One bariatric surgery in a lifetime!

I agree with Ms Batt, go outside the US for DS.  It would be about $11K.  I did as well, it can be very safe.  You just have to research and know what you are doing.

I guess I will have to start saving my money for a revision.  I am scared to go out of the country, but I will have to do it.  I really can't live like this any longer.  Tri harder

Mexico is not what the media makes it out to be.  Yeah certain parts are bad but that is true in the U.S.  My parents have been retired their for 5 years and in the area they live it's more safe than where I am.  They can go out at night and walk around I can't even do that here unless I'm with my someone else.  I have visited them and felt really safe.  Also in my 20s I lived in Dominican Republic felt safer there than at home but the media gives this idea that it's not safe.  I promise you in Mexico and in the Dominican Republic they think the same about the US that we think of there as far as safely.    I promise it's not bad in most areas.    The 1 and only reason I didn't have my surgery there is that I was 302 lbs and have Fibromyalgia and I thought that traveling home post op would be very difficult.  Since even traveling preop at that size in a crowded plane was so uncomfortable.  (couldn't fit in the seat or the bathroom on the plane etc.)    I did end up finding a good doctor in the States that I would give an excellent review for but honestly I think for the type of surgery I wanted I would have been in good maybe even better hands in Mexico as their experience with the VSG is more than in the U.S.   Both Dr As have done high numbers of VSGs much more so than the docs in the U.S.  Now I'm not sure about the DS that's something you'll have to research since if you decide to revise into that. 

Believe it or not one of my goals is to feel comfortable again on an airplane.  I'm looking forward to that so that by next year I can comfortably go to Mexico and visit my parents!  :-) 

I am not afraid of Mexico for safety either.  I would trust a doctor who's done thousands of surgeries.  Look what happened to me with an inexperienced surgeon.  I travel there often, but I am concerned about travel after a surgery. I am concerned about infections.  I often get sick when I travel with colds etc.  Infections really attack me probably because I am a diabetic since I was a teenager.  I am still thinking of a way to get this fixed somehow. Tri

Personal attacks include, but are not limited to, name-calling, being hateful, threatening, harassing, insulting, malicious or attacking a member personally rather than challenging a member's views or position in an appropriate and respectful way.  Please keep comments on the subject, not on the person.

thank you so much for asking her not to attack me with the "poor me attitude" and kick me when I was down.  If you knew me you would realize I am a strong woman.  I have used Weigh****chers to try not to gain too much weight.  I can't tell you how difficult it has been without any limitation from my surgery.  To never feel food once it is swallowed is horrible.  For her to judge my mechanical surgical failure and reactive hypoglycemia as something that is possible to "work with" is not reasonable.  I feel so terrible to have no insurance coverage and then to be put down really made me feel horrible all afternoon.  I am no less of a person.   I appreciate the support of the people on this web site.  The failed surgical forum and the revision forum are filled with people in my position.  Many of them don't post on the main forum because they have been bullied off and belittled by people that have had successful surgeries.  They have no right to talk down to us.  We have all been blamed for our obesity throughout our lives.  Never mind our diabetes, PCOS and physical injuries which make it difficult to exercise and keep weight off.  Often we simply trust our surgeons and don't ask the right questions pre op.  We all assume our surgeries will be successful.  Today I learned that I can never have a working surgery and to have someone respond that way was very hurtful.  Thanks for your support.  Tri harder

If the surgeon did a procedure that was different to what you agreed to can you not make him foot the bill for a revision to the originally planned surgery? 

I read what's on your profile, can you somehow use the ulcer to your advantage in this situation?

I would never sue a physician.  He did a RNY which is what I wanted.  However, I didn't realize that all RNYs are different.  Reading posts for 6 years I have heard from people with pouches 1/2 oz. to 4 oz., different stoma sizes and techniques and locations and bypasses from 40 cm to 250 cm.  He didn't tell me what kind of a RNY he was going to do.  His nurse told me he had done 70 wls.  That included tons of lap bands.  I think I was only around his 12th rny.  No one will tell me what number I was.  My RNY gave me no restriction and I never vomited or had dumping syndrum.  My labs are normal to high with only Flinstones vitamins so I have no malabsorption either.  He practiced on me, changed his surgery technique after me, changed his program after me, told me everything was fine and simply told me 20% of surgeries fail after the EGD showed everything wasn't fine.  He did nothing to help me not even the EGD...I had to go to a GI doctor to diagnose my 25cm stoma months after surgery.  As upset as I am with this, I would still never sue a doctor.  I do think he should have fixed me though. 

I think you mean a 2.5 cm stoma, not a 25 cms stoma. 25 cms is about ten inches. 2.5 cms is about an inch---still on the large side, since most are 1.0-1.5 cms.

I am going to answer this in defense of what Lady Heidi posted.  I do not feel in the least she was offensive or rude or personally attacking you.  She made a response of getting away from the poor me attitude and calling it like she sees it.  I do not agree with OH posting what they did and I hope I have the right to say this without being chastised also.  You are not the first nor will be the last to have a bad surgeon.  If this has been going on all these years, why didn't you do something sooner or take up a legal case against him? Sorry but I disagree with you and think you need to go and get the DS out of country.  $11,000 dollars is alot but not compared to what you would pay in the U.S. Take out a loan, ask family members, beg, borrow do what you can.  There are always options, and they may not be what you want them to be, but there are options.  Jane