Hi I am new here!
Hi Carol 
I am Nancy and live in LaSalle so we are almost neighbors. It is great to meet you and I am glad that you found us! We are a really friendly group that will be glad to answer any questions that you may have.
Unfortunately I do not know a thing about Northwestern. I went to Harvard IL who's surgeon is part of the Mercy Health System in Wisconsin. She was wonderful! You might want to check with your insurance company to see if they cover the surgeon at Northwestern. Oftentimes they can tell you more than the doctor. Also I found it VERY helpful to ask my insurance company to send me in writing THEIR requirements for approval. That way I knew what exactly they needed to have done and there were no last minute surprises. Some require a 6 month supervised diet, certain surgeons, certain hospitals, certain pre op approvals etc.
Welcome to the Illinois board. We come on daily for the +_____ Roll Call. Each member shares what is going on in their life. Not everyone makes it everyday, but post when you can. We also have meet and greets throughout the northern part of the state about 4 times a year. Those are really fun because we get to know each other better. Glad you found us!
I am Nancy and live in LaSalle so we are almost neighbors. It is great to meet you and I am glad that you found us! We are a really friendly group that will be glad to answer any questions that you may have.
Unfortunately I do not know a thing about Northwestern. I went to Harvard IL who's surgeon is part of the Mercy Health System in Wisconsin. She was wonderful! You might want to check with your insurance company to see if they cover the surgeon at Northwestern. Oftentimes they can tell you more than the doctor. Also I found it VERY helpful to ask my insurance company to send me in writing THEIR requirements for approval. That way I knew what exactly they needed to have done and there were no last minute surprises. Some require a 6 month supervised diet, certain surgeons, certain hospitals, certain pre op approvals etc.
Welcome to the Illinois board. We come on daily for the +_____ Roll Call. Each member shares what is going on in their life. Not everyone makes it everyday, but post when you can. We also have meet and greets throughout the northern part of the state about 4 times a year. Those are really fun because we get to know each other better. Glad you found us!
Cat Lady
Hi, Carol! Welcome.
Before I learned about the duodenal switch (short story: due to arthritis in my knee and herniated disks, I have to take NSAIDs and I had Type 2 diabetes, so the RNY turned out to be a bad choice for me) I was in the Northwestern RNY pipeline. I saw Dr. Nagle at the pre-op session and one time at my own appointment. I almost completed their 6-month nutritionist/psych stuff.
Dr. Nagle seemed nice and at least he was HONEST. He told me that I would "probably" lose all of my excess weight (189 pounds) with the RNY if I was aggressive, but that I would "probably" regain half of it within a few years. When I balked at that, he kindly chided me and told me that the bariatric world considers 50% EWL a success, which I know is true. He also said my diabetes would probably go into remission and then return with any significant regain.
If he was right, that would have put me at about 250 pounds with diabetes in a handful of years. I would still qualify for weight loss surgery at that point. That was very sobering to me and made me look into other options. I will be forever grateful for his honesty. Not every bariatric surgeon lays out the facts like that.
Since he does NOT do the DS, Dr. Nagle unfortunately was full of old data about the OLD DS surgery, called the BPD. He tried to scare me off of the DS, but I did my research and found out the current facts of this surgery that has been around for over 20 years.
Now, two years later, I could not be happier. I am wearing the size jeans you saw at Walmart! My diabetes is long gone, and as long as I get my protein and vitamins in, I eat what I want, from salads to cheese to steak to desserts.
(If any newbies reading this want to learn about the DS, visit the DS forum and www.dsfacts.com. There are scientific studies on the DS and a list of qualified DS surgeons there--the University of Chicago actually does the DS, for example. PM me if you want any info.)
Best of luck!
Nicolle
Before I learned about the duodenal switch (short story: due to arthritis in my knee and herniated disks, I have to take NSAIDs and I had Type 2 diabetes, so the RNY turned out to be a bad choice for me) I was in the Northwestern RNY pipeline. I saw Dr. Nagle at the pre-op session and one time at my own appointment. I almost completed their 6-month nutritionist/psych stuff.
Dr. Nagle seemed nice and at least he was HONEST. He told me that I would "probably" lose all of my excess weight (189 pounds) with the RNY if I was aggressive, but that I would "probably" regain half of it within a few years. When I balked at that, he kindly chided me and told me that the bariatric world considers 50% EWL a success, which I know is true. He also said my diabetes would probably go into remission and then return with any significant regain.
If he was right, that would have put me at about 250 pounds with diabetes in a handful of years. I would still qualify for weight loss surgery at that point. That was very sobering to me and made me look into other options. I will be forever grateful for his honesty. Not every bariatric surgeon lays out the facts like that.
Since he does NOT do the DS, Dr. Nagle unfortunately was full of old data about the OLD DS surgery, called the BPD. He tried to scare me off of the DS, but I did my research and found out the current facts of this surgery that has been around for over 20 years.
Now, two years later, I could not be happier. I am wearing the size jeans you saw at Walmart! My diabetes is long gone, and as long as I get my protein and vitamins in, I eat what I want, from salads to cheese to steak to desserts.
(If any newbies reading this want to learn about the DS, visit the DS forum and www.dsfacts.com. There are scientific studies on the DS and a list of qualified DS surgeons there--the University of Chicago actually does the DS, for example. PM me if you want any info.)
Best of luck!
Nicolle
I had the kick-butt duodenal switch (DS)!
HW: 344 lbs CW: 150 lbs
Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea GONE!
Thanks for the info! Luckily for me, I haven't had to use NSAIDS for quite sometime now. I inject methotrexate and Enbrel. But I do take Vicodin for pain but when I asked my rheumy about it he said that I could try out other pain management like a patch or liquid. All of my other meds treat the secondary issues like acid reflux, depression, and insomnia.
It is rare to find a dr. who is honest and just lays it all out there. Should be interesting to see what they have to say. Of course with Medicare footing the bill I think I'm limited to what they will cover.
Definitely will be an interesting journey! I already feel my head spinning with all of the information I've been researching and reading on here!
Carol
It is rare to find a dr. who is honest and just lays it all out there. Should be interesting to see what they have to say. Of course with Medicare footing the bill I think I'm limited to what they will cover.
Definitely will be an interesting journey! I already feel my head spinning with all of the information I've been researching and reading on here!
Carol
Most Active
Recent Topics
