?? about the DS surgery??
I think I would be very depressed about getting the sleeve only, when I have in my heart the excitment to get the DS.
I was very very clear with my surgeon that under no cir****tances would I tolerate a two part procedure. I wanted the full DS and if that meant they had to abandon it laprascopically then so be it open me up!!! I knew that I'd strech out my VSG within the year and that without malabsorbtion I'd re-gain. The fact is I know I will regain a portion of my weight in the next two years but I'll never regain ALL of my excess weight and for me that is the biggest gift going.
You have to be a very clear communicator without being aggressive. I'd write out your feelings on the matter and give this to your doctor to go in your file so it is there for all posterity. It also doesn't hurt to go to a vetted DS surgeon who we all know does them often that way there is less chance of a "baiot and don't switch" operation.
ask your surgeon about getting the full DS, if there is any hesitation, find out why, if he/she says that they want you to lose weight with the sleeve first and that is the only reason, head for the nearest exit door. if indeed you have a medical condition that prohibits you from getting a full DS (again a rare situation) that would be know up front. ask questions, if you feel that the surgeon is telling you that most likely you will get a 2 part DS and you don't have any pre-existing medical issues-get a 2nd or 3rd opinion
No, you can't be 100% sure because patient safety is Number One for any surgeon. But you can pick a surgeon with the best possible track record for completing his/her procedures in one shot, and you can be really firm about your opinion of sleeve-only. Don't go to a surgeon who has a specific cut-off time for time on the table.
Those are some ways you can tip the scale in your favor, so to speak.
You need to be sure the surgical consent papers you sign are correct. Mine were not, so I refused to sign them until they were corrected. Still, in pre-op, my surgeon stated to me "So you know that there is a possibility that you'll wake up with just the sleeve, right?" To which I replied "If that happens, I'll be very pissed, and I'll live with it. But you won't be seeing me back for the Switch part." My surgeon's smile dropped, and I woke up with the full DS.
My suspicions are that the medical profession makes more money doing more procedures "unbundled", or during separate visits, under anesthesia multiple times. This is my own pessimistic and suspicious view, based on statements made by a surgeon to me. He said that the sleeve was not approved at that time as a stand alone weight loss procedure by my insurance company, but that he "knew how to get it approved", by saying he was doing the full DS (which they approved), then only being able, medically and surgically, to perform the sleeve.
Nothing in life is 100% sure, except death and taxes. And life is unfair. Expect to wake up with only the sleeve, that way you'll be stoked if you get the full DS.
P.S. I was a "lightweight" and was under for a long time, DS lap.
I. am. not. a. doctor.
HW 250ish SW 219 CW 110 LW 100