Three LWs Having Surgery this Week

Hi guys,
Please stop by these lovely LWs' surgery support pages and give them a proper LW send off. Swinging lizards for all you guys! Good luck!

--gina


"marriedmom", Barb  http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php? N=P1265727781

"Barb T.", Barb  http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php? N=T1282304359

"jenncore", Jenn  http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php? N=S1190500464

5 dizzy cats here. Miss Izzy is not at all happy with me right now!!!!!!!!

One of these days someone is going to demand pictures of these dizzy cats. lol

www.youtube.com/watch


No cats were hurt in the preperation of this video.

Gina-
I am seriously looking into the DS instead of RNY. I am 5'8 and 218 lbs, so I have about 80 lbs to loose. Do you think I would qualify for the DS? I have heard people have better/longer weight loss results but there could be more complications bc its a much harder surgery.Ive read that you can eat more normal meals but the carbs and sugar are absorbed 100% and other foods are not...which is great bc carbs are evil :-) haha  I have a consulatation next Friday and was wondering if you could let me know how its worked for you.

-Drew

Hi Drew. I'm loving my DS so far. No complications at all and I lost right at 80 pounds, which was mid-normal BMI range. You'll want to talk to a DS surgeon and you can find those around the world on www.dsfacts.com . I don't recognize your surgeon as a DS surgeon but maybe he's new to the scene. You really have to watch for "bait and don't switch" surgeons. They'll tell you they do the DS and then try to talk you into one of the other surgeries or just get you in the operating room and give you something else claiming you had too many adhesions or something. The issue with lightweights is that they need to have a couple or more documented comorbidities to qualify-- the DS especially. Insurance companies don't like to pay for it and some surgeons don't want to do it because there isn't as much profit in doing it for them.

Where do you live and are you willing to travel for the DS? Are you self pay or going through insurance?

--gina

Hi Gina, Sorry I didnt get back to you sooner..Im new to the site and didnt know how to find if someone wrote you back :-)
I live in the Netherlands but amd form Phoenix. I wanted to get the procedure somewhere here in EU, as I dont know when exactly I will go back to the States, and I wanted to be close to the dr, with out having to fly if there were any complications. Thank you for that site info. I have called many of them that are close and went to a few appointments...but they are all saying that they do it in 2 procedures...ehh I dont know if I cna go thru 2 surgeryies for it. I have no comorbidities- nothing at all..and I will be self pay. EU is a little easier that the states..since I wont qualify normally  for the insurance to cover it, I have to pay out of pocket..but in Europe, if you have the cash you can get a surgery like this with almost no questions...kinds weird..that it would be much harder. I am afraid of the bait and switch thing... nothing would be worse :-( I will continue my search and thank you again for your reply :-)

The surgeon below is the one we hear about most on the DS board. You might want to give him a call and please let me know if he's preaching a 2-part DS. Thanks and good luck!

--gina


Dr. Aniceto Baltasar *
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +34 96 533 25 36 (winter) and +34 654 06 40 93 (summer)
Fax: +34 96 533 25 36 and +34 96 533 04 00

Dr. Baltasar, Clinica
Sanitorio San Jorge
Oliver, 55
Alcoy 03803
Alicante
Spain
Phone: +34 96 533 0400

Alcoy Hospital:
Hospital "Virgen de los Lirios"
Caramanchel s/n
03803 Alcoy
Alicante
Spain
Phone: 34 96 553 7400

Patient Support Web Site: Body By Baltasar

Gina, I called Dr. Baltasar today on his cell phone- which was suprising. He said that he does a lot of the DS surgeries, but wouldnt do it on me bc my BMI is only 33.5 and the risks are too great. He REALLY pushed the sleeve on me, saying it had almost no complications and hwo wonderful it is... Im sure it is a good surgery, I jsut have my HEART SET on the DS. Do I didnt ask him about the one stage -2 stage thing after he said he didnt feel it was right for me :-(  HE was a super nice guy tho..and really took his time with me.. even tho it sounded like he was at home. :-)

Well, darn!  I wonder if he would be open to a long common channel DS? Something in the neighborhood of 150 to 200cm instead of 100cm. Do you have high blood sugar or any other comorbidities to help make your case?

--g