InterplanetJanet

Very interesting... But, my heart just aches for that little girl and her family.

I am very tempted by the DS. There are some downsides, though. I am worried about malabsoprtion. DSers have to take a LOT of Vitamins for the rest of their lives - like 20-30 pills a day. A big deal for some, not for others. You have to be very very diligent if you get a DS to ensure your proper nutrition. Labs must be drawn regularly that make sure your numbers are good, and adjustments made to Vitamin regimen as needed. WIth the DS, the operation itself is very complicated, so it is very important to go to an experienced surgeon. DSfacts.com has a list of surgeons that are good. Most weight loss surgeons don't do the DS, so travel is needed for many patients to find a good DS surgeon. It's a hard decision, I know. THe numbers for DS are very impressive. Honestly, if you are diabetic, then you should seriously consider the DS because it has a very high cure rate - like 98%. But with the DS comes a lot of responsibility and lifelong diligence to stay healthy. So if the vitamins and frequent blood tests would be a problem, then you are safer doing the sleeve. (Vitamins and blood tests are also important with the sleeve, of course, but not as immediately life or death critical as with the DS). Also, keep in mind that the sleeve is part of the DS. Every DSer has a sleeve stomach - some are just a bit larger than sleeve-only patients, it depends on the surgeon. Some SMO patients have the DS done in two stages, with the sleeve first and the "switch" second. So you could always get the sleeve and then add the switch later if you find you haven't lost enough weight or resolved your diabetes. But doing it as two separate operations has downsides - you tend to not lose quite as much than if you had it all done at once. You have to have a top notch surgeon for what is basically a "revision" surgery. Scar tissue from your first surgery can make it more complicated. Also, if money is a concern, be aware that some insurance companies won't cover a revision surgery. It sounds like you've already made the decision to go with the sleeve. But in case you are still debating, I wanted to add my two cents. Good luck with whatever operation you choose. It's a tough choice - but I'm sure you'll have success no matter what you decide is best for you!

I just met with the surgeon yesterday. I loved the surgeon, but wasn't wild about the bariatric coordinator or the office in general. I guess I wanted to just "talk it out" a bit here to see if my concern are valid or if I'm just not being realisitic in expectations. First, I am likely going to get the sleeve. All of their materials said lap-band and gatric bypass. Like, all the forms I had to sign referred to the band and the RNY. I know the sleeve is a newer procedure, but it really turned me off that they hadn't updated their forms to include all the surgeries they offer. Second, before my appointment they had me call my insurance company and find out what they cover - and fill out of form explaining coverage. I had no problem with this, and I think every patient should take responsibility for knowing what is covered by their insurance plan. I got the name of a rep who said I needed 6 months of diets - and it would have to be documented. I asked her if receipts from a meal delivery diet service would suffice and she said "yes". So I collected receipts and put together this tidy little 6-months of diet "proof" that I thought might work. Well, the coordinator wouldn't even take it and said that I needed to fax that to the insurance company myself. Is that normal? I don't mind doing some legwork, but I thought that the submission would ultimately come from my doctor's office. Now, I really connected with the surgeon and I think he would be great. But, I am not totally sure that this place is the right place for me. There is another surgeon that is a bit closer to me. He has a very active support group (which he attends himself), a great hospital, etc. This could be a "grass is always greener" situation. My husband thinks I should go check out this other place. I feel bad, like I'm jerking around this first surgeon to go to this first appointment and then change my mind about him -- but, really, I don't think he'll be up at night worrying about it. LOL! The monthly support groups for surgeon A are about 1 1/2 hour drive for me. Monthly support groups (acutally happen twice monthly) for surgeon B are 50 minutes away. I guess I just need some help in thinking this all out. Would you be turned off by the forms not being updated to include the sleeve, or is that just being petty and silly? Is it unusal for the patient to need to fax the insurance info in themselves, or is that typical? Thanks for any thoughts, and for reading all this rambling.

Oh, thank you everyone for your generous and understanding responses!! I feel so much better for having read them. I especially appreciate the reassurances and reminders that the office really has no commitment to me so I shouldn't feel bad about "shopping around". This other office (2nd surgeon) has a seminar coming up next weekend. I registered for that online. There more I've thought about my interactions with the bariatric coordinator at the 1st surgeon's office, the more I thought that this is NOT the woman I want to turn to with all my questions and concerns. We just didn't click - and I'm usually the type that likes almost everyone I meet. Plus she made it very clear that I would need to handle insurance myself, faxing stuff over and making calls and whatnot. AND she even started talking about how I can't blame them if I don't lose weight (?? it was a pretty weird random statement ??) and that patients need to understand that they must drink Protein drinks and not blame her if they taste bad or they don't like them. I didn't disagree with what she was saying, but it was the fact that she was bringing up these things out of the blue and rather defensively. It gave met he impression that she'd had a lot of trouble with some patients or something. Again, just a turn off personality-wise. So the more I thought about her, and how her role would be central in my dealings with that office, the more I realized that I really owed it to myself to check out this other surgeon. Thank you all again for taking the time to respond and for being so understanding!!

Thank you very much for your response! I have been thinking and obsessing on this all night. I agree that the office staff is just as important as the surgeon in many ways. I think being active in the support group is going to be a major part of my post-op life - I know I will need and want the support and companionship. It could be a case of "the grass is always greener" or just simply cold feet... but, I think you are right. I should just check out the other surgeon. I think part of my hesitation in checking out the other surgeon is that I feel like I've already started the journey with the other place and like I'd be betraying some imagined loyalty to them. Ridiculous, I know. I think it's part of some sort of low self esteem desire to please others. In truth, I don't think they would care or even notice if I never came back! LOL! I'm just one patient in a sea of hundreds that they work with. I may have to pay out of pocket because i don't know if my insurance would be too pleased with having to pay TWICE for a surgical consult. But that would be money well spent if I can feel more confident in my decision. Thanks for listening to me ramble and think through all of this. I am curious to know what others have experienced with submitting their own insurance and if it's common for paperwork from a surgeon's office to say "gastric bypass and banding" everywhere with no mention of the sleeve. Thanks again.