch and then added severe malabsorption. It was more similar to the ERNY procedure than what is currently known as the DS. The two-step procedure that is now used when a surgeon feels it is too dangerous to do the DS all at once is giving the SMO patient a sleeve (VSG), waiting until some initial weight is lost to make the patient a better candidate for a more invasive procedure and THEN going forward and adding the malabsorption of the DS.
Here are two articles from a bariatric journal which cite studies of the various revision options and the pros and cons of each type:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/3886215/Everyone-should- read-this-Revision-Procedures-for-Failed/
and
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/3886208/Great-article-on-RNY-revisions-from-Bariatric-Journal/
Please be aware that not all revision options are available in all areas and not all options are paid for by insurance. Also, some WLS programs will tell you that they do all of the various revision surgeries and then, once they get you in the door, convince you that whichever revision procedure they perform is the one which is the "safest" or "best" for you. This is usually done when patient wants the Duodenal Switch, which has the best long term stats of all of the various weight loss procedures and, if the RNY has already failed a patient, is the procedure that the patient probably should have had in the first place. It's called the "bait & not switch", so watch out for it. Frequently, the physician will "warn" the patient about all of the various problems with the procedure and the doctor uses statistics from the old Scopinaro DS (which is almost an ERNY) and not the current DS as examples. Sometimes the surgeon will even misinform the patient that the RNY to DS conversion is impossible to do (while other surgeons routinely do them every day).
So, be sure and do your own research on all of the procedures before even meeting with the doctor. Possibly, because of your own particular anatomy, not all procedures will be workable for you, but the only way you will get a straight answer out of a surgeon is to go to one that actually DOES all of the procedures. Otherwise, they will channel you into only the options that they themselves perform.
Good luck.
This is not the current, modern DS that they are talking about. It is OLD Scopinaro procedure where they left you with a large pouch and then added severe malabsorption. It was more similar to the ERNY procedure than what is currently known as the DS. The two-step procedure that is now used when a surgeon feels it is too dangerous to do the DS all at once is giving the SMO patient a sleeve (VSG), waiting until some initial weight is lost to make the patient a better candidate for a more invasive procedure and THEN going forward and adding the malabsorption of the DS.
Here are two articles from a bariatric journal which cite studies of the various revision options and the pros and cons of each type:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/3886215/Everyone-should- read-this-Revision-Procedures-for-Failed/
and
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/3886208/Great-article-on-RNY-revisions-from-Bariatric-Journal/
Please be aware that not all revision options are available in all areas and not all options are paid for by insurance. Also, some WLS programs will tell you that they do all of the various revision surgeries and then, once they get you in the door, convince you that whichever revision procedure they perform is the one which is the "safest" or "best" for you. This is usually done when patient wants the Duodenal Switch, which has the best long term stats of all of the various weight loss procedures and, if the RNY has already failed a patient, is the procedure that the patient probably should have had in the first place. It's called the "bait & not switch", so watch out for it. Frequently, the physician will "warn" the patient about all of the various problems with the procedure and the doctor uses statistics from the old Scopinaro DS (which is almost an ERNY) and not the current DS as examples. Sometimes the surgeon will even misinform the patient that the RNY to DS conversion is impossible to do (while other surgeons routinely do them every day).
So, be sure and do your own research on all of the procedures before even meeting with the doctor. Possibly, because of your own particular anatomy, not all procedures will be workable for you, but the only way you will get a straight answer out of a surgeon is to go to one that actually DOES all of the procedures. Otherwise, they will channel you into only the options that they themselves perform.
Good luck.
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