Which Revision Should I Have?
Long story short: had lapband in 2005, initially lost up to 65lbs of my needed 100. Now I have gained back most of it. I had a scope 9/2009 and band was fine, no slippage or erosion, just slightly stretched pouch. I am seeing the surgeon on 6/23 and I think he will suggest revision surgery as he has mentioned this before. I have now finally come to the realization that it may be necessary. I have had over a year of eating whatever I wanted and good sized portions to the tune of 60+lbs. I am tired, no energy, no clothes. Fills are not going to happen because everytime I do fluoro it shows me tight and I do have lots of heartburn. The band is just no longer working like it should and I am not helping it.
That being said, I am scared to have another surgery. I just wondered what everyone else's experience has been with revision and recovery. Thanks!
That being said, I am scared to have another surgery. I just wondered what everyone else's experience has been with revision and recovery. Thanks!
pandavenise
on 6/17/10 12:46 pm
on 6/17/10 12:46 pm
I am having the same issue as you the lap band didn't work for me. I am back at my starting weight and only lost 10lbs in a year. Eat anything I want also. I went and saw my Dr and we discussed all the surgery's. I feel with only having to lose 80lbs ds is a big surgery. But I have heard really good things about it and some bad I think any of these surgery's have there good and bad. My Dr told me that lap band had the greatest failure rate. I think I am going for rny that is the gold standard for weight loss he said. Good luck and let me know what you get done maybe we can be friends and support each other.
I suspect that your doctor told you the RNY is the gold standard for weight loss is because that's the surgery he does.
Please go to www.dsfacts.com to see comparative charts on resolution of cormorbidities and regains statistics.
I've had an RNY - it's far from the gold standard in my book. Living with a pouch is no way to live.
Please consider ALL of your options, speak to a surgeon who also does a DS and make your decision from there.
It's a lot of research, but well worth it. God knows you don't want to be back here 2-3 years from now with the same problems.
Best of luck ....
Please go to www.dsfacts.com to see comparative charts on resolution of cormorbidities and regains statistics.
I've had an RNY - it's far from the gold standard in my book. Living with a pouch is no way to live.
Please consider ALL of your options, speak to a surgeon who also does a DS and make your decision from there.
It's a lot of research, but well worth it. God knows you don't want to be back here 2-3 years from now with the same problems.
Best of luck ....
SW 358/CW 201/Goal - anything below 160
Angel to TEAZ (Michelle) 
The RNY is the "Gold Standard" is pure bunk, it's like a used car salesman touting how great his used cars are; the best thing to do is remember "buyer beware". The surgeon who is selling you RNY probably doesn't know how to do anything else, so for him it truly is his "gold" standard. FOr you, not so much.
I know what I'm talking about, I lived with a damn RNY pouch for 28 years. When I had it done in 1980 there was no other real choice and it did help me lose the weight. But after a year or so, my pouch had stretched enough that I could eat enough to re-gain and it was a constant battle from then on to keep the weight off. I managed to do it for about 15 years with diet and lots of exercise, but when I got sick in 1996 and couldn't exercise for a year, the weight started coming back and I lost control. And that damn RNY / pouch was not only no help, it really hindered my efforts to eat healthy, I couldn't eat any dense proteins like steak or roast beef, because it would stick and I would end up puking it up. I couldn't eat or drink anything with milk or dairy in it or I would dump, I could eat soft carby foods like pizza and pasta and I just couldn't do it, I couldn't eat small enough to control my weight.
I hated that damn pouch and what it did to me and finally in Sept 2008, finally got a revision to DS. It was a very difficult surgery, it actually took two surgeries to get me fixed up because of all the scar tissue and damage done from the RNY. The first one took 8 1/2 hours and the second one took 4 1/2 hours; the recovery was also difficult, but once I recovered, life just got better and better. Here's a post I did when I was 1 year out:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4024505/One-year-ago-today-who -could-have-known/action,replies/topic_id,4024505/page,1/
Dr. Rabkin and the DS let me out of RNY hell and fat prison, I so love my DS. Now I eat like a naturally thin person does, I don't worry about eating and for the first time in my 58 years of life, I do not feel guilty when I eat something.
Did I mention; I LOVE MY DS!!!! It is so far superior to RNY, it shouldn't even be mentioned in the same category. With the RNY you will be on a diet for the rest of your life, you're always in danger of dumping or having food stick in your stoma and the chances are you will gain back most of the weight you lose. Not only that, but you will have a blind stomach and you can't take NASIDs for the rest of your life and you will be taking supplements if you want to stay healthy.
There is just no comparison; RNY sucks rocks compared to the DS, the DS just rocks. I know, I've had both.
I hope you do your sue diligence and really learn what you're getting yourself into before you let a surgeon cut you, it's a very big deal, it's a life changing decision, make sure you get it right and don't get sold a lemon.
Kerry
I know what I'm talking about, I lived with a damn RNY pouch for 28 years. When I had it done in 1980 there was no other real choice and it did help me lose the weight. But after a year or so, my pouch had stretched enough that I could eat enough to re-gain and it was a constant battle from then on to keep the weight off. I managed to do it for about 15 years with diet and lots of exercise, but when I got sick in 1996 and couldn't exercise for a year, the weight started coming back and I lost control. And that damn RNY / pouch was not only no help, it really hindered my efforts to eat healthy, I couldn't eat any dense proteins like steak or roast beef, because it would stick and I would end up puking it up. I couldn't eat or drink anything with milk or dairy in it or I would dump, I could eat soft carby foods like pizza and pasta and I just couldn't do it, I couldn't eat small enough to control my weight.
I hated that damn pouch and what it did to me and finally in Sept 2008, finally got a revision to DS. It was a very difficult surgery, it actually took two surgeries to get me fixed up because of all the scar tissue and damage done from the RNY. The first one took 8 1/2 hours and the second one took 4 1/2 hours; the recovery was also difficult, but once I recovered, life just got better and better. Here's a post I did when I was 1 year out:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4024505/One-year-ago-today-who -could-have-known/action,replies/topic_id,4024505/page,1/
Dr. Rabkin and the DS let me out of RNY hell and fat prison, I so love my DS. Now I eat like a naturally thin person does, I don't worry about eating and for the first time in my 58 years of life, I do not feel guilty when I eat something.
Did I mention; I LOVE MY DS!!!! It is so far superior to RNY, it shouldn't even be mentioned in the same category. With the RNY you will be on a diet for the rest of your life, you're always in danger of dumping or having food stick in your stoma and the chances are you will gain back most of the weight you lose. Not only that, but you will have a blind stomach and you can't take NASIDs for the rest of your life and you will be taking supplements if you want to stay healthy.
There is just no comparison; RNY sucks rocks compared to the DS, the DS just rocks. I know, I've had both.
I hope you do your sue diligence and really learn what you're getting yourself into before you let a surgeon cut you, it's a very big deal, it's a life changing decision, make sure you get it right and don't get sold a lemon.
Kerry
Congratulations Kerry on your accomplishments and your tenacity to find what would work for you. I've been very unsatisfied with the RNY as well. I had my surgery 4 yrs. ago July and it's been a battle from the beginning. I have been on a diet for 4 yrs. .... my pouch no doubt has slowly stretched and I've regained 40lbs of the 150 I lost. Ive also had some new co-morbs since my original surgery. (ie lupus, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritus) I was checking into the stomaphyx procedure and this is the response I got on the main board today.
Post Date: 6/18/10 4:06 pm
On the revision board the only people that ever claimed it worked just happen to work for the doctors who do the procedure.
Out of control eating, even if Stomaphyx or ROSE did work, you can gain with out of control eating. Instead of subjecting yourself to a useless surgery, what about getting to basics? Cut out all carbs for a few days and gradually incorporate good carbs and if it has flower or sugar in it, don't eat it. Not one tiny bit.
Any surgery type, we have to fix the out of control eating, that one is on us.
Post Date: 6/18/10 4:06 pm
On the revision board the only people that ever claimed it worked just happen to work for the doctors who do the procedure.
Out of control eating, even if Stomaphyx or ROSE did work, you can gain with out of control eating. Instead of subjecting yourself to a useless surgery, what about getting to basics? Cut out all carbs for a few days and gradually incorporate good carbs and if it has flower or sugar in it, don't eat it. Not one tiny bit.
Any surgery type, we have to fix the out of control eating, that one is on us.
Thanks Susan I really do have the life now I've always dreamed of having.
I would have to agree about ROSE and Stomaphyx; I've never heard of either one actually working for anyone.
And that garbage about cutting the carbs just infuriates me. There is no reason people should have to put up with the crap they have to with RNY; if dieting worked, then there's no reason to get RNYed.
The thing about the DS is that it changes your metabolism so that it's more like a naturally thin persons. You know people who can eat what ever they want and never gain weight. Well the DS isn't quite like that, but almost, it gives you a free pass on the fat in foods and fat is the most satisfying and has the most calories, so getting a pass on fat is huge. We still have to watch the sugar and simple carbs, but that's no biggie when you can eat such delicious foods as BBQ Ribs and it's considered health food.
Getting revised from RNY to DS is pretty tough, but IMO it's well worth is; I would do it again without hesitation.
Kerry
I would have to agree about ROSE and Stomaphyx; I've never heard of either one actually working for anyone.
And that garbage about cutting the carbs just infuriates me. There is no reason people should have to put up with the crap they have to with RNY; if dieting worked, then there's no reason to get RNYed.
The thing about the DS is that it changes your metabolism so that it's more like a naturally thin persons. You know people who can eat what ever they want and never gain weight. Well the DS isn't quite like that, but almost, it gives you a free pass on the fat in foods and fat is the most satisfying and has the most calories, so getting a pass on fat is huge. We still have to watch the sugar and simple carbs, but that's no biggie when you can eat such delicious foods as BBQ Ribs and it's considered health food.
Getting revised from RNY to DS is pretty tough, but IMO it's well worth is; I would do it again without hesitation.
Kerry
pandavenise
on 6/18/10 2:12 pm
on 6/18/10 2:12 pm
I have heard good things about ds. I am wondering about getting all your vitamins in and is it harder to keep things up with your blood test. Do you take more vitamins. This is a more intense surgery. My Dr does trauma surgery and wls the other DR in the practice just started doing ds. Not sure what to do. My BMI is 38 and I need to lose 70 to 80 lbs. My insurance will cover everything except the sleeve.
Well, the vitamins for me are a bit intense right now, but you have to realize I lived with RNY for 28 years and never had any labs or took any real supplements, so I was deficient in a bunch of things. So until I get all my levels when I want them, I'm hitting the supplements pretty hard. Once I get everything squared away, it won't be a big deal at all. In fact, I don't really mind it even now; I have four doses I take a day and it's easy to get them in. So I would way that the supplement thing is "much ado about nothing".
Getting a virgin DS is not any more intense than getting RNY, it's a bit more difficult for the surgeon and it takes a bit longer, but the complication rates are the same. Getting a revision from RNY to DS is a whole other ball game, it can be no big deal, or it can be a real bugger like mine was. This is going to depend of how your old RNY was done and how your body reacted to it. In my case, the old RNY looked like it was done with a dull hatchet and it had come apart partly and my body had grown scar tissue all over the place and had adhesion's everywhere. It took two surgeries; of 8 1/2 and 4 1/2 hours to get me all fixed up; I was a real mess inside. A revision from RNY to DS is not something any surgeon can do safely, no matter how good he is at other surgeries, it takes a very specific set of skills and experience to do it. I would guess there are less than a dozen surgeons in the US who can do it safely. So most likely, if you need a revision, you're going to have to travel to get it done. But in reality, it's no big deal compared to what you get for the rest of your life. I traveled 650 miles and would do it again any time, no question about it.
Kerry
Getting a virgin DS is not any more intense than getting RNY, it's a bit more difficult for the surgeon and it takes a bit longer, but the complication rates are the same. Getting a revision from RNY to DS is a whole other ball game, it can be no big deal, or it can be a real bugger like mine was. This is going to depend of how your old RNY was done and how your body reacted to it. In my case, the old RNY looked like it was done with a dull hatchet and it had come apart partly and my body had grown scar tissue all over the place and had adhesion's everywhere. It took two surgeries; of 8 1/2 and 4 1/2 hours to get me all fixed up; I was a real mess inside. A revision from RNY to DS is not something any surgeon can do safely, no matter how good he is at other surgeries, it takes a very specific set of skills and experience to do it. I would guess there are less than a dozen surgeons in the US who can do it safely. So most likely, if you need a revision, you're going to have to travel to get it done. But in reality, it's no big deal compared to what you get for the rest of your life. I traveled 650 miles and would do it again any time, no question about it.
Kerry
pandavenise
on 6/19/10 2:06 am
on 6/19/10 2:06 am
Ihave a lapband I think they can go in and take it out the same as before and probably do lap surgery for the ds. The big thing I keep hearing is about dierria. I don't mean to get so personal but did you have problems with that. Is it eaiser to keep weight off with the ds and how is your diet on it? Do you eat pretty much anything except you don't have the dumping. I know you have to control you eating and it isn't like a free for all on the food anything has to been with control. How about eating carbs I hear they can affect you BMs'. Like I said I don't want to seem so personal but I have a big decison to make in the next month and a half. Thanks. I have went to ds facts and like on this site all the dser's seem to really be againest rny. Is that because you have already had one and had problems? Thank you for your input.
First, let me just say that I really do hate RNY because I lived with the damn thing for so long; 28 years and as miserable as it was to live with it was also no help in keeping the weight off.
Now for the after effects of the DS. Everyone has a little different experience over the long haul, but early out; like for the first month or so, almost every one has some diarrhea, but that's also true for those how get RNY, it's very common. After that, some DSers have to watch what they eat or they get loose stools and gas and some get constipated, just like normal people do. My experience is that my bowel habits changed a little; I became very "regular" I always go within about 15 minutes of when I get up in the morning, no matter what time I get up and that one is usually a BIG one. Then I almost always go again within the hour and then I'm done for the day. Once or twice a week, I will have to go again some time during the day, but it's never an urgent thing so it's no big deal.
Eating complex carbs is fine, simple carbs and sugars will slow your weight loss and they give some people gas and loose stools. Personally, all the do for me is slow my weight loss ~ I guess, don't really know for sure, but they don't seem to bother me at all. The main thing about the DS is the malabsorption of fats, proteins and complex carbs make eating like a naturally thin person our natural way to eat. Since we malabsorb 80% of the fats, and about 50% of the protein and complex carbs, we can and should eat a lot. Here's a link about what DSers had for dinner and a post I made about what I ate yesterday:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4193212/whats-for-dinner/
I don't always eat that much, but it's not too far from normal and you can see what other people are eating too.
And while we do need to control our eating, it's so easy because of the restriction of our sleeve and the fact that fats are free food for us, it's very easy to eat "right" as a DSer. I've had the DS for almost two years now and I'm still losing a little weight as I live and enjoy life. IMO it's like I'm in heaven, I get to eat the foods I love and I get to be thin and trim; it's wonderful.
Kerry
Now for the after effects of the DS. Everyone has a little different experience over the long haul, but early out; like for the first month or so, almost every one has some diarrhea, but that's also true for those how get RNY, it's very common. After that, some DSers have to watch what they eat or they get loose stools and gas and some get constipated, just like normal people do. My experience is that my bowel habits changed a little; I became very "regular" I always go within about 15 minutes of when I get up in the morning, no matter what time I get up and that one is usually a BIG one. Then I almost always go again within the hour and then I'm done for the day. Once or twice a week, I will have to go again some time during the day, but it's never an urgent thing so it's no big deal.
Eating complex carbs is fine, simple carbs and sugars will slow your weight loss and they give some people gas and loose stools. Personally, all the do for me is slow my weight loss ~ I guess, don't really know for sure, but they don't seem to bother me at all. The main thing about the DS is the malabsorption of fats, proteins and complex carbs make eating like a naturally thin person our natural way to eat. Since we malabsorb 80% of the fats, and about 50% of the protein and complex carbs, we can and should eat a lot. Here's a link about what DSers had for dinner and a post I made about what I ate yesterday:
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4193212/whats-for-dinner/
I don't always eat that much, but it's not too far from normal and you can see what other people are eating too.
And while we do need to control our eating, it's so easy because of the restriction of our sleeve and the fact that fats are free food for us, it's very easy to eat "right" as a DSer. I've had the DS for almost two years now and I'm still losing a little weight as I live and enjoy life. IMO it's like I'm in heaven, I get to eat the foods I love and I get to be thin and trim; it's wonderful.
Kerry
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