Duodenal Switch Patients in MT????

Are there any DS patients here in MT and if so, where did you go to have the DS done at? Please feel free to email me only if you have had the DS done OR if you are scheduled to have the DS done OR if you are considering having the DS done. There is more information about the DS surgery at the following website: (www)duodenalswitch.com Thanks and have a great day! Deb

Hi Deb I live in a small town about 1 1/2 hours west of Missoula. I leave on Monday to fly down to Hermosillo Mexico to have the DS. Husband doesn't have insurance and probably won't for a long while so decided that I would need to self pay. There is a doctor in Idaho as well as one in Nebraska that does the DS - sorry but I don't think there is one actually in MT. good luck dianne k

Dianne, I wish you the best going to Mexico. I haven't heard anything negative about it. I my self am going to pursue Dr Sudan in Omaha, NE. I already sent him an email and hope to hear from him soon. I was approved last year in March and now it is expired. I didn't get it done for lots of personal reasons. Had too much going on in our lives at the time. No matter how much I wanted it and still do, it just wasn't the right time then. You are right, there isn't a DS doctor in MT. Too bad there isn't! Just think of the number of patients that they'd have to do if they were to have another option besides the rny, banding etc. All the best, Deb

You have another really great DS surgeon in Nebraska - Dr. Gary Anthone (sp) He used to practice at UCLA in California and I was considering going to him when I still had insurance ~ and then he moved. He's very experienced - you might want to check him out in the "Bariatric Surgeons" section of OH. Good luck dianne k

True, I tried to get approval with him last year after going to his seminar and was turned to Dr Sudan. Now turn of events, we are going to go to Nashville and have DR Husted do my surgery. My dh finally gave in and said yes today. My dad and step-mom live there so we/i'll have a place to recover till my first postop visit which is usually two weeks. Then we will fly home and from then on I will be earning frequent flyer miles with probably Delta cause they r the ones who fly outta here the most. Or maybe even AmericanAirlines. Will see. Time to let you go and get your rest before you fly out on Monday. } God be with you and bless you. Deb

Hey Deb Discovery Health channel just had a program "Kathy's story" Dr. Husted was the surgeon profiled along with some great info about the DS. I was really surprised - when I turned to it I expected it to be about RNY like usual. I'm sure they will run it again - If you haven't seen it - it's worth checking out. Good luck with your trip south. Hope everything goes well for you. dianne k

I hope everything went ok for you! Please post asap and let us know how you are!

Deb, I can about your post by mistake, but..........I had the ds done in Nebraska (where I live) by Dr. Anthone. I love him.....he was just wonderful. I had it done 11/23/04, have lost almost 80 pounds and have had no problems. Methodost Hospital was nice, Dr. Anthone puts everyone in the ICU overnight and those nurses were wonderful. If you have any questions please e-mail me. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Linda Schafer

We went to his seminar last February & when we got approval for me to have the surgery it was at UNMC and it freaked me out. It meant that I wasn;t gonna have Dr Anthone so I decided not to go forward with it. I knew for certain that Dr Sudan's waiting list is extremenly long and got impatient. Now that we have moved, I don't want to wait another year for Dr Sudan, so I am in the process of getting approval for Dr Kaufman at USC in LA to do mine. Insurance rules!!!!!! Don't get me wrong here, both Docs are great there in NE, I just decided to go where the insurance is not going to be a hassel and where I'm not gonna have to wait any longer than I have to. I've been waiting for three years now cause that is how long I've known about the surgery. I've struggled with my weight for most of my life since I was an adolescent and I'll be 46 on Sunday. So about 30 years. It;s about time I get my life back instead of just existing. Love ya'll, Deb

Well everyone who has TRICARE for insurance, guess what?? They are no longer covering DS. Myself as well as a bunch of others got their denial letters yesterday and I also got a call from my surgeon's office telling me that I got denied. So, I am looking to get a medical loan and go overseas possibly Germany. I already emailed and got a quick and very nice reply back from Prof. R. Weiner in Frankfurt. Now any ideas on where to get the medical loan???? Your help is greatly apprecited. Thanks & Hugs, Deb from Montana