Question:
1. Will the doctor choose what type of surgery will be best for me?

2. Will I still sweat so much. I sweat a lot. I don't prespire, I sweat. All during the summer, my hands and feet sweat all the time, along with other parts.    — [Anonymous] (posted on May 28, 2001)

May 28, 2001
You Choose your surgery!!!you're the one who has to live with your tool. Your doctor should only give you his thoughts on the matter.
   — Debora H.

May 28, 2001
I would think that would be your decision on the type of surgery you have. With me though , I have an HMO and I have to go where the insurance will hopefully pay as I cannot afford to pay myself. On the second part of your question, I don't know what will happen to you after the surgery, but, I know that when I have lost a significant amount of weight in the past I have gone from always being hot and sweaty to being constantly cold. I've heard in the past that our bodies are conditioned to all that fat insulation. When we go the other direction and we become more or less thinned skinned our bodies can't handle it very well and we end up always being cold. Wish I could explain it better but I'm not a doctor. Hope this helps some. Good luck
   — Claudette G.

May 28, 2001
I'm with the others. YOU choose what surgery to have. Approach those of us who are living with the surgeries that interest you and ASK questions. Most of us are willing to answer what life is like after (7) years with my (distal RNY). Part 2, probably not. Once your sleep apnea is under control and you are not gaining any more and you are properly ventilated (lungs working all the time), you will cool off some. Once the weight loss REALLY gets rolling, you get to wear all the sweaters & sweatshirts & cute coats you have been missing for years! LOL!
   — vitalady

May 28, 2001
I think it is a huge mistake to go to a surgeon and have an inflexible idea of what kind of surgery you must have. Sometimes the thing we want isn't what is best for us. Listen to the reasons that your doctor may have for one procedure over another. He/she has a lot of experience to go on. That said, if you're told to have one kind of surgery because that is the only kind your surgeon can do, there are other surgeons. You can shop around. BTW, the previous post implied 8 hours for lap surgery? Maybe I read that wrong. Mine was 1 hr, 15 min.
   — blank first name B.

May 29, 2001
I think it's important for you to choose which surgery is best as you have to live with the program. I thought I knew until a week after I saw my surgeon He called me and told me he thought the BPD/DS was best for me and why. Then, he had me do the research and let me make an informed decision. My 1st surgeon only did the 1 kind of surgery so that's what I thought was best. If you are able,and unsure I would see a surgeon if possible who did the different varities of the surgery. My open BPD/DS lasted 7 hrs,I have a friend who had LAP BPD/DS with the same surgeon just a few days earlier and hers was 7 hrs. It would have been about 6 but there was a problem with the staples going bad in the middle of surgery. I would encourage you to research all the surgeries you think are best for you. Then, sit with the surgeon and decide. However, another consideration is what will the ins. co., pay for if you're not self paying. This may make the decision for you. Some ins. co., will only pay for 1 kind. I have Aetna and they don't pay for the BPD/DS per my contract but my surgeon got them to cover it since he felt medically I couldn't have the RNY. Best wishes
   — Linda M.