Surgeon shot down my plans!!

Hello Fellow Lightweights!!!

I posted on the DS board to see what info I could get from them about this situation and I want to get opinions from you LW's too.

I had a lapband removed December 2010 and had pretty much decided on a DS. Kind of long story short, I found a surgeon (Jossart) but in the consultation he said he wouldn't do a DS (or RNY) on me (5' 1" 198 lbs and rising) - he wanted to do a sleeve.  Don't want to bash him but he said he was afraid I would end up in his office in seven months at 75 lbs needing a revision.  I think one restrictive failed, I don't think another restrictive only will succeed.

So - I'm looking for imput, I know there are DS'ers on this board also - or anyone actually, please tell me what you think, it is appreciated!!!

Wendy

This is the link to my post on the DS Forum: 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/4437745/Disappointed-by -the-Surgeon/

Welcome! 
 
I responded to you on the DS board too but welcome to the LW board. There are several DS lightweights here and a couple of pre-op LW DSrs as well. I was 36.5BMI and your same height and very close to your weight when I got started. I didn't lose too much, and thanks to Vitalady, I'm much healthier now than I was nutritionally pre-op. 

--gina
  

Please talk to another surgeon. Dr Rabkin or Dr Keshishian perhaps.
 
Ara Keshishian, MD, FASMBS, FACS *
Email: [email protected]

Central Valley Bariatrics
Phone: 818-812-7222
Fax: 818-952-0990

 

Primary Office:
1808 Verdugo Blvd., Suite 413
Glendale, CA 91208

Satellite Office:
Delano Regional Medical Arts Building
1205 Garces Highway, Suite 303
Delano, CA 93215

 

 

John M. Rabkin, MD, FACS *
 

Pacific Laparoscopy
2250 Hayes Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: 415-668-3200 or 1-888-848-8446 toll free
Fax: 415-668-2010
Email: [email protected]
  

 Welcome to the Lightweights board!  I agree with Gina in that you need to seek another opinion.  The two surgeons Gina listed from the DSFacts list have excellent reputations.

AWE...that's sad.  I agree you should get a second opinion.

Welcome to the LW board!  I also went and read your post on the DS board. 

I'm sure one of the other surgeons will do the DS for you.  And DON'T compromise on the type of surgery you want just because a surgeon doesn't do it.  

Welcome to the LW board, Wendy..

I agree, seek another surgeon who does DS revisions. Being a LW does NOT mean you can't be a successful DS'er...several of us here prove that. Some of us tho have longer common channel lengths to compensate for our lower BMI...I went into surgery at 35.2, my cc length is 175. Typically is 100.

Keep posting here and asking questions. We will try and answer what we can.

Liz

 I had VSG and am very happy with it. One big difference between the lapband and sleeve is that the sleeve removes most of the stomach. The part removed produces most of the grehlin, the hunger hormone. I have lost the cravings that never get filled since my surgery. Also, with the sleeve, you do not have to "tinker" with anything, like the lapband. Sort of snip and go and lose. 

That said, you can check with other surgeons, though Dr Jossart has a good reputation. I go to a support group in Santa Rosa and there are several people there who have done their sleeves self-pay with him and are very happy. I considered him several years ago, when I investigated the DS. I got a cancer diagnosis, which trumped WLS, but five years later, I decided the sleeve was best for me and no regrets. We have more choices now and that sometimes makes it harder, but worth investigating all options.

You can PM, if you want, since you might be in the Bay Area. I spent over a year with my decision. I no longer have type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and can move and dress for fun. 

The Santa Rosa group meets the second Saturday each month (today, in fact) from 10-12 at the Luther Burbank Center (I can't call it Wells-Fargo). It's a good group and has helped me immensely. Some friends even come from the East Bay sometimes.

Howdy,

I was given the same general type of advise you were but I held to my guns and fought for the surgery I wanted. I am almost eleven months out and my weight loss is slow and steady.

To ease my PCP's mind about me losing too much weight we set a BMI of 19 as getting too low. We agreed that if I got that low then we would start looking at options to stop the weight loss. I have not lost too much in fact my PCP joked at my last appointment that I could lose another 25 lbs. At this stage I am just letting my body lose what it wants. My health is great and I am already a normal weight. I would still be in a normal weight even if I have a 10 pound bounce back.

Wendy I would get a second opinion. You need to follow your gut to get the surgery that is right for you.

Thank you ALL so much, I've been moving and not able to tell you how much your input means. I'm going to make an Appt with Dr. K as suggested, fortunately he takes my insurance!!

There are other things Dr Jossart said to me that scared the family member I took to the Appt with me so now I have the issue of family support as well. I will certainly be back for more of your experience, again - thank you for your help!!!

Wendy

Wait, he said he wouldn't do a RnY either? But the weight loss is the same as with a sleeve (on average)? That doesn't make sense. (Setting aside the whole "I won't" part of it which I completely disagree with.

I just came from my monthly support group meeting with Dr. Cirangle. This very topic came up because one of the pre-ops was trying to decide between a sleeve or a DS. Dr. C said what he usually says to lightweights ... I don't think you really need the DS because you are a lightweight and should do fine with a sleeve, but, if that's what you want, that's what I'll give you.

Dr. C GETS IT that he's not the one living with the choice and that, in the end, it's a personal decision. That doesn't mean he won't tell you his opinion (and he's very opinionated! LOL) and he might probe you to make sure you understand your decision, but he's not going to lie to you or use scare tactics. Plus, he's got one of the lowest complication rates out there and he does the DS entirely laproscopically.

The thing is, I have seen people lose too much weight with the DS but they are few and far between and, it so happens, not one of them was a lightweight to start with. It's not really the start weight that dictates if you will be one of the rare ones with the "lose too much" complication. It's just one of those things. And it happens with RnY too. Heck, I even know someone with a sleeve who has to be careful to eat enough or she gets too thin. I don't think anyone knows why it happens, but luckily it's rare.