Newbie here, trying to see if my insurance will approve of DS.
Hello all, I have an appointment with Dr. Alfonse Pomp, on September 24th, I was wondering if anyone here has ever met with him? This will only be a consultation, but I am looking forward to showing that I did all my research, and hope to be approved for Duodenal Switch soon. I wish everyone luck, and hope you wish the same for me!
I don't know much about other doctors, but did want to wish you smooth sailing!
August 2014 - DS @ Mexicali Bariatric Center / Ungson.
It took me one and a half years to lose 165 pounds.
Weight: High=314, Goal=155, Current=131
I don't know much about other doctors, but did want to wish you smooth sailing!
Wishing you the BEST luck also.....and I apologize for straying off topic for a second...BUT....I just had to comment on BrandyGalos's Avatar!!!! I LOVE I-gor!! Did you know that yesterday was the 40th anniversary for release of that movie? What a timeless classic. Absolutely brilliant! My Daughter and I watch it over and over, at least every couple months!
Best of luck! Make it clear you want the whole surgery done in one procedure and you want the true DS.
I am pre surgery also, and I have been to FOUR Surgeons in the Houston area so far to "consult with" and everyone of them has the same GD sales pitch. They say they'll do the DS, but will probably have to do it in two stages and wont know until they get in there and see "if they have enough room because you may have a fatty liver" etc. Its called a "Bait and switch"...so BE CAREFULL!! They only want to do the VSG part of it which is quick simple, get their money and run. The DS is more complicated, takes a lot more skill and takes 3-4 more times as long to do, so, they will just flippin LIE to you. THANK GOD for all these vets on here and on some other boards that warned me about it, or I may have fallen for it too!!
Best of luck! Make it clear you want the whole surgery done in one procedure and you want the true DS.
I am pre surgery also, and I have been to FOUR Surgeons in the Houston area so far to "consult with" and everyone of them has the same GD sales pitch. They say they'll do the DS, but will probably have to do it in two stages and wont know until they get in there and see "if they have enough room because you may have a fatty liver" etc. Its called a "Bait and switch"...so BE CAREFULL!! They only want to do the VSG part of it which is quick simple, get their money and run. The DS is more complicated, takes a lot more skill and takes 3-4 more times as long to do, so, they will just flippin LIE to you. THANK GOD for all these vets on here and on some other boards that warned me about it, or I may have fallen for it too!!
I'm not sure this is the true "bait and switch". My surgeon warned me that he just did laproscopic DS and if he didn't have room or couldn't get to
all the areas he needed to he would stop the surgery. It was a standard warning for him. He also had qualifications for me to meet before he would agree
to do the DS in a single operation. I had to lose a certain amount of weight pre-op before he would agree to a single stage operation and not a 2 stage.
You can definitely make having the DS in a single stage an important qualification in your search. Sometimes it is just surgeon skill and experience that
leads them to do the DS in 2 stages. The theory is that you lose some weight with the VSG and then it is easier for them to do the switch part.
I thought the real "bait and switch" were for people that got you into the office under the pretense of DS and then tried to sell you on a different procedure because they actually didn't do the DS. Just the way I view it.
It's always possible to get the surgeon to agree not to do anything else except the full DS. The downside is that you may wake up with nothing done. It all depends on your
understanding of the surgeon and their history with the DS.
Good luck. My DS worked great for me.
Pete
HW 552 CW 198 SW 464 4/15/13 - Lap DS by Dr. Philip Schauer - Cleveland Clinic.
@ Pete....you are 100% correct! I shouldn't just assume the "bait and switch" from what my four limited experiences have been, but, just be aware of it I guess. Hopefully when a get a real DS experienced surgeon, we can reach an accord like you did.....Not to sidetrack this thread, but, @ Pete (or anyone else), why cant they just agree to do the surgery open if they don't have room???? I would rather do that than 2 stage. 2 stage is my biggest fear right now!
You can say you would prefer one open procedure to the 2 stage surgery. Tell the surgeon what you want and what is acceptable to you! Negotiate!
Sometimes this 2 stage thing is the doctor's own assessment of his/her own skill level. If this is the case, find another surgeon. Real DS surgeons like Rabkins, Baltasar, Buchwald have done the DS as one surgery on patients weighing 800 pounds who were really sick as in loaded with comorbs. If you are not in WORSE condition than this, you should be able to get the whole thing done at once. If your surgeon doesn't have the skill to do the procedure, get a new surgeon!
