I need a Surgeon!
Take a look at the surgeons list on www.dsfacts.com . Then decide how far you're willing to travel.
There are a couple of surgeons who aren't yet on that list who are gaining good feedback, too. But screen anyone not on that list VERY carefully. I don't recall if Dr. Steven Simper in Salt Lake is on the list yet, but he's doing well. Don't go to ANYONE in AZ who says they do the DS. They either have inferior results, are bait-and-don't-switch types (say they do the DS to get you in the door then sell you a RNY), or are sleazeballs who can't stay in one practice and who have legal complaints against them, both civil and medical malpractice.
There are a couple of reasons why more surgeons don't do the DS:
1 and first and foremost: the money. DS takes longer to do than any other procedure and doesn't get reimbursed any better by insurance.
2: the training needed. Almost every good DS surgeon learned the procedure by going and spending time with a surgeon who could teach him/her. This is expensive on both ends, by income lost in the home practice and by what it costs to go elsewhere and do all that stuff.
3: in a few cases, poor results have led a vew surgeons to stop offering the DS. Poor results are virtually ALWAYS due to inadequate patient education, compliance and followup. DSers who don't learn how to care for themselves properly with their food and supplements and lab work eventually get horribly ill. (So do lots of RNYers, but for some reason that doesn't get the bad press that the DS does.)
Do NOT believe any propaganda that says you need less followup and fewer supplements with the RNY than with the DS. With the RNY caloric malabsorption, what little of it there is, goes away within a couple years, but micronutrient absorption stays forever and in many cases gets WORSE with time.
Also, do NOT believe the truly fricking moronic propaganda about the gastric bands being "easier" or "less invasive" and therefore "safer" than other WLS options. That is bull**** Go read on the revisions board and join the failed bands group here if you even have one brain cell considering a band. Those suckers need to be OFF THE MARKET NOW.
There are a couple of surgeons who aren't yet on that list who are gaining good feedback, too. But screen anyone not on that list VERY carefully. I don't recall if Dr. Steven Simper in Salt Lake is on the list yet, but he's doing well. Don't go to ANYONE in AZ who says they do the DS. They either have inferior results, are bait-and-don't-switch types (say they do the DS to get you in the door then sell you a RNY), or are sleazeballs who can't stay in one practice and who have legal complaints against them, both civil and medical malpractice.
There are a couple of reasons why more surgeons don't do the DS:
1 and first and foremost: the money. DS takes longer to do than any other procedure and doesn't get reimbursed any better by insurance.
2: the training needed. Almost every good DS surgeon learned the procedure by going and spending time with a surgeon who could teach him/her. This is expensive on both ends, by income lost in the home practice and by what it costs to go elsewhere and do all that stuff.
3: in a few cases, poor results have led a vew surgeons to stop offering the DS. Poor results are virtually ALWAYS due to inadequate patient education, compliance and followup. DSers who don't learn how to care for themselves properly with their food and supplements and lab work eventually get horribly ill. (So do lots of RNYers, but for some reason that doesn't get the bad press that the DS does.)
Do NOT believe any propaganda that says you need less followup and fewer supplements with the RNY than with the DS. With the RNY caloric malabsorption, what little of it there is, goes away within a couple years, but micronutrient absorption stays forever and in many cases gets WORSE with time.
Also, do NOT believe the truly fricking moronic propaganda about the gastric bands being "easier" or "less invasive" and therefore "safer" than other WLS options. That is bull**** Go read on the revisions board and join the failed bands group here if you even have one brain cell considering a band. Those suckers need to be OFF THE MARKET NOW.
The DS is a more complicated surgery. A surgeon has to take the time ($) and train under another surgeon. The DS can't be learned in a weekend. ($). The DS takes a little longer to perform yet insurance doesn't pay more to the surgeon ($).
So the answer to why it seems like so many surgeons do RNY and not DS is $ and surgical skill.
To find the list of vetted surgeons go to www.DSFacts.com. It is WORTH it to travel if you have to. Most of us had to and some of us traveled across the world. DS surgeon's and their staff are used to working with patients from out of town.
~Becky
So the answer to why it seems like so many surgeons do RNY and not DS is $ and surgical skill.
To find the list of vetted surgeons go to www.DSFacts.com. It is WORTH it to travel if you have to. Most of us had to and some of us traveled across the world. DS surgeon's and their staff are used to working with patients from out of town.
~Becky
NoMore B.
on 6/17/11 4:20 am
on 6/17/11 4:20 am
There aren't any. I think you will either have to travel to CA or Texas for the closest one to you. Many people here traveled for their DS.
The DS is a more complicated surgery, and there are only 50 or so surgeons in the world experienced enough for me to trust them to do it.
As Becky said, www.dsfacts.com has a list of DS surgeons. You need to beware that a physician not qualified to do the DS will try to talk you out of it, so you really need to go to a vetted, qualfied, bonafide DS surgeon
NoMore B.
on 6/17/11 5:36 am
on 6/17/11 5:36 am
I dont want to rain on your parade, but I think you need to look a little harder. I heard tale of malpractice cases against him, DSs that were actually ERNY's, and at least one DS'er here who he gave a 20CM common channel, risking her life and necesitating revision by a qualfied DS surgeon in California.
Also, the fact that he is "featured" on the AZ forum means nothing other than he paid for the advertisement.
I've been here for a few years, and have not heard one single success story from anyone who used him.
People tend to get defensive about their choice of surgeon. We invest a lot of time and emotion in preparing for surgery. I hope that you understand the intent of what I'm telling you and that you do some homework on this guy. It's not too late to change surgeons.
Also, the fact that he is "featured" on the AZ forum means nothing other than he paid for the advertisement.
I've been here for a few years, and have not heard one single success story from anyone who used him.
People tend to get defensive about their choice of surgeon. We invest a lot of time and emotion in preparing for surgery. I hope that you understand the intent of what I'm telling you and that you do some homework on this guy. It's not too late to change surgeons.
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