Suregon's focus

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Marty,

For every DS suregon there are 20 RNY suregons available. I am sure

that among the 20 RNY suregons there is at least 1 competent one that

a DS surgeon can refer those patients that either prefer the RNY or

where the DS is contra-indicated. But for a DS suregon to waste

there own personal time doing the actual procedure seems to me to be

a mistake. You may as well have your DS suregon doing bathroom duty

while you are at it (sorry -not a fair analogy, but it is for

effect). DS is a difficult procedure to master and DS suregons need

to be focused on mastering the procedure rather than chasing the

hottest research project that comes out this month. Now the Band is

the " hot " research topic, next year maybee it will be the new gastric

baloon or the implantable electric device that supposidly reduces

hunger. Following these topics may give a suregon prestige, but IMHO

it is not the right thing for patients.

Having said that, I would take a suregon like Ren in a New York

minute compared to Dr. Deveney. Being ambivalant about the DS is one

thing, but being ambilant about all WLS and then having the gaul to

perform them - that is criminal!

Again, I don't want to be alarmist or say that Ren is not a capable

suregon. With one notable exception, people seem to be generaly happy

with her. On the other hand there was this annoymous post regarding

a suregon who was doing surgery #13 and totally botched it. The

poster states that he now has a loyal following and most others are

happy with him. Yet another example of the painful learning curve.

Each of you has to decide who you want to cut you open and rearange

your intestines (or cut ports in you and do it by remote control, or

the latest thing - robotic surgery).

Hull

>

> Your knowledge is encyclopedic and your reasoning and research

skills leave

> me in awe, but I have to take exception to your statement about Dr.

Ren.

> Someone on this site once commented (disparagingly) about " one

> size-fits-all " surgery. Would you have bariatric surgeons subscribe

to this

> notion by only offering ONE surgical choice. We all have individual

needs

> and for some, those needs lead them to RNY or lap band. WE may

believe these

> procedures are not as effective or as wise as DS, but we're not

standing in

> their shoes. Would you DENY them the services of competent, skilled

surgeons

> because they choose another path in the search for weight loss.

>

> I can't speak about Gagner or , but I can speak about Dr.

Ren: when

> I had my consult with her, in the course of my 2 1/2 hours with her

(SHE

> took my history and gave me the physical instead of fobbing me off

on a

> nurse or PA) she described both RNY and DS procedures to me in

detail (she

> was not yet doing lap band). She then had me describe my eating

style and

> asked me which procedure I thought would fit me best. Only after I

chose DS

> as the only logical choice for me (and I had never HEARD about

it 'til she

> brought it up; I originally thought the " Carnie " procedure

was the

> way to go) did she wholeheartedly agreed and scheduled me for my

surgery. As

> to her expertise, she is well past the learning curve; my surgery

and

> recovery were textbook perfect. Now, 6 1/2 weeks later, I'm 40 lb.

lighter

> (plus the 14 lb. I lost pre-op), feel fabulous, and haven't

suffered ANY of

> the complaints I've read about on this site to date. I look and

feel ten

> years younger and I owe it to Dr. Ren. Yet I feel, that, had I

chosen to go

> RNY or lap band, I would have been the beneficiary of the same

dedication

> and skill as she demonstrated with my DS.

>

> Marcia

> shadow44@o...

>

>

> > Re: Dr. Welker--NY LEAKS????

> >

> >

> > Jane,

> >

> ...In addition I personally have conerns about Gagner,

and Ren

> > because they are not devoted 100% to DS. None of them bothered to

> > show up to the special evening sesion on DS at the June ASBS

meeting

> > in Washington DC. Ren seems more interested in following the

newest

> > fad (the lap band) then perfecting her technique, and

does

> > many more RNY surgeries than DS. Gagner seems to be converting to

a

> > cash only basis like Rabkin...

> >

> >

> >

> > Hull

> >

> >

> >