Go see Dr. Margaret Inman.  She's at Meridian Surgical Group.  You will have to go to one of her seminars, though.  I went to Dr. Huse at first, but I went in knowing I wanted and *needed* the DS. I told him that, and he referred me to Dr. Inman, who, to my knowledge is the only surgeon in Indiana now, out of approximately 75 in the *world* who can perform the DS.

When I had mine, there were only 50 in the world who could do it.  There was another surgeon in Elkhart, Dr. Stephen Hoekstra, but he passed away.  I was set up with him at first.  The DS is much more complex than the RNY gastric bypass, but has the best results in getting the weight off and keeping it off.  It's also important to think about what medications you currently take, and may have to take after surgery.  RNY's cannot take things like Advil or other NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).  That's a big deal if you suffer chronic pain from arthritis, or like me, from lupus and fibromyalgia pain.

Dr. Inman did my DS, and she's a great surgeon, and  is even  better than most surgeons about nutrition. She does RNY, DS, sleeve, and LapBand. 

Again, if you have a lot of weight to lose, go for the DS.  It took me from a high of 405 to today's weight of 177.  I'm only 17 pounds from goal again.

I say again, because I hit 160, bounced up due to a number of other issues...life and nutritional..going on last year.

If you are not good about following instructions to the letter in terms of vitamins and protein, and really -really- learning about nutrition, then you might  be better off with another surgery.  *Any* weight loss surgery requires commitment on your part to follow the protocol for that particular surgery.  They all have different requirements.  For instance, I can't follow RNY protocol and expect to be healthy *and* stay alive. (Not kidding!)

Dr. Inman is right upstairs from St. Vincent's Bariatric office, and I believe Dr. Huse's office is in the same area. Meridian Surgical Group has a number of surgeons, most of whom do the gastric bypass, but trust me, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, and not be looking at a revision for weight loss a few years down the road, talk to Dr. Inman about the DS.

It saved my life, brought my blood pressure down to normal,(got rid of ALL BP medications, and started on four, initially) got rid of my CPAP for sleep apnea, and it enabled me, for the first time in my life, to eat like a normal person, and not worry about gaining weight.  After all, if I had been a good dieter, I wouldn't have needed weight loss surgery.

As for food protocol 10 years ago, a lot has changed in that area for just about every bariatric surgery there is.  I don't know what it was like back then, but I know even now, it's not regular mashed potatoes.  It's thin, almost soupy mashed potatoes immediately post op, and only about a teaspoon at that!  I could only hold 2.8 oz of food at a time right out of surgery! The DS stomach is designed to stretch, or "mature" over a years time, to hold more food. More is needed to supply the nutrients with this surgery, because it is permanently malabsorptive. I can eat about 8-10 ounces of food at a sitting now, depending on the density.  You will have to take a lot of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. You may even have to continue to use shakes to get enough protein in.  That's not a bad thing for me, because it makes me feel like I'm having a treat every day.  Also, Flintstones or other children's vitamins won't cut it.  I would estimate you would spend about $1200.00 a year on vitamins.  There may be a way to get it covered as a medical necessity, since it will be for the rest of your life, but I haven't found it yet.  I look at it this way- that's probably money I would be spending on unnecessary food.

When it comes time to choose your surgery, you need to be brutally honest with yourself, and take a close look at how and what you eat, and in consultation with your surgeon, determine which surgery would work best for you. 

I had to have my psych evaluation at St. Vincent before submitting to insurance but all the other test for preop were done after I received approval from my insurance. Then after all test were back it took about 2 weeks to get a surgery date.

Dr Inman did my VSG in June, and I am very satisfied. She was very straightforward and to the point. She also left my gallbladder because it didn't look bad once she got in there, even though she was planning on removing it.

Thank you very much for responding. Healthy Indiana plan is for those of us who aren't eligible for Medicaid. Because we are a low income family, I only pay a small fee every month. It goes by my income...

I also have GERD.  I was told that the RNY would cure it, and that might be true, because the pouch that you're left with produces little if any HCl (hydrochloric acid) which breaks down the food we eat. 

I chose the DS because my size was a bigger issue (no pun intended) for me than GERD, and I have no problem taking a PPI for life, just like I have no problem taking supplements for life, or Rx drugs for my autoimmune issues. 

The doctors usually promote the surgery that they perform, so if Dr. Prachand is not a DS surgeon (there are only 75 of them worldwide, to date) then he's going to give you the surgery that he does. 

Losing down to a weight where I could live a more normal life, and not experience regain was more important to me.

You have to make the decision what's more important to you.