Revised from Sleeve to RNY? I want to hear from you! !!

Hello, I'm in the same situation as you.  I had the sleeve in 2010 and hopefully soon having RNY.  I now gained 40 pounds of the 90 I lost, have a hernia and GERD, which seems common with the sleeve. Also my sleeve itself became longer. So it has to be repaired anyways. What my doctor told me that the sleeve might not have been a powerful enough tool for me, at the time I needed to lose 130 pounds.  

I know what everyone says about that ds and also agree but my insurance won't pay for that.  Also I still have a lot of restriction but I tend to graze a lot and really enjoy sweets.  So I'm hoping the RNY can help me with those issues and lose 70 pounds.  Good luck

I have heard about re-sleeving?  Is that what you mean by being repaired?  I would like something like that myself, but, realistically, I don't know what would prevent it from stretching out again...

From what my doctor said, my sleeve didn't really stretch it redistributed or just got out of shape.  He said he could fix just the sleeve and the hernia but I think I would rather do RNY.  Honestly I have know clue what I'm doing, I hope to more answers at my next appointment.  Did your doctor say your sleeve stretched?  From what I learned our stomachs can only stretch a little but they can't stretch out too much.  

I think you're correct in that they can never stretch back to what they were. But it is self-evident that my capacity has increased to the point where I need to be dieting all the time to keep the weight off.  Obviously if I could successfully diet on a consistent basis I wouldn't have submitted to surgery in the first place.

Dr. said my sleeve is about the size of a "tennis ball" and that it is "stretched,"  but I didn't get the sense it was crazy stretched.  All I know is I can, with a little effort, get an entire Chipotle burrito in there and they're not small. I would feel stuffed, but I can do it. In my case, he said no harm had been done meaning there was nothing dangerous about my stretch, per se.

But that's not enough restriction for me. 

I wonder if there is a more scientific, do it yourself way to determine just how much the sleeve is stretched other than the Chipotle test...

This just screams "metabolic problem!" The DS is the ONLY true metabolic surgery. Stick to your guns and get a DS. Kaiser is notorious for disliking the DS, but over the years they sure have paid for a bunch of them. (*grin*)

I am almost three weeks out from sleeve-to-bypass for severe GERD. My recovery from the sleeve was a piece of cake compared to this! I am still weak and dizzy and sometimes nauseated. I have lost 17 pounds. But the best thing? I HAVE NO ACID! Hurray!

Great to hear. I'm sure you will feel better soon.  Thanks for your reply.

I'm so confused, my doctor feels he can fix my sleeve and make it smaller instead of doing RNY.  He says because results of doing RNY might not be that much different with either surgery.  I never had problems with my sleeve until now and I like the idea of not doing the RNY.   The DS surgery scares me and my insurance won't pay for it.   I would love to hear any advice. 

Statistically, at five years post-op the Sleeve and the RNY have practically the same maintained weight-loss results. Why does the DS scare you? It's true that BOTH the RNY and the DS cause you to malabsorb certain vitamins and minerals for the rest of your life. However, you need to look at malabsorption of CALORIES as well. With the RNY, you only malabsorb calories for about 18-24 months. With the DS, you malabsorb them FOREVER. This is why the DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats, period. And it's the only surgery that makes a dramatic, permanent change in how your body metabolizes food.

I am far from being the voice of experience, but the thought of not having the pyloric valve intact scares the $/!t out of me!  Without it, your pouch with RNY can literally become a funnel the length of your colon...at least that is how the anatomy was explained to me.  And as this site confirms, there are MANY RNY patients whose anastomosis ( surgically created pyloric valve) has never created that scenario.  

As for having to diet...WLS requires us to do that for life!  Not always discussed at initial seminars.  You may call it a lifestyle, food-plan or a widget, but there is no doubt in my mind we have to monitor our food intake for life.  Surgery provides us with a tool...not magic.

Best of luck with your decision.