Hey Guys/Gals Newbie here

My name is Tim aka CosmoK :)  

       Anyways, I have fought the weight battle most of my adult life... After a friend had GBS and is doing wonderful I decided to jump in... During the required program I lost a little at a time.  Finally got apporved for surgery a while back when I weighed in at 403..  Then something happened with my body, I had to cancel 2 surgeries since  Nov 21st.. and now rescheduled for Feb 11.. I'm at a loss for the rapid weight gain... My doctors finally knew I wasn't lying when I went in a couple of weeks ago and then last week went from 430 to 459 in the short time.. So I have been through CT scans, Ecocardio grams, x rays etc etc... No results yet.. I have a appointment with Dr Cobean on 23rd of Jan to see if he can do the surgery regardless... They have a no weight gain policy. I will sign a waiver if I have to... If I can't have the surgery, I will have to lose 50+ pounds just to have it and also I will have to start the program over due to my insurance..  I'm so depressed and afraid if I can't have surgery, Then I will have no hope..  I will have to start thinking the Mexico gbps route...  I don't know what to do :(  As someone that weighs 450 Plus, It would be hard enough if I could lose weight on my own..  This coming from someone whom was eating well and walking 2-3 times a week 2-3 miles at a time..  Also doing tae bo... Then out of the blue I couldn't walk across the parking lot without being winded....  Any Advice :(      So glad I stumbled upon this forum.. It's great

That sounds like a nightmare.  Is this no gain policy a rule of your surgeon or your insurance?  If it's your surgeon, trust me, there are plenty more to take you on.  Call your insurance company and see exactly what they require to submit for pre-approval.  

While you have this pause, though, I'd like to let you know about the Duodenal Switch, which has the best results for someone of your size.  Take a moment and learn more at dsfacts.com.  There aren't as many surgeons who perform it, but it has the best statistics for percentage of weight loss and lowest stats for regain.

Valerie,

            Thanks for the prompt response... I have a few questions... The closest surgeon is in Michagin and New York...  I live in Southern Main...

1: What happens if I have complications?

2.: What is the cost difference?

3: If I get info tomorrow and insurance covers it,  How long from now till surgery roughly?  What is the normal hospital stay?

This is the better in the long run it looks like

Do you recommend a place to go?  It's MUCH more expensive.. My insurance looks to cover it but I will call tomorrow.. The MAIN thing that freaks me out and not having a surgeon near by if anything serious... Then all the car trips for my appointments.. Hopefully they have a program where I could do online....  Right now I'm weighing GBP but man.. you sure threw in a wrench :)  I think the safest bet is GBP because of local support groups and medical staff..

Thoughts anyone??

They want you to stay close by for 2 weeks post op, which is when a complication is likely to arise if its going to. Because these surgeon's aren't nearly as plentiful as the RNY surgeons, they are great at partnering up with your PCP for continued aftercare.  Honestly, from there it's simply monitoring nutritional levels via bloodwork annually.  I've not seen my surgeon in years.  I used to go annually and she would come in, hug me, tell me I'm doing great, and I get blood drawn.  I didn't see the point, so I started combining my bloodwork with my annual physicals with my PCP instead.   My hospital stay was 4 days and my procedure was open.

Sent a Email to Dr Roslin out of NY... One of the closer places for some answers...  Once you signed up,  How long before your surgery? Were you required to lose weight?

Being that my surgery was open, there was no need to shrink the liver for machines to maneuver around.  Once I jumped through all of the hoops that my insurance required, they approved me in 10 days, and my surgery was scheduled 6 weeks later, which gave me plenty of time to get my affairs in order at home and work.

Now, to continue your research, go up to the Forums section > Surgical Forums > Duodenal Switch  to find a captive audience to bounce any DS specific questions off of.