Another newbie quesstion

For those of you that are considering revision or have had a revision, was it your decision (I mean, ultimately, it is) or was it a suggestion your surgeon initially brought up?

My surgeon suggested it to me at my last visit.  His reasoning, rightly so, is that I still have 150 pounds to lose (okay, in his DREAMS!  I'm thinking 125-ish).  If I could have lost weight without surgery, and kept it off in the first place, I wouldn't have sought out surgery.  Now, if I only had 20-30-40 pounds to lose, diet and exercise would be the way to go.  But with 150, it's the same as when I had over 200 pounds to lose.  It's not going to happen without assistance.  Anyway, I guess I was kind of surprised that he brought it up to me and not the other way around.  Fortunately, my hubby's insurance is VERY libral and it looks like they will cover revision!  They also cover transsexual surgery!  Go figure!

For those that you who are/have had revisions, what were your feelings?  I walked out of that last office visit with my surgeon feeling like such a failure.  Very upset, very depressed...went home in hysterics.  Do I just take full blame and say I screwed up?!  Which in the beginning, I didn't.  Seemed no matter what I did, I was starting to gain.  And now too...I'm trying to do right, and it's just not working. 

Back to work...
Lee

what surgery do you have & what do you want to revise to?

Ahhhhh, guess that would help. I currently have RNY. My surgeon suggested 2 revision procedures...first going in and re-pleating the stoma. Not a stomaphix or ROSE procedure, but laproscopic opening to fix the stoma. Second option was bypassing some more intestines. He does not do DS. Of course, since my husband would like me to get a 2nd opinion from his surgeon, he does DS. He's not on the list of surgeons I've seen here as an expert in RNY to DS revisions...so I don't know if that would be his suggestion, or if he would suggest what my surgeon has already mentioned.

Yanno, he might have lacked bedside manner in his delivery, but he really was doing you a kindness, proactive and supportive about WLS as a tool.  This is what I was talking about it my other post, about those of us who deal with chronic obesity - we are not failures, we have a disease. I still can't believe I let 9 years go by of misery before I thought of pursuing a revision. I'm 50 now, and have been battling morbid obesity since I was 17 years old. I have to tell you that when I met Dr. Keshishian, it was the first time in my life I felt truly validated, I could take myself off the hook for feeling like I failed. Obesity is not our fault, this is how some of us are wired.  Surgeons will differ of course - as we also talked about in your other post - about the merits of revising the actual RNY vs. a DS, and that of course is something you will have to full explore for yourself.

I hadn't thought about it that way.  I guess he just realizes that I still can't do this alone, and rather than waiting another year...two...three...he decided to put the revision "bug in my ear" now...before I gain everything back.  Yes, obesity is a disease...I know I have some control over it, but the genetic component of obesity is very hard to fight.  I've been overweight as long as I can remember.  As a young child, my father's nickname for me was "meatball". 

I guess I have lots of thinking to do before this is all over.  I meet with my surgeon next week to hear what he has to say.  Then, I'll make an appointment with my therapist!  I will also have to make an appt with my hubby's surgeon...though his surgeon told him he'd like me to have an upper GI (before he sees me I think).  So, I have to figure out how/which doctor to have order an upper GI before I see him.  Maybe his office will be able to set that up for me.

Lots of thinking...lots of research...and lots of deciding what is best for ME
Thanks again!

I'm glad you feel a little better. Believe me, some doctors really are horrible in terms of their bedside manners, but they are good at the medical part. It doesn't sound like that's the case to me with him. Yes, you will need an upper GI, they need to have a good look at your 'plumbing' to see what's going on. So that's all good, and I'm glad you have a therapist (me too!) It's true, we absolutely have a personal responsibility in our weight management and health. Surgery is a tool and we have to put in the work re: the eating and supplements, for life.  I'm glad you are spared more suffering and instead, can now focus the time on learning what will be best for you. I know the DS sounds scary - I remember when it sounded like that to me. Go into it all with an open mind, and use this time to really learn about what these surgeries mean to our bodies. You've been through enough already and don't need to continue suffering, physically or emotionally.