VSG to RNY

Has anyone on this board gone from VSG to RNY??  If so, can you please tell me of the outcome??  I had VSG 02/02/12 with a wonderful Dr. in Buffalo, NY.  I lost about 69 #'s since and stalled.  I have contacted the NY Dr. to send my records to a new Dr. in Delaware.  I am thinking about a revision to RNY (which is what I was going for when I had the Sleeve, Dr. convinced me to do sleeve instead of RNY.... wishing I had RNY at this point).  Just wondering what the outcome/feelings (good, bad or ugly) have been.

Thanks!!

Cari

Hi Cari,

You may want to check the revision board. I read a lot about this type of revision there. I'm still pre-op. What did the dr. say to make you chose the sleeve? My nurse keeps trying to sway me toward the sleeve and away from RNY. I really wish I had DS. Have you looked into that? The sleeve is already the first step in the process and that surgery has awesome results.

Nita

Good morning Nita,

I'm Biploar and at the time was scared of the mal-absorption of my meds.  I've been relatively stable for all but maybe 8 months since being diagnosed 10 years ago.  I did not want to take the chance of being sent on a whirl wind mood swing.  I have talked to a few others who suffer from the disorder who said that they have been able to maintain their meds ok with the RNY.  I have looked into DS, but there is not a Dr. local to me who does the surgery.  I understand that there is a lifetime of follow up, I'd like to be able to follow up with the same Dr. who did the surgery.  As it is, I moved from my Dr. who did my VSG in Buffalo, NY to Wilmington, DE to keep a job (DE is also home for me).....

Hi Cari,

That makes sense. I'm glad to hear that you are doing much better now! Malabsorption of meds can be a scary thing. I'm in Philly and plan on having my surgery where I work at UPENN and I can't seem to find a DS doc either. I think it's very wise of you to look at this in terms of your long term care. That's what stops me from traveling to have DS. Regardless of which surgery we choose, we will have to follow up and it's always best id you're comfortable with the same doc or team.

I've read posts from a lot of others here that are on meds for the same condition and their docs managed to make it work for them. I'm "supposed to be" bipolar type 2 but I never take the meds long enough to know if they work. That probably also has a lot to do with my 49.7 BMI

Best wishes to you!

Hi Nita,

We are practically neighbors.  I'm only about 30 mins (on a good day) drive from Philly.  If you want, we could exchange numbers and maybe help each other along the way!!

That would be great! I'm going to inbox you. We're actually planning on moving to DE in the near future. My sister is all the way down in Newark but I was thinking more along the lines of Claymont.

Can you explain why the first WLS failed?  You posted that your surgery had stalled.  I don't understand this because all the surgeries you can stall and can stall for months at a time.  I think many of us out here are going to be confused on this unless there was something major that happened to your Sleeve.  Thanks for any information you can share.  Jane

Good day Jane!!

Things have been up and down for me over the past year.  I had surgery in Buffalo, NY (VSG), 5 months later, I moved from Buffalo to Wilmington, DE.  I lost my job in NY and found one at home in DE.  The surgeon in Buffalo's diet for weight loss with the surgery was South Beach diet.  I was never told to count cal's or carb's.  It wasn't until I posted so frustrated back in May of this year that Keith from the VSG board said to cut cal's to 800 and carbs to 40g a day.  I tried this.  My problem comes in that I am Bipolar and need some carbs to carry the meds I am on to my brain (according to my psychiatrist) so when I went so low on carbs, I was getting shaky.  I feel like this stall I have been on for almost a year now will never pass.  I want this weight off.  I do not want diabetes, cancer, HBP, cardiovascular problems, or anything else associated with the weight.  I am considering a revision to RNY next year.  I'm giving myself 10-12 months to really concentrate on working the VSG best I can.  Any advice I can get is awesome..... I just put it wanted to see if anyone went from VSG to RNY. 

I do have to add, my PCP is the one doing the follow up lab work.  I cannot find a Dr. down here to follow up with without being a surgery patient of theirs.  Finding the same problem with a nutritionist.  I called the NUT from the surgeons office and was advised that they do not accept patients that are not working towards surgery.

To answer your main ?.... I don't feel as though I have the restriction I should have. 

Carbs after RNY will make you gain weight.  Just saying... plus you may end up with more issues than you may be willing to deal with. You already have a sleeve - if mal-absorbtion you need - how about converting to DS?  Much better chance to lose and maintain post op. 

Thank you Cari.  You must have great insurance that allows you to have the ability to have more than one WLS.  I know alot of our policies only allow once in a lifetime WLS written into their policies.  Let us know how things progress and give it all that you can with the Sleeve.  Yes, alot of surgeons won't work with you unless they are doing to work themselves.  You might be surprised what may happen in the next 12 months.  Best of luck, Jane