packet just arrived from dr. kemmitter's office

Even though im a revision and don't have to attend the seminar and already faxed back my signed autho's for them to retrieve my info from my other wls surgery and info from the other bariatric clinic i started this process with i still got a packet from them explaining what there practice is about ,the seminar and the fee's that is due out of pocket. 1 question i do have is do we have to buy there food? in the packet it says we have to buy there food for pre surgery and post op surgery. and the cost of the food is 250.00 am i reading that right? i still have high protein smoothies from the last weight loss clinic i went to so if its a liquid diet type of deal  pre and post op i would like to save them for after the surgery and have no issue buying more for the pre op portion but why are they so expensive?

I don't see how they can make you purchase food or protein powders from them. Stand your ground.

--gina

What they told me was if I bought their pre-surgery food, I didn't have to do the bowel prep pre-op.  It's like the non-refrigerated diet food you can order through the company that Marie Osmond promoted.  Exactly like that food.  Small portions, really good food.  The packets are good, too.  I did their diet by the letter.  I found that I wasn't hungry on it, either.

Yes, the food was $250 when I bought it over 3 years ago.  Good to know the price hasn't gone up.

Have you asked about Kemmeter's other "revision" patients?  I don't think he's ever done one.  I think you are wasting your time and money.  He doesn't do revisions from RNY to DS. 

Dr. Foote did a half-assed "revision" on someone afew years back:  She had to go to another surgeon to fix his mistake.  She had an odor her co-workers complained about.

BE CAREFUL.

I get you had a bad experience with that doctor and his office but again my doctor would be kemmiter as you have no experience with that doctor you really can't speak  about if he does revisions or not...you've also not been a patient there in years based on when u had your surgery and what you've stated previously. Again i will make my own judgements based on my own experiences i appreciate what you are telling me  but your negative review against very many good reviews regarding dr kemmiter makes me feel that i am making the right decision. I am my own advocate and I'm not afraid to speak up if he tells me im his 1st or 5th rny to ds i won't be his 6th..again i will get the facts to how many revisions he's performed and i will be asking to speak to rny to ds patients he's worked on..

Keep us posted as to the information you get from Kemmeter.  I am curious to find out how many RNY-DS revisions he has done and what his stats are.  It would be great to be able to add another great surgeon to the RNY-DS revisions list.  It sounds like you have a good head on you and you are asking the right questions!  Good job!

thanks clpeltz this revison stuff is new to me and i don't believe in playing with my life i will be asking  lots of questions with this dr i meet with when i have my first meeting since it won't be kimmiter i meet with first and definitely will find out the exact number of rny to ds revisions dr kemmiter has done and will make sure i talk to as many of   his former rny to ds patients to get there experiences with dr kemmter be it good or bad i want to know. this is my life and i will not play guinee pig for any  doctor. but from what his office has told me he's being doing this type of rny to ds surgery for years but i will be get as much info as i can before i let anyone slice me up.

Dr. Kemmeter does indeed to a true RnY to DS revision.  You can absolutely TRUST anything this man tells you.

Now, I may understand it, but don't appreciate your defensive attitude towards another person on this thread, that was attempting to provide you information.  How can you trust mine, if your criteria is simply on length of time since someone had their surgery and with whom in the practice?  I am almost 5 years out from my DS, yet I am very well connected to what goes on in that practice and am very often contacted by post-ops to help them with their labs / supplements (just an area I am known to be good in -- emotional support, not so much, that would be another DSer, that is also out further than "your" criteria).

Dr. Kemmeter, at one time, did not do a true RnY to DS revision, but has since changed his professional medical opinion on that -- however, that does NOT mean that it is that straight forward.  He takes each patient's situation / health / guts, etc.. into consideration, and discusses your treatment plan with YOU.  Hopefully, the patient is well educated enough and strong enough (as you apparently are) to advocate for themselves and understand what/why his is recommending what he is and ultimately understand WHAT they have inside of them post-op.

So, as a strong advocate for your health, why are you asking a message board for an answer to something all you would need to do is pick up the phone and inquire of GHP about?  Yes, the food is good.  Yes, it prepares you for surgery -- the intent is to shrink your liver so it isn't in the way of Dr. Kemmeter doing the best he can for you, lap, because a patient for some reason couldn't stick to a simple enough eating plan for two week pre-op.  Oh, and side benefit, no bowel prep.  If that doesn't work for you, talk to them about why.  Frankly, if you are concerned about paying $250 for a month of food, and/or already rebelling against the idea of sticking to a food plan that is what is necessary for YOUR body, well, that is just red flags to me.  The DS isn't for everyone.  You have to be one tough cookie to advocate for your health moving forward with other medical providers, you have to supplement (and it ain't cheap), and you have to eat properly for a DSer.  Now you seem like you can handle that, so I am sure you can handle your pre & post op recommended food.

Tattoobabe, there are some patients who stay in touch with their surgeon's practice for many years post-op, often to pay it forward to others coming down the same path. As you have already learned, the path to a RNY to DS revision is not an easy one.

Both Guate wife and Sheanie are old pros at this stuff. They have provided you with valuable info about Dr. Kemmeter's practice, the pre-op diet, etc. Sheanie's surgeon is part of the same practice, so both of them do know these guys. It sounds like Dr. K wasn't doing RNY to DS revisions before, but is now. His numbers? I have no idea. But you are clearly capable of asking questions and finding out.

I hope you will take the input from both of these women in the spirit in which it was provided, and not get into any message board quarrels with either of them. They are both very knowledgable about the DS. They are both people who may be very valuable to you in the future. So Sheanie wasn't aware Dr. K was doing a real RNY to DS revision these days. Big deal! Things do change, and in this case for the better. They are both people who give generously of their time and knowledge.  It is in your best interest to get on well with both of them.

Larra

Well, thank you, good doctor, for being so much more diplomatic than I EVER am!

I'll bet I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to OH in the past 6 months -- such a shame, really.  I was "called" to this post; it is the first I have ever even seen the new layout!  LOL, my signature is WAY out of date; guess I'll have to figure out how to fix that.  But, I do see my posting has gone through, so maybe I am finally off moderation, for who knows why I was ever on it.  Maybe this is the kick I need to come back around, we'll see.  Paying it forward is my goal & passion, but OH made it so bizarrely difficult -- hopefully that has changed?

I will just add, that I (personally) don't feel that the number of revisions Kemmeter has done is relevant here.  Of course, I usually would take that into consideration with many other surgeons, just not him (or a couple others), given his surgical talent.  He knows what he is doing "in there", and of course, a surgeon never does know what they will find once in there.

As a final note, I am not a shill for Kemmeter.  We have had our differences, and one was what he WAS doing with RnY patients that needed further surgical intervention for bloating back up.  When that was occurring, I made a point to shout it from the roof-tops that one should not go to Kemmeter.  Obviously, he has seen the error of his ways  :-)