Converting to Roux-en-Y

Hello, everyone!  I had the mini-gastric bypass (go ahead, roll your eyes ) about seven years ago.  Life up until about eight months ago has been fabulous!  I lost over 150 pounds and maintained the weight I wanted to with zero complications.  I could eat anything and not get sick.  I still had the restriction of my stomach, so I couldn't eat huge amounts, but no food bothered me at all. 

So it was a shock to me when about eight months ago I started getting VERY sick after eating about four or five bites of food.  They first took my gallbladder out -- that wasn't the issue.  Then they thought it was a stricture.  They dilated me six times with only minimal success for a few weeks at a time.

I then went to go find my surgeon in Michigan, but guess what -- he's gone!  I've been in contact with other surgeons who perform this and they say it's an ulcer, but my GI doc scoped me six times and saw nothing, not even irritation.  They still say he missed it.  LOL  Whatever...

I have consulted with the surgeon who did my gallbladder removal who is also a WLS here.  He is great.  I feel very, very comfortable with him, always have.  So he said he will have to convert my MGB to a RNY.  Now we have to see what insurance will say because they didn't pay for the original surgery.  Fingers crossed!

I don't know how all this is going to go.  I am at my goal weight and don't want to lose anymore, but I can't imagine I'll be able to eat much originally after surgery.  If I go back to liquids/soft foods for a month, I'm surely going to lose weight.  Anyone have any tips for me to follow right after surgery?  The diet I had after surgery was completely different than the RNY diet, so it'll be a learning process.  I just can't believe I have to go through all of this again after being so happy for six years.  Ugh....

won't your surgeon give you a diet to prevent unwanted weight loss?  Are you working with a registered dietician?  that's what I would do.

I'm hoping he will.  I just found out this was the plan yesterday and we haven't done all the pre-op work yet.  The coordinator at the office did tell me I would have to meet with the dietician and probably attend some of their classes there beforehand because it's a new type of surgery.  I just can't imagine what I'll be able to eat at first that will keep the weight on.  I'm 5'11", so my caloric intake is higher than, say, someone who is 5'2".  The past six years I've been eating probably 2,000 calories a day and staying at 175.  This might sound like a high weight, but I am tall and larger framed, so it looks perfect on me.  Most people think I weigh about 150 when they look at me and are shocked when I tell them I'm 175.  LOL 

I am just so depressed that I'm going to have to go through all of this again and I'm already where I want to be. 

If you do not want to lose more weight - have you thought of converting that to a sleeve?   VSG.

I talked to the surgeon about that.  That was actually one of my first questions.  However, he said that with the part of the stomach that was used with the mini-gastric bypass, it would be very, very difficult to do.  He'd have to reconnect the new and old stomach and then create the sleeve.  He said it would be too risky. 

It probably would be to risky for him. There are a very few doc who do conversion from RNY to DS - or sleeve. But if I could do over - I would definitely consider VSG. If I could have a revision (afford cash or insurance) I WOULD try to get revised to VSG. 

Check the revision boards. Ask for any input. And you are right  - a revision from MGB to sleeve can be very difficult - but there are docs who do that - do that all the time - with great results.  Please research some more. 

The problem is that I am in an HMO, so I have to use the doctor in my network.  I think very highly of him, so I'm sure he's giving me good advice.  He showed me exactly what it would entail and I don't think I want to go through that much revision.  I'm already scared to have a revision at all, let alone something so major.

I understand. You need to do what is best for you, all things considered. I wish I could afford revision. Not in the books for me.

I will have to afford it either way because I cannot eat and keep the weight on.  It's a necessity at this point.  I might have to take out a loan.