Surgeon Says No...

[tautry 95]

I talked to seven doctors in the DFW area before I found one who would try laparoscopically. I was successfully sleeved on 3/23/13 and have lost 62lbs. You should have seen the pictures of my adhesions. I had four incisions & one is larger due to my prior surgeries, but I didn't have to have it done in an open procedure!

My prior surgeries were: perforated common bile duct, pancreatitis, multiple debredments, c-section, three hernia repairs with mesh. While I was in the ICU for the perf bile duct I had multi system organ failure, was trached for five months, eschemic strokes & had to spend five months in med-surgical ICU, a month in step down, three months in in-patient re-hab & six months out.

Needless to say, no one wanted to touch me with a ten foot pole. However, I found Dr. Joseph Kuhn at Medical City Dallas. He has been performing WLS for over thirty years. Find the right doctor and ask what are your options. . You need a surgeon that is older & very experienced. You may have to do an open procedure, but it is worth it!

Best of luck & prayers,

[Bigjer11 0]

I am also in the Boston area and I was sleeved 2.5 weeks ago by Dr. Scott Shikora out of Brigham & Women's. Last year I was living in Switzerland and was going to get sleeved there and was then transferred back to the US for work. I asked my surgeon there who he would recommend in Boston and he highly recommended Dr. Shikora. I work in the pharmaceutical industry and have literally met and worked with hundreds of doctors and I can tell you that Dr. Shikora is one of the best I have met. He is very experienced, pragmatic and easy to talk to. He will take the time to fully evaluate your situation which I am sure would be helpful to you. I hope this helps!

[ShortSleeveoftheSouth 6]

I realize everyone's circumstance is different but I wanted to say that I was successfully sleeved 7/19 with no complications. I previously had 5 open abdominal surgeries, 3 of which were vertical C-secs. I'm curious as to why previous surgery would be a contraindication.

[prettysleeved1 173]

I don't know where you live, OP, but these days, bariatric surgeons are everywhere. I'm sure you'll find another doctor that is willing to operate.

[SleeveNoob 95]

I had a total hysterectomy 2 years ago lapriscopically and my surgeon didn't hesitate to do my surgery. I also had a tubligation 2 years ago 6 Weeks prior to my hysterectomy. Def get a second opinion

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using VST

[JazzyJ 34]

I have an appointment with Dr. Shikora on the 23rd. Funny that the earliest I could get in to discuss options was the 2nd week of September with the other dr. Thanks for all of the input!

[notime 340]

I have an appointment with Dr. Shikora on the 23rd. Funny that the earliest I could get in to discuss options was the 2nd week of September with the other dr. Thanks for all of the input!

Congratulations for taking control of your health and health decisions. Good luck and keep us informed about your progress.

[jusstice 103]

I hope it all works out for you.

I asked someone about this, and they said that blockages are a concern for people who have had WLS (mostly bypass), and adhesions are concerns, especially for people who have had multiple abdominal surgeries. This may be the doc's concern, considering you already have had a blockage.

[JazzyJ 34]

I need to change the heading to "second surgeon says yes". I went to see Dr. Shikora at Brigham & Women's today and he actually thinks the surgery will help alleviate some of the other issues I have! So excited-now I just have to figure out how to tell my husband!

[notime 340]

Hooray! Good going.

[Webtrekker 39]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[LizInTexas 125]

Congratulations Jazzy ! I, too, just had my consult with the third surgeon (the first non-advertising one) yesterday and, just as I thought, he has absolutely no reservations doing my surgery ! I'm scheduled for September 18. Now all I've got to do is keep from chickening out

If you've been turned down by a surgeon that advertises all over the place because you're situation is a little more complicated, DO NOT get discouraged !!! There are still plenty of good (probably better) surgeons out there that do what they do for everyone, not just the lowest possible risk candidates. You just have to look past the advertisements to find them. I'm actually very thankful that the first two turned me down. In what I'll call a "cosmic coincidence", I met and spoke with an "in the know" person who is closely connected with a major bariatric medical center in Dallas and found out that three of the biggest advertisers here (one of which turned me down) in the D/FW area each schedule 10 to 12 surgeries PER DAY at this medical center that they co-own !! I would jump off the operating table and RUN when I found out that I was their 10th or 12th surgery of the day !!! If sleeve surgery takes 45 minutes to 1 hour, and bypass takes 1 1/2 hours, how could anyone still be at their "best" after that many hours ??? My surgeon schedules 4 or 5 surgeries per day max and that give me peace of mind... I guess that's the reason his first available surgery date wasn't until the middle of September instead of in a week or two...

[tautry 95]

I had same thing in DFW. I used Dr Kuhn.

[LizInTexas 125]

Tautry, he was going to be my next stop if surgeon #3 didn't feel right... I like his credentials and many years of experience for sure I'm sure he stays plenty busy without advertising too...

[MissAwesome 4]

If your doctor teaches at harvard medical you should def get a second opinion. He's probably a phenomenal doctor but if something were to happen, he has more to worry about regarding risks to his medical license. Thats probably why he is so hesitant. Get a second opinion. My reg doctor made me go to a cardiologist to sign off of my pre op EKG because while it was normal, there was a slight change on my EKG and she did not want HER license at risk. Doctors!! :-) good luck with everything.