New here and I'm interested in DS

Beckster R.
on 11/25/08 1:14 am - Orange, CA

HI there....I'm Becky, 33yo, married with a 4yo DD. I've been fat my whole life and I'm just plain sick and tired of it. Well I should take that back I did thin out in high school but as soon as that was over I started gaining. I'm currently researching different types of WLS and DS seems to be the one that keeps popping out at me. I was orignally considering Lap-band but now I'm not so sure. Can you guys tell me your experience? Pros and cons? Happy experiences? Regrets?

Oh and where in Orange County, CA can I find a surgeon?

Thank you!
:) Becky

Redhaired
on 11/25/08 1:18 am - Mouseville, FL

DS on 07/13/06

I love my DS -- I have not had one nano second of regret. I am down 140lbs and have no issues with my surgery.

As to surgeons, here are the California sugeons:

Delano and Glendale

* Ara Keshishian, MD, FACS (photo)
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Dawn Keshishian, RN or Michelle Wiggins
Phone: 800-816-6647 (toll-free)
Central Valley Office:
Delano Regional Medical Arts Building
1205 Garces Highway, Suite 303
Delano, CA 93215
Greater Los Angeles Office:
1808 Verdugo Blvd., Suite # 319
Glendale, CA 91208
http://www,dssurgery.com

Los Angeles

Peter Crookes, MD (photo)
Howard Kaufman, MD (photo)
Lelan Sillin, MD (photo)
Contact: Maria Harrison
Phone: 323-442-6219
University of Southern California
1510 San Pablo Street, #514
Los Angeles, CA 90033
http://www.surgery.usc.edu/foregut/bariatric/

San Francisco

* John J. Feng, MD, FACS (photo)
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (650) 685-2959
Fax: (650) 685-6754
Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
Minimally Invasive Surgery for Obesity
Crystal Springs Surgical Associates, A Medical Group, Inc.
450 Sutter Street, Suite 1400
San Francisco, California 94108
http://www.CrystalSurgical.com

* John D. Husted, MD (photo)
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (415) 722-4182
Fax: (484) 727-3692
45 Castro Street, Suite 337
San Francisco, CA 94114
www.johnhustedmd.com

* Gregg Jossart, MD (photo)
E-mail: [email protected]
* Paul T. Cirangle, MD, FACS (photo)
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 415-561-1310
Fax: 415-561-1713
Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco
2100 Webster Street, Suite 518
San Francisco, CA 94115
http://www.lapsf.com

* John M. Rabkin, MD, FACS (photo)
Contact: Barbara Metcalf, RN
Phone: 415-668-3200
Pacific Laparoscopy
2250 Hayes Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94117
http://www.paclap.com

San Mateo

* John J. Feng, MD, FACS (photo)
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (650) 685-2959
Fax: (650) 685-6754
Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
Minimally Invasive Surgery for Obesity
Crystal Springs Surgical Associates, A Medical Group, Inc.
101 South San Mateo Drive, Suite 302
San Mateo, California 94401
http://www.CrystalSurgical.com

Red

(deactivated member)
on 11/25/08 2:05 am - Woodbridge, VA

I know weall know this, but for the OP, Dr. Husted is no longer in CA.

And, from my understanding, if you go to Dr. Crookes, you better really know your stuff and be able to clearly explain why you want the DS. If you go in wishy-washy about it, you won't get very far.

Redhaired
on 11/25/08 2:30 am - Mouseville, FL

DS on 07/13/06

Good catch. I just copied the list from duodenalswitch.com.

Larissa P.
on 11/25/08 1:25 am, edited 11/25/08 1:32 am - Denton, TX

Revision on 07/08/10

I'm still pre-op, but I can tell you, I came to OH looking for RNY.

6 months later (still fighting insurance exclusions) I found the DS and was SOOOO grateful I did before I made a horrible mistake.

Please, check it out closely. DS is by far the superior surgery.

I am going to self-pay the DS in the next few months, and I couldn't be more secure on my decision.

Duodenal Switch hybrid due to complications.

Click! > DS Documents ~ VitaLady.com ~ DSFacts.com ~ OH DS FB

M ..
on 11/25/08 1:31 am

DS on 07/09/09

Hey Becky!! Welcome! Feel free to ask anything you want. We are a friendly but feisty bunch. Good for you for realizing the DS is the platinum standard of WLS!! Here are a few websites to read and gain more understanding about the DS.

www.dsfacts.com
www.duodenalswitch.com

Also read thru the DS forum , there is so much info it makes your head spin!

Hugs,
Maya

P.S. The lapband is no where NEAR as effective as the DS in keeping the weight off. Who wants to "work" their tool? Also read the revision forum and see how many lapbanders are unhappy and are having revision surgery!

Lilypie - (bM9u)

teetee1977
on 11/25/08 1:38 am - Indianapolis, IN

DS on 11/26/08

Welcome!!! Glad to see you are open to learning about all of the surgeries. I had been researching for about 3 years when I first started I was looking in to lapband because it was less invasive but when i went to the seminar I changed my mind to the RNY so I continued to toy around with getting all my stuff done and one day I was reading and came across this page and I have been every since, I actually go in to be switched tomorrow. I made my decision based off the long time affects of the DS and I only wanted to do this once and right. Good luck on your journey of learning but I will put money that the DS will continue to jump out to you.

Tyjauna

Samaro ..
on 11/25/08 1:45 am

Hi Neighbor

There is only one DS surgeon in Southern California and that is Dr. Peter Crookes out of USC University Hospital. Our next choice is further north in Delano (Bakersfield area) and that is Dr. Keshishian.

I'm glad you are looking at your options because weightloss surgery definitely is not a one-size-fits-all thing and not all surgery options are created equal.

In my not so humble opinion there is a definite pecking order of effectiveness and success with the various surgeries and they range from LapBand (least effective) to the DS (most effective). I'm sure one of our other members will come along with the actual statistics but you will find that there is a success rate of approximately 50% excess weight loss with the LapBand and approximately 85% with the DS. So, if you have 100 pounds to lose you can expect to lose about 50 lbs with the Band. I don't know about you, but that scared the crap out of me because I only wanted to do this one time.

There is a group of DSers who meet regularly in and around the So. Cal area and I invite you to join us. We are known as SCADS (So. Cal. Area DSers). There is a monthly support group meeting that meets in Anaheim, near Disneyland, on the first Thursday of each month. I post a reminder about it on this board (as well as others) so keep your eye out for it.

I think you will find that the DSers on this board are overwhelmingly thrilled with their choice of the DS. Please ask any and all questions you may have. There isn't anything we won't talk about around here.