Your DS Doctor & Hospital & Travel Experiences
Hi, my DS friends! Thank you ‘all for giving me help & guidance! I am seeking a LB to DS revision. My current insurance plan will not cover it. I am hoping that one of the 4 insurance company options I will have in October will cover revisions, during my next open enrolment.
I am moving forward in this thought process looking for the best doctor/hospital, that will take insurance. If none of my plan choices will cover a revision in October, then I will cross that bridge when I get to it, and look into self-pay options. Right now I am looking for insurance-pay options.
I have been to http://www.dsfacts.com/ a few times. It is a great resource. I have also looked up doctors through http://www.google.com.
I also value the opinions of my OH friends and other OH members very much. I previously asked for DS surgery referrals close to Arizona, and received the following feedback:
John Husted in Arizona
1 positive comment
2 negative comments
Dr. Stewart in Texas
3 positive comments
Dr Keswhishian in California
2 positive comment
Dr. Simper in Salt Lake
1 positive comment.
If I were to decide solely from this feedback, which I am not solely, then I would probably choose either Dr. Stewart in Texas http://www.weightlosssurgeon.com/about-surgical-weight-loss- dallas-fort-worth or Dr. Keswhishian in California http://www.dssurgery.com/about/profile.php?subnav=0.
I was wondering if you think my thought process of choosing one of these doctors for a LB to DS is sound, or if you think I am making a mistake in how I am moving along with my WLS journey. I value your opinion.
I was also wondering if I could get some personal feedback of your personal experiences from any of you that have interacted with either one of these doctors and/or hospitals; good or bad, either on this thread or PM, whichever makes you more comfortable.
Either way I will have to travel, because I won’t just be able to be picked up after the surgery. Do you know of anything that I may not be thinking of, that you think would be helpful regarding my decision as it pertains to traveling to and from either one of these locations?
Regarding Dr. Husted: There has been at least one DSer who was notified EN ROUTE to the hospital for surgery that it was canceled. That was near the end of his brief stay in Kentucky.
As another member said: "He moves around more than a ****roach with a passport." Excuses were given (not at the immediate time of cancellation, but, later on this board when he was trying to do damage control): It was the hospital's fault, there was a misunderstanding.....
Whatever. He moves around a lot, legitimate reason or no legitimate reason.
I'd find someone who was a bit more settled. Oh, and didn't have pending lawsuits against him.
Hopefully, you'll get the insurance coverage for this, but if not, might I suggest stepping over the border south of you to Dr. Ungson?
All the best,
Nice to see you over on these boards!
Drs. Keshisian and Stewart both have excellent reputations. Dr. K cruises these boards often, and will participate from time to time. He is apparently a very accessible and responsive physician. I'm not sure how far you have to travel, but a lot of people stay at a hotel for a period of time after their surgery. I only had to travel two hours from my surgeon, so I was fortunate and able to go home.
I think, from the description that band to DS revisions have given, that you will find a remarkable difference between lap band life and DS life!
Duodenal Switch 08/09/06 - Dr. Paul Kemmeter, Grand Rapids, Michigan
HW: 282 - 5'4"
SW: 268
GW: 135
CW: 125
Hey, Julie! Thank you for having me. I have always kind of hung out on the main board, so posting twice here is huge for me. Lately I have been venturing out a bit. I received invitations from a few DS'ers to come visit, and I am glad I did.
That's a good idea about booking extra time after the surgery at the hotel. I didn't think of that. It would probably be the safe thing to do. Thank you for the suggestion, and the additional feedback on the doctors.
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for the heads-up. Do you know if the lawsuits are due to surgery mistakes, or are they for other reasons? I guess maybe it doesn't matter.
Let's see, if I have it done in Utah, then I will be "forced" to go through Las Vegas. Decisions, decisions. Just kidding, that's not a factor.
Dr. K is an excellent surgeon as are Dr. Rabkin and Dr. Stewart. He is always accessible by phone and/or e-mail and has a very common sense approach to care. I highly recommend him.
Good luck.
Hi Gail. Thank you for sharing your experience with Dr. K. It’s cool that he will talk to you via phone or email. I probably shouldn’t waste his time at this point, since I don’t have approval yet, right? I hadn’t really thought about Dr. Rabkin. http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/dr-joh n-rabkin/
He has a seminar coming up in my state:
Weight Loss Surgery Sedona, AZ
Friday, May 13th 6p.m. - 8p.m.
Does that mean he will perform the DS in a hospital local to Sedona?