DS Advice

I need your help. In a week I go to see my Bariatic doctor and I need to make a decision on what type of surgery I would like, and which Doctor I would like to perform the operation. I live in Ontario and our provincial health plan covers the surgery.We do not have enough surgeons here to perform the operations so I will be able to go to Michigan to have my operation. I've done a lot of soul searching and it looks like DS is the best choice for me. If anyone has had this operation or knows someone who has I would appreciate your advice on the operation and a good doctor in Michigan.

Hi Brian, You will never regret the DS (well ok maybe those first few days post-op aren't the best but heck that goes for ANY surgery). Many from Canada have gone to Dr. Marchesini in Brazil and so just to give you the perspective of some of your other countrymen/women may I suggest you also read and post on his web page and ask your questions. I would strongly urge you to also try to hook up with an after surgery support group close to home. As this surgery is only a tool and not the entire answer. But it is the BEST tool around in my humble opinion. Then I would also like to refer you to Dr. Mustafa Hares in Bloomfield Hills, MI. He was my own first choice for the DS until I learned my insurance would not cover it. That is the only reason I went to Brazil. Certainly don't regret it as Dr. M is wonderful. But so is Dr. Hares. And Dr. Hares office is easy to find especially from the tunnel as it is just a straight shot up Woodward Avenue. It's about 20 miles north of the Detroit River. You can also get there from the bridge by taking some of the expressways but Woodward is the straightest way. Whomever you choose I wish nothing but the best for you. Patt

This is from the DS forum spot on this site. It has changed a little since I first looked it up but it is still close enough to what I saw when I first looked into the surgery options. This is a copy and paste. Duodenal Switch Advantages * The more normal stomach allows for better eating quality * No dumping syndrome because the pylorus is preserved * Minimizes ulcer risk * Very effective for high BMI patients (BMI>55 kg/m2) * The intestinal bypass is partially reversible for those having malabsorptive complications * Laparoscopic approach is offered by some surgeons Duodenal Switch Disadvantages * Greater chance of chronic diarrhea * Significant malabsorption leads to anemia, protein deficiency and metabolic bone disease in up to 5 percent of patients * More foul smelling stools and gas * Carbohydrates can be well absorbed and if eaten in significant quantities lead to inadequate weight loss * This procedure is the most complex surgical weight loss procedure and may yield an unacceptable level of complications in high risk patients (heart failure, sleep apnea) As with any surgery, there can be complications. Complications can include: DVT (blood clot in leg) 0.7% Pulmonary Embolus (blood clot to lung) 0.5% Pneumonia 0.5% Splenectomy 0.9% Gastric leak and fistula 2.0% Duodenal leak 1.5% Distal Roux-en-Y leak 0.25% Postoperative bleeding 0.5% Duodenal stomal obstruction 0.75% Small bowel obstruction 2.0% Death 1.0% Some useful links: * Duodenal Switch Information Zone * Anne Collins * HomanMD * Obesity Law Institute * MedLine Plus * ABC News * Food & Diet * PubMed * The American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) * California Pacific Medical Center