Researching VSG vs RNY
Welcome to the Illinois board!
Be sure and check out the duodenal switch procedure, as well. Its results are kick-booty, getting off and keeping off the most weight of any of the 4 main WLS in the long-term (7-10 years out). Plus, if you have Type 2 diabetes, it has a 98.9% cure/remission rate.
Check out the AACE/TOS/ASMBS (Vol. 14 - July/August 2008), on page 10 there is a table of Reported Weight Loss as Percentage of Excess Body Weight after Bariatric Surgery. This is data from the surgeons who actually do all of the available bariatric surgeons. It has data on all 4.
www.aace.com/pub/pdf/guidelines/Bariatric.pdf
For more info on the DS, please visit www.dsfacts.com. In fact, this site has a list of questions you can ask your potential surgeon. While it is a DS list, there are some general questions on the list that may help you:
www.dsfacts.com/Questions-To-Ask-Your-Surgeon.html
Oh, and do not expect Dr. Joyce's office to give any info (especially accurate info) on the DS, as he has not trained to do it (it takes additional training).
Best of luck to you, no matter what you decide.
Nicolle
Be sure and check out the duodenal switch procedure, as well. Its results are kick-booty, getting off and keeping off the most weight of any of the 4 main WLS in the long-term (7-10 years out). Plus, if you have Type 2 diabetes, it has a 98.9% cure/remission rate.
Check out the AACE/TOS/ASMBS (Vol. 14 - July/August 2008), on page 10 there is a table of Reported Weight Loss as Percentage of Excess Body Weight after Bariatric Surgery. This is data from the surgeons who actually do all of the available bariatric surgeons. It has data on all 4.
www.aace.com/pub/pdf/guidelines/Bariatric.pdf
For more info on the DS, please visit www.dsfacts.com. In fact, this site has a list of questions you can ask your potential surgeon. While it is a DS list, there are some general questions on the list that may help you:
www.dsfacts.com/Questions-To-Ask-Your-Surgeon.html
Oh, and do not expect Dr. Joyce's office to give any info (especially accurate info) on the DS, as he has not trained to do it (it takes additional training).
Best of luck to you, no matter what you decide.
Nicolle
I had the kick-butt duodenal switch (DS)!
HW: 344 lbs CW: 150 lbs
Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea GONE!
Yep. I have learned a few things in life, and when something does not make sense, I know to follow the money.
Why would a car dealer who sells Buicks tell people about a BMW that they do not offer? Legally, to get around the "informed consent" issue, they MUST tell you the other surgery exists. No one says they actually have to make it sound like a viable option for patients! They do not have to present data on its effiicacy.
Frankly, the DS does not make a whole lot of financial sense for most docs to offer. They have to leave their business and go and proctor with a DS surgeon for several months. Most docs cannot afford to step away from a lucrative business to do that.
Then, since the DS is a more complex surgery, they cannot offer 4-6 of them a day, like bands, VSGs or even RNYs.
The docs also have to offer better aftercare programs, which can be pricey and time-consuming. A couple of low-level multivitamins and a pat on the head will not cut it for a DS patient who has malabsorption forever. (BTW, I wish more RNY docs had stronger aftercare programs, so their patients would not be seeing so many deficiencies and they could learn about things like reactive hypoglycemia.)
Now that Medicare and lots of insurance companies are paying for the DS, we will probably see more docs learning it. Or even learning how to squeeze more money out of it by only offering it as a staged procedure (VSG stomach first, then the intestinal portion).
I'll get off of my well-worn soapbox now. Thanks for listening.
Nicolle
Why would a car dealer who sells Buicks tell people about a BMW that they do not offer? Legally, to get around the "informed consent" issue, they MUST tell you the other surgery exists. No one says they actually have to make it sound like a viable option for patients! They do not have to present data on its effiicacy.
Frankly, the DS does not make a whole lot of financial sense for most docs to offer. They have to leave their business and go and proctor with a DS surgeon for several months. Most docs cannot afford to step away from a lucrative business to do that.
Then, since the DS is a more complex surgery, they cannot offer 4-6 of them a day, like bands, VSGs or even RNYs.
The docs also have to offer better aftercare programs, which can be pricey and time-consuming. A couple of low-level multivitamins and a pat on the head will not cut it for a DS patient who has malabsorption forever. (BTW, I wish more RNY docs had stronger aftercare programs, so their patients would not be seeing so many deficiencies and they could learn about things like reactive hypoglycemia.)
Now that Medicare and lots of insurance companies are paying for the DS, we will probably see more docs learning it. Or even learning how to squeeze more money out of it by only offering it as a staged procedure (VSG stomach first, then the intestinal portion).
I'll get off of my well-worn soapbox now. Thanks for listening.
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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