I need some TLC

Hello all,

I feel like such a weight loss failure. I had RNY in 2004. I lost 70 lbs and then started back up again. I ended up having emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer near the stoma. Now I have gained 40 lbs and never even met my goal to begin with. I have started looking into revision but I am just in the beginning stages. I am having a EGD next week just to make sure I don't have anymore ulcers. I keep hoping there is something wrong with my pouch so I can possible get the revision approved easily ( if that's possible) but more so I can prove to myself that its not "my" fault I am gaining. If there isn't anything wrong with my RNY then it really is my fault and I am a failure .

Can anyone give me any advice on how to pursue the revision and approach the insurance co . I was told it was not my insurance tha has excluded revision its my "group" can you tell me what that means?

thanks Liz

Liz

Don't beat yourself up, at least you are taking steps now to improve the situation!  As far as the insurance goes, your employer decides what is included or excluded from the health insurance policy that is offered to their employees.  Your employer can decide to exclude weight loss procedures in the policy so it isn't the insurance company, it is your employer that has excluded that benefit.

Theresa

Liz, you did NOT fail, your surgery failed you, as RNY often does.  Quit beating yourself up and research the duodenal switch.  There are LOTS of RNY to DS revisions on the DS forum. 

Like RnY, DS combines restriction, which allows you to lose the weight, and malabsorption to keep the weight off.  Instead of disconnecting the stomach and creating a pouch, DS simply reduces the size of the stomach to create restriction.  You end up with a fully functional, but smaller stomach.  The second part of the DS is an intestinal bypass which creates malabsorption, and keeps the weight off.  Of all the weight loss surgeries, it has the best statistics for the greatest amount of weight lost and kept off long term.   Weight regain is a non-issue with DS, because we only absorb 20% of the fat we eat, and about 60% of the protein and complex carbs we eat.  We can eat larger meals than lap band and RNY - what amounts to a normal, but smaller, meal.  Finally, for me, it had the most attractive  postop way of life with NO dieting, NO counting fat or calories, NO dumping, NO vomiting, NO foamies, NO stuff getting "stuck" and NO chewing food into mush.  DS has the best resolution of comorbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.,  An added bonus is that the portion of the stomach that is removed is the portion which produces most of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, so you are less hungry postop. 

The keys to DS are these few, very critically important rules:

1.  You must eat at least 90 grams of protein every day;
2.  You must take your vitamins and supplements every day;
3.  You must drink at least 64 ounces of water every day; and
4.  You must get regular lab work to make sure you are taking enough vitamins.

Most of us watch our carbs during the weight loss phase because we absorb 100% of simple carbs like sugar and it can slow the weight loss.  Most of us also can't go hog wild on carbs after we reach goal, but no food is off limits in moderation, as long as we have no individual intolerance to it.  Many of us get stinky gas when we eat certain carbs, like those with white flour such as bread and pasta.  However, gas is certainly an issue with RnY also.  And our poop smells pretty bad, but whose doesn't? That's pretty much it. Sound too good to be true?  That's what I thought too, but the DS is the best decision I ever made! 

There are lots of great DS surgeons out there but revisions are trickier, so there aren't as many to choose from.  For this reason you may have to travel for a revision to DS, but it is SO worth it.  I should caution you that if your surgeon does not perform the DS, as most don't, he/she is likely to give you incorrect information and repeat some myths about the DS to scare you away from it to retain a paying customer.  We've heard story after story after story about the lies perpetuated by the medical community due to their ignorance about DS, or their efforts to keep you from walking out the door.  Check out www.dsfacts.com and www.duodenalswitch.com for more information, and hang out on the DS forum here on OH to ask any questions you have. 

You may have noticed - on the revisions forum you'll see lots of folks revising to DS from other surgeries.  There are NO folks revising FROM DS to anything else.  I think that speaks volumes.
 

thank you very much i will look into it !!