I'm calling doctors in the area to see which ones perform the sleeve. I came upon a local doctor's number and spoke with his nurse. She explained to me that this particular surgeon does know how to do the sleeve but really only performs Bands and Bypasses. He feels there is a higher risk of leaks with the sleeve. She went on to say that he would do a sleeve if I really wanted it. (No thanks) How true is this statement, if at all? Do leaks occur more frequently with the sleeve than the bypass? I then asked her if he over-sews the staple line and her response was, "Like I said, he prefers to do Bands and Bypasses". Things that make you go Hmmmm.... Needless to say, not gonna use him...

He mustve had history of leak with surgery he performed. Red flag. Yes, do not use him. If it's a experienced surgeon there is no concern of leaks. Network on here to see who people successfully used in your area! Good luck!

Good for you cause he doens't seem confident at all. Keep searching, I'm sure you'll find the right doctor!

How could a titanium staple reinforced clean cut across the stomach (VSG) lead to MORE leaks than cutting off the 95% of stomach to form a pouch AND severing the small intestine, rerouting the small intestine reattaching it to the pouch and then reattaching the tail of the small intestine with the rest of the stomach (RNY) produce MORE chance of a leak? Ummm, this doesn't make much sense.

I'd keep shopping around. I'm not saying a VSG is the be-all and end-all of WLS's but it's worked wonders for a lot of people - me included.

VSG does have slightly higher risk of leaks (very slight) because it's sewn along the long line of the stomach, leaving just more physical space where a leak could happen. That said, the risk is still very, very low. See HERE for updated info about sleeve, and a comparison of the three main WLSurgeries.

Not sure what your situation is, but even if you don't have Blue Cross insurance, you should consider going to the Federal Blue Cross website and looking at the "Blue Centers of Distinction". Even if you have another insurance (or none at all), they have done a lot of the satisfaction surveys for you.

http://www.bcbs.com/why-bcbs/blue-distinction/blue-distinction-bariatric/bluedistinctionbariatric.pdf

(Please don't take this as a plug for Blue Cross/Shield, but rather as information to make you better informed about some reputable surgeons).