My endocrinologist discouraged the DS

I met with my endocrinologist last week to discuss what type of revision I will have when they take my band out.  I got LOTS of feedback here on the forum and had it with me to discuss at the appt. and she completely discouraged me from the DS.  She said if I was her sister she would NEVER ever suggest the DS.   That morning she had just written a prescription for TPN for a DS patient and she said there are so many complications that could happen.   They really only recommend it for people with a BMI over 50 (I'm 38) plus she said it's a drastic surgery for someone like me that is young and relatively healthy.   But, since my surgeon said he'd do it-it could still be an option.    She thinks RNY is really the best option.  I'm so confused.  I thought my mind was made up but now I don't know.   

WHY was that DSer in need of TPN?  Post surgery for a bowel obstruction?  Non-compliance?  A stricture in the early post-op time? 

That statement is utterly out of context, and thus meaningless.

You can have your DS tailored to your relatively low weight.  Ask Yehuda.

What is TPN?

I didn't know either.  Looked it up:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601166.htm l

HUGS! I'm still pre-op so I understand feeling scared/confused/unsure and all of that. Bottom line is you need to decide for you. At the end of the day the endocrinologist doesn't have to walk in your shoes. Are complications a reality for some, yes. Does every DS'er deal with them, no. The tpn patient may not have been following protocol, or had some kind of pre-existing condition, without all the information the situation can be skewed.

 If you aren't sure then you need to go back and read as much as you can on the DS and the RNY. Everyone is going to come to a different conclusion for themselves, it's just important that they decide and not let anyone decide for them. Good luck with your decision!

Blah.  If you were my sister I wouldn't LET you have your pyloric valve made non-funtional.

Your endo is completely uneducated about the DS.

~Becky

***like***   SORRY EXHAUSTED, BUT LOVE Becky's post ! 

My endocrinologist is a professor at the medical school associated with my hospital. They are so excited about my DS, they are practically giddy about it. Scores of residents surround me like paparazzi calling out questions when I go in for an appointment. They are, of course, very interested in it for its cure rate for diabetes. They are chomping at the bit for the bariatric surgery department to get on the ball with the DS. No doubt, the first few patients will be VERY popular.

As a lightweight four years out, I have disproved by my living example that it is an inappropriate surgery for those under a BMI of 50. I have not lost too much weight.

Your endo obviously doesn't know much about the DS.  She needs to be informed. If I were in your shoes, I'd gather all of the info at DSfacts.com and add the articles and studies they publish and mail them directly to your endo.  Maybe, just maybe, if she learns more about it, she'll be more helpful to others in the future. If she's closed her mind to the possibilty that the DS is a good surgery, then in my opinion she's not a very good doctor.  One of the things that make doctor's great is that they must study and learn and keep up on the latest medical advances.  Anyone who looks deeply into the research on the RNY wouldn't possibly recommend it over the DS.  I'd rather have no surgery than have the RNY.

Hugs to you. You deserve support and solid infomative advice.  You didn't get that from your endo. But you'll get it here on the board!!!!

I had the surgeon's resident at Dr. Sudan's practice try to dissuade me from the DS.  Didn't work, because I've read and researched this thing to death... but his reasons were that he felt the RNY was "just as effective" and I was "too young and healthy" for such a "drastic" surgery.  I sat there in awe over what was happening.  He even mentioned the BAND at one point as a back up plan if Dr. Sudan got in there and couldn't perform the DS for whatever reason.  I was pretty shocked.

However, when Dr. Sudan came in and started talking DS, he pretty much blew everything the other guy had to say out of the water.  I think that there is a lot of misinformation out there about the DS, and unfortunately, even in surgeon's own practices.

It really comes down to you doing your own research.  Your Endo probably has very limited exposure to the DS, and much more with RNY.  Don't let this discourage you!  I know it can be scary to hear a 'professional' kind of dissuade you from getting the DS.  But, there's just no scientific evidence that the DS is ONLY effective as a drastic surgery for people with a BMI of 50+.  The more you know about the surgery itself, the more confident you are going to feel in your decision.  Who knows, you may be the one patient that turns the light bulb on for your Endo!