I have officially driven my doctor batty. He's pawned me off...
I need some advice! (Sorry I am so damn wordy!)
Backstory...
Having WLS in Sweden. The system is batty. I have been in contact with the doctor that checks your labs and stats and makes a recommendation to the surgical board. I haven't met with a surgeon because that's not how they do things. I will be assigned a surgeon weeks before my surgery. My seminar was private since I don't speak fluent Swedish. He presented all four surgical types to me and suggested the RNY and at the time, I agreed. Now, I have decided the DS is better for me. I emailed him with my concerns. He responded last Tuesday that my concerns were valid, but that because of follow up care and malabsorption, they still recommended an RNY and listed a study about follow up deficiencies. I talked it over with my wife and responded that while I respected his recommendation, I have decided I want the DS, listed more reasons and gave him links to studies comparing RNY to the DS...
Okay, today he wrote back.
Hello again, Amber,
I suggest that you talk to the coordinator BIGSWEDISHNAME. Perhaps you could meet an obesity surgeon inorder to discuss this further. It is a very important desicion so I fully respect that you have many questions. Her telephone number ____________ and her call hours are between 10 AM -12 PM.
(English isn't his first language)
I don't have any questions for him other than, "How do I change the surgery I am scheduled for?" I am sure I know more than he does at this point. Now I have to miss class to call this person with batty phone hours to set up a meeting an hour and a half away with a surgeon who may or may not be doing my actual surgery. I am honestly wondering if I have just baffled them by challenging their standard. I have already had my gall bladder removed since they won't do it at the same time as WLS. The follow up for ALL WLS patients seems to be **** A friend had an RNY recently and then never told her to avoid NSAIDs, she is supposed to have white carbs with every meal and full caffeinated coffee, as much as she wants, starting the day after surgery. They know even less about DS follow up. I will be on my own to keep myself healthy and to educate any physicians I come in contact with. I understand that most of us have to do that, but it looks like I am going to be paddling alone. I know I can handle it, but it's a little unnerving to know how little they seem to be concerned with.
My other concern is the number of DS surgeries they perform. They don't do very many and the number is declining. (At least according to the doctor who told me it was less successful than RNY.) There is a good DS surgeon in my program, but I don't know that I will get him and his follow up is **** too. I guess that's something to ask the coordinator. So, what if, for example, they only do one DS for every 50 RNY procedures? Would you still go ahead with it? Self paying is not an option. It's here or nothing. So, I can easily get the RNY, which they do often or I can keep *****ing and probably get a DS, which they don't do very many of. What would you do?
Backstory...
Having WLS in Sweden. The system is batty. I have been in contact with the doctor that checks your labs and stats and makes a recommendation to the surgical board. I haven't met with a surgeon because that's not how they do things. I will be assigned a surgeon weeks before my surgery. My seminar was private since I don't speak fluent Swedish. He presented all four surgical types to me and suggested the RNY and at the time, I agreed. Now, I have decided the DS is better for me. I emailed him with my concerns. He responded last Tuesday that my concerns were valid, but that because of follow up care and malabsorption, they still recommended an RNY and listed a study about follow up deficiencies. I talked it over with my wife and responded that while I respected his recommendation, I have decided I want the DS, listed more reasons and gave him links to studies comparing RNY to the DS...
Okay, today he wrote back.
Hello again, Amber,
I suggest that you talk to the coordinator BIGSWEDISHNAME. Perhaps you could meet an obesity surgeon inorder to discuss this further. It is a very important desicion so I fully respect that you have many questions. Her telephone number ____________ and her call hours are between 10 AM -12 PM.
(English isn't his first language)
I don't have any questions for him other than, "How do I change the surgery I am scheduled for?" I am sure I know more than he does at this point. Now I have to miss class to call this person with batty phone hours to set up a meeting an hour and a half away with a surgeon who may or may not be doing my actual surgery. I am honestly wondering if I have just baffled them by challenging their standard. I have already had my gall bladder removed since they won't do it at the same time as WLS. The follow up for ALL WLS patients seems to be **** A friend had an RNY recently and then never told her to avoid NSAIDs, she is supposed to have white carbs with every meal and full caffeinated coffee, as much as she wants, starting the day after surgery. They know even less about DS follow up. I will be on my own to keep myself healthy and to educate any physicians I come in contact with. I understand that most of us have to do that, but it looks like I am going to be paddling alone. I know I can handle it, but it's a little unnerving to know how little they seem to be concerned with.
My other concern is the number of DS surgeries they perform. They don't do very many and the number is declining. (At least according to the doctor who told me it was less successful than RNY.) There is a good DS surgeon in my program, but I don't know that I will get him and his follow up is **** too. I guess that's something to ask the coordinator. So, what if, for example, they only do one DS for every 50 RNY procedures? Would you still go ahead with it? Self paying is not an option. It's here or nothing. So, I can easily get the RNY, which they do often or I can keep *****ing and probably get a DS, which they don't do very many of. What would you do?
Pink!
Oddly enough, it sounds like you are actually making headway towards the DS. The potential meeting with the coordinator isn't their usual pathway, and hopefully will get you off the RNY treadmill. Ask to meet with the surgeon who does the DS. The worst that can happen is that they say no. Even though the hours are odd and it's an extra effort, I would do this.
As far as follow-up is concerned, it does sound poor, but no worse with DS than with RNY. You can get nutritionally compromised with either operation with poor follow-up, and you do have other resources for the info you need both here and at dsfacts.com, so to me this isn't a major factor in your decision.
The experience level is a factor. I would ask, if possible, to have that one surgeon who does do the DS, and I would be more concerned about how much DS experience he has rather than comparing his DS experience with his RNY experience. He's clearly in a system where he's going to do lots more RNY than DS, but if he does have sufficient experience with doing the DS, that's all that matters.
Personally, I had decided I would not have RNY under any cir****tances before I knew enough to decide in favor of the DS. If you have RNY and for whatever reason you aren't successful, or aren't happy living with it, it's so much more difficult to get that revised to the DS, and higher risk. Whatever you do, don't have ANY operation unless you are convinced that it's right for you.
Larra
As far as follow-up is concerned, it does sound poor, but no worse with DS than with RNY. You can get nutritionally compromised with either operation with poor follow-up, and you do have other resources for the info you need both here and at dsfacts.com, so to me this isn't a major factor in your decision.
The experience level is a factor. I would ask, if possible, to have that one surgeon who does do the DS, and I would be more concerned about how much DS experience he has rather than comparing his DS experience with his RNY experience. He's clearly in a system where he's going to do lots more RNY than DS, but if he does have sufficient experience with doing the DS, that's all that matters.
Personally, I had decided I would not have RNY under any cir****tances before I knew enough to decide in favor of the DS. If you have RNY and for whatever reason you aren't successful, or aren't happy living with it, it's so much more difficult to get that revised to the DS, and higher risk. Whatever you do, don't have ANY operation unless you are convinced that it's right for you.
Larra
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