DS or RNY for me

I am looking for suggestions from you- the experts who are on this board. I had RNY back in 2006. I lost 50 lbs but months after the surgery I ended up with a fistula. I went to find out what the problem was and the surgeon told me it was my fault because I had out eaten my surgery and that caused the fistula. I was devastated because I was barely able to eat anything. After several years I started researching again and saw several different surgeons *****assured that it was not my fault. I eventually got the courage to seek a revision. I was approved for a revision but in the course of jumping thru the hoops it was discovered I had breast cancer. I had surgery in December and have once again been cleared for a revision and am currently waiting to talk with the surgeon who will be doing the revision. He does revisions for both the DS and the RNY. I know the risks and am trying to learn all I can- especially about malabsorption (sp). I would love input from both sides as to how your surgeries and recoveries have gone. How is the day to day living with your revision. Please share your thoughts and experience with me. I would like to go in with knowing all I can about both surgeries and what to expect. PS my surgeon is very experienced in the DS and in revisions so there aren't any issues there.

Thanks so much

Sharon

Who is your surgeon?

my surgeon is Dr. Martin at Madigan Army Medical Center. He's been doing revisions with the DS and RNY for the last 14 years.

Just an FYI for you:

A TRUE RNY to DS revision is VERY complicated and there are only a handful of surgeons in the world that are qualified to do it.  Your doc is NOT on the list.  There is a very big difference in revision surgeries and the RNY to DS is the most difficult and requires much more experience and study.  Here is the list:

Dr. Keshishian, located in California

Dr. Rabkin, located in California

Dr. Stewart, located in Texas

Dr. Simper, located in Utah

Dr. Elariny, located in Virginia

Dr. Roslin, located in New York

Dr. Buchwald, located in Minnesota

Dr. Sudan, located in North Carolina

Dr. Greenbaum, located in New Jersey

Dr. Kemmeter, located in Michigan (http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4583840/dont-write-a-surgeon-off-because-hes-not-on-the-short-list/)


Of course, the above doctors are in the United States 


Dr. Baltasar, located in Spain

Dr. Marchesini, located  in Brazil

Dr. Gagner in Canada

Please be very careful!

Dr Martin is a very respected surgeon, and he does do the DS. I live by Madigan, and have met some of his patients, most of whom were very happy with him as their surgeon. 

Thing is, the revision FROM  the RNY, TO the DS, is the most complicated of revisions. I don't know of any that he's done, and being such a complicated revision, I would only want a VERY experienced surgeon to do it that had done many of this exact revision.

I appreciate the comments that have been made. However, I came onto this site looking for personal thoughts about your own journey, not to have my surgeons qualifications scrutinized. If you google North American Duodenal Switch surgeons you will find a list of qualified Ds surgeons and Dr. Martin is on that list. I am not concerned about HIS qualifications as I have researched them. I also know personally several people who have had revisions from the RNY to the DS with him and there are many people on the DS site who have had surgery with him and are very pleased with him and their results. Since this a revision site I was only asking if you were happy with your own personal experiences about revising from an RNY to a DS. I am trying to educate myself about what to expect short term and long term.Thanks for the responses

Lets see here. I assume you've done some research as you've landed on the DS. I also think it's the most effective and logical surgery available. I guess I assumed that was a given since you asked about the DS.

The thing is, that while Dr Martin does the DS, and may in fact do some revisions, like, going from the band to something else IS considered a revision, no one can verify that he has done any RNY to DS revisions, and that one type of revision is not like any other revision. 

If there are any true RNY to DS revisions by Martin, I'd think one of the vets around here would know, even if the revision person themselves didn't post here, so maybe someone will chime in, but the responses you go so far were trying to be helpful. As in, you may want to brace yourself for a bait and switch like being told you will in fact get revised to ERNY (or SOME other type of RNY) or you may get an actual DS with a surgeon that hasn't done an awful lot of RNY to DS revision. I wouldn't be comfortable with that for that particular surgery. You may be, but some of us feel like you should at least know it's a risk.

Again, he's on the list of DS surgeons, but NOT on the RNY to DS revision surgeon list. He has patients here who had the DS, but if there are any that had the RNY to DS revision, then I don't know where they are, and it's not for lack of looking.

I mean, I'm thrilled we have a second DS surgeon finally here in western WA. I have loved ones that need surgery and revisions as well. I want badly for them to get what they need and the closer to home the better, but despite actively looking for Martin RNY to DS revisions, we can't find much, so if you know of posters here please link to them.

Just because someone isn't posting on here doesn't mean Dr. Martin hasn't done revisions from the RNY to the DS. As I said in the above reply he did a revision of the RNY to a DS for a friend of mine who had a failed RNY the same time as me- 6 years ago. Her surgery has been very successful as shes lost over 100 lbs in 1 year and is at her goal weight. My apologies for coming to this site. Didn't realize you would be so critical here about something you know nothing about.

Ask your friend to let you read her surgical notes, then come here and post what they say. This can be tricky. It should say something in her notes about sewing the pouch back to the remnant stomach, dividing the duodenum, and give her common channel length.

Thing is...we've seen too many people come here and INSIST that they know better and end up paying for it in the end with their LIFE.  We tell you about the vetted RNY to DS revision surgeon list for a reason.  They have done the most and have the best results with the fewest complications.  I would not want to be anyones first, second or 99th revision surgery.  I want to see a track record.  I want to know that they know what they are doing.  You can do what you want, but don't say we didn't warn you.