Just wondering if you DS'ers could help me out?

·         I have an appointment/discussion coming up this month with my surgeon; he is extremely pro "RNY" and won’t give me the time of day to talk about having a DS. I live in Ontario, and I am currently 440 LBS and there is (1) doctor currently that does the DS in Hamilton Ontario. I really want my surgeon to refer me to him; I have asked him (2) times now with no luck. Can anyone give me your best reasons why a DS would be best suited for me? I want to go tomorrow with such a strong case that this time he won’t/cant refuse me. I thought of anyone could help me this would be the place to go, to help me plead my case. If you could please give me a list your top most important reasons you feel the DS is superior to the RNY for someone my size that would be awesome, and a huge help. I, will definitely let everyone know what happens.
Thank you everyone in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheryl

 check out the Ontario board.  There are a couple of folks who have made the case with Dr. Hong for their DSs, that have been very helpful in sharing their information

There is a great comparison on Hayley_Hayley's profile
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/hayley_hayley/blog/2009/07/18/rny-comparison-to-ds/

and DSFacts.com has a comparison
http://www.dsfacts.com/Comparison-of-DS-and-RNY.html

good luck

Thank you for your help I just posted now!!!!........Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

at 440 pounds you have bmi of what over 60, maybe 70? For this range the most (and only) effective surgery is DS, due to malabsorption. With RnY you might lose about half of your weight and will probably regain it within first 5 years. So you need high malabsorption that doesn't diminish 1.5 years postop. For such a heavy patients DS is recommended by most Quebec and US doctors and D. Hong will definitely approve you. Now, how to get to Hamilton. DEMAND second opinion. It is your right. I wonder if it's Dr. Hagen in HRRH you're seeing? He seems to be totally against DS. But he must provide you with the second opinion. It is illegal in Ontario to deny you the second opinion referral. Docs just MUST do it. They can try and convince you to agree with their opinion, but if you refuse to sign anything for RnY and ask for the Hamilton consultation, they cannot say no. There are rules laid down by the Ontario College of Surgeons and Physicians. The surgeon must obey these rules.

Nata,
Thank you so much you actually have given me a glimmer of hope.!!!!!!!!!!! Cheryl

Chedra, stay strong!

I can't possibly top the advice Nata gave you as to the logistics of getting to Dr. Hong. I can only confirm that you are making a great decision. The DS is far and away the best choice for someone with a high bmi. The failure rate overall with RNY is 30% and it's even higher for those with a high bmi. And remember that "failure" in the bariatric surgery world means losing less than 50% of your excess weight - lose just 51% and you're counted as a "success". For you, that would still leave you MO.

Unfortunately, there are some bariatric surgeons who are very negative about the DS. Perhaps this doctor has seen someone with a serious complication, or someone who was noncompliant with the vitamin and protein needs of the DS and got into serious nutritional trouble. That type of experience can sour someone on the DS. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of DS patients maintain excellent nutritional health provided they follow the rules faithfully, that complications can occur with any major surgery, including RNY, and that RNY patients can also develop nutritional problems if they are noncompliant.

Keep fighting, we are seeing more patients lately finding their way to Dr. Hong. It's worth the effort.

Larra