My rant on revision from vsg to sips

[DingyDeb 7]

I have read of surgeons doing the sips surgery and the patient thinking they were getting the traditional ds but didn't have a clue when it was done to me!!

I'm new here and just had revision from sleeve to sips Dec 20. I have my post-op tomorrow, dreading it and looking forward to expressing my opinion on the surgery though too. I was supposed to get the traditional DS but the resident decided he was doing the sips which, even though he said we discussed it previously we did not so had to be a different person. In fact I didn't even know they were doing the sips at this hospital and needless to say I expressed my opinion with him when he checked on me the next day. Not only that but he said he made the limb 400 or 450 and I have not seen one that length at all in my research, it is usually 300 which is another thing i'm bringing up. When I was in the office the surgeon said he didn't see why he couldn't do the ds that some he has to go in and lengthen because of too much weight loss but I would be fine as they were light weights. I was 275 and 5'3". Being a training hospital half the time the surgeon you talk to isn't the one that actually does it which is the case here. Morning of surgery I even asked to verify on the alimentary, common etc measurements to be sure what I was getting. Sure didn't do me any good!! Now i'm worrying i'm not going to lose any weight and I refuse to go through another surgery. If I don't then i'll take that as i'm meant to be overweight! I might not be so upset if they did actually bring it up pre-op and if it had been done with a 300cm limb but I feel like a total guinea pig. When I got the sleeve in 2008 I was the only one in support group with that surgery and this time I was determined to get a tried and true one. In fact November 18 I was in the hospital to get the rny and things were a mess in surgery and they still hadn't done it by 12:30 that night so I told them I was going home! So many roadblocks this time to get surgery and now this.

I do think the sips should be a good surgery maybe but I didn't want another experimental thing. My first surgeon didn't want to give me the ds cause of acid reflux which i'd had for a few years before the sleeve and he was the one that did the sleeve surgery. I just worry more about the 450cm and too the deception as i'm pretty sure they didn't just decide to do it at surgery ya know. I guarantee if I ever have another surgery for anything the consent form will be more detailed in case they decide I don't need a kidney or something! I don't trust them anymore and wish I knew they did the sips as I would of had the consent form to state traditional ds with measurements etc. They will hate me for sure, the one that has to type the consent!

Time will tell as I've only lost 8 lbs since surgery even which doesn't help with my paranoia on not losing any weight!

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[songsmith 334]

Wow. I can't believe a doctor would perform a type of surgery you did not agree on ahead of time. You'd think they'd have you sign all sorts of papers that basically said, "If X circumstances exist, then surgeon may perform X surgery instead." Does your insurance cover that type of surgery?

I don't know much about SIPS, but it sounds like it could be a good option. Even so, I don't believe any doctor should decide these things for you without your input. It's not like you were an accident and were unconscious so couldn't decide on the type of life-saving surgery you wanted.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Wow I can see how upsetting this can be, I am really sorry. Now that it is done go forward, shake yourself off and work the weight loss tool you now have! Did he re-do your sleeve for you? Hopefully your stomach is nice and small. You WILL lose weight no question! Don't even think of another surgery; everything happens for a reason and I beleive this can be a positive one for you!

[Djmohr 6,965]

I swear I am in shock after reading this! Never ever ever have I had a surgeon decide to do a different surgery without me knowing in advance and proving written authorization to do so.

Are you here in the U.S??

The closest I came was I recently had to have a spine operation that included them removing an old neurostimulator. When I woke up, I found out they had to change their approach causing much larger open incisions and 3 of them vs. 2. In this case it was a necessity but I was disappointed mostly because the pain to recover was much more significant.

I really hope after all you have been through that this surgery works for you. I wish you the very best of luck!

[DingyDeb 7]

With the sips being supposedly a variation on DS a consent form that says DS covers all of below. The resident has only been there 1 1/2 yrs and i know they see lots of patients and believe it was someone else he talked to about it as it sure wasn't me. I did find one other girl that had it but i don't know what the length of the limb is for her. That really bothers me not being like all of them i've read at 300cm. Worried to that i've only lost 8 lbs since surgery and really should of been at least 10 or 15 but it's not a virgin surgery so maybe that's it. They did a scope to check out my stomach and said it was the right size so no need to alter it any which after 7 yrs i thought it would be stretched more. Although i can't eat a whole lot still. Wondering if i need to increase calories just like pre-op in order to start losing even though, from what i understand, the sips doesn't absorb but a percentage so i just don't know. Will see when i can be back to normal eating again.

This is a military hospital and i haven't heard of this happening to others or anything similar but have heard of complaints on other medical issues. When i left the hospital the one night i took that as a sign i should change surgeons and get the DS, i layed there long enough to get brave and run away. lol Then what happens? I get a surgery i didn't even know they did and even it isn't the same as the one i knew of. I won't get another surgery and hope for the best. If nothing happens the most i'll do is see bout changing it from 450 to 300 but see if i can get a different surgeon for that and one that will do it laproscopically, for sure don't want open again. I can take this as a learning event and know next time to have that consent form spell out what i'm wanting or getting done. My BP was 106 over whatever that morning waiting to go into surgery and it is never that low so i was totally comfortable and satisfied with my decision. That won't happen again!!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I am so sorry this happened to you. It sounds very frustrating. I know that the consent forms I signed said that if the surgeon needed to make a change in procedure on the fly because of what he finds when he opens me up he could. But, to have a surgeon perform a surgery based on a conversation he THINKS he had with you without documentation is scary.

I truly hope that even though this wasn't what you hoped or wanted to happen that you will be successful.

One thing I noted in your follow up was that you have lost 8 lbs but feel you should have lost 10-15 pounds.

I am not aware of any surgeon being able to predict weight loss that specifically. I am sure that 8 pounds is within a range that is expected as much as 15 pounds is. No one knows how much we will lose and how our bodies will respond right after surgery whatever procedure you have.

[DingyDeb 7]

forgot to mention the main surgeon is very good and has been doing the ds since 2010 and everyone that has had him loves him. Me not so much now and in fact i didn't want that one but everyone kept saying i only have 30 days after my runnaway bride stint. In the end that was only tht i would have to do the pre-op stuff again which is no biggie to me. I'll feel better after i get my post-op over with and get my frustrations off my chest then move on and hope for the best. The surgery even open i had no pain other than the incision and only used their pain meds hoping to get rid of a headache from the bed messing with my neck. I asked for tylenol and that worked so they removed all the IVs and such the next afternoon. The meds for pain they sent home with me i haven't even opened, i still have the stuff from the surgery in '08! I work on my own cars and grew up with horse wrecks and such so i guess my pain tolerance is high. I cut myself or something working on the car and i don't even realize it til i see blood and wonder where it's coming from! In fact i used a car analagy to describe what happened when the surgeon talked to me. He probably thought i was wacko. Told him it was like ordering a carburetor and i get an oil pump! lol Classic cars are my little world so everything relates to them. hahaha I'll let ya all know how i feel and what they say after the appointment.

[Postop 411]

Unfortunately, yours isn't the only case of this of which I've heard.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Postop

[DingyDeb 7]

I have read a lot of stories where this has happened. Really irks me. I only wish when they did it to me that they at least would of stuck to the basic sips even and not change that too!

I have read in revisions loss is slower so hoping it just continues but that 8 lbs was 2 days after getting out of the hospital so most likely just from no food. Time will tell!!

Feels better just to vent at least. Going to my first support group today since surgery also. Maybe someone will be there that had the same surgery but at least knew they did the sips. The one person I found that had it said she was talked into it. I have not met her yet.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Please don't focus on your weight loss numbers. In the first days and weeks after surgery you are swollen, full of IV fluids and healing from major surgery.

[DingyDeb 7]

Thank you all for reading my rant. After my post-op tomorrow I'm just going to move on and take what comes and look forward to the fact that I won't have to see my surgeon again hopefully til my 3 month apt. I'll feel better too just having the conversation with the 2 that did the surgery if nothing else to let them know how I feel about it. I might still gripe about it, can't say I won't do that but there's nothing I can do about it now and even if they did say they could go back and change it there's no way I'm letting them at me again, they might decide I need something else or don't need something! Or worse do a RNY!

Will update in a day or two on what happened at the apt.

[DingyDeb 7]

Saw the surgeon today. The resident that told me the one measurment was totally off. I had the surgeon get the measurements for me and they are in line with the SIPS that they are doing now. I do feel better after getting my complaint off my chest and he did spend time with me which i don't find often in the medical field, they are always rushed. I told him the biggest issue i have with the whole thing is not even knowing they were doing this procedure now and then to find out that's what i got in the end. I did thank him for his time and when i left he made sure i had the paper with me that he wrote all the info on.

I also learned something i didn't know. That the appendix gets stones. Mine had stones but the gallbladder was fine. He said that down the road i would most likely be needing the appendix removed. All i knew of appendix is appendisitis, them bursting etc. So now i'm going to do some research on it.

I feel a lot better now and can move on and not worry bout blowing up or something from holding in everything too long.

[byrdr1 1]

Glad you got hat all worked out.

I had SIPS back in early August. My insurance had a time approving the SIPS. and then they wanted a 125/175mm small intestine. the dr was POed. cost me another 3 weeks of waiting to get the insurance to revise the procedure. Then the day of surgery the DRs notes had sleeve and then SIPS, he was like I thought we were doing SIPS and he had to go ask my wife what was up. The wife said SIPS and he was OK I thought so but with two different notes he was confused. I guess that happens a lot???

I started this journey a 355 at my highest weight, In March of 2015 I was 325. I weighted 210 Monday morning, MY goal was 200 or below. the DR said 195. My endocrinologist said 192-195 he would be happy too. So with all said and done I am one happy person. MY sugar is gone, my high BP is gone. I am eating so much better and I am the healthiest I have been in 30 plus years maybe maybe 40 years. I was married 33 years ago and weighted 230 but was heavy looking. NOW I just look normal..

GYM 3-4 times a week, walking 1-2 miles daily and lifting weights on those 3-4 times.

You can do this and I am pulling for you.

it gets easier each day ..

blessings

randy

[DingyDeb 7]

I'm only 5'3" but even getting under 200, maybe 180 would make a huge difference. Started at 296 and was 274 at surgery, 264 yesterday. Now that I got my venting with the surgeon off my chest and told him be sure the person knows this is a possibility first, I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. I was so dreading even going to the apt but I'm like that to a point anyway. New gas station, new grocery store, new anything. Like there is really any danger, once I'm in the door or whatever I'm fine, it's the getting there! lol

Glad that parts over! Now to move on with what I need to do!

[RJC5197 282]

"I'm new here and just had revision from sleeve to sips Dec 20"

How long did you have the VSG before having revision?

I am looking into the same and looking for what ever options & detail may be brought before me by the Dr..

THX