RNY and adding a Lapband?
I dunno Shirley, but I think you're asking for trouble with the surgeon you have listed; he is not a vetted DS surgeon.
Doing a revision to DS is a difficult operation and takes a highly skilled surgeon to do it safely. I'm a revision from a 1980 gastric bypass / RNY to DS and it took Dr. Rabkin (one of if not the best DS surgeon there is) two surgeries; 8 1/2 and 4 1/2 hours to get me all straightened out. Thankfully not all revisions are as difficult as mine was, but you won't know how tough your case is until the surgeon gets inside.
Here's the list of vetted DS surgeons in the US: www.dsfacts.com/North-American-Duodenal-Switch-Surgeons.html
There are two in TX:
Erik Wilson, MD *
Email: [email protected]
You would be wise to consult with one or both of them before you decide what to do.
Kerry
Doing a revision to DS is a difficult operation and takes a highly skilled surgeon to do it safely. I'm a revision from a 1980 gastric bypass / RNY to DS and it took Dr. Rabkin (one of if not the best DS surgeon there is) two surgeries; 8 1/2 and 4 1/2 hours to get me all straightened out. Thankfully not all revisions are as difficult as mine was, but you won't know how tough your case is until the surgeon gets inside.
Here's the list of vetted DS surgeons in the US: www.dsfacts.com/North-American-Duodenal-Switch-Surgeons.html
There are two in TX:
Erik Wilson, MD *
Email: [email protected]
UT Houston
6700 West Loop South, Ste 500
Bellaire, TX 77401
Phone: 713-892-5500
Fax: 713-871-0071
Daryl A. Stewart, MD *
Weight Loss Specialists of North Texas
Denton Surgical Group
3321 Colorado Blvd.
Denton, TX 76210
Phone: 940-382-9429
You would be wise to consult with one or both of them before you decide what to do.
Kerry
StacysMom
on 3/5/10 6:32 am, edited 3/5/10 10:59 am
on 3/5/10 6:32 am, edited 3/5/10 10:59 am
On March 4, 2010 at 5:23 PM Pacific Time, schitjian wrote:
Well, he is very well trained in DS and has worked on me before, I have a lot of scar tissue and have underlying medical issues, etc.... Anyways, found out today my insuranc Tricare Prime does not cover Biliopancreatic bypass or DS... So, the point is moot now... I am going to have to either get the sleeve or band.
Shirley Well, if he is "well-trained" in the DS, he makes no mention of it on his current website.
Here is the exact quote from his website, where he describes the DS procedure, and he mentions it briefly and doesn't promote it as one of the procedures that he performs:
" In the BPD/DS, bile and pancreatic juices draining into the duodenum are diverted to the terminal ileum by a long Roux-en-Y limb, in addition to gastric partitioning. Excellent weight loss results; however, the procedure is not used widely because of the greater nutritional and metabolic risks. "
I'm no expert, but this definition appears to be describing the OLD, dangerous procedure, not the modern DS with the sleeve stomach. He mentions "gastric partitioning" which is another term for the RNY pouch. So, I'd be very wary about this surgeon. The DS he has his "extensive" experience with may not be the DS that YOU want. There has been a lot of confusion about this - just ask the DS people on their board.
And, it appears to me from the website that he runs what I would call an RNY factory where he does RNYs and lapbands almost exclusively. NOWHERE ON HIS WEBSITE DOES HE MENTION THAT HE PERFORMS THE SLEEVE PROCEDURE. I also watched a recent video on his website where he talks about the types of procedures available and says that he prefers the RNY or lapband and then says that he and and his patient will make the choice from "these two surgeries", as to which one he will perform on them.
I've read several times on OH where people thought they were being give the modern DS with sleeve and found out later that they were given something else entirely. Don't let yourself become one of them. And, don't believe what some doctor tells you. Do your own research so you know what you are getting. Memorize what the diagram of your surgery looks like, and ask the doctor to draw you what he will be giving you.
Also, you've said that your insurance doesn't cover the DS - maybe not the way it was presented to them. A lot of insurance companies think the modern DS is the old school BPD/DS and they don't cover THAT. Go to the DS board and ask them questions. There may be a way to get it covered after all.
Shirley Well, if he is "well-trained" in the DS, he makes no mention of it on his current website.
Here is the exact quote from his website, where he describes the DS procedure, and he mentions it briefly and doesn't promote it as one of the procedures that he performs:
" In the BPD/DS, bile and pancreatic juices draining into the duodenum are diverted to the terminal ileum by a long Roux-en-Y limb, in addition to gastric partitioning. Excellent weight loss results; however, the procedure is not used widely because of the greater nutritional and metabolic risks. "
I'm no expert, but this definition appears to be describing the OLD, dangerous procedure, not the modern DS with the sleeve stomach. He mentions "gastric partitioning" which is another term for the RNY pouch. So, I'd be very wary about this surgeon. The DS he has his "extensive" experience with may not be the DS that YOU want. There has been a lot of confusion about this - just ask the DS people on their board.
And, it appears to me from the website that he runs what I would call an RNY factory where he does RNYs and lapbands almost exclusively. NOWHERE ON HIS WEBSITE DOES HE MENTION THAT HE PERFORMS THE SLEEVE PROCEDURE. I also watched a recent video on his website where he talks about the types of procedures available and says that he prefers the RNY or lapband and then says that he and and his patient will make the choice from "these two surgeries", as to which one he will perform on them.
I've read several times on OH where people thought they were being give the modern DS with sleeve and found out later that they were given something else entirely. Don't let yourself become one of them. And, don't believe what some doctor tells you. Do your own research so you know what you are getting. Memorize what the diagram of your surgery looks like, and ask the doctor to draw you what he will be giving you.
Also, you've said that your insurance doesn't cover the DS - maybe not the way it was presented to them. A lot of insurance companies think the modern DS is the old school BPD/DS and they don't cover THAT. Go to the DS board and ask them questions. There may be a way to get it covered after all.
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