VSG revision to DS...Please Help

Hello Everyone,

I have a long story as I am sure many of you had. I had a Lap Band back in 10/2007 that leaked n failed me then I was sleeved back in Sept/2010 and was completely successful, went in weighing 248 and got down to goal 165. Was the best time of my life... I then got pregnant (by surprise) thought i was infertile all these years and it was all because of the weight, anyway, half way in the pregnancy i lost my baby and gained 25 lbs, before i could lose all the weight a few mths later i was pregnant again, this time i gave birth to the most precious little girl ever and gained another 50 lbs, so pretty much i am right back where i started from. Although I am so grateful for her and would have done it all over again, i am miserable with the weight and cannot get it off...I dont want to feel sorry for myself but I feel like people look at me and judge me again and I see depression starting again...I lost my confidence I had after the weightloss and even my health is starting to suffer, nothing major but i can feel it. So because I had a revision already i am really scared to now go in a 3rd time, especially now with a child, i am scared if i have complications how can I leave my child because of weightloss surgery...i dont know yet but I am truly considering the Duodenal Switch or even a bypass...my daughter is now 16 mths and i tried to get this weight off through dieting, working out is challenging now as i am a working mom away from her 10 hrs a day so changing my diet was the best i could do...If diets alone like everyone else worked I would not have needed surgery to begin with...I went to visit my surgeon earlier in the year to discuss the options and he wanted me to have an upper GI done to make sure my sleeve is still okay and speak with the nutritionist to see if she can get me back on track...well my sleeve is fine as i figured it would be since i do still have some restriction, surely not as much post surgery, i can eat more now but not as a normal person...i will say that my hunger was gone after surgery and now i seem to get hungry all the time maybe 30-45 mins after eating...that is part of the problem for me, plus i do not always pick the best foods to eat as well but i do try to eat healthy also...i did start calorie counting n charting and i did lose all of 8 lbs in which i gained right back only doubled that ugh...i need help...restriction did work for me and the fact that i wasnt hungry also worked but now that i lost some of that control it is very hard for me to get back on track...I made an appt to see my surgeon again on the 18th of this mth to discuss my options and i think he will suggest doing the Duodenal Switch but i am scared...scared of the risk this time around and the lifelong mal adsorbing issues, scared of complications in general and not being there for my daughter...I am looking for some insight from those of you out there that have been through the same...I tried getting back on track and its not working so i am weighing my other options...please give me some success stories or encouragement if u can....I know 3yrs post VSG i will not lose as much but i would be happy to lose 50-80 lbs honestly and keep it off...I vloged my whole weighloss journey on YT if anybody is interested...my name there is sunkiss718...Thanks for listening

 

The problem is this, you can get a revision annually if you want but none of the surgery types are going to help until you change your eating habits forever.   It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle.  You can revise to DS but why?  You already know you are not metabolically challenged, you already know you lose well when you stick to the program so why would you even consider a revision when you will STILL have to follow all dietary rules anyway?  The biggest being white carbs.  No surgery type fixes or malabsorbs white carbs.  That one is ALL 100% on us.

 

In considering what you've told us, I agree with the previous poster.  I have not had a revision, but based on the occasional story here where a VSG to DS revision was necessary, your story is different in that your sleeve seems to have worked well in that you lost all your weight initially.  You've certainly had some tough cir****tances to deal with since then, but it seems that it's the emotional effects of those cir****tances that has led you to gain weight, rather than the physical sleeve itself or issues that require malabsorbtion.  Also, you mentioned that you are hungry 45 minutes after eating.  This does not align with physical hunger because you are still in the process of digesting what you ate.  Instead, it suggests 'head hunger' which can be related to a lack of satiation associated with eating soft protein and/or high carb foods.  

So unless there is something I'm missing, I don't think DS will help you. Instead, I would suggest that you track your food and really examine what you are eating.  It can be very hard to let go of the carbs and extra calories, so you will need to 'white knuckle' it for about three days.  Eat nothing but dense protein for those three days to ensure you feel the sense of fullness in your stomach.  This will remind you that you aren't really hungry while you get yourself off the carbs.  

I do sense that your tool still works, which means that there is reason to be hopeful.  Take care.

 

 

Hi 

My story is similar I also had weight loss surgery and became pregnant 1.5  out. I was 167 when I became pregnant and working out 4 days a week at the gym I felt great. I wasn't on any meds just daily vitamins . After I became pregnant a lot of my old symptoms started back up,acid refluxes,  sleep apnea ,  50 pound weight gain etc . I have had a revision on yesterday I'm currently still in the hospital .. It is very had to leave my baby girl but I would rather leave her for a couple of days and return then to leave her forever. Now I'm getting my health back and I wish you the BEST of luck .

 

Hi karen, thanks for replying, i really needed to hear from ppl in my similar situation n coyld relate...just what i asked for in response...would u mine sharing what procedure u had initially and what kind of revision u had, i have sevwre sleep apnea n acid reflux that is back also...best wishes to u also...thanks!!

RNY IS MY ORIGINAL SURGERY  2009

RNY REVISION  2013

 

Adding the Switch to your existing Sleeve might or might not be what you need. As others pointed out, when you originally got your Sleeve you were able to lose well with restriction alone. I guess the first thing would be to see your WLS surgeon and find out if your Sleeve has stretched significantly.

It's possible that getting pregnant triggered some changes in your metabolism. Many women find weight loss significantly more difficult after pregnancy than before, whether they've had WLS or not.

If you can journal your food and post what you eat here, perhaps we can give you more help.

Karen, what did you get revised to?

For me, the question is: why are you hungry all the time? Is is because you are drinking with meals or not eating enough protein or eating a lot of slider foods? If so, no WLS type will help you. You can eat around any surgery type. But if you follow the rules and are still hungry all the time, that's an issue with your appetite control system. It suggests that you are making too much ghrelin again, just like pre-op.

Before I had my surgery, I could lose weight when I went on a diet just fine, but I couldn't keep it off because I was hungry all the time and after a while, hungry would win. The reason I  can keep my weight off now post-op is because I'm not hungry.

It's possible the pregnancies threw off your appetite control system and broke your surgery that way even if you still have restriction. If so, a revision might help. BUT I wouldn't do it until you are done having kids because whose to say another pregnancy won't just do it again.

But you should also talk to a DS surgeon to make sure a revision can repair the damage. I don't know if adding a switch swith to a sleeve does that. But if it does, then I say GO FOR IT! :D

Please make sure that you understand what your current issue is, not having time to exercise is not a good reason to under go the DS. That said its up to you to understand how much help you need. I personally have been working on my eating disorder, ( most of us have something like that have you done research on inge eating? It is Not for us eating huge amounts of food but length and type of food we eat and time of day. It seems really difficult to understand and very complicated but i am able to email directly with u if you want.) Lastly, finding a Dr. Who would perform the DS is diffficult.