I Got A Date, But I Have A Question Too!

I am so excited...My date is September 27!  The doc tried to talk me out of having the DS at first but I held my ground and finally he agreed!  But what is the difference in having a short common channel and a longer common channel???  He said he was going to give me a shorter common channel.  Is that good or bad?  Do I insist on a longer one?  Please help!  Thank you so much!!!

That's odd that he would try to talk you out of a DS, but then want to do a shorter common channel. But what did he mean by "short"? Did he give you actual potential numbers? the classic DS is 100 cm cc, some surgeons decide based on the length of your small intestine as measured during surgery, some are now going longer. so I have no idea what he meant.
      Incidently, this is a surgeon that I've never heard of. Did you discuss with him his actual experience with the DS, if any?? I worry when I hear of surgeons trying to talk patients out of the DS. Sometimes there is a good reason, but more often it's because they don't really do the DS, or have done it rarely.

Larra

From what I know, the shorter the common channel, the quicker the weight loss, but also more risk of diarrhea (can be severe) and more potential problems with vitamin deficiencies. My CC is 100cm, which I think is average.

I agree with Larra about checking how many DS surgeries he has done. It is a difficult surgery to learn. You don't want to be one of the first for him.
Karen

Check DSFacts.com for experienced surgeons

I'm a Pre-op also but I wanted to stress my concerns over what others are saying.  If I was to come to this board and mention a surgeon who the "pro's" have never heard of I would question everything too.  This is the #1 place to come for information and surgeon stats are traded like baseball cards around here.  If people around here haven't heard of your surgeon please look into his credentials and history. 

As far as the common channel goes, I'll let the post ops take care of that since I don't have a common channel yet :)

I've never heard of this doc. One reason he is resisting the idea is bc he is not experienced with it. Red flag.

Why would he want a shorter cc?? Maybe if you were smo? These are questions you need to ask him. This does not sound up to par.

Just wanted to chime in to add to those who have already cautioned you.  Do your homework!!!  If in the end you need to switch surgeons & it delays your surgery date, it's VERY disappointing, but the risks are just not worth it.  You could have some very potentially severe complications in the hands of someone who does not have a lot of experience in doing the DS OR even wake up with something other than a good old-fashioned DS.

Well, Deanna, I've done a little bit of research for you, research you really should be doing yourself, and it was easy. Right here on OH. Keep in mind that surgeons advertise on OH, and can claim they do any operation they wish to claim. On Dr. Lauter's info page on OH, he says he does, well, every wls presently being done, even the old VBG that hardly anyone is doing anymore because it has such a high failure rate.
     But, if you look at what he says under "clinical experience", the info is much more helpful. He has done lots of gastric bypass (RNY). He has done some lap bands (50). He has done

Well everyone Thank you so much for your replies!!  I really appreciate your advice and will for sure see about his experience with this surgery before I have it done!!! 
I did research him on here and he came highly recommended from some friends of mine too.  So we will see.  Thanks again for all your imput.

Deanna, for some unknown reason, only about half of my post showed up. I don't know why. Bottom line, take a look at his page that details his experience with the different wls. He's done many RNY and doesn't list a single DS. 
     He may be a technically good surgeon, and it's great that your friends like him, but I bet none of them had the Ds with him.
     I think you have a lot of important questions to ask about his experience specifically with the DS, and also about why he discussed a short (and we still don't know what that means) common channel for you. But mostly about his experience, or lack thereof.

Larra