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Surgeon: Dr. Robert Rabkin, San Francisco, CA
Surgery date: March 9, 1999 (revision from gastric stapling)
Pre-op weight/BMI: 332
Current weight/BMI: 257 (as of August 4, 1999)

by Maureen.:

My name is Maureen. I had DS with Dr. Rabkin on March 9, 1999, and I'm 75 pounds lighter so far. I guess I was really lucky. At first denied by my HMO, they turned it around in less than three weeks after an appeal by my personal physician. Even so, I was initially skeptical and dumbfounded when my local surgeon recommended more than "hernia" surgery.

I had a stomach stapling (gastroplasty) in August of 1987. I started at 286 lbs, and got down to 210. Lots of throwing up, lots of food permanently off my list, a couple of hospitalizations with GI bleeds, and then of course, the weight regain, up to 332 lbs by January 1999.

I didn't expect approval even though my personal physician rallied, because I figured I'd had my shot, and I was just a failure at weight loss even with surgical help. So I was not seeking WLS when I was referred to Dr. Rabkin; just hernia repair and a "revision" of my earlier surgery.

On March 9, 1999, I walked to the surgical table just like someone else wrote about; I was in surgery for 5.5 hours; I was hospitalized in SF for 5 days. The toughest thing there was my chronic nasal drip cough which was very painful. I couldn't sleep. I had not brought along my serious narcotic cough medicine, and couldn't get any at CA Pac (nobody to ask to drive the 50 miles to SF with the bottle). Of course the nurses said....yes, cough...you're getting over the anesthesia....no, no, no. This was dry and persistent.

I finally came home March 14; had difficulty sleeping (turning in bed was awful); was allergic to soy, so I got along with Jell-O and broth for awhile. On day 21 I did have the clip thing; I threw up and couldn't stop, and Staci (now replaced by the wonderful Delphine) said "It's the clip thing." Thanks.

[Note: The “clip” is a dissolving clip, used to join the duodenal anastomosis. When the clip dissolves at about 21 days post-op, some patients experience several days of discomfort. As of late 1999, Dr. Rabkin no longer uses the clip, but sutures instead.]

Now four months away from all of that, with plenty of rest (I work full time but had beau-coup sick leave available) I feel so much better! I am 75 lbs lighter; I eat what I like (and pay the consequences); I crave protein. What a difference from the stomach stapling. There the problem was vomiting; now it is at the other end, but I can live with that and intelligently decide what I'm willing to go through. I can eat salad. I want spicy food. I am water walking at the pool (in, not on) 40 minutes every weekday and ready to start back at full time work + overload in a week and a half.

I wish these insurance companies would realize what they're saving down the line when they approve DS. A life of piddling around with all the co-morbidities instead of just dealing with it! I figure that this surgery has extended my life by at least 10 years. I had been told that both knees needed replacement surgery, no cartilage left; but I can walk (not far) now without living on vicodin. I can't see knee surgery in the future (it wasn't in the past anyway because I was too obese for safe surgery.) but if I need it, I may be at a weight where it will be approved.

Thanks for reading my story. I welcome comments questions, etc. I'm thrilled to find somebody else out there. Go for it!

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