seeking revision from lapband to??

I have a story that has been told by many.  Lapband Oct 2006 total loss of 30ish lbs.  and now I am back to my presurgery weight + a few more.  I really shouldn't have had the lapband procedure.  I am diabetic and have high blood pressure.  I should have had a surgery that dealt with my metabolic issues as opposed to just restriction.  I must add that my surgeon at the time only performed lap band and I should have taken that into account because he bashed just about every other surgery.  Ok, what's done is done and I haven't been successful with my band.  I have had reflux issues etc.  I am looking into a revision.  I don't want to go through this a 3rd time, so I would really like to gather all of the information I can to make a decision. 

Currently, I'm looking to have a revision to RNY.  Being that I would be considered a "lightweight", I'm not sure if DS would be "too much" of a surgery for me.  I would like to lose around 100lbs.  I currently weigh 237-240lbs.  I have heard good and bad about both surgeries.  I have read the dsfacts.  I have seen surgery wars.  That is not why I am here.  I would really like some feedback from someone who started out like me.  I am about 5'6 and 240lb.  If you have before and after photos on your profile that would be even better.  I totally agree that DS is a better option, in my opinion, for someone who has more than 100-200+lbs to lose, but I'm not sure if it would be right for someone my size with 100lbs to lose. I will also repost this on the lightweights forum.  I am a mom and of course Im concerned about my quality of life and actually not making things worse with a "surgery gone bad".  I appreciate your input!

i personally started at 238 had an RNY a year ago and am struggling ( HARD) to get to my goal weight which is probably 110 realistically to allow for bounce back regain. Its VERY VERY tough 4 me to get to goal ,particularly since i like to eat .

If U see how people here with RNY s eat .. vs how people on the DS board eat ...U can pretty much decide for Urself how much restriction U are willing to live with for the rest of Ur life .

Make no mistake .. that means FOR THE REST OF UR LIFE . PERIOD . And expect to regain even then as Ur metabolism slows thanks to aging etc....

the way i see it RNY = a diet of protein shakes and a tiny bit of food

Ds- you eat normally but less but you HAVE to supplement religiously ( you also have to with the RNY but maybe its not AS critical )

the statistics on ALL bariatric surgeries are extremely sobering - the average bariatric patient presents with 200 lbs to lose , loses 65 % of that the first year post op , and regains ALL BUT 46 lbs by 8 yrs post op !!!!! YIKES !!!

Personally im only half kidding that if i had the money i would run to Brazil tomorrow and get a DS lol. Im 95 % sure ill end up with one eventually .

 I realize you also had RNY, but I would have to politely disagree that RNY means a life of protein shakes and a little bit of food each day.  I eat a normal balanced diet, just less of it.  I do get a good chunk of protein from protein supplement products, but I also am able to eat food as well.  I'm not sure why some people are able to tolerate food more than others, but I have been lucky in that regard.  It took some time to relearn how to eat, though.  I'm wondering if that's where some with RNY are having problems with eating.  I found that if you be sure to eat slowly, take small bites, chew thoroughly, that I can eat most foods without an issue.

Thanks for the reply.  I couldnt view your profile, but you look great from the avatar.  It seems like I was so preoccupied with what to eat, how much to or not to eat, things getting stuck, throwing up, etc with this band. I just reread the ds facts and it definitely is a "big" surgery.  Thats what concerns me really.  I definitely don't want to go through surgery for a 3rd time.  I guess I'll check with insurance to see if they even cover DS.  Decisions, Decisions...

If you decide to research the DS, a great place to start researching is www.dsfacts.com . Also know that there aren't that many surgeons performing the DS. There's a list of surgeons on the DS Facts web site.  It's more difficult to learn and less profit for the surgeon if they're only taking insurance. Don't give up though and don't let surgeons talk you into something you can't live with. Good luck!

Oh, I only had to lose 80 pounds and the DS wasn't/isn't too much surgery for me.

--gina

 Hi,

I am 5' 6" and weighed 244 the morning of my surgery.  You can see my before and after pics at

picasaweb.google.com/cyclingmom/Me#

The pictures in the blue shirt are right before my 2 week liquid diet and I weighed in the 250's.  The last pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, weighing 185lbs.

I'm almost 10 months out and I am 30lbs from "goal". 

Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Hi,
I had Lap RNY August 2009.  I very close to my surgeon's goal and would like to go 15-20 below that to have a little bounce back.

I am very pleased with my surgery.  I can pretty much eat whatever I want only in smaller quantities.  I do drink protein drinks but it is because I like them and I want to be able to eat a salad for my meal if that is what I want to have.  I don't dump on small amounts of sugar so I can have a small amount if I want to.  I do try to make good choices and the surgery made this easier for me.

I had type 2 diabetes and have not taken any medicine for this since the day before surgery. 
With either DS or RNY you do have to be committed to take your vitamins and get your protein in every day.

It is such a personal choice.

Pictures are in my profile.  Good luck and keep us updated on your decision.
Linda

I suspect there aren't a lot of revisions on this board since we're a low volume board compared to others. I know there are a ton of band to sleeve revisions on the sleeve board. You can do a search and see lots of threads about it over there.

Even though technically the sleeve is a restriction-only surgery, it actually appears to have a metabolic component because it's co-morbidity resolution is as good as RnY when it comes to diabetes and it has similar weight loss stats.

So that's another one to consider...

As for the DS, I think you have to decide if you need the extra oomph and the extra risks it entails. I decided I didn't because I knew I could lose all my weight without malabsorption. (I've done it many times before.) My concern was keeping it off because I had a ravenous appetite. I figured the VSG has the same hunger control as the DS so I was good to just get the VSG and not go for the full DS. And that turned out to be a good decision for me.

In your case, you have the experience of having a restriction-only surgery. If you lost weight fine when the band was working, then VSG should work for you. If you are one that is metabolically challenged and had issues with losing even when you were severely restricting calories, then I'd go for the DS.

It's just not about how much weight you have to lose, but also about what it's going to take to lose it.