Surgeon Chosen - Date Set - Now Comes the Waiting...

Dawn,

Please, please, please, I beg you listen carefully to what the vets are telling you and cancel your surgery date with Dr. Verboneen immediately. This is your life at stake! If finances are an issue, it's worth it to delay the procedure until you can afford to get in to see one of the vetted surgeons. See if you can work out some kind of payment arrangement with one of them. It's not worth it to save a few bucks and lose your life. My surgery date is also Sept. 6 and I'd like to see both of us come out of this alive. I'm not nearly as worried about that in my case because I trust my surgeon, Dr. Buchwald, one of the vets, with my life. I know he has the experience to handle my complicated revision. But Dr. Verboneen, no matter what he may tell you, is not one of those time tested surgeons capable of performing the DS, or a revision to the DS, and there's a reason for that. Listen to the vets on this site. They're not trying to be mean. They're trying to save your life. Really! I know how it feels to be so desperate for a change that you're willing to do almost anything to get this operation and get your life back on track. But with this procedure, my concern is if you go with your current surgeon, you won't have a life to get back on track. Please learn from the example of what happened to Stephanie from Arizona. She was warned ahead of times by the vets here and unfortunately her desperation to have the DS led to a tragic outcome. I can imagine how desperately you want this surgery, but please wait until you can have it with one of the trusted, vetted surgeons. I care about you and obviously a lot of others on this site do as well or they wouldn't be trying so furiously to sway your decision to wait to have your DS with a vetted surgeon. Please reconsider your decision. I want to hear about your post op success on this site years from now. I don't want to read about you becoming another statistic.

Warmest wishes,

Lisa

 Dawn you need to go back and re-read your own words.....these are your words. Keep reading them over and over!

"Thanks everyone...You have helped me solidfy what was already in my mind.  I'm going to save up and go to Dr. Ungson.  In the meantime I'm going to commit to all the things I was going to do after my DS.  I promised myself that once I got the DS I would eat better, exercise more, and take care of myself.  There's no reason why I can't do all those things while saving up the money to have this done correctly...I'll be that much healthier and maybe I can get my band to work with me (oh how I hate my band...LOL).

The signs have been coming in strong and steady this evening.  We received a call about 15 minutes ago that my father-in-law was admitted to the hospital so going to have surgery now wouldn't be an option with any doctor as I want to be here for my husband.  It definitely pays to listen to your heart and those who have more experience!

Thanks again,"
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4438433/Thoughts-on-sur geon-that-has-worked-with-Dr-Ungson/#36693072

Dawn,

PLEASE reconsider.  The experienced DSers are giving of themselves and their knowledge to so many seeking the DS, THEY ARE concerned and they worry.  How many times are Ms. Cal Culator, Diana, Elizabeth, Nicole, Guate Wife and the other DSers going to have to REPEAT themselves for those seeking the DS that you want a VETTED, EXPERIENCED surgeon.

I've followed the DS board for a while, my heart is hurting for Stephanie's family and friends and I don't want to read that someone else is going to take their changes for a few thousand dollars going to someone that tells them BS.  Do you really want to take a CHANCE with your life? 

Again, PLEASE reconsider and listen.......you have ONE life, why take a gamble that you may survive do you not care if you survive?    Come on, you are worth more than this gamble.  Ugh, I want to be blocked too I don't want to hear another DSer passed away because of an ignorant decision.

hmm...even his profile here on OH doesn'tlist the DS as a procedure he performs:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/dr-ser gio-verboonen/#profile_procedures

And these surgeon profiles are notorious for being erroneously broad/inclusive.

This other site he's affiliated with also does not discuss the DS:
http://obgtj.com/otherobesityprocedures.html

And a quick Google of "verboonen" and "duodenal" resulted in exactly ZERO stories of anyone who has had him as a DS surgeon (let alone DS revision, which is more complex).

Gosh, he should also really update his own official website since he told you he's performed more than 14,000 bariatric procedures, while his website says he's performed "almost 10,000 laparoscopic procedures" (not specifically bariatric). Or, if those numbers are correct, I would be curious as to why so many are done open as opposed to laparoscopically...
http://www.drsergioverboonen.com/

Why risk your life?

Please do NOT be in a rush. You need to be certain and confident in your surgeon. This is not a decision to just call and schedule with any blow joe that SAYS they can do it. THEY CAN NOT.

Picking a surgeon should have nothing to do with "feeling comfortable" and "soul searching."   This isn't a friend or a romantic partner.  This is someone who has to cut you open and perform a very technical and difficult operation that might kill you in the best of cir****tances.  This kind of criteria, which I have heard before, makes about as much sense as choosing to airline pilot based on some intangible personal connection.  His public announcements may make you feel all warm and fuzzy, but if he can't fly the plane from point A to point B without crashing in the middle, what's the point?

I swear some people put more analytical thought into buying a refrigerator than choosing a surgeon.

Dawn, please don't do this!  I am nine days out, and let me tell you that you want someone who knows and cares about what they're doing.  The recovery process is rough at it's best, but you add complications such as being butchered to the aspect, OMGosh!

What's your life worth to you?

Unfortunately, I had to delete this post due to privacy concerns.

Everyone is giving you wonderful advice. I have not had my DS yet but if this advice were givin to me I know without a doubt what I would do! Remember these are the vets, the ones who spend the time to do the research and gather the facts.........

Good Luck!