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I am just over 6 months post-op revision #2. I have lost 57 pounds to date. It's nice to be back in the 100's, and I pray I never see that #2 again. I just had labs drawn this a.m., and I am feeling well. The weight loss is a little slower than I had hoped, but hey, this is revision #2, so I can't really complain. My dexascan is not very good and I will be going to see an osteoporosis specialist, except that appt is not until the end of March. I am on the cancellation list, so I will see when I can get in. 

I have fewer food intolerances and can eat anything I want for the most part. Of course, I stick to protein first and water and then go down the list from there. My previous "gotta have food" sensations and cravings are gone. What a blessing. I have less gas than I have ever had, even less than pre-op. I can't recommend Dr Rabkin enough. My intestinal measurements are FINALLY  happy with each other and getting along.

Can't wait to see what the next few months brings, I am ready !

 

This is to newbies and oldie DS’ers and other WLS patients. Many of you who know me, know that I have had a rough ride down the DS scale and I never lost as much as I had needed to lose. My first DS was 7-15-03. Revised DS with re-sleeve and shortening of the alimentary channel 5-18-09. I want to share what happened to me for a couple of reasons. Many of you “think” you know everything you need know about this procedure, and many of you think the docs have no idea what to do post-op at times. This is about being proactive for your personal health. I have had to be VERY proactive. Many people I know have been very supportive through the rough times and I can never thank you enough.

 

You see in 2006 I sadly and suddenly regained about 90-120 pounds. Many told me I had to be cheating and I needed psych help. I knew what I was doing and I was not cheating. Nothing had really changed except for the scale. I started reading and doing a lot of research on why people regain post-op. It did not appear that I fit into any of those category’s. In 2008 I started to consider a revision, but the decision of who to use was a hard one. I finally had a re-sleeve with shortening of the alimentary channel by 50 cm on 5-18-09. I was frustrated with my PCP thru this process as she kept saying regain is normal, even when I explained normally with the DS the actual regain is usually only 10% and I was much higher than that statistic. She welcomed me to being older, blah blah….that made me look harder at all the facts. With this revision I stopped gaining weight, but only lost 5-10 pounds depending on the day.

 

I recently, on June 21, 2013 underwent another revision. What a difference ! You are probably thinking… is she nuts ? She just did not follow the rules. Well, I did and this time I went to the best in the US. I saw Dr John Rabkin who is wonderful. I have worked with his office long distance over the past 8+ months to get to this point. Pre-op we knew going in that things did not look totally right. A hiatal hernia could be seen and other things on the upper GI just were not totally normal. We did not do the small bowel follow-thru as he felt it was not necessary due to needing a full exploration. That he wanted to re-measure and he uses the Dr Hess method and tweaks it to each individual person’s height and lifestyle.

 

Here is what Dr Rabkin found…. My common channel was supposed to be 100 cm and it was not. It was 125 cm. My bilio-limb had never been measured in the past OR reports and it was extremely long. He made my common channel 80 cm as I am short and I have orthopedic issues that I need to get the weight off. My alimentary channel is 135 cm. He reduced the stomach to 95 cc’s or approximately 3.2 ounces. He found that it was about three times that size, even though in previous OR reports it was reported to being smaller. He performed the blue dye internal leak test and hmm, yes there was problem. Behind and sort of to the side was a fistula that had developed and it was reconnecting the bilio limb to the alimentary limb ! OH MY ! That is why I was absorbing more food and gaining weight ! He was also amazed at how great my labs results were pre-op as this showed him I was absorbing too much. Dr Rabkin believes the fistula was the biggest problem that was present inside of me. He repaired the hiatal hernia while he was in there as well. Even though it looked small on the Upper GI,  he could get a whole finger thru the hole and he stitched it shut so there should be no more sensation of my stomach in my throat.

 

I am writing this, to demonstrate it is best that you  go the best doctor with the most experience. You are risking improper measurements and results with non qualified docs. While I am only a few days post-op, I feel good, normal post surgical pains etc. If I had just gone to Dr Rabkin 10 years ago, I believe I would not be writing this today. Now in a few months I will let you know how my weight loss is coming along. Dr Rabkin believes I will lose without a problem now with all the items changed and / or fixed.

 

I am blessed that we were able to come early and play in California for a week before surgery. It’s been a blast, but my excess weight did limit some items. I am looking forward to moving forward and being able to enjoy our next getaway with a normal BMI. I also want to thank the few of you who knew more details of what I was going thru to get to this point. Your support has been priceless. You encouraged me to find out why I had regain etc.

 

 

 

 It has been 3  years since my DS revision.  and 8 years since my first surgery. 

I am not sorry I had the DS at all ! What a ride it has been. I have kept off about 125-130 pounds depending on the day. Yup, I flucuate a bit, like a normal person would. 

I used to be here a lot, but I am out living life now. I try to stop in once in awhile. The best advice I can give anyone in the process is to be sure you go with a vetted doc and do it right the first time. You can get that list at www.dsfacts.com    Also be prepared to take care of yourself and be proactive with vits and bloodwork to stay healthy. 

Last week I hiked up 6643 ft in  a short half mile incline, so it was pretty darn steep. I have to keep telling myself, I could of never done that before the DS. Views were awesome at the top !  Now if my eyes would just adjust ! Maybe by year 10 they will ! 

Well I suddenly realized  it has been 2 years since my revision. Where in the heck has the time gone ?  I forgot to weigh in this a.m. ( I think that is a blessing, as I no longer feel tied to a scale!)  I had on my mind to get out in the yard while it was still cool,  before the heat returned. Got this done


The trash guys are not too happy with me,  they honked as they went by me today. Pick up is tomorrow, but they drive by on a regular basis due to our location. This is the third big batch of my brush trimming in recent weeks. I only have one more side of the house to complete. I could not trim good last year with my knee replacement. How wonderful it was to be able to complete this in just a couple of hours . Biggest problem I have to be careful not to get dehydrated. I had to stop only to keep the fluids up as I worked.

Another thing I thought about today was Mary and her chainsaw.     For those of you who remember, I will never forget when she emailed pics of what she did in her yard with the chainsaw. I had told her I could use a chainsaw at times here as well, although we never did get one !  I could remember Mary laughing about yard work today. I remember that phone call so well, when she said " go check your email...and look at what I did with my chainsaw today"  ... she was amazing !
 
I also noted that my size medium shorts kept falling/slipping down. I could not keep any tools in the pockets as I used to while working in the yard. As long as the pockets were empty they stayed up ! But as soon as I forgot and put the trimmers or bottle of water in a pocket they would start to slip down. Maybe I should go shopping.

I should also measure. I have not done that in awhile, but many clothes are loose. I have been putting several items aside as I pull out more clothes for summer. Guess I need to have a try on session, as it takes a long time to find something that fits sort of  properly. I am so thankful for belts these days.   they help a lot ! 

I have my lab order slip, I just need to go get them drawn, I will soon, as I have a check up with Dr Maguire in July. My original DS was in 2003, that was done wrong and now it's been the 2 yrs since my revision with Dr Maguire.

What a ride it has been ! With all I have been thru I do not think I can complain ! I have kept off about 120 lbs., give or take 5 lbs. So I guess that is pretty normal. My BMI is just out of the normal range.. maybe I can get that down a little more and hit normal now that the knee has healed.

 I am happy overall with the body, except my legs. I have mild/moderate lymphodema and having a hard time finding a doc who knows how to treat it properly in this area. Still researching options, but walking, biking and swimming seems to help a little bit. I have tried compression stockings as well and they are not comfy at all.

Well this got long.. but I wanted to share.. fight for what you want and hang on.... I am glad I did ! 
Ginger

Well here it is.. today it has been one year since my revision. Where does the time go ? 

Here we go.. it has sure been a crazy year ! Dr Maguire was wonderful. His staff is wonderful and responsive when I have questions that need addressing. They are great at reminding patients it is lab draw time.

My eating has improved.  I have lost  give or take an additional 50 lbs depending on the day. (yup need a new avi) I have revisted onderland and hope to stay there permanently. I am praying Dr M's scale matches the home scale ! I got kicked out of Lane Bryant trying to use a coupon for a fee Cami ! LOL...

I decided it was time to remove my ticker on weight loss. Am I totally happy with my weight loss ? No not totally with the number on the scale.  I would still like to lose 20, maybe 30 pounds. BUT, I have had knee issues that have prevented exercise. Is this the only reason I have not lost it all ? Who knows, but I am NOT able to exercise as I would like to.  Many life activities are limited right now.  So I believe it has a lot to do with it.  Dr. Maguire also thinks I am "gene thrifty" due to family/personal history etc. Betcha he is right on the mark with that one !  Some of you might remember I had knee arthroscopic surgery not long after my revision. Well next is a knee replacement. I am waiting on a date.. sometime later this summer or fall... ortho doc is very busy and so am I ! 
I have to get past some work/personal deadlines before I go under the knife again !

I have an hour glass figure and a flat stomach and a great Dr Kuster behind ! LOL.. DH still loves me as always and says the bod has improved with the revision ! So how can I complain ? He has loved me thru fat to normal. I have lost meds, weight and can eat healthy food and have great labs, well except for the magnesium which is being adjusted. It is an off the wall thing to be low on, but it is being addressed. Will be retested soon and see if our plan is working.

I can eat more of a variety of healthy foods since my revision. I feel this is a HUGE improvement in my lifestyle. I could not eat veggies before, now I can in limited amounts.  My labs are greatly IMPROVED now that my intestinal measurements are proportional correct. I do not even think about weighing in the a.m. anymore.. weird huh ! When I wake up in the a.m. I am off and on the go...lots to do and accomplish each day.  I will try to weigh and measure soon, maybe. I have had to buy so many more clothes, as I am in a spot unknown to me in the past. That is good and bad though as I seem to be in between sizes and have to try on everything as brands vary so much. I would really like to be in one size.  Why in the world can't they all measure the same ? Oh well that is a different topic all together and I am sure many can agree with that.

I have seen an endo for my osteo and I am on Forteo, the daily injection. Will know this fall how that has worked or not worked. He has great faith in it with WLS patients.

Congrats if you made it this far.. this has turned out longer than I had planned.. see what updating does to me... it just pours out. I thank everyone who has been there for  support since my revision.. the Maguire group are a great group of people and very supportive, even though I am all the way south in Alabama ! 
THANK YOU all for listening to my babble tonight! 

I know I should get here more often, but life just seems to get in the way and I am just too worn out some nights, especially since I work on the computer all day. I can't look at the screen some nights, let along think clearly ! LOL
If anyone has questions on a revision with Dr Maguire, just let me know.
Oh yeah, I was going to stop last paragraph! 

I am now a litle more than 6 months post-op from my revision. I entered ONDERLAND a few weeks ago..bounced back and up and now I am back down. I think I bounced due to fluids. It was strange but now things seem to be fine. The scale has definitely slowed going down, but I am told this is NORMAL with a revision. I decided to measure as I remember in the past you often lose  inches when the weight slows down. I have lost about 26  inches since the revision. Clothes are fitting nicely in smaller sizes and people are asking how much weight I have lost now. One day my eyes will catch up. This seems to be such a problem for me. I think others have that issue as well.

My schedule is chaotic, and I am sorry I do not get here more often, but I do what I can. I need more hours in a day for sure to be able to do everything I would like to do. But since this is impossible I will post when I have time. Today is Thanksgiving and other than cooking it has been the most relaxing day I have had in a  LONG TIME.

I did receive bad news on my Dexascan and I am going to start seeing an endo.. I can't get in until Dec 22nd and have to travel 3 hours to one who knows about osteo and malabsorption. I can't wait to hear what he thinks I should do as I am quite concerned about my bone health. I am praying he is worth the trip !

I have found a new love for thin buns by Earthgrains and I also love mini bananas as they are just three bites and I love bananas, but can never eat a regular sized one and it is waste not to eat it all.. so I am thrilled our store started to carry the mini's ! he he Oh the little things that thrill me ! I do not seem to be having food intolerances anymore, which is really nice and new for me.

Well I am just shy of the 5 month mark on my revision. I have lost 40 pounds according to the home scale this a.m. Not bad as we just returned from a long vacation as well. I have noticed I have fewer food intolerances. I can eat a little of almost anything. I have hungry days and days I do not care if I eat or not. I do force protein on non hungry days. I have also had arthroscopic knee repair in this time frame. Considering everything I think I am doing well. Will see what Dr Maguire thinks next week.

I am now just over 7 weeks post-revision. It has been one heck of a ride so far.No surgical complications ! Thank the Lord.

BUT I have had a hard time learning to eat again ! I THANK DINA for her help ! I have lost 26 pounds. I forgot to get on the scale Monday a.m. I usually only weigh on Mondays.. so that loss is at 6 weeks.

I have struggled to get in my water. I know I am not yet getting in enough protein, although they are both getting better. Today I actually had a hungry day and was able to eat and drink easier ! I have been nibbling on shrimp scampi off and on all day. So it is getting better. I might of eaten about dozen shrimp throughout the day, where before I was lucky to get down 4 or 5. My other life saver has been popsicles ! Although I have only been able to eat half of one at a time until about a week ago, when I actually ate an entire one !

I am having more good days with water and food than bad FINALLY ! I knew it would take time and I am so happy it has finally improved.

I did injure my left knee just before my revision. I will have surgical repair next week. It will arthroscopic and outpatient. The orthodoc thinks he can save me from a replacement at this time. I hope he is right ! I do not look forward to the crutches ! But I wanted to update to let you know I am still around, just been busy healing, sleeping and taking care of myself.

I hope once the knee is fixed and my activity is increased that the weight loss will speed up a little bit. Although as long as I lose it it okay too. Dr Maguire said as a revision I would lose slower than a virgin surgery.

Hi All,
I am now 13 days post-op and I can't believe how well I am doing. On post-op day ten I weighed in 9.5 pounds lighter. I am told revisions lose slower.

But let's back up a little bit here. On the day before my surgery due to DH's work commitments it required that we drive straight thru from Alabama to Ohio. Unfortunately during this trip I fell flat on my face when my bad knee gave out at a rest area in the Huntsville area. Fortunately we had ice in the cooler. DH took over driving and I iced everything from the knee to the hands that caught me part way. I was scared the knee injury which swelled up fast  would keep me from my revision, but fortunately it did not. I am sure the swelling of this knee injury has NOT helped the scale ! 

Monday morning we headed to the hospital early for pic line placement after little sleep. I loved this option ! Not a bunch a sticks all the time !  I HIGHLY recommended a pic line ! 

In the end my revision included:
1) adjustment of the alimentary canal by 50 cm (19.7 inches)  - Dr Maguire felt the total limb length was too long for me - this was resected and removed. The original anastamosis appeared to be end-to-side rather than end- to-end. This was corrected.
2) re-sleeve/re-shape of the stomach - after removing adhesions from previous surgery it was found that my original DS stomach was not shaped properly or sized properly. He then proceed to re-sleeve/ reshape my stomach so the capacity would be approximately 4-5 ounces. He had to reshape it so it was closer to a DS stomach.  I am excited about as I have a HUGE amount of restriction now, which I did not have before. I do not feel hungry and have to remind myself I have to eat ! 
3) small bowel resection - this was a dilated section of the small bowel and in addition to the above alimentary canal adjustment. This piece of small bowel was dilated and was 12 cm by 3.3 cm or ( 4.72 by 1.29 inches)  This was because of previous incorrect anastamosis in the first surgery.
4) closure of mesenteric defect - this was located at the jejunioleal anastamosis distally and was repaired from previous surgery.

I passed my leak test at the end of the surgery ! YEAH ! 

Dr Maguire uses the On-Q Pain ball ! Here is a link 

http://www.askyoursurgeon.com/onqsolution.php
This is wonderful for pain control ! I had little post-op pain in the abdomen. Mostly my knee hurt post-op ! 

My first surgeon was Dr Clark Warden, I could not in good faith recommend him to anyone.  I know many other people who have had revisions after having surgery with him. I also know two patients who died under his care.  He made many errors on me. I am not out for revenge, I just do not want others going to him.  He never did proper follow-up, I wish I would not of been so desperate for WLS at that time. At that time we only had regional WLS insurance. We now have a national plan. I would of been better off going to Brazil ! I would never recommend "settling" because of insurance options ever again. Not with losing, re-gaining and a second surgery. For those of you wondering I have no intention of legal action, I fought with Insurance and got the revision covered. My health is so important to me. I want to enjoy life as I age and the additional weight loss will help.

With all of this said. I just recommend if you are going to have WLS, PLEASE go to a well qualified surgeon. Although I am doing well post-op it was still another surgery to go through.

I have to credit  Dr Maguire. He is willing to do revisions. He will say he will not guarantee additional weight loss, but will do his best with his experience to custom adjust  your intestine and/or stomach to help you with additional weight loss. They ask you to commit to a lifetime of regular follow-up to the office and regular labs etc. They work well with out of town patients as well. The area MVAD's are great welcomers to out of town patient's as well. My entire experience was outstanding.

I am happy that I questioned my weight gain and pursued it as I learned a lot in this process.

Please feel free to pm me if you have questions.

 

I spent a week in Dayton getting my pre-ops completed. Friday I had EGD, then Upper GI with small bowl follow thru and transient time. Then on Sat I had a great time with the area MVADS'ers going out to dinner and getting to know them better. They are  a  wonderful group !  Sunday I visited a an old friend. Then was back to NPO after midnight and did more pre-ops on Monday. They are extremely well oraganized, working like a well oiled machine at MVH ! I am extremely impressed ! Nothing like the first time around with complete disorganization !  The support they have for you is also awesome ! Samples, all types of people knowledgable on the DS are there to help you. A large binder filled with great info also. Monday, also  had EKG, labs, PT talk, NUT talk, nurse talk and internal med doc was met if your PCP is not local. Got all my prescriptions to fill before the hospital stay for going home, or in my case to the hotel. Signed all the permission papers etc. Now I just show up for surgery on May 18th and I am good to go ! Dr Maguire can see  definite problems with my first surgery and he has a plan which we have agreed on ! WOO HOO. Won't be long now !