Revision from VBG to Gastric Bypass

Good afternoon ,

I had VBG done in 2004. I went to the dr. recently and he said the revision would have to be to gastric bypass. I wanted to see how everyone is doing with gastric bypass (not weight wise) . Do you feel different since parts have been rearranged ?

Thank You,

Natalie

I'm 9 months out and I don't feel different but the constipation was brutal at first . I finally have controlled it with a cap of miralax in my protein shake every morning As far as feeling different only do to weight loss and being able to move better but other than that I feel the same

No. The first few weeks can be a little rough, but I've felt like I always did (only lighter...) for as long as I can remember.

Think about your intestines and how you feel where they are joined to your stomach. You don't feel where they are joined? Well you won't feel it when they are bypassed and joined differently.

But there will be differences and you will have to learn what you need to do in terms of flatulence, constipation or diarrhea.

Because there will be changes to learn to live with.

In general, I feel 100x better now than before bypass in every way. When I woke up from surgery, I accused my surgeon of not actually doing anything internal because I felt exactly the same. You literally cannot feel any internal changes. You only feel the external incisions. Beyond that, I feel so much better mentally, I have gained much better control of my depression, my self confidence has sky rocketed, I am more friendly, outgoing, I do more, I have more fun, my house is cleaner, I'm sick much less often, and I'm doing better in school.

I'm not sure if this was the information you were looking for, if not feel free to come back and correct my inaccurate assumptions :)

Rocky513 revised from VBG to RNY. She has not posted much recently, but you can search for her screenname and see her old replies on the subject. HERE is an old post in which she describes her experience. I know she has posted that she felt much better after her revision.

I had VBG in 2001 after SRVG (1992).
My surgeon was supposed to do for me a LapBand which I bought but he changed his mind during the surgery!
The VBG caused me severe GERD that good came up in my sleep and I resorted to soothing my throat from soreness and vomiting by eating ice cream (the good kind) and a snack called Bamba.
Luckily I did not gain a lot of weight.
However because I never got to my BMI weight or lost most of my weight, I was a good candidate for a revision.
My highest weight was 120K/152cm.
After five bariatric consults around Israel, where I was told how serious the risks were for me due to my previous surgeries having been done as open and not laparoscopic, as well asy having had adhesions, my only real option for a revision for me would be a RnY, and even that, I was told that they may open me up only to find out I have too many adhesions and the risk too high to have the actual RnY or any procedure at all.
Thank Gd, the surgeon in Tiberius took the risk, although as another open surgery, and in February 2008, weighing 104K, I was revised to a high gastric bypass (that is what is typed in English on my discharge papers) with 80cm of intestines left after the bypass. My surgeon has told me that my RnY is more like a DS but without the Sleeve aspect due to the way he had done my revision.
My surgeon could not remove my VBG ring and I still have it in my body; it even shows up on x-rays of my back.
But my life has been 98% restored in terms of my being able to enjoy what I eat!
Once in awhile I will feel food stuck in my esophagus via either high up into my neck and throat region, or in the middle of my back. But now I can eat most anything I want. Some friends of mine who had the Sleeve as a virgin surgery, claim that I eat more than them.
Although I am quite dilligent in taking my vitamin supplements, I suffer deficiencies. My protein levels dropped, and although I noticed it in my blood test results, the GP I saw at that time, was very lackadaisical about it. I now make sure to have a protein powder drink every day, because I have no choice. I only like it very cold.
I am anemic, but not enough to warrant an IV Venofer - I take three folex pregnancy iron with 1000mg Vit C.
I have gone from having osteopenia to osteoporosis. And after special blood tests for vitamin A and E, which showed that I am very deficient in A, yet very high in E.
I have had orthopedic foot surgeries for various medical issues and I have been a long suffering warrior of fibromyalgia before medications were offered. I am on cymbalta and lyrica for my fibromyalgia and I added a Vit A supplement to my vitamin regime.
I also look for protein foods more than I did before, as well as trying to eat more orange veggies and dried apricots.
I personally do not count calories. I track my protein.
And I live my life without having to hang over the toilet bowl vomiting. I do sit on the toilet more frequently than before my RnY, but it is not usually diarrhea as some people claim is accompanied with having a RnY it is true for me, that sometimes 'a fart is not only a fart, but may be a shart'.
Mikimi in Israel