PRE-OPS: THINK TWICE, CUT ONCE -- OR ELSE!!

I was curious and sent an email to Dr. Gilberto Ungson in Mexico (apparantly a very good DS surgeon) and was told that a revision from VSG to DS would be in the area of $10,000.  I don't expect to need it as I think I'm doing really well so far, but it's good to have options. Thought you might like to know. :-)

I'm so with you on doing ALL the research possible!  Originally my doctor suggested the RNY so I had my mind set on it.  After seeing my specialist surgeon, he said I would benefit more from the DS because of my BMI.  I was so shocked that I cried for days.  I was confused and very afraid.  I've made peace with the RNY and now I had to go for a much more complexed procedure. 

Then I started my new research into DS which I didn't know anything of.  This is also how I got onto OH.  I read and read and read for days on end.  There are so many helpful sites on the internet about the DS.  To name only a few:

www.duodenalswitch.com
www.dsfacts.com
www.wlshelp.com/duodenal-switch.html
video.about.com/weightloss/Biliopancreatic-Diversion.htm

It was a saving grace after I got to know more about the DS.  The procedure DEFINITALY was the best option for me personally.  But when I got back to my doctor, they said I might still have the RNY.  I was so disappointed and had to fight like hell to still go through with my DS.  On 5 May I got my wish, the DS...  the BEST decision I've ever made in my life!!!!!!!! 

For everyone there is a tool that best suits them, but yes, PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!  Read as much as you can.  Talk to people who had the procedure and don't just think about the weight loss, think about what will be best for you IN THE LONG RUN.  It's for the rest of your life!!!!!!!!  And my life is getting more perfect for choosing (what I think in my humble opinion is the best option) the DS.

My only regret is that I didn't get the DS earlier in my life!

"THINK TWICE, CUT ONCE -- YOU MAY NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE!"

I LOVE  LOVE LOVE my DS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

"a one-bariatric-surgery-per-lifetime restriction.  Yes, even if a different insurance company paid for your initial surgery, or even if you SELF-PAID for your first surgery."

I have to ask - would a BS restriction like that hold up in court?  If the company didn't pay for the first (or second, as we've also seen) surgery, what business is it of theirs forbidding a person from what would likely be their last WLS?

To me, it doesn't seem much different from a pre-existing condition exclusion, which happens all the time and holds up. It makes NO logical sense to me (if you've been sick before, we're not going to cover that sickness again! How stupid?!), but, thanks to our profit-driven insurance industry, it is what it is...at least for now.

I seem to recall that pre-existing exclusions will supposedly be eliminated with the new health care laws that were passed.  I don't see how this kind of exclusion can stand up, either.

Contractual exclusions of ANY WLS have held up, so I don't see why this exclusion wouldn't.

Whether the new health care law will change it, when it goes into full force in 2014 (?), I have no idea.  They still could exclude it entirely, I think, not as a pre-existing condition, but as a simple contractual exclusion.

I like think twice, cut once (reminds me of my father-master carpenter always said measure twice cut once).  I think the lifetime one bariatric surgery will become more common in the future.  I am also thinking that, in the future the DS will be more difficult to approve since it is the most costly of all surgeries (I am hoping I am dead wrong on this one) It is the most costly for insurance co. but in the long run it is the cheapest, but insurance co know people get insurance get surgery drop the insurance and so they lost 40K as people dont stay on the insurance co so they can reap the benefits. 

I see so many revisions here, almost exclusively people revise to DS (I know one exception) not the other way around.  If you have diabetes, DS is your best cure chance over all wls due to the metabolic changes, which are permanent. (unless you get the intestional bypass reversed)   There are no free rides in life.  The DS has its pros and cons. 

Like Diana said you have to think twice (many more times) before undergoing wls or you may find youself on the revision bench and having to self pay.

Do your research on what is best for you, because you should see it as a lifechoice decision

My husband is also a master carpenter, and that's EXACTLY where I got the phrase from!

Diana and others really helped my DH & me avoid running into a serious problem with the one-surgery insurance issue.

The DS has a both restrictive ("top") portion, which is basically the VSG; and a malabsortive portion ("the bottom") in our intestines.  We were on our way to get our respective DS's with a doctor who up and decided that he wanted to only do the DS in two stages--restrictive/top portion first, then malabsorptive/bottom portion 6 to 12 months later.  

At first, I figured that we were comfortable with him, and that doing it in two stages wouldn't be too bad.  However, what can happen is that insurance companies can deny Part 2 of that surgery.  Since Part 1 is the VSG, the insurance company can say, "wait, you already had a VSG; we're not paying for a DS, too."  Even though the second stage would be Part 2 of a 2-part surgery, they can easily deny you if they decide that your Part 2 is really a revision.

My DH & I changed surgeons, and each had our DS's in one stage.  I am so grateful that we chose the one-step because I had serious complications after my surgery.  I would have never gone back for Part 2, and I likely would have not had the success in weight loss that the DS has afforded me.

Please, carefully research each surgery option, and choose the one that best meets your needs.  Don't be afraid to "stop the train" by cancelling or postponing surgery, until you're absolutely sure you have all the information you need to make the best decision for yourself.

Great post.  Thanks again for paying it forward, Diana!