Requesting opinions about DS surgery with Dr. Ponce De Leon, good or bad
WLS is an exclusion on my husbands' employers insurance, has been for the 15 years we've been married and will continue to be. They just won't cover it. Period. So, I am going to Mexico to have it done. It is a lot more reasonable financially for me to fly into San Diego to have it done. I have looked into several different doctors in Tijuana and I have finally settled on Dr. Ponce De Leon. However, though I know he has been doing bariatric surgeries for 18 years and has performed over 4,000 bariatric procedures and his complication rate is 0.00003%, I can't find anyone who can tell me how many DS's specifically he has done or whether he does the surgery laparoscopically. Can anyone help me out with these questions and/or tell me what their experience has been with him, good or bad?
***Edit*** It was pointed out to me that I made an error that I want to rectify so as not to mislead anyone researching Dr. Ponce De Leon. As of 11/20/13 in a discussion with Dr. Ponce De Leon, I learned that he has done thousands of bariatric procedures an 85 Duodenal Switch procedures. His complication rate at that time, as related to DSs alone was 2-3%. Of that 2-3%, all of the complications were leaks and there were zero deaths.
I deleted my follow up comment as it was something I was told by someone else and I found out later it was completely inaccurate.
Thanks!
I had the switch portion with dr. ponce,pronounced Pon say, in march. I had already had the sleeve stomach for 3 years.
I was pleased with my experience. The hospital is an older facility but scrupulously clean,if the maidls mopped the hall outside my room once,she mopped it a thousand times a day,lol.
Trish was extremely helpful and right there checking on me frequently.
I had a great experience.
Go when is your date?
I stopped losing at 98# lostin spite of being totally and I mean totally on program.i was going to have to have a hernia repair anyway s if I was going to be put to sleep and travel to Mx anyway decided to do the switch part too.
I like the switch part for keeping me on the path. I will have painful gas and diarrhea if I eat simple carbs. The gas is painful enough to wake me from a sound sleep but not just killing me,ya know? And it will be stinky after eating carbs,really stinky.It causes me to think twice and then think again before eating off plan as there will be the gas 6-8 hours later if I do. I has stopped me from eating off plan a few times lately,and that was after 4 onths of learning the ropes with the DS.
If I am on plan. Hve no stinky gas and no diarrhea. In fact,I will be constipated and have to use my bowel programif I am on my plan really well and no carbs are sneaking in.
I would have stayed sleeved only,if I had been able to keep on losing. I have really learned a lot about myself during this journey. I now know I am addicted to sugar/carbs. With the sleeve the best program for me was high protein,low medium fat and low carb. With the DSit is high protein. High fat,low carbs and lots of calories. I actually can't even eat the amount of calories I should be eating.
A person really has to focus in and think hard about the kind of eater they are,and what kind of after eating program is going. T be best for them to keep. Up the restof their life. Tat is really what it amounts to. The DS for sure is helping me with. Maintaining and not gaining even though I wasn't to still lose . Thatmakes me feel like it will always help me maintain ifi stay on program.
GL
As you know I had the DS surgery with Dr. Ponce and am doing very well. I also know of another member that went to him too. Do member search for 096 096 that is her user name, she may have more info for you. I also remember when I was checking on him I found another DS patient he had quite a few years ago. I will try to find his posts again. He has been doing them for quite awhile, I just don't know how many. He had more than one coordinator. I actually had a different coordinator than Trish. Barb.
here is the name of one more. DanColorado do a member search for his name. He had his back in 2010. Seems to be a happy camper from his blog.
here is another one: you can email this one I think it was an old post
On October 23, 2011 at 7:09 AM Pacific Time, jlweb55 wrote:You are looking great. I just had my DS surgery 10/17/2011 with Dr Ponce De Leon and Dr Almanza, Both worked on me On did the stomach and Dr Ponce did the switch. This is my 4th weight loss surgery and I can not believe how easy it was this time. I had it done in the eve of the 17th and came home on the 20th and worked in the home office { I am a realtor in Houston,Tx} most of the day on friday. I even drove and showed a property friday afternoon. Alieve is all I have needed. Not much pain at all. The only thing was the first night home was very loose stools all night , but nothing since. I hope anyone sitting on the fence thinking about having it , don't wait any longer. My only regret is I waited till almost 59 to do it. My diabetes is almost normal and I have not taken any meds since the day after surgery. Good Luck to all and if you would like to ask me any questions about My Doctors, email me at [email protected]Thanks Jiudy
Dr. Ponce is also a Teacher and teaches other doctors, that is why some people list him as second doctor. When I went for my surgery he was teaching another doctor. If you click on the Search button on the OH screen and put in DR. Ponce de Leon and DS. You will see posts that people have posted on him.
