Surgery in 2 days

Hi, everyone.

I'm new here. I decided to have WLS earlier this year but was undecided on which procedure to have. I went back and forth several times before finally deciding on the DS. My surgery is on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

I'm a little nervous but also excited about the future. I'm looking forward to feeling and looking better. There isn't a lot of info about the DS out there so I am thankful for this site. Any tips about post op surgery would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Congratulations on your decision. In my experience and opinion, most of the doctors performing the surgery are well qualified and dedicated, so if you've done any research and confirmed this to be true, you should have minimal worries beyond allowing yourself time to recover.

Post op prep is not urgent as you won't take vitamins the first 2 weeks, and consume mostly liquids. After that you'll have to work it a little more but nothing urgent.

Congratulations!  Stay hooked in here with us and ask your questions as they pop up. Trust me, you will forget everything you heard before and will need to ask again. Don't know why it works like that but in many cases it does. Good luck!

--gina

Congrats!! Start just concentrating on fluids and walking around. The first couple of weeks are the hardest physically. Just do what you can and then as you move into solid food ask away.

Pete

Glad you found us!

Here's an article about what to expect immediately after surgery.

Hi - I'm lurking on this page as I am interested in DS surgery myself. I can't wait to see how you do yj2cute!!!

I don't qualify for insurance coverage for surgery, my BMI is 35-36-ish, with no comorbidities so I am going to self pay and am looking for a surgeon.  Its so daunting! I have met with a Bariatric Surgeon in Boston and am participating in a medically managed weight loss program currently.  While I AM a candidate for surgery - the Dr I met with doesn't do DS and doesn't do any self pay procedures. Surgery costs are so much more expensive here. I'm looking to go South....as I spend Jan - April in Florida, so I can recover peacefully there and stay out of sight.

I check the Boards to see which surgeons people are using and recommending, but my head is spinning!  

Pugcrazy, Dr. Dennis Smith in Florida does the DS and has an excellent reputation. I don't know whether or not he accepts self-pay patients, but you could ask and find out. I will send more info in a pm.

Larra

I called Dr Smith's office today - how funny! Their website doesn't really refer to DS, although I see on other sites (he used to be in GA and MS, which strikes me as odd? I'm so paranoid, I am aware of a Bariatric surgeon in Florida that frequently has his hospital rights suspended and he moves around a lot!! Ugh!).  I got a quote on Gastric Sleeve from Dr Smith as $18K - total. I'm betting DS will be more since its a more intricate surgery, takes longer, etc.  I was advised to take the Online class on WLS and then submit a form, and someone would follow up with me "within 5 days."

I'd love any info anybody has! I'm thinking DS is the best way to go for me...

I don't recall this Dr. Smith being in MS, just GA, where he was very well established and had a solid reputation. If he was in MS, it must have been more than 10 years ago, as I've been around here all that time and he was in GA all that time til his recent move to Florida. And I don't know which bariatric surgeon in Florida had his hospital rights suspended - there are many bariatric surgeons in Florida, so I think we need to be very careful not to assume anything about any surgeon we mention by name as being that surgeon. Of course you want to be very careful to avoid any surgeon anywhere with a trail of problems, but that isn't Dr. Smith.

I'm sure you're right that the DS would cost more as a self-pay that a VSG. It just makes sense. But you get what you pay for, right?

Larra

Yep - Dr Smith started in Biloxi MS, moved to GA in '99.  No biggie, as like you say, he has a stellar reputation. I am still waiting for a call back from his staff regarding pricing and timeline.  I received a call back from another surgeons office in Flagler/Orlando - Dr Marema, but he doesn't do DS (although it says he does on his website and plays a little movie of the procedure?).  

I'm really going to hold out for the DS as I think it will be the most effective (and livable) procedure FOR ME.  I have an unbelievably slow metabolism and just don't think that solely a "restrictive" procedure will benefit me drastically.  I live in a state of "dieting" now - really low carb, low cal and I just don't lose weight.  I've been participating in a medically managed weight loss program at a major hospital in Boston and my weight stays the same. Two Drs have conducted resting metabolism tests in which I scored very low (duh). Because I eat very healthy and exercise, my blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels are all great. My only issue is osteoarthritis in my knee, started with a fall and then I had surgery - but it limits how much walking I can do, which impacts my weight loss efforts. I need knee replacement and know that I will have a better result if I lose weight...but my insurer doesn't see it that way. I'm ready to get off of this hamster wheel!

I'll let you know when I hear back from Dr Smiths office. Thanks for your help!  Karen (my real name!)