How did YOU pick the DS?

[bearmom]

Jan 4, 2012 0:12:03 GMT -5 bb212 said:

Jan 4, 2012 0:03:18 GMT -5 bearmom said:

She looked at this, then told me if I'd actually done everything on the sheet from the gym, my metabolism would be reset by now. Um, I only took her 2 years worth, but had been doing that for much, much longer.

Then, if that weren't bad enough, I read her follow up notes about the visit afterward, which said I was in denial about my eating, and brought in a list of what I "wanted her to think I was eating" and that I was actually eating the likes of chicken pot pies(!!!!), and wanted a magic bullet to avoid eating right and exercising. I went to her as a last ditch effort to figure out what was wrong, and there aren't even words to say how hopeless I felt after reading that.

OMG!!! *hugs* I went through the SAME crap with a bunch of docs who would just blame the patient by default! It makes me soooo mad! How many more (thousands? hundreds of thousands) have been through the exact same thing? If doctors kept their hypocratic oath instead of blaming the patient to pass the buck, this obesity mystery would have been solved long ago! I'm going to be one of the many wagging my finger at doctors in shame when - years from now- someone actually figures this disease out and proves them all wrong!

You know, I've been waiting for that. I fired that doctor, and unfortunately now see her in social situations, and can't even speak to her. She's baffled why I won't acknowledge her. I have every intention of telling her why, but would prefer to do it without 50 bystanders, or her kids. Maybe it's just as well, since I still get so mad even thinking about it, I'd probably end up yelling in such a high pitched shriek that no one would be able to understand me, lol.

I also quit that health care provider specifically over that. Even after years, I'm still pissed about it.

[bb212]

Jan 4, 2012 0:31:38 GMT -5 bearmom said:

You know, I've been waiting for that. I fired that doctor, and unfortunately now see her in social situations, and can't even speak to her. She's baffled why I won't acknowledge her. I have every intention of telling her why, but would prefer to do it without 50 bystanders, or her kids. Maybe it's just as well, since I still get so mad even thinking about it, I'd probably end up yelling in such a high pitched shriek that no one would be able to understand me, lol.

I also quit that health care provider specifically over that. Even after years, I'm still pissed about it.

Kudos to you for being able to be in the same room with that doctor without ripping her liver out and eating it as she watches while bleeding to death! I'd probably have to call in a few favors to hide a body It is so frustrating to be sabotaged and stabbed in the back by medical professionals who take an oath to do everything within their power to help you heal!

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not", nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

[aronsmom]

MsBatt was the first person to introduce the idea of revising my band to DS. Soon after that I started to read medical studies, DSfacts.org, and chatted up Diana Cox for some insurance advice.

I am now waiting for my insurance to review my appeal for lap band removal.

After much soul searching, I've decided that it is going to be DS or nothing. I'm gathering all of my documents and published medical papers that support DS in order to encourge my insurance to approve the DS.

[Happy DSr]

an amazing, smart lady - my primary care physician - suggested I consider weight loss surgery. When I was ready to talk about it, she gave me some medical literature on the DS (medical journal articles) and advised that this was the surgery I should pursue.

I started my research and everything lined up perfectly with my personal situation. I couldn't imagine having the other surgeries. I do have to admit that prior to that discussion with my PCP, my general uninformed opinion was that lap band was a simple, effective solution, this based solely on a casual read of a couple of magazine adverts

my amazing doctor continues to provide me with great support for labs and followup. I am so thankful to have her on my health team

[yorkie]

HI Guys, great post!
I started with a crapband at 280lbs as my family were so against anything invasive. My Surgeon in the Uk is one of Europes best and did the RNY and DS too! Anyway I lost 100lbs with the crapband, exercising like a maniac to make it a success, throwing up food, no quality of life, on a permanent diet, you've all heard this before right?lol

Anyway, I got to the point where I started eating rubbish that WOULD stay down, ice cream, chips, candy, mashed potatoes blah blah and started to regain all the way back up to 220. I had a friend in the same position and we did some research online and decided to have a revision. We attended a support group anyway and had always been dismayed at the stories of the RNY'ers about dumping and the permanent diet mentality - I was so not up for that!
I spoke to the surgeon about the Ds and he explained what it would mean in practical terms but he was reluctant to perform it on me as he felt I should persevere with my band!! I contacted Dr Baltasar in Spain and travelled from central Florida to a little town in Spain and he performed my surgery. I had post operative complication straight away, a leak, a collapsed lung, infection, and I was in the general hospital in Spain for 3 weeks. Then I had further leak related complications 7 months later and had 2 further surgeries here in the US and UK.
After all that I have manitained my weight at just under 140lbs at 5ft 6, I am a size 4-6 and am active and in good shape (give or take a battle with pesky 8lbs up and down from my happy weight). I am planning on brachioplasty in the next few months.

My DS was the most difficult and painful experience of my life but ultimately it has given me an incredible sense of peace and confidence I had only dreamed of as a pre op. I wish everyone well who is on this journey and know that, however difficult this process gets, it IS worth it!

Yorkie xx

[Deleted]

I had a stomach stapling procedure done in the '80's. I didn't research at all ( no internet, lived in the sticks), I just saw the ad on TV and called, flew to Phoenix and had it done. There was zero aftercare, not that I think it would have made a difference in the long run. I lost a LOT of hair and a little bit of weight. I never considered another weight loss surgery until I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.

I started looking at WLS and all I found was RNY and Lap Band. I KNEW the lapband wouldn't work, I already had one made from staples. I looked at RNY and KNEW I would fail. There was no way I was going to be able to lose weight on that diet, hell I couldn't lose any on an 800 calorie a day diet. Plus, just looking at what they did to your insides made me think....uh NO!

When I got to OH, I found out about the DS, thanks to a few vets there! I started reading and researching the DS and thought, THIS is something I can live with and it is a 98% CURE for Type II. Bingo!

My insurance would have covered the RNY 100% right down the street from my house but I was so convinced about the DS that I robbed my retirement, flew to Brazil and self paid for the surgery. The rest is history.

I am another one that would have this surgery once a year if that's what it took. One of the best decisions of my life and I doubt that I would be here telling this story had I not gotten the DS.

[happycatbert]

1 - Made the decision to pursue WLS. Knew very little at this point. Called a few doctors, contemplated RNY, then had a "less invasive" moment and started down the path of Lap Band.

2 - Went to initial Lap Band consult and horrifying introductory meeting. No sign of the surgeon. Ill informed nurses (I had already started to research at this point). Was completely turned off.

3 - At the same time, read a profile on OH (Amanda - DS) regarding her surgery and realized her surgeon was in my backyard. She is a doctor herself, which I found comforting. Read everything I could about DS. Learned from Diana, Melissa Mermaid, Amanda - found this to make such sense to me.

4 - Had a consult with Dr. Peters. Never looked back.

Have been grateful every day since.

Sharon

[lyndiain]

I'm a DS revision. I have been overweight since I was 6 years old and have gained and lost hundreds of pounds on every diet known to mankind. It was 1997 and I was 31 years old and divorced and didn't want to be fat anymore. My mom saw a commercial for weight loss surgery so I went to a seminar and heard about the RNY and the VBG. Even then I knew the RNY was crap and I didn't want any part of it, so I opted for the VBG (vertical banded gastroplasty.) There was NO follow-up other than support group meetings where they basically rehashed the old weight watchers psycho-babble. I wasn't instructed about vitamins and figured my one a day multi was plenty. I lost about 100lbs and then the weight loss stopped, and after a while I started gaining again. Eventually I found out I had staple line disruption and the ring placed around the bottom of my stomach had eroded. I figured fate just wanted me to be fat and I wasn't going to argue.

Fast forward to 2004, almost 38 years old, married and had a 6 month old son. One day I was walking down the stairs, carrying my baby, and my knee and ankle gave way. I barely caught myself on the bannister so we wouldn't fall down the rest of the stairs. It really shook me up; my child would not have survived having his 334lb mother fall on him. I realized that day if I wanted to see my son grow up, I needed to do something drastic.

About a month later I went back to see my old bariatric surgeon, Dr. Inman. At her seminar she talked about the RNY (again, HELL NO) the lapband (how was that any better than what I had had?) and then, the darkness lifted, the angels sang and she began talking about the DS and I just knew that was the surgery for me! I was scared that I wouldn't be able to have it because of the old VBG but after an endoscope she said we were a go. Unfortunately the endoscope didn't show how badly the band had eroded into my stomach. She had to pick out about a bazillion pieces of the old mesh band, and I had such a large amount of scar tissue that, while I have a sleeve, it is dual-chambered because of the island of scar tissue in the middle. (It's quite interesting when the food I eat can't decide which side it wants to go down and just sits at the top, trying to make up it's mind.)

Anyway, the DS just made so much SENSE! You keep your stomach intact; it's just made smaller. Even the rerouting of the intestine made sense, and when she said I would still be able to eat my beloved steaks, hamburgers and ribs and it would be considered HEALTHY, I was definitely sold! I've never been a big vegetable eater and was never good at dieting for more than a few months, so imagine my giddiness when I heard there was a surgery that would let me eat the way that I wanted; BRING ON THE BACON!!

A lot of people ask me if the DS has been worth it, even with all I went through with the complications, and the answer is YES! Even though I developed a leak and abscess, spent almost 8 weeks in the hospital, went home with a PICC line and on TPN, had nothing to eat or drink by mouth for 5 months, was in pain and spent a large part of the time doped up on narcotics, yes I would do it again. I went through hell, but the life I live now is great. Is it a struggle with all the vitamins and labs? yeah, but it's part of it. At least I'm not on forty different prescriptions for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. I see where I was headed, and it wasn't a good place. Since I was older anyway when my son was born (37) I wanted to make sure that I was around to see him grow up, graduate both high school and college, get married and see my grandkids. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lived to see even half of that had I not had the DS and lost over 160lbs.

I LOVE MY DS!!

[rena]

... i heard EN had one... so i wanted one too.

[rena]

hahah ok no no... I was looking into the RNY... I knew if i didn't do something I would die... It was a fact that I was faced with. I found OH and started reading on the RNY board. I read and read and read. One day, much to my surprise, I stumbled into a Surgery War. DSers were sharing what they ate and what it was like to be a DSer.

I had never hear of a DS it wasn't something offered in my small town.

I started lurking on the DS board and looking for a surgeon. i started asking questions and the vets were more than willing to share their knowledge with me. It wasn't even a few days and I was hooked... I cancelled my RNY that was scheduled for a couple weeks later and got a hold of dr. Ungson.

Pretty much all down hill from there... ...

Then i got my DS and i have been eating steak and bacon ever since.

[zoetrope]

I'm a revision.

I was once a good sheep. I went in for WLS after years of yo-yo dieting (always up in the end, as you know). No co-morbids, but obese. Dr. there only did RNY on lower BMIs and DS on higher ones. Not a choice. Fat people in this line, superfat in that line.

RNY stoma failed in the first year. I got beat up by both the doc and nutritionists at each and every appt I had. I lost 20 pounds in the hospital (no eating at all) and 20 pounds in the following year. I got told "Eat more" then "Eat less." I was eating like a birdie as I would toss up a lotta food in the beginning and I got scared of food. It was bewildering. Went to the support groups. Couldn't figure the damn thing out.

Finally, a new resident came on staff who believed me and said, "You need an immediate barium swallow." Did that. Enlarged stoma. Surgeon said, "Hmmm, let's see. I can do this, that and the other to fix. Call me back."

Called back. Got the nurse. She said, "You've been a non-compliant patient. Surgeon will not treat you anymore."

Boom. Out on my ass. And I hadn't been stuffing food. Shitty stoma. Bound to fail (in most cases), I later learned.

Had to move to a state with virtually no medical care. Cried a lot. Shat myself a lot without a pyloric valve and a crap RNY.

Eventually made my way back to boards and started reading about failures. I also read lots of medical journal articles which told me that surgeons (and their supporting companies) are NOT interested in long term results because they don't support the $$$ flowing into the surgical whatsits and dohickeys that make them money. (Just take a look at your itemized surgical bill to see what the whatsits and dohickeys cost.)

The lacunae in medical journal articles also told me that basically nobody is interested in WHY stomas enlarge (fail) as there's no money in that study, so the basic mantra is to blame the patient for "non-compliance." OK, great. If I have an RNY and do well, then surgeon and co. take allllll the kudos. If I "fail," then the patient is blamed without scientific evidence? Not good, my friends.

(If you are reading and have a working RNY, I've got nothing against you. I simply think that you are fortunate and wish you well.)

Had a temporary move to a state with real medical care and got evaluated for a DS. Thank the gods.

Figured out that the DS has the best success rate, and by gods, I WANTED MY DARN PYLORIC VALVE BACK. Without that, what I ate immediately turned into discharge (I'm being polite) and it lasted beyond the eating itself. I nearly shat myself, my car, everything and everybody into oblivion. It was terrible and terrifying. I worried I would shit while working.

Fought insurance for a year and a half. Lost to crooks. Still have to sue them.

Finally got my revision.

I'm not a skinny b, but I'm happy now. I don't worry about shitting my car anymore.

Thank you DianaCox, Larra (thank you, especially), EN, and other longtimers for helping me.

As I've reported elsewhere, I'm pretty silent. I mostly want to read, not post, but you helped me.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I'm no longer a good sheep at the doc's office.