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It is on the calendar ! Monday May 18, 2009 will be my DS/DS Revision with Dr John Maguire.  Never thought I would have the feelings again like I did first time around. I know I am doing the right thing, I am obese and need my surgery done properly.

I will be traveling this time, over 1400 miles to get this done properly. I know some travel farther.  I also will go in April for pre-ops. He wants to do them there due to my medical history and the fact that I am a revision. Interesting, my pre-op testing will include labs etc, which will also be my 6 year post-op labs.  I am anxious to find out what was done wrong the frist time around. Will let you know.

Today has been interesting. We are working on scheduling  the revision. A lot of details to work out as I have to travel. Since I am a revision, Dr Maguire wants to do the pre-op testing in Dayton and due to my medical history and lack of medical knowledge of the DS in south Alabama I will go with what he wants !  I want it all to go smooth without complications and so what has to be done will be done !  More later.. but it is late and I need some sleep ! I was just so happy to put Dr Maguire's name on my profile tonight as it is now official ! 
Ginger <>< 

It finally happened. The phone call came today, just a bit ago ! I
am approved for my DS/DS revision. I have no idea when yet, although I am
guessing after Easter. I have to wait on paper work and scheduling.

I have to say I am shocked. I was really expecting another denial. The
approval came thru on a second level appeal with BCBS of MN for those
insterested. It reinforces that I am still fat, (kind of a rude
eyeopener, but true !) but I want to be healthy. I am not sure what
made them change their minds, and I do not care. I was really down
earlier today as when I was talking with insurance as it did not sound
promising and within an hour I had a call back that it was approved. I
really feel there is surgical error with the first surgeon. Time will
tell what it is !

It will sure be interesting to find out what was done to me ! My BMI
is back to 42.8 ! ICKY ! Not a place I want to be. I am a short 5'
2", and do not need this extra weight ! Will let you know when.. but
just wanted to share that insurance will with the proper info approve
a DS to DS revision.

I am back at those of feelings ! OH MY -I am having surgery ! Those crossroads of mixed, but good feelings (I think). I have waited over  8 months in this process doing everything possible to avoid the revision.  My original surgeon, Dr Clark Warden has a poor records with DS's. Pick your WLS carefully ! Be sure he/she KNOWS what they are doing so you only to go thru this one time ! 

Thanks for letting me rattle.

Got word today that a  peer to peer review is scheduled for next week for sure. Do not know which day it will be. The insurance doc has Dr Maguire's schedule of when he will be in the office and will call around that schedule. Hopefully Dr Maguire will be able to change his mind on the phone. I understand he has been successful in this process in the past ! Hopefully and prayfully  this will be the answer to end  the confusion on why it was not approved yet. My case is pretty complicated with everything that has happened. So time will tell.

I will let you know when I hear something. It is a relief to know it will happen next week, but nerve wrecking all at the same time ! 
Ginger <>< 

Well yesterday late afternoon word arrived the the appeal was "upheld denied".Talk about frustrating. I am obese. BMI 42.8 ! I have jumped thru tons of insurance hoops. I have dieted and to no avail. I have followed protein first, water, vits, etc, EVERYTHING ! I want this weight gone ! I want to feel good like I did when I weighed less !

 I would like to know what it is like to get to goal. 

 I took time yesterday afternoon and put together a summary of the poor history of my original surgeon and got it all emailed off Dr Maguire's office. I had a early contact back from them this a.m. and Dr Maguire is going to try to make direct contact with the doctor at the insurance company who denied the appeal. It would be wonderful if he could make that connection today, but as you know these things usually do not happen that fast ! I am still in the fighting mode, afterall I have more appeals that are possible. They are not going to easily get rid of me ! Will let you know what happens. Gesh...so frustrated ! 
Ginger <>< 

I finished my 6 month doc supervised diet. PHEW ! Now to apply for the revision ! My PCP was WONDERFUL and faxed all the paper work to Dr Maguire's office within 24 hours of my visit !  Also had my psych exam done again.. he was really nice !  

Then, Jennnifer from Dr Maguire's  Office called me today and today they faxed to the insurance company for approval ! Will pray it gets approved quickly and can get on the calendar for mid to late January. My BMI is back to 41.7 ! ICKY !   I am anxious to find out what was done improperly !
Will keep you updated when I know more.

I have been doing the doctor supervised diet for 5 months now ! It is required on our insurance before revision.  I am thankful that life has been busy and time seems to have gone by quickly. Unfortunately, there has not been any weight loss, just a little more gain. Something has to be really wrong to have this instability of my weight. It seems like the weight has finally settled, but I am sure not happy where I am as I am back up to a BMI of about 41.3. I have one more month on this doc supervised diet and then I can apply to inusrance for my revision. I sure pray that it is approved quickly without hassles. Time will tell. I will let you know !

    As of today, I am at that 5 year mark post DS. How the time has flown by ! Hard to believe.    I come with good and bad news. Good news I have lost weight, approximately 112 pounds which has stayed away.  Bad news, I have an unusual amount of regain (about 70 pounds or so depending on the day) , and YES I have followed the rules. The most I lost in this process was 169 pounds at one point approximately 8 months out from surgery.  I was still about 30-35 pounds from normal at that point.  I was pretty comfy there though.    

I have learned that all the people who went to my doctor have had considerable regain.  Some have had revisions, only to learn that their original surgery was not done properly (yup sort of scary to know this)  and it has now been surgically corrected.  They have each explained to me what was found in their situation.
 
Have  I gained enough back to do something about it ? You betcha, I have !    I have gained about 70 pounds back which is way too much.  I knew “some regain” happened…..but I am again obese and this will just will not fly.  I am in the process of jumping thru the hoops for a revision. I KNOW when the DS is done properly by a GOOD/QUALIFIED surgeon the results are better and longer lasting than mine.   I have been extremely disappointed with Dr Warden. I could not recommend him to anyone. If you have specific questions please email… at [email protected] . I will be happy to discuss/share.  

In the meantime, I have consulted with another surgeon who has a stellar reputation.. Dr John Maguire. He spent a lot of time with me. He reviewed my labs, my vitamins (which Dr Warden refused to do) We talked about my regain. We talked about what I know about the other patient’s poor results as well as my poor results. Granted I have lost over 100 pounds and kept it off.. but I am still a GOOD 70 pounds or more overweight now. I do not want to live out my life being obese. He explained how he does his revisions. Of course, they are very individualized depending on each person. He has to get back in there and see what was done first.  Dr Maguire spent more time with me in one office than Dr Warden ever spent with me in the past !     I have checked with insurance and I have to jump thru the 6 month diet hoop, get another psych evaluation and pray they approve me as my BMI is 38 and not 40….but I have a few co-morbidity’s returning so I think it will fly. I am told I have to lose at least one pound a month for insurance to easily approve me.. so I pray I can do this as it seems like the scale just keeps going up, although I did lose 2 pounds the first month.. PHEW !  

   I do feel blessed that last year I was able to go to Brazil and have plastic surgery with Dr Elias Kuster. Thank goodness I did this to get rid of the extra skin. People tell me I do not look obese, but the scale states the fact VERY CLEARLY…. DARN !    I have few clothes that fit at this moment. I have gained evenly top to bottom, so hopefully with the revision I will lose evenly as well.  I had hoped this would have been the summer to really clean out the closet of the odd sizes, but it will not happen. Being I will have a revision I need to keep the clothes I have that are too small as I hope to fit in them once again. I had gotten down to 8’s and 10’s so  I had a taste of it once and I want it again. I am now into sizes (14, 16, a few 18) I flew by these sizes when losing weight and never had bought them… so I have gone to several second hand shops for summer clothes. I am short at 5’3” and so the extra weight is just not a good thing. 

  Many of you maybe thinking…. Gesh… what a bummer… well I am sharing all of this information as I want those who are out there researching about surgery to know this can happen. My lesson… I should of picked a better qualified doctor, with a longer track record than what I did. His initial track record seemed fine, but he had no patient’s more than 1.5 years out at the time of my surgery. I am not beating myself up ….well at least not too bad  . When I had my first DS it was a regional insurance policy, it is NOW a national plan BUT with lots of restrictions.

Dr Maguire’s office does feel my surgery was done improperly, due to history and extensive discussions on my history, along with the many other patient’s who have had regain from Dr Warden.     At this point I have one month on a supervised diet completed and only 5 more months to go ! I pray the time flies by and I lose at least a pound a month ! It will make approval easier ! I can eat pretty normal overall and have normal pre-DS stools, which is why Dr Maguire feels things are not properly done, as it appears that I have very little mal-absorption anymore. My labs are pretty good, although I do take a lot of calcium, but levels are up from previously. I was borderline osteoporotic last fall… will have that rechecked this fall when the time arrives.  

That brings you up to date with me. I still try to skim the boards as I have time, but summertime is really busy and I am trying to stay very active to keep the weight off. It is always great to see the excitement of the new people’s success with the DS. Blessings,
Ginger <><  

7-9-08 Wt 213.5   BMI is back up to 37.8

Wow, 
It has now been over 4 years since I had my WLS.. Hard to believe where the time has gone ! I have done very well with the DS, with no major complications. I had some rebound, which is normal, although not everyone has rebound. It is said that rebound can be 7-15%... and I regained about 25-30 lbs depending on the day. My weight varies like a normal person throughout the month. I have recently completed second round of reconstructive surgery with Dr Elias Kuster and doing very well and happy with my results. No just to get healed and get past the healing stage ! By next summer I will have a body I never thought would be possible. Sorry I am not good about keeping up here.. but I am out living life and loving it. My email if you have questions is [email protected] .  

Best of luck to everyone out there researching. I still believe the DS is the best LONG term WLS that is out there.. I am so happy I never had the RNY. I know some never have problems with it, but I knew I would not live with it ! And because of the DS you do not have to either. 
Blessings, 
Ginger <><

I am finally post-op - Laproscopic Duodenal Switch and I think it would be good to share my experiences with others. down 20 pounds in 2 weeks ! Yeah !

Nov 6th, 2003
I am now 3.5 months post op...surgery was 7-15-03. I have lost 74 pounds total to date. Feeling really good. Adjusting my vitamins to improve my labs. The DS is a wonderful tool ! I am very thankful for the skill of Dr. Clark Warden.

August 2004
I am now over one year since I had my DS with Dr. Clark Warden. What a difference a year can make. I have lost 149 pounds, (596 sticks of butter) ~ 78% of my excess weight. I have lost a total of 98 ¼ inches of fat (2.73 yards of fat). I have been on another one of those plateaus since about the first of the month and I am hoping I will lose again. I have only lost 4 pounds (16 more sticks of butter gone !) in the last month, so it has really slowed down. But even though the weight loss has really slowed I lost 4.25 inches in the last month….I only measure once a month. So I am still making more progress than I had initially thought this month.

Earlier this week I was excited. I was out shopping at Target and they had a rack of Cherokee shorts on sale for $4.00. I thought hmmm, a lot of my shorts on are on the baggy side….so I took a medium and a large to the dressing room and a medium fit ! WOOHOOoooo, me in a medium ? and oh so comfy. Also, I got a couple pair of capri’s in a medium, hey for $8., hard to pass up. Too bad they only had two colors in mediums, but I grabbed them. I am wearing a pair in my photo. The girls are a bit deflated, but I do not care, when I wear a bra they look pretty decent, but for around the house who cares, I just want comfort then. (sorry guys if that is TMI). I found a little black dress at the consignment shop for when we cruise for formal nights, (V-neck with thin shoulder straps and hangs really nice) that is like new from Old Navy and it is a size 14 and fits well, (a few more pounds or inches and it will look even better). As far as gas goes it is not bad most days. I still take a Devrom every morning and it does seem to help me. I know YMMV, but it has worked for me. I do get increased gas when we go out to eat and have different foods, but I enjoy the food and always bring home some for later.

I feel blessed to have learned about the DS and was able to get my insurance to pay for it. I continue to get healthier everyday and feeling good about myself which I have not felt for years. Yes, I am still waiting for my eyes to catch-up with my body, but it is happening slowly. Sorry this got so long, but this brings you up to date.
PW ~ lap ds 7-15-03 ~ down 149 pounds and 98 ¼ inches
78% EWL ~ 5' 3" ~ sw/cw/goal~(healthy) ~ 320/171/???

December 30, 2004
Thought I would check in and let you all know I have lost more weight ! Yahoo ! It is definitely slower, but I do continue to lose . I now weight 157 pounds which makes my BMI 27.8 and only slightly overweight. That means only 16 more pounds to go to be of normal weight. But I feel pretty darn normal now, so even if I do not lose that it will be okay, especially after a tummy tuck !
Having the DS is the one of the top 5 things I have done in mylife. The only different I would do is to of done it sooner than I did. Thanks Dr W !
PW ~ lap DS 7-15-03 ~ down 163 pounds - over half my starting weight is gone forever ! Guess I should measure again...Will report on that next time around.

March 2005
Well I have not updated things here in awhile and I have had some people asking me about my progress. So here it goes.I have lost just about all of my weight. Here are my stats as of this week:
lap ds 7-15-03
down 168 pounds
88.4% EWL ~ dreaming of plastics
5’ 3"
sw/cw/goal
320/152/ ??? ~ think I might be at goal ( I vary 152 to 158 now - depends on the day)
BMI: Pre-op/current
56.7/26.9

I can eat just about anything I want...Sometimes I have gas, but if I get too much it is due to white flour. I can live without white flour ! I still remain focused on protein and a litle carb and whatever else sounds good. Yes, even candy and chocolate and I lost five more pounds since January.My current goal it to save for plastics and get rid of this excess nasty skin that I have. I am 11 pounds from being a normal weight on Dr W BMI chart. If I do not get there before plastics I will after plastics. So time will tell.
Thank You Dr Warden !
Ginger K



Hospital Reviews

(Ocean Springs, MS) - Ocean Springs Hospital
Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Clark Warden M.D.
Dr Warden, Is a very talented Surgeon. He is very laid back and easy to talk to, at least for me he was. I knew I wanted the DS when I went to him and he questioned me and I questioned him a lot. In the end he agreed to do the DS on me. If anyone has questions of a specific nature please feel free to email me and ask. I do not think he has a structured aftercare program, this may of changed when he moved to Covington. I had my DS done when he was still in MS. But I live quite a distance from him and it is better for me to follow-up wth my PCP. I do fax my labs to him after I have them done. He once asked why I took so many. I think he is a little more lax on vitamins than some doctors. I try to let my labs tell me what is right for me. If something drops out of range I increase it until it is in range. Just makes sense to me. He is a very competant surgeon and very caring. He takes his time with you and answers all questions thoroughly. Please note the above is my opinion and my experience...Yours may vary.
Insurer Info:
BCBS of Mn, PPO
BCBS of MN was great to deal with. There were no delays with them. The docs office wanted better wording, but they provided it and that took an extra 2 weeks. So probably about a total of a month for full approval to be able to go to surgery. Of course I talked with them every couple of days and they knew due to my husband's schedule we were working on a tight schedule. They were very understanding.Being persistant definitelyhelped I feel. As far as recommending them, YES YES YES. Very good to deal with.