Dr. Garth Davis reads this board...
They seemed relatively responsive to me. I do think they have a heavy load (no pun intended) and that is something I am concerned about. I'm going to definitely see how that goes. I have an individual appointment with him on 1/26. They require three consultations with a nutritionist and three with a psychologist - they gave the choices of who those individuals would need to be. I am assuming if you are coming from out of state, they accept someone local to you. I don't know about Dr. Snyder and his being opposed to the DS. Did you look into Dr. Denton in Dallas at all? A lot of Texas DSers have recommended his group very highly and since you are already traveling he might definitely be someone you want to meet with as well. I have to be honest that my initial impression of Dr. Garth Davis' group - and I've never met him, etc. - is that he's got somewhat of WLS racket. He's got the billboards, the commercials, etc. I probably shouldn't feel that way, and I'm sure a practice dedicated strictly to WLS and performing thousands of them is good. But for me, its just too many, too much. Again, I've never met him and never researched him - that's just strictly my surface impression.
Have you checked out Dr. Darryl Stewart in Denton, TX? I think his website is weightlosssurgeon.com. He does several different surgeries and lets you decide which is right for you. You have to attend his seminar before making an appointment,
but I believe out-of-towners can get a dvd of the seminar. I recommend him and would use him again in a heart beat.
Good luck on your WL journey.
Nancy
I want to second the recommendation for Dr. Stewart! He has quite a following - and he's earned it!
Have nothing but good things to say about him. :-)
Please.... do yourself a favor and seriously consider Dr. Stewart. You will not regret it!
Feel free to contact me with any questions. :-)
Julie
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” - Plato
Stormy 918 is my Angel Angel to DarcyMad, MizCharlotte, kmg9122, Staceeann & dianeys73/Diane Davis
HW 258.5 /SW 250 /GW 140 /CW 125
I was never a fan of theirs. I know whenever the show would be on the daughter/sister would show up to announce the new episodes. To be honest that didn't sit well with me either.
Are you interested in the DS? Does their short amount of training bother you at all?
Are you interested in the DS? Does their short amount of training bother you at all?
Jamille ~If it's God's will for me, then it will be~I
Being A Mommy!!
Here is what I worte on my blog after my encounter with Dr. Garth Davis at an OH event (he is in number 3):
Originally posted June 14, 2009
Here are the answers to the teasers I left yesterday:
1) What did Bradshaw0506 spit, instead of swallow, at the OH conference?
******g sugar-free cookies! Aaargh! Who eats that crap??? Since it was essentially a RNY and Lapband conference, the desserts were sugar-free and disgusting! Bradshaw apparently bit a cookie, made a face of disgust like a little kid does, then swallowed the mouthful she ate. Then, minutes later, she picked up another cookie and tried that one, with the SAME result and still swallowed it! I walked up, took a bite and spit it out. THIS girl doesn't have to be taught twice, unlike some people!
2) Why did Nicolle impersonate Barbie's chunky, spinster aunt?
Believe it or not, fashion victim Nicolle was in the "Fashion Walk" at the OH conference. See picture. I wore my black dress worthy of Barbie, but without the Barbie curves. I doubt she has loose skin, either, that plastic *****
Very fun! The people who participated were all hilarious, vamping it up. I was the tamest one there, let me tell you! They flashed before and after pix on the screen so everyone could see where we've come from, and it was inspirng. There was one broad there (I will call her that affectionately because she chose to wear cool leather pants and a sexy halter top) who had lost more that 200 pounds with her RNY and had some plastics done that made he look un-be-frickin-lievable!!! We should all be that goddam lucky!
3) Why did "Big Medicine's" Garth Davis, MD tell Nicolle that he does NOT like to do the DS?
Last week (and today, apparently), some *****y woman on the VSG board was intimating that all of DSers are lazy sacks of **** who don't exercise and need malabsorption because we're unable to change our habits, blah, blah, blah. Then she said her "top surgeon" won't do the DS because it's too "dangerous." Her VSG surgeon WILL be, (because naturally the loudest mouths are pre-ops who know every goddam thing) Garth Davis, so I checked in with him in person at the OH event.
----------------------------------
On June 8, 2009 at 10:32 AM Pacific Time, BrandiDaryl wrote: Dr. Robert and Garth Davis do not mention DS in their seminars any longer... nor does any other Dr. there at their facility.
Robert Davis being a man who TEACHES surgical procedure at Baylor College of Medicine.. and Garth being a man who actually has taken part in many of the trials and whatnot..
That's two.. + their colleagues.. which I think number 4-5.... *****fuse DS...
When I was questioning my PCP about it.. he said, " Some people do WLS because they suck at almost every other high price surgery and they just want to makey money"
I'm sure if I spent time going thru the DS side of the board on people who were 2+ years out... I'd find many of your surgeons don't even do it anymore ;)
----------------------------------------------------
Soo-prize, soo-prize: he said she was COMPLETELY wrong.
Garth Davis said he has done the DS. When I spoke with him yesterday at the Chicago OH conference at length about the DS, he said that he DOES do the DS on occasion and he agrees with all of the research published out there (including the Buchwald one, which he quotes in his presentations) that the DS offers the best EWL, best resolution of comorbidities.(He used the DS stats as evidence that "bariatric surgery saves lives" and changes metabolism. NOT gastric bypass stats. NOT VSG stats. NOT lapband stats. The DS.)
Dr. Davis told me that he does not do the DS regularly because it has a "higher mortality rate than gastric bypass." I laughed out loud and told him that was simply NOT TRUE and cited the current research. He said "you really know your stuff" to me and then conceded that the DS and the gastric bypass both have the same mortailty rate now, but back in the day when the DS was only used on the biggest and sickest of patients years ago, it was higher. Because this is common knowledge in the DS world, I wholeheartedly agreed. He then said that there was a surgeon in the Houston area who used to do the DS years ago and he lost a few patients and that skewed the local stats, so it made the docs there shy about doing it.
He said the big reason he does not do the DS is that it requires patients to be compliant and he has a hard enough time keeping his gastric bypass and lapband patients compliant, even with their good aftercare onsite progam. He cited a stat of I believe, that 82% of his patients lose 50% of their EWL and keep it off. I said "that's good, according to the ASBMS, but you know that the DS stats are even better than that." He said he knew, but he cannot count on his patients being compliant with taking vitamins and eating their protein. User error. That's sad. I told him how we on the DS board are some of the most compliant and knowledgeable people about the types of surgery out there and he'd be amazed by this incredible group.
I told him that my surgeon has a good aftercare program and that it is possible to have one, if you put the work into it and get a good nutritionist who knows the difference between a RNY and a DS eating plan! He asked me who my surgeon was, I told him, and he said "no wonder--John Rabkin is the best DS surgeon on the planet!" (I must say, I am partial to this opinion, too!)
He also said he considered asking a particular DS doctor (who we all know of) to join his practice or come by and share some info on the DS so they could do it and build a good aftercare program around it, but he never did ask and he is still considering it. So, there ya go. His practice may start doing the DS regularly after all.
I also told him that the myths around the DS about farting and pooping are just that--myths, provided you eat what you are supposed to. He said he was glad to hear that but that I was in the minority. I told him that I was NOT in the minority and encouraged him to come to the DS forum and see for himself. He was VERY surprised. And then I **** my pants and asked him to smell it. Nah...I asked him to pull my finger instead!
Dr. Davis claims he swings by OH once in a while to see what's going on, so I invited him to come to the DS forum and to www.dsfacts.com and www.duodenalswitch.com. He said he had no idea there was such a large community of DSers out there and that we were all so successful.
He later told me, at the end of the conference, that he thought about me during the day and said that I would probably have done very well with the RNY, anyway, since I am motivated. I laughed and told him that "no thanks, I like to eat real food" and he gave a big laugh. Then in all seriousness, I said "I do love food and would miss it and would hate to dump, but I have herniated disks in my spine and arthritis in my knees and I could never take NSAIDs for pain or swelling." he immediately jumped in and said "oh, no, then you couldn't have the RNY for sure." Makes you wonder how these folks are going to manage pain in the future...
Caption:
Dr. Garth: "Do you smell something?"
Nicolle: "Yep. I just **** my pants. Sorry. I had the DS donchaknow."
Dr. Garth: "Oh, yeah, right."
(ETA: The woman with us is Marssie ("Marss" here) who seldom posts but had her DS a year ago and has lost 100 pounds and is doing freaking fabulously!)
4) What delectable contraband did my husband sneak into the sugar-free reception?
My husband snuck off to the gift shop and bought me some surprise GODIVA chocolates--a definite no-no at this kind of event. We ate it with wild abandon in the main ballroom. I hope no one dumped off the contact high.
We also smuggled in Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, candy and chips throughout the day. Bad, bad DSers.
5) What was it like to be one of THREE DSers at a 250-person conference??
Gulp. Like we were completely frickin' alone!!! That didn't stop us *****es from sitting in the front row all day and asking questions! Everyone was very nice to us.
A few ladies asked my husband if he had "THE surgery" and he said "no, but my wife had the DS and she has lost almost 200 pounds," I practically had my own groupies at the end there, of three women wanting surgery. Naturally, they had NEVER heard there was another option beyond RNY and the band. They said they will check out our forum this week, so be on your best behavior, LOL!
So, If you get a chance to go to an OH event, I'd say go. Folks are nice. Got a free reconstuctive consult from one of Chicago's top docs. Just bring some Diet Coke, Godiva and some other contraband to get you though the day!
Gotta go, Bradshaw's waiting for me on a city street somewhere!
Nicolle
Originally posted June 14, 2009
Here are the answers to the teasers I left yesterday:
1) What did Bradshaw0506 spit, instead of swallow, at the OH conference?
******g sugar-free cookies! Aaargh! Who eats that crap??? Since it was essentially a RNY and Lapband conference, the desserts were sugar-free and disgusting! Bradshaw apparently bit a cookie, made a face of disgust like a little kid does, then swallowed the mouthful she ate. Then, minutes later, she picked up another cookie and tried that one, with the SAME result and still swallowed it! I walked up, took a bite and spit it out. THIS girl doesn't have to be taught twice, unlike some people!
2) Why did Nicolle impersonate Barbie's chunky, spinster aunt?
Believe it or not, fashion victim Nicolle was in the "Fashion Walk" at the OH conference. See picture. I wore my black dress worthy of Barbie, but without the Barbie curves. I doubt she has loose skin, either, that plastic *****
Very fun! The people who participated were all hilarious, vamping it up. I was the tamest one there, let me tell you! They flashed before and after pix on the screen so everyone could see where we've come from, and it was inspirng. There was one broad there (I will call her that affectionately because she chose to wear cool leather pants and a sexy halter top) who had lost more that 200 pounds with her RNY and had some plastics done that made he look un-be-frickin-lievable!!! We should all be that goddam lucky!
3) Why did "Big Medicine's" Garth Davis, MD tell Nicolle that he does NOT like to do the DS?
Last week (and today, apparently), some *****y woman on the VSG board was intimating that all of DSers are lazy sacks of **** who don't exercise and need malabsorption because we're unable to change our habits, blah, blah, blah. Then she said her "top surgeon" won't do the DS because it's too "dangerous." Her VSG surgeon WILL be, (because naturally the loudest mouths are pre-ops who know every goddam thing) Garth Davis, so I checked in with him in person at the OH event.
----------------------------------
On June 8, 2009 at 10:32 AM Pacific Time, BrandiDaryl wrote: Dr. Robert and Garth Davis do not mention DS in their seminars any longer... nor does any other Dr. there at their facility.
Robert Davis being a man who TEACHES surgical procedure at Baylor College of Medicine.. and Garth being a man who actually has taken part in many of the trials and whatnot..
That's two.. + their colleagues.. which I think number 4-5.... *****fuse DS...
When I was questioning my PCP about it.. he said, " Some people do WLS because they suck at almost every other high price surgery and they just want to makey money"
I'm sure if I spent time going thru the DS side of the board on people who were 2+ years out... I'd find many of your surgeons don't even do it anymore ;)
----------------------------------------------------
Soo-prize, soo-prize: he said she was COMPLETELY wrong.
Garth Davis said he has done the DS. When I spoke with him yesterday at the Chicago OH conference at length about the DS, he said that he DOES do the DS on occasion and he agrees with all of the research published out there (including the Buchwald one, which he quotes in his presentations) that the DS offers the best EWL, best resolution of comorbidities.(He used the DS stats as evidence that "bariatric surgery saves lives" and changes metabolism. NOT gastric bypass stats. NOT VSG stats. NOT lapband stats. The DS.)
Dr. Davis told me that he does not do the DS regularly because it has a "higher mortality rate than gastric bypass." I laughed out loud and told him that was simply NOT TRUE and cited the current research. He said "you really know your stuff" to me and then conceded that the DS and the gastric bypass both have the same mortailty rate now, but back in the day when the DS was only used on the biggest and sickest of patients years ago, it was higher. Because this is common knowledge in the DS world, I wholeheartedly agreed. He then said that there was a surgeon in the Houston area who used to do the DS years ago and he lost a few patients and that skewed the local stats, so it made the docs there shy about doing it.
He said the big reason he does not do the DS is that it requires patients to be compliant and he has a hard enough time keeping his gastric bypass and lapband patients compliant, even with their good aftercare onsite progam. He cited a stat of I believe, that 82% of his patients lose 50% of their EWL and keep it off. I said "that's good, according to the ASBMS, but you know that the DS stats are even better than that." He said he knew, but he cannot count on his patients being compliant with taking vitamins and eating their protein. User error. That's sad. I told him how we on the DS board are some of the most compliant and knowledgeable people about the types of surgery out there and he'd be amazed by this incredible group.
I told him that my surgeon has a good aftercare program and that it is possible to have one, if you put the work into it and get a good nutritionist who knows the difference between a RNY and a DS eating plan! He asked me who my surgeon was, I told him, and he said "no wonder--John Rabkin is the best DS surgeon on the planet!" (I must say, I am partial to this opinion, too!)
He also said he considered asking a particular DS doctor (who we all know of) to join his practice or come by and share some info on the DS so they could do it and build a good aftercare program around it, but he never did ask and he is still considering it. So, there ya go. His practice may start doing the DS regularly after all.
I also told him that the myths around the DS about farting and pooping are just that--myths, provided you eat what you are supposed to. He said he was glad to hear that but that I was in the minority. I told him that I was NOT in the minority and encouraged him to come to the DS forum and see for himself. He was VERY surprised. And then I **** my pants and asked him to smell it. Nah...I asked him to pull my finger instead!
Dr. Davis claims he swings by OH once in a while to see what's going on, so I invited him to come to the DS forum and to www.dsfacts.com and www.duodenalswitch.com. He said he had no idea there was such a large community of DSers out there and that we were all so successful.
He later told me, at the end of the conference, that he thought about me during the day and said that I would probably have done very well with the RNY, anyway, since I am motivated. I laughed and told him that "no thanks, I like to eat real food" and he gave a big laugh. Then in all seriousness, I said "I do love food and would miss it and would hate to dump, but I have herniated disks in my spine and arthritis in my knees and I could never take NSAIDs for pain or swelling." he immediately jumped in and said "oh, no, then you couldn't have the RNY for sure." Makes you wonder how these folks are going to manage pain in the future...
Caption:
Dr. Garth: "Do you smell something?"
Nicolle: "Yep. I just **** my pants. Sorry. I had the DS donchaknow."
Dr. Garth: "Oh, yeah, right."
(ETA: The woman with us is Marssie ("Marss" here) who seldom posts but had her DS a year ago and has lost 100 pounds and is doing freaking fabulously!)
4) What delectable contraband did my husband sneak into the sugar-free reception?
My husband snuck off to the gift shop and bought me some surprise GODIVA chocolates--a definite no-no at this kind of event. We ate it with wild abandon in the main ballroom. I hope no one dumped off the contact high.
We also smuggled in Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, candy and chips throughout the day. Bad, bad DSers.
5) What was it like to be one of THREE DSers at a 250-person conference??
Gulp. Like we were completely frickin' alone!!! That didn't stop us *****es from sitting in the front row all day and asking questions! Everyone was very nice to us.
A few ladies asked my husband if he had "THE surgery" and he said "no, but my wife had the DS and she has lost almost 200 pounds," I practically had my own groupies at the end there, of three women wanting surgery. Naturally, they had NEVER heard there was another option beyond RNY and the band. They said they will check out our forum this week, so be on your best behavior, LOL!
So, If you get a chance to go to an OH event, I'd say go. Folks are nice. Got a free reconstuctive consult from one of Chicago's top docs. Just bring some Diet Coke, Godiva and some other contraband to get you though the day!
Gotta go, Bradshaw's waiting for me on a city street somewhere!
Nicolle
I had the kick-butt duodenal switch (DS)!
HW: 344 lbs CW: 150 lbs
Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea GONE!
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