to do or not to do

I am seriously considering this surgery, again. My kids were too little 6 years ago when I first researched it, just before Carni Wilson made it huge. Who is the best doc? best hospital? negatives and positives? from decision to surgery how long did it take, if I start now, can I pull it off by mid summer so I have time to recover before kids go back to school? I have so many questions and don't want an accomplished doc to "sell" me, ya' know...

My advice to you is to of course do your research, and be very wary of any doc or clinic that tries to rush you through the process. My program took almost 6 months total for approval and pre-op appointments. That did include time that I needed for my 12 months of supervised weight loss attempts. What kind of insurance you have is the major factor in how soon you can be approved. I went to U of M Bariatric program, and I would reccommend them 100%. Pre-op care was what was important to me. You wouldn't believe the people we see on this board that are 2 days away from surgery and have no idea what they can eat when they get home. Scary thought. Anyway, I wanted a top rated hospital behind me should anything happen. I know it's not going to close down tomorrow or disband or whatever. Good luck on your journey.....it's a bumpy ride but so worth it, especially if you have kids. Last night I went on bumper cars with my 12 year old. I have never been able to ride things like that, and it was a blast! Brenda

I had my surgery at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, My surgeron was Kevin Krause. The after-care is remarkable, they have support groups. dietcians and therepist, pre and post op checks. Its a wonderful program, my RYN was in 2003 and it took me a year to get in to see Dr Krause. He now has a parnter so its not such a long wait. I wish u all the best. Robin

I had mine done with Dr. Obeid through Hurley in Flint. It is a big journey, but one well worth it. Research it through. Good Luck.

I second the research, research, research to check out all your options. The best docs will be very experienced and you can pay $15 to get a report online that includes any medical malpractice suits, etc. I can't remember where I got mine at but they are pretty easy to find online. I'm a LapBander, and we have Centers of Excellence which is an important distinction because it requires the surgeons and the center to be scrutinized carefully. I'm imagining RNY is the same. Insurance is a big thing. I have insurance that covered WLS 100% with a pre-auth. It took me 2 weeks for the pre-auth and I had my surgery a week later. They did that because of my schedule, but that's how quick it CAN happen if you have that type of insurance. Others have to do 12 months of diet beforehand, have a psych eval, etc. I think you need to go and check out some seminars. Remember - you don't have to do anything! I knew my center was great because they told EVERYTHING - the good, the bad, the ugly, EVERYTHING, and freely admitted that WLS is not for everyone, and I never felt pressured or that I was being "pitched" to. Good luck with your search! I did about 3 months of pretty intense research myself so I know what that's like.

Dear Lexia, I had my surgery at Hurley in flint as well; by Dr Wagner. They are very informative and good. It is a huge decision; but one not to be taken lightly. Good luck with your quest. Know your reason for doing it; and line up your support! I had mine to give myself a much healthier and hopefully longer life. Best Wishes, Judy R

Hi Lexia What insurance do you carry? Some will send you to a certain place to have it done. Mine said I had to go to Henry Ford Hospital Main Campus in Detroit. I researched this surgery for many years. I had consults with 5 surgeons the last time I was considering having it. I never even considered Henry Ford Hospital (main). I am extremely happy that my insurance co. sent me to them. I have been in more than one hospital (actually quite a few) but this was the best hospital I have ever been in. Everyone treats you so good, almost like you are their only patient. They are a center of excellence, and one of the top 20 hospitals in the nation. I highly recommend Henry Ford Hospital (main) Bariatric Center for this surgery. My surgeon was/is Dr. Carlin, but Dr. Genaw is quite skilled himself There are many good surgeons out there. You just have to see which one you like. Most places don't let you see the surgeon until you have attended the 4 hour nurse/nutrition consult. Their phone # is (313) 916-9782 If you're interested give them a call When given the prompts press 2 and talk with Wanda (we call her Sarge, but don't let the name fool you). God bless, Annette

I'm still in the process of being approved. This is what I found most helpful: 1. KNOW what your insurance covers and what the requirements are. This will help you make decisions based on what they expect. 2. Buy "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" - it's an outstanding book that covers every single type of surgery in detail and walks you through the process of making decisions, interviewing doctors, preparing for surgery and post-op, etc. Plus they have some great recipes to share. Great resource with all the info you'll ever need all in one place and written by experts in the field. 3. Research, research, research. Read, read, read. WLS is a lot different than it was 6 years ago. Insurance companies are treating the approval processs drastically different than they did 6 years ago. So go into this new phase with an open mind and start from scratch with all your knowledge. And read as many profiles of other WLS'r as you can get your hands on. Find out the struggles they went through, the hoops they had to jump through for insurance and how they are dealing with their post-op life. Knowledge is power. 4. Document, document, document. If you call the insurance company, write down the person's name and ID number, the time you talked to them and what questions you asked and their answers. If you call your surgeon's office, write down what you talked about, who said what and when. Ask your PCP to give you copies of everything they send to the surgeon's office. Get copies of all your tests/bloodwork/etc. Create a notebook with all this documentation. Nobody will take better care of you than yourself. So don't assume someone else will do the legwork for you. Staying on top of the documentation will make it easier to get what you need. 5. Make friends and accept their support. Find a local support group and join it. Visit this website often and make friends. Find out if your surgeon's office has a support group and attend the meetings. Surround yourself with helpful supportive people. There will be many negative people who wno't understand why you want to take this major step --- so you need to build a strong support system of people who understand. Good luck! Pam

well said Pam !!!!!

Pam, I haven't left the web site since I found it. I couldn't have imagined finding this whole sub culture of wls "survivors", all the connections and you aren't all close geographically speaking, it's really amazing. I'm drawn to all of you, I thought about Allan all day yesterday, wondering how it went, waiting for a post from someone who'd have details... I hope I'll make friends here... and I have very supportive friends outside the wls bulletin board too! Thanks for all the advice, I'm buying the book today! Lexia