Need some help and advise!!! PLEASE

 I am having a really messed up day.  I have been talking to Dr. Aceves office for the past couple of weeks about getting the RNY bypass.  As many I have to be a self pay due to having a prejudiced insurance company. (Anything to do with weight is excluded) blah blah blah.  Well, I was just told by Nina (very nice lady) that

I am sorry to say you have not been approved for the bypass  surgery. Being a revision surgery and  with your BMI  we can only offer the gastric sleeve surgery laparoscopically with Dr. Aceves.  We have done many high BMI patients like yourself and the weight loss is very similar to the bypass and the surgery is much much safer. 

So, I don't know what to do.  I was a self pay 6 years ago in the US for a lapband.  It did not work for me at all.  After paying $17,000 I am afraid the gastric sleeve will be the same kind of thing.  I fear that I really need the bypass to be successfull.  As of today i weigh 480.2 lbs and am 5'7 with a bmi of 75.2.  

I guess I am looking for some advise.  I would like to check into another surgen if anyone knows of a good one in mexico that does the DS or RNY.  Also, would love to hear from people who have had the sleeve that is around my size and what they think about it.

Any and all help would be GREAT!!

Sad tears today.
   

Dr. Gilberto Ungson is the only surgeon in Mexico that is a vetted and trusted DS surgeon.  I am not familiar with Dr. Aceves, but if you don't qualify for the DS with your BMI, I would say he doesn't have your best interest in heart and mind, and/or doesn't feel he can successfully perform the DS.

There are some self pay surgeons in the US that have competitive self-pay rates.  I don't know them off the top of my head, so hopefully someone will come along with that information.  

I think you are right in thinking that the VSG would be similar to the band, restriction only.  With the amount of weight you need to lose, the DS is hands down the best option for you.

Good luck!

Let me start by saying you came to the right place for advice on your situation. There are many people on this board that can help by giving you advice from their personal experience.

Personally, I have not had weight-loss surgery yet but have been researching the different options and have come to the realization that the duodenal switch surgery is the best option for me?

Why am I telling you this? Because it pertains to you in this way: duodenal switch surgery is the best weight-loss surgery for individuals who have a BMI over 50. It will give you the best tool for weight-loss and maintaining a healthy weight. You will hear this from many others because the hard facts attest to this.

I will bow out now to allow those with much much more experience give you more advice. I just wanted to let you know your heading in the right direction by posting in the DS forum. Good luck!

Welcome!  Dr Ungson is your best bet in Mex but you might also look at Dr Marchesini in Brazil. If you haven't already come across www.dsfacts.com it's a great place to do some research.

--gina

Let me start by telling you I understand about the insurance and about being a self pay pt.

I fought my insurane company for 2 and 1/2 years and finally my husband and I said forget this and are paying cash.

I wanted to ask what prices have you been quoted?!

I am having mine done with the doctors for TLCs "Big Medicine".
They are a Father/Son team here in Houston, and they brought on an amazing fellow who I am having it done with.
If I waited for the Father/Son pair I'd be witing till the end of the year......
Sorry back on topic- I am paying 23K Cash for my DS (was going to have RnY but they feel this is best for me)

Maybe there are some doctors in your area who have resonable self pay prices....

I pray everything works out.

Hugs

 Thank you very much for your hugs and prayers.  I was quoted 13,000. For everything except for flight.  The best I have found in my area is 27,000.  That is just impossible for me to be able to come up with.  I am really happy for you and wish you the best.


God bless

Cheryl

 Curious about why you are not considering DS for your self?  We get a lot of RNY peeps here looking for revision information when the RNY fails them.

Longterm results for the sleeve are unknown. Short term results are similar to gastric bypass, but even the surgeons who push the sleeve don't recommend it for people with a high bmi (meaning over 45 when it comes to the sleeve). So while I believe Dr. Aceves does have your interests at heart, I very much doubt that the sleeve will get you anywhere close to a normal weight, or keep you there.
     The only DS surgeon anyone here would recommend for the DS in Mexico is Dr. Ungson. However, whether or not he would take on someone at your weight, esp for a revision, I don't know. I think the fact that you need revision surgery is going to limit your options. I would recommend that you contact Dr. Rabkin in San Francisco and/or Dr. Keshishian in Glendale. Both are very experienced DS revision surgeons, and Dr. Rabkin definitely has plenty of experience with larger patients (I have less knowledge of Dr. Keshishian's experience but suspect it's just as good).
     And I do agree with everyone else about the DS being far and away your best choice. It has been clearly shown to have the best longterm results for percentage excess weight loss, for maintaining that weight loss, and for resolution of almost all comorbidities. It works well for lighter people, but is far and away the best choice for people with high bmi's. The failure rate for gastric bypass is 30%, probably even higher than that at your bmi, and even with the standard definition of "success" in the world of bariatric surgery being losing 50% of your excess weight, you could be counted as a gastric bypass success and still be MO. I doubt that that's the result you want.

Larra

 Thank you very much Larra....you gave me a lot to think about and look into.  I appreciate your time 

Cheryl

Are you a revision from the band? If you wanted the rny and now they cant give you one, then I am confused what surgery you already had. When you hear the term revision, most of us think rny to DS.