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I revised from VSG to RNY in July 2016 due to GERD. The revision did NOT cure my GERD, but it is now manageable with medication.
I was basically at goal when I revised, so didn't have much loss post revision. I've had some gain, but attribute it to dealing with hypoglycemia that resulted from my revision, about 12 lbs. I'm now eating basically zero carbs which i'm hoping will help both the hypoglycemia and the regain.
I had all my surgeries at Cedears Sinai in Los Angeles. My surgeon is Dr. Miguel Burch.
As far as I know, there are only 3 surgeons in US who done the RNY to DS revision and people had normal life after. 2 are in CA and 1 is in NY (i think). As rocky mentioned, distal RNY is one of the worst of the 3 RNY, DS and RNY distal. If you want DS - don't sett;e of RNY distal.
And for revision RNy to DS - some people had that done by other than the 3 docs - and soe of them are not here to tell their horror stories, others - were lucky enough to be able to get correction of their botched revision surgery by highly qualified doctor. They are alive today because the experienced doc was able to correct their botched insides.
Post that question on DS forum. You probably get much better advices.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
I am looking for a new dr. In the central florida area fir my revision. I'm not happy with the answer ny original dr gave me after asking some questions about the revision. Also can anyone give me the dr name in CA that does revision.
on 6/17/19 4:12 am - WI
In 2010 I had a revision from VBG to RNY to resolve a multitude of issues, including GERD. I woke up from surgery GERD free after suffering with it for 25 years. RNY cured a lot of my problems. I was warned that the GERD could return if I allowed myself to gain significant weight.
I had the surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr Sarr was my surgeon.
I lost weight with my revision and got down to 142 pounds. I was VERY compliant with the rules, ate only what I was told to, and measured everything that went into my mouth for 8 years. Last year I got a little diet fatigued and stopped measuring. I'm currently working on getting a 20 pound regain off. It was a good reminder of just how skewed I am at eyeballing portion sized. I was still eating healthy, but gained weight.
Vigilance is the key to success.
HW 270 SW 236 GW 160 CW 145 (15 pounds below goal!)
VBG Aug. 7, 1986, Revised to RNY Nov. 18, 2010
Did your insurance cover it or did you pay outta pocket?
on 6/16/19 4:49 am - WI
RNY to DS revisions are very difficult and there are very few surgeons in the entire country that are qualified to do them. You have to take down the original RNY completely before you perform the DS revision. I have never heard of someone's "pouch being too short" to do a revision.
It sounds like the doctor does not want to do the very complicated DS revision. They will try to talk you into a Distal RNY instead, telling you that it's "almost the same" as DS. It is NOT. You will have to be very compliant with vitamin supplementation because deficiencies are common with Distal RNY, as is chronic diarrhea.
If you have had the tests to see if your pouch is intact and functioning properly and you don't have a mechanical malfunction of the original surgery, you can still lose regain. There are many people on this site who have reached goal years after surgery without revision. It will not be easy, but it can be done. If your pouch is working fine, you can go back to basics and eat like you did right after surgery. Protein first, and very low carbs.
If you must have a revision then make sure you find a reputable surgeon with lots of experience doing RNY to DS revisions. This is a VERY complicated surgery and should be taken seriously. You may have to travel pretty far to get it done correctly.
HW 270 SW 236 GW 160 CW 145 (15 pounds below goal!)
VBG Aug. 7, 1986, Revised to RNY Nov. 18, 2010
I was sleeved almost 7 years ago. I am currently being considered for revision to the RNY due to: (1) severe GERD, (2) complete weight regain + malabsorption/malnutrition, and (3) having an hourglass shaped (abnormal) sleeve + a dilated esophagus.
I see many of you here have revised. My questions are:
1. Why the switch? If GERD, are you now GERD free?
2. What has your RNY weight loss experience been like vs. VSG?
I do understand and believe that behavior modification is the key!
3. Was your surgeon Dr. Stanley Klein? Searching his name on this forum didn't bring up anything. I did read all his great reviews on here, but if he did your revision, I'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for any help you can offer! :)
Has anyone either been told you couldn't get the duodenal switch due to your pouch not be long enough? And if you would still be able to get the rny revision? I had my egd done and he said my pouch is measuring 5cm and should be 7cm. Di I'm quite upset because i really wanted the ds. Wondering if I should do a second opinion with another doctor.
Rejected twice. My revision is pending and expected to be approved by 6/21/2019. Having over $50,000 worth of testing to prove GERD, gastritis, esophagus lesions, and a medium size hernia. So basically my insides are being destroyed. I don't have cancer at this point. This sucks. However, there is hope. Revision is medically necessary. I am just waiting on paperwork or a medical fight w
What Julie said about insurance, especially Tricare. Call them and if they do say they pay for revisions I'd have them send you something in writing verifying that. Policies change all of the time and can be misinterpreted even by a companies own agent.
Do you know if you've got anything mechanically wrong up in there? Like a stretched stoma or some such that would support your request for a revision? And do you have any idea what you'd be revising to? As Julie also said, revision options are limited after an RnY. You've basically got the Distal RnY which is a scary bad surgery in my opinion. Or you've got the stoma-tightening type surgeries like the ROSE procedure which basically produce an average loss of about 30 pounds. And I guess I shouldn't forget Band-over-Bypass.
In the end though, no matter how many revisions a person has, we are always going to get to a point where we have to face down that regain monster. Regains happen with ALL surgeries, even with the DS. Eventually we are back the starting point: calories in vs. calories out.
Good luck to you in finding your insurance coverage and making your decision. You're in a tough spot for sure and I wish you the best.
