Guest guest Posted July 16, 2000 Report Share Posted July 16, 2000 I live in California and North Carolina is too far for me to go. I am limited to what is offered in my area. I've narrowed my options to a Duodenal Switch that I could get in San Francisco versus a major expense to try to go to North Carolina. I need answers to the following questions: How is the MGB superior to the Duodenal Switch? Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. Thanks for any assistance...Lucy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2000 Report Share Posted July 16, 2000 In a message dated 7/16/2000 4:37:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, lindat@... writes: << > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. > >> I saved money going to NC. Having WLS surgery in CA was 9,000. more. So all my airfare, hotel etc. was nothing compared to that. There are a lot of wonderful people MGBers that would be happy to pick you up and show you around. You can come on a Monday evening, Go to clinic on Tuesday, Have surgery Wednesday and go home Friday morning. some people have even went home right from the hospital. I wouldn't recommend it. Not because you won't feel like it, but to be safe. The effort was worth it!!!!! just my 2 cents Trisha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2000 Report Share Posted July 16, 2000 Hi, > > How is the MGB superior to the Duodenal Switch? > > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. > Great questions: Ideal Weight Loss Surgery and the Mini-Gastric Bypass Features of an " Ideal " Weight Loss Surgery Mini-Gastric Bypass Duodenal Switch 1. Safe * Low mortality (0.15%) and complication (5.8%) rates Higher Mortality Rates 2. Major Weight Loss * 82% excess weight loss at one year Similar Weight loss 3. Easily performed * As seen in the short operating times and short length of stay Very Complex and demanding surgery (3-10 hours) 4. Short operative times * Average = 38 minutes in recent cases (Shortest ever reported.) Long operating times 5. Outpatient or short hospital stay * Hospital stay is now outpatient or 1 night for > 95% of patients. (Shortest ever reported) Long hospital stay 6. Minimal Blood Loss * ~75 ml. Greater Blood Loss 7. No Need for ICU Stay * Rare Common need for ICU 8. Minimal Pain * After the first day managed with out-patient oral medication More Pain 9. Very High Patient Satisfaction * 98% of patient grade patient satisfaction as excellent Moderate patient satisfaction 10. A Good " Exit Strategy " * Revised 4 times, minimal adhesions, operating times ~1 hour No Exit. Your stomach is gone and there is no way back. Easily Reversed or Revised Laparoscopically Not easily reversed or revised 11. Induction of change in eating behavior and preferences * Bypass leads to aversion to sweets and fats Big often unpleasant changes in eating. 12. Minimal Retching and Vomiting * Minimal Nausea and Vomiting Similar Nausea and vomiting 13. Few adhesions or hernias * No hernias (0/667) and minimal adhesions Lots of adhesions and hernias. 14. Minimal impact on Heart and Lung Function * Short, low stress surgical procedure Much more stress on the heart and lungs 15. Low Failure Rate * 4 revisions higher failure rate 16. Low Cost * Estimated total ~$12,000.00 much more expensive 17. Short Recovery Time * Shortest of any reported surgery for weight loss much longer recovery time weeks not days 18. Rapid Return to Work * Very rapid return to full activity longer time needed to return to normal activities 19. Low Risk of Pulmonary Embolus * No DVT, PE or MI (0/667) Higher risk of Pulmonary Embolus and Death 20. Durable weight loss * Longer studies needed Good long term weight loss but lots of malabsorption problems 21. Low Risk of Ulcer * 3% risk of marginal ulcer, manageable with medications. No esophagitis (0/667) similar ulcer risk 22. No Malabsorption or Malabsorption easily managed * Minimal Malabsorption Severe malabsorption 23. No Plastic Foreign Body Material * No foreign body used No foreign body 24. Easily Verifiable Results * Over 90% of patients have volunteered to be available to others to assess their results Hard to confirm reported data. Unhappy campers flamed off Duodenal Switch Web sites. 25. Procedure Performed by a High Volume Bariatric Surgeon * > 400 cases / year Varies 26. Performed as part of an extensive program of education and follow-up * Very extensive pre and post op program varies RR Rutledge, M.D., F.A.C.S. The Center for Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery 4301 Ben lin Blvd. Durham, N.C. 27704 Telephone #: Fax #: Email: DrR@... ************************************************ Please Visit our Web site: http://clos.net ************************************************ Durham Regional Hospital: Also, Please consider joining the Mini-Gastric Bypass Mailing List at http://www.onelist.com MiniGastricBypass is a general discussion of the Mini-Gastric Bypass ( http://www.onelist.com/community/MiniGastricBypass ) Talk with lots of other Pre and Post Op patients and friends. Keep up to date on the latest news about the Mini-Gastric Bypass. MGB vs Duodenal Switch > I live in California and North Carolina is too far for me to go. > I am limited to what is offered in my area. > I've narrowed my options to a Duodenal Switch that I could get in San > Francisco versus a major expense to try to go to North Carolina. > I need answers to the following questions: > > How is the MGB superior to the Duodenal Switch? > > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. > > Thanks for any assistance...Lucy > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Life's too short to send boring email. Let SuperSig come to the rescue. > http://click.egroups.com/1/6809/3/_/453517/_/963755245/ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > This message is from the Mini-Gastric Bypass Mailing List at Onelist.com > Please visit our web site at http://clos.net > Get the Patient Manual at http://clos.net/get_patient_manual.htm > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2000 Report Share Posted July 16, 2000 > How is the MGB superior to the Duodenal Switch? > > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. > > Thanks for any assistance...Lucy There have been people who came from Iceland and Oregon to get this procedure. With plane travel, distance isn't really much of an issue, but if you are afraid of travelling by plane, it would surely be a very long car ride, at least 3-4 days. It's about a 7 hour plane trip, which is less time than it took me to get to Durham from Alabama, because I had to drive an hour to get to the airport, then enroute, I had to change planes and hang out in airports. But that's up to you as to whether you want to do that or not. Having it close to home wasn't an option for me because there's no one within 4 hours of me doing any procedure, much less any procedure I'd consider. The added expense is about $600.00 for airfare and hotel. Whether it's worth it to you or not is your call. I chose the MGB over a *lap* d/s. I wouldn't even have considered *any* open procedure because the risk, pain, recovery and possible complications are too great and *completely unnecessary* when all the procedures are available laparoscopically (including the d/s). My biggest concern was safety and the MGB is the safest procedure there is and it is easily reversible. It has the least complications and side effects. My second concern was weight loss and the MGB weight loss figures are as good or better than any of the other procedures. My third concern was pain and scarring -- I did not want a huge rope-like scar across my abdomen that could also herniate, leak, or form keloids, to add to the hysterectomy scar I already have running hip to hip. My fourth concern was the doctor and his office. I was approved for a different procedure and changed my mind a week before surgery because I was treated like a number by that office, where they were running people through like cattle. On the support list for that particular group, dozens of people were openly complaining about complications like leaking incisions, bowel obstruction, and so on, as well as not being treated well by the staff and the doctor. Ultimately, I picked the MGB over the d/s because it offered: (1) Surgery that lasts 35 min., not 4-7 hours under anesthesia and the knife; if you have ever had a major surgery before, then you know the effects of anesthesia itself are debilitating afterwards and the longer you are under, the worse it is; plus one of the greatest risks of any surgery is complications from anesthesia. Shorter is better, without any question. (2) Rapid recovery (about 24 hours, versus 6-8 weeks for an open d/s and 1-2 weeks for a lap d/s) (3) Easily reversible in a 1-hour procedure. (4) Virtually no side effects, versus the likelihood of frequent and uncontrollable bad, oderous gas (farts), hair loss, vitamin and mineral deficiencies from malabsorption, greater chance of bowel obstruction and leaks. (5) No huge scar, no painful/leaking/herniated incision (versus any open procedure). (6) A personable doctor and staff and a publicly available group of pre and post ops who publicly discuss the ins, outs, pros, and cons of the procedure. After I interviewed 97 of Dr. Rutledge's patients myself, I had found less than a handful who had any sort of complications at all and of those, only two were serious (leaks). All of them loved Dr. Rutledge, even the ones with complications. The d/s relies on major malabsorption by the intestines, so on the plus side, you get a larger stomach and can eat more after the surgery, but on the downside, you will have the farts forever, and have a greater risk of hair loss and other side effects such as vitamin deficiencies, for life. The D/S has faster initial weight loss, which is one of its big attractions, but the long term weight loss is the same. On the down side, rapid weight loss also equals more saggy skin to deal with. However, I've interviewed lap d/s patients who have had none of these problems at all. If you're having your procedure lap, you don't get the big scar and the long recovery time, though you are still in surgery a lot longer and the recovery time is still longer than the MGB, about 1-2 weeks, instead of one day. Do your own pro vs. con chart. Maybe you have more " pros " for the d/s than for the MGB, for reasons I didn't consider. Bottom line, you have to pick what's right for you, for your own reasons. We all did, no matter what we chose. Kind regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2000 Report Share Posted July 16, 2000 I wanted the MGB from the first but it was so far from me, I thought. Iwas going to have the surgery closer to home although I prefered the mgb. Then I got to thinking, everything considered the mgb is not only the best surgery, it is also the cheapest, if you sit down and count up everything involved. EVERYTHING! That is what is sending me to NC as soon as I get the ____insurance company to approve me. Dinah in Ala Still packing!! > In a message dated 7/16/2000 4:37:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > lindat@m... writes: > > << > > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming > > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. > > >> > > I saved money going to NC. Having WLS surgery in CA was 9,000. more. So all > my airfare, hotel etc. was nothing compared to that. > There are a lot of wonderful people MGBers that would be happy to pick you up > and show you around. You can come on a Monday evening, Go to clinic on > Tuesday, Have surgery Wednesday and go home Friday morning. some people have > even went home right from the hospital. I wouldn't recommend it. Not > because you won't feel like it, but to be safe. The effort was worth it!!!!! > just my 2 cents > Trisha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2000 Report Share Posted July 16, 2000 Dear Lucy, I would think that the money saved with the MGB would more than pay for a airline ticket. I got a round trip ticket from AL for $131. I did well in geography and know tha CA is a lot farther away but...I was going to pay out of pocket close to $30K for a lapRNY here in Huntsville and my MGB was a total of about $13K. I literally could have bought over ONE HUNDRED round trip air tickets with the money that was saved. Add to that, less time off of work, etc and you have great financial incentive to opt for the MGB as well as what most of us feel is a vastly superior surgery. If your insurance is paying 100% these incentives may not mean as much, as I aluded to I am a self-pay. Keep reading the posts and clos.net to find how the MGB is superior to the Duodenal Switch. Lastly, I'm sure that the surgeon in California is wonderful and gifted and cool, but Dr. R. is way wonderful and way gifted and way cool!! Good luck in whatever you decide and I'm sure we are all behind you! Dr. Bill in AL > I live in California and North Carolina is too far for me to go. > I am limited to what is offered in my area. > I've narrowed my options to a Duodenal Switch that I could get in San > Francisco versus a major expense to try to go to North Carolina. > I need answers to the following questions: > > How is the MGB superior to the Duodenal Switch? > > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense coming > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San Francisco. > > Thanks for any assistance...Lucy > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2000 Report Share Posted July 18, 2000 I don't understand the difference between the MGB versus the DS. Because of geography the best I could do was the DS in San Francisco. Why should I consider the MGB over the DS. Still confused...........Lucy Re: MGB vs Duodenal Switch > I wanted the MGB from the first but it was so far from me, I thought. > Iwas going to have the surgery closer to home although I prefered the > mgb. Then I got to thinking, everything considered the mgb is not > only the best surgery, it is also the cheapest, if you sit down and > count up everything involved. EVERYTHING! That is what is sending me > to NC as soon as I get the ____insurance company to approve me. > Dinah in Ala > Still packing!! > > > > > In a message dated 7/16/2000 4:37:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > > lindat@m... writes: > > > > << > > > Why should I consider a MGB with the added effort and expense > coming > > > from California over a Duodenal Switch available in San > Francisco. > > > >> > > > > I saved money going to NC. Having WLS surgery in CA was 9,000. > more. So all > > my airfare, hotel etc. was nothing compared to that. > > There are a lot of wonderful people MGBers that would be happy to > pick you up > > and show you around. You can come on a Monday evening, Go to clinic > on > > Tuesday, Have surgery Wednesday and go home Friday morning. some > people have > > even went home right from the hospital. I wouldn't recommend it. > Not > > because you won't feel like it, but to be safe. The effort was > worth it!!!!! > > just my 2 cents > > Trisha > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > To email plain text is conventional, to add graphics is divine. > We'll show you how at www.supersig.com. > http://click.egroups.com/1/6808/3/_/453517/_/963785646/ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > This message is from the Mini-Gastric Bypass Mailing List at Onelist.com > Please visit our web site at http://clos.net > Get the Patient Manual at http://clos.net/get_patient_manual.htm > > To Unsubscribe Send and Email to: MiniGastricBypass-unsubscribe (AT) egroups (DOT) com > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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