surgeon might switch fr/sleeve to DS..????
Hello. I have been pretty dedicated to educating myself with all things gastric sleeve. I am paying for my surgery myself, because my insurance won't cover WLS for me since I don't have any "fat" illnesses. I am going to Tijuana in order to afford the surgery. I have been preparing for this for about four months, but suddenly this week it feels like the surgeon is trying to sway me into getting something other than the sleeve. Since I refuse bypass, the only thing left for me, being that I am 450 pounds, would be the DS. However, I don't know much about it. I just read the info on here about it, and the risks scare me. Also, I am only 25 so being on a hefty vitamin regimen seems so daunting. Also, they are expensive and I am a full time student and mommy and can't really afford vitamins regularly. Looking for experiences, the bad and the good....opinions, everything really on the DS. Thanks.
I am a noob to the DS. I had mine in November, most of the WLS have the same risks and don't believe what you hear about bathroom habits. YMMV but I'm only in there once a day. The first month wasn't fun but I'm stable now. At 450 pounds, DS is probably a good choice. Go to DSFACTS.org (it might be .com) and read. There are vets at the link in my siggy line that can probably give you more info and better advice. The vitamin regimen is daunting but so are the comorbities that you will eventually suffer. Believe me, waiting till I was almost 50 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done.
Also, check out your surgeon at dsfacts. There are some lulu's in Mexico that have less than adequate facilities and lots of infection problems. You want to only have this surgery once, take your time and choose well. Revisions are costly and dangerous.
me
Also, check out your surgeon at dsfacts. There are some lulu's in Mexico that have less than adequate facilities and lots of infection problems. You want to only have this surgery once, take your time and choose well. Revisions are costly and dangerous.
me
Thank you both for the feedback. This is what I was afraid of-the costs of the DS after surgery. I will eventually lose my Medicaid and to be honest I am very poor at this time. I go to school, and am using my loans to afford the surgery. Even if it is the best surgery for super obese ppl such as myself, when I lose my insurance I don't think I could afford the lab appts, vitamins, ect. With the sleeve, there are no labs, or vitamins really needed. I like how powerful the DS seems to be, but being low income and all-it might not work for me sadly. Hoping to convince the surgeon-Dr. Garcia-that the sleeve really is the best choice for me for financial reasons.
On January 8, 2012 at 10:14 AM Pacific Time, Britt_Bearpaw wrote:
Thank you both for the feedback. This is what I was afraid of-the costs of the DS after surgery. I will eventually lose my Medicaid and to be honest I am very poor at this time. I go to school, and am using my loans to afford the surgery. Even if it is the best surgery for super obese ppl such as myself, when I lose my insurance I don't think I could afford the lab appts, vitamins, ect. With the sleeve, there are no labs, or vitamins really needed. I like how powerful the DS seems to be, but being low income and all-it might not work for me sadly. Hoping to convince the surgeon-Dr. Garcia-that the sleeve really is the best choice for me for financial reasons.I don't know what I would give, to have had my DS at your age. Please don't throw this opportunity away.
Lots of issues to consider in your post.
1. At 450 lbs, any wls that doesn't include malabsorption is very unlikely to be sufficient for you. I suspect that's why the surgeon is recommending DS rather than just the sleeve.
2. vitamins - absolutely necessary with the DS, and not just from time to time but every day, for the rest of your life. So yes, there is some expense involved, but it isn't a huge expense if you shop wisely. I get some vitamins from Vitalady, the stuff you can't just get off the shelf, and others from CostCo or local drug stores. This saves some money. Personally, I don't find taking them difficult at all - you develop a plan and just stick to it. Crucial to your health, but not difficult.
3. Choice of surgeon - another crucial decision. The only DS surgeon in Mexico that the veterans here recommend is Dr. Ungson (this is the correct spelling, someone else had an extra letter in there). He has lots of experience with the DS and an excellent reputation. The surgeon you named may have done a DS or 2, I don't know, but certainly not the level of experience of Dr. Ungson, and this is esp important for a larger person. And we have heard some truly awful things about both surgeons and facilities in TJ.
The DS really is your best choice. It has the best statistics of any wls for percentage excess weight loss, maintaining that weight loss, and resolution of almost all comorbidites. Bypass has a failure rate of 30%, maybe even higher for someone with a high bmi, as well as lots of unpleasant side effects - not your best choice. Sleeve has short term results similar to bypass, and longterm results are unknown. And even most surgeons who support the sleeve wouldn't recommend it for someone with a high bmi.
I think, bottom line, you need more info to make a wise decision. Most of the veterans here have moved to a different website (I'll pm you with a link). You should also read up on the DS at dsfacts.com - lots of good info.
You mention that the risks of the DS scare you. Yes, there are risks with any major surgery, but at age 25 and 450 lbs, you should be more scared of what your weight is going to do to you over the coming years. The risks of surgery are more immediate, but the risks of continuing with being SMO are worse.
Larra
1. At 450 lbs, any wls that doesn't include malabsorption is very unlikely to be sufficient for you. I suspect that's why the surgeon is recommending DS rather than just the sleeve.
2. vitamins - absolutely necessary with the DS, and not just from time to time but every day, for the rest of your life. So yes, there is some expense involved, but it isn't a huge expense if you shop wisely. I get some vitamins from Vitalady, the stuff you can't just get off the shelf, and others from CostCo or local drug stores. This saves some money. Personally, I don't find taking them difficult at all - you develop a plan and just stick to it. Crucial to your health, but not difficult.
3. Choice of surgeon - another crucial decision. The only DS surgeon in Mexico that the veterans here recommend is Dr. Ungson (this is the correct spelling, someone else had an extra letter in there). He has lots of experience with the DS and an excellent reputation. The surgeon you named may have done a DS or 2, I don't know, but certainly not the level of experience of Dr. Ungson, and this is esp important for a larger person. And we have heard some truly awful things about both surgeons and facilities in TJ.
The DS really is your best choice. It has the best statistics of any wls for percentage excess weight loss, maintaining that weight loss, and resolution of almost all comorbidites. Bypass has a failure rate of 30%, maybe even higher for someone with a high bmi, as well as lots of unpleasant side effects - not your best choice. Sleeve has short term results similar to bypass, and longterm results are unknown. And even most surgeons who support the sleeve wouldn't recommend it for someone with a high bmi.
I think, bottom line, you need more info to make a wise decision. Most of the veterans here have moved to a different website (I'll pm you with a link). You should also read up on the DS at dsfacts.com - lots of good info.
You mention that the risks of the DS scare you. Yes, there are risks with any major surgery, but at age 25 and 450 lbs, you should be more scared of what your weight is going to do to you over the coming years. The risks of surgery are more immediate, but the risks of continuing with being SMO are worse.
Larra
What all vitamins do you have to take everyday, and is it okay if I ask how much it costs in total per month? So, the DS is like the sleeve mixed with a bypass right? You get the same removal of stomach-the strechy part gone and the gherlin part removed-but then you move around the intestines? Is this right? Are the preop and post op diets for these procedures the same? Is the recovery process longer than the sleeve? I am taking the 6 days off from school to go to Mexico, and was hoping to be one of the lucky few to get back into school a week later. Is that possible with the DS? Thanks for the info!
The more of your posts I read, the more clear it is that you still have some research to do.
No, the DS isn't the sleeve mixed with a bypass. Yes, it includes the sleeve, though usually the sleeve is made a bit bigger with a full DS than with just a sleeve. This is because when they first started doing the sleeve as a stand alone, they saw a lot of weight regain after 4-5 years. With the narrower sleeve, we don't know if the weight regain problem is fixed or, more likely, just postponed. We do know that a really narrow sleeve increases the risk of problems with GERD.
Along with a sleeve, the DS bypasses about half of your small intestine by attaching the lower half or the small intestine to the duodenum. The two resulting channels meet to form the common channel, which is where most of your digestion occurs. In gastric bypass, the small bowel is attached to the stomach, and only a very little bit of the small bowel is bypassed. Very different operation with much different diet, side effects, and results.
recovery - 1 week isn't going to be sufficient no matter what operation you have. This is major surgery with general anesthesia. One week is not realistic, period.
Cost - I don't know of any wls that you can get for $5,500, even in Mexico. If that is truly all you can afford, I would recommend holding off, saving more, and having surgery when you can pay for it (realistically!) and take enough time off from work or school. I hate telling anyone to wait for medical care, but I think once you get there for your "bargain", it won't be such a bargain.
Do you ever watch The People's Court? Judge Milian has a saying in Spanish that translates to something like "the cheap turns out expensive" That's what you have ahead of you.
Larra
No, the DS isn't the sleeve mixed with a bypass. Yes, it includes the sleeve, though usually the sleeve is made a bit bigger with a full DS than with just a sleeve. This is because when they first started doing the sleeve as a stand alone, they saw a lot of weight regain after 4-5 years. With the narrower sleeve, we don't know if the weight regain problem is fixed or, more likely, just postponed. We do know that a really narrow sleeve increases the risk of problems with GERD.
Along with a sleeve, the DS bypasses about half of your small intestine by attaching the lower half or the small intestine to the duodenum. The two resulting channels meet to form the common channel, which is where most of your digestion occurs. In gastric bypass, the small bowel is attached to the stomach, and only a very little bit of the small bowel is bypassed. Very different operation with much different diet, side effects, and results.
recovery - 1 week isn't going to be sufficient no matter what operation you have. This is major surgery with general anesthesia. One week is not realistic, period.
Cost - I don't know of any wls that you can get for $5,500, even in Mexico. If that is truly all you can afford, I would recommend holding off, saving more, and having surgery when you can pay for it (realistically!) and take enough time off from work or school. I hate telling anyone to wait for medical care, but I think once you get there for your "bargain", it won't be such a bargain.
Do you ever watch The People's Court? Judge Milian has a saying in Spanish that translates to something like "the cheap turns out expensive" That's what you have ahead of you.
Larra
You are not ready for a DS. DO. NOT. DO. IT.
The DS is a major, major surgery. You will need medical care and supplements and an expensive high protein diet for the rest of your life. There are some complications for some people. You may very well need periodic iron infusions - how will you pay for them? You will need bone density scans, regular lab work - how will you pay for these?
How will you obtain follow up care once you get back from Mexico?
What happens if you have a complication after surgery? Who takes care of your bills, your child, etc?
DO. NOT. DO. IT.
The DS is a major, major surgery. You will need medical care and supplements and an expensive high protein diet for the rest of your life. There are some complications for some people. You may very well need periodic iron infusions - how will you pay for them? You will need bone density scans, regular lab work - how will you pay for these?
How will you obtain follow up care once you get back from Mexico?
What happens if you have a complication after surgery? Who takes care of your bills, your child, etc?
DO. NOT. DO. IT.
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