??on bougi size (Dr Walton)

what is the bougi size Dr Walton use on his VSG partients ?  dose he use stiaches or glue over the staples ? for self patients do they give a sooner surgery date ,and like how long(6wks ,2months )expl   oh what is the cost for the VSG thanks ~Mary~

Dr. Walton uses a 34 bougie.  He did tell me they were considering increasing that size but I don't know how serious he is.  I was self-pay and it was $9,995.  I heard that they were going up on 7/1/08 but I haven't checked on that.  You MIGHT get an earlier surgery date but you have to complete all the pre-op testing and weight loss before you will get a surgery day.  I had my consult o 3/14/08 and had surgery on 5/28/08.  I might have been able to do it a week earlier but no sooner than that.  I had to lose 28 pounds.  I think they might use glue but I can't be certain.  I do know that their complication rate is extraordinarily low! Good luck and ask any questions you might have!

What's a bougi?  Pam

Don't know about the bougi, but do know that they use dermabond to close the incisions on the surface.

A bougie is the metal tube they use to size the new tummy they are creating.  Dr. Walton does NOT suture over the staples.  When I asked him he said there was data that stictching over the staples actually weakened the staple line and made a leak more likely.  He will use glue if he has any suspicions there is a leak.  He will do a dye test while you are in the OR. Your surgery date will depend on how much weight you have to lose, how fast you can lose it, how soon you can get all of your pre-op appts and testing scheduled and completed, and the surgical schedule.  I could have done all of mine and gotten a surgery date in probably 6 weeks.  I chose a later date so I could finish the school year (and I played around with my pre-op weight loss.) It is my understanding that the cost for a self pay VSG is now $12,500. Denise

Dr. Walton told me this morning that they don't use bougi's anymore. However whatever it is he uses now is a size 34.The vsg is $12,500 as of last week. The amount of time it takes to schedule your surgery depends on how quickly you get all your testing done.

I will be coming from ilinois ,can i have my test done with my PCP ?  o I  have to have the test done  in Dr Walton's office?

You need to contact Dr. Walton's office and discuss this with them 405-359-2473 or email him at [email protected] . This way they can give you the correct information.

Just an FYI, most recent reports state that sewing over the stomach staple line is the main cause of VSG strictures. I don't know of any OK VSG surgeons that do that.

Thanks  Shelly  thanks for passing this info