Went for DS woke up with a Sleeve

Well I went in for my surgery on Sept 16th for DS, but after 5 1/2 hrs on the table he could not do the DS due to some dense internal body fat, some scar tissue from an abdominal injury 35 yrs ago and excessive bleeding so I ended up with a sleeve.

At first I was a bit disappointed, but he said that he was able to pin up my intestines so that if later on as my weight goes down and internal body fat decreases they should be able to complete the DS if I still want it.

So I think the best thing is to just see how this does as it may really be all I need.  But im doing good, pain in the ab muscles is not bad today, just enough to let you know something happened, fluid intake is about 7 ounces an hour, walking is good and protein intake is settling well.

So im a happy camper :-)

Good to see you posting, Tony. We'll help any way we can. We've got some awesome Sleevers here on the LW board and you're going to be one of them.

--gina

Welcome to the Sleevie Side Tony.  I love my Sleevie and I hope you grow to love yours as well.  I'm sorry they weren't able to complete your DS for you, but hopefully you'll be a rock start and won't miss it a bit!

Congrats Tony.  That sounds like it was quite an ordeal.  Glad you had a great doctor that kept your best interests up front.  You go on and rock your VSG.

Mari

Best of luck to you with your new sleeve.  Mine had worked wonderfully for me and hopefully yours will for you as well.  At least you know you have options later if you decide to go for the DS.  

Wishing you well,
Beverly

Hello there..

I had this happen to me as well.. tho my surgery was done in Mexico and self-pay, so unless my Dr. agrees to accommodate my 2nd part of the DS for the money I had already paid for my 'revision package', I probably will have to live with the sleeve only. I hope this is not the case, as although I've had success with the sleeve, it is only as good as the work I put into it (ie. like my strict yo-yo dieting days as a teenager).. and so I'm not sure of how MY personal long-term success and maintenance will look like, which has me seeking out ways to try and complete the DS as I had planned.

I wish you good luck with your sleeve, it is def a great tool for restriction. I'd say try and make use of the golden 6 mths - 1 yr window of opportunity to get to your goal weight if you can as I've heard that is when the maximum loss occurs.  Ofcourse there are many vets who have continued to lose more beyond that period, but it tends to be slower.

Again.. good luck with your journey! 

Hello.  I am new to the Board. I live in Cincinnati, OH.   I had RNY surgery in January, 2003.

I am 5 feet 2 inches tall,  Weight before RNY was 222 - lowest weight was 145 in August 2004.

However, since that time I have been gaining and gaining.  I am now up to about 197 lbs. 

I am very disappointed in myself.  Again, I have tried several types of "diets"  - however, I find it very hard to stick to one.  

I would like to have some-type of "revision" surgery.  However, I am aware that I am just at  the cut off line to qualify for revision. I have BC/BS Federal Ins (Basic) - and I know that they do require a three month supervised diet (and probably other criteria also - to qualify for revision).

Has anyone had experience with getting approval for "revision" with BC/BS Federal. If so, I would greatly appreciate any advice you can provide. 

Also, what doctors would anyone recommend for revision surgery.

Thanks,

Uma

Welcome! Are you thinking of revising to the DS from RNY?  You may want to check out www.DSFacts.com . There's a list of vetted DS surgeons there. Some of the best RNY to DS revision surgeons are in California (Dr K and Dr Rabkin) and my surgeon does them here near DC (Dr Elariny). RNY to DS is very complicated and you only want an experienced DS revision surgeon.

--gina

Hi Uma. Dr Maguire does revisions and he is in Dayton at the Miami Valley Hospital.

Congrats on your surgery!!!   I can't wait to hear about your progress!!

I think if you accept the fact that you have the sleeve, talk to other successful sleevers, and follow all the rules you can be a Sleeve Success Story!!   Attitude is a big part of being successful!