How many surgeries is enough to count as "qualified"

 Hi, I am new to this forum, but have been lurking and reading for about 2 weeks now. Tonight i went to a seminar put on by Dr. Oakley in Idaho. I could tell he is mainly a proponent of RNY, but does lap DS also. My question is how many procedures do you think is enough to count as vetted. I looked at DSfact and he is listed, but tonight he said he has done about 200 open Ds's and about 50 lap if i heard correctly. My impressions were he was a very confident surgeon, but was just wondering if that was alot of procedures or not. and would you feel comfortable with that number? 

i figured about 6k was good so i went to Dr Anthone in Omaha, thats how many ds he has done so far, and since he was willing to do what others deemed to complex to do on me it was a done deal.

 6 k DS surgerys? or all types?  Dr.Oakley has done  around 2k lap RNY.

Walter, is just bragging on his surgeon. :o)  Back when I started out the number 100 used to be used here, but the more the better.  Are you having a lap?

Don't listen to Walter.

I can't answer your question - but I'm planning on using Dr Oakley for my DS in March. I feel confident using him. Good luck in your journey!

 Thanks Mandy, I am planning on having a full on office visit with him soon. There is just so much to this surgery, that i am trying to take it all in and make the best possible choice. Glad to here you have a surgery date and i wish you well.
Rick

Thanks Rick - it is all very overwhelming. It's a huge decision and I feel like chickening out everyday...but I'm really excited too. There is so much information here - I'm learning something new everyday.

I actually don't have a date set yet - I am waiting for my 6 month old to get a bit older before I have the surgery.

The office doesn't want to submit my info to insurance for approval until I'm a little closer to the date I'm ready for. They said we could do it sometime this month.

Good luck to you in your decision making!

Reading about so many people having insurance problems AND having to wait 6 months for insurance purposes before the surgery can even get scheduled, you might want to consider asking for insurance approval earlier than later. I dont know if you wanted to wait 6 months  or 6 years. That said, someone had posted about having the DS with a small child. You won't be able to lift your child for some time, so that should "weigh in" on your decision.   I think this woman found herself lifting too early!

Best wishes!  I think waiting for the DS is the most stressful part of the journey!

I've already gone through the insurance requirements with the office staff. Fortunately my insurance carrier (Anthem - BCBS of CA)does not require me to jump through a lot of hoops. I just need to get a mental health assessment and to submit for approval. From what I've read they are pretty easy to deal with if you meet the qualifications.
I realize the lifting restrictions and I'm planning accordingly.
Thanks for your input and advice!