BeccaHertel
Active Member
Hey guys! I just wanted to give my 100% honest experience of having my DS surgery with Dr. David Kim in Colleyville, TX. I want to make clear that I am not "pro-Dr Kim" nor am I "anti-Dr Kim". I just want to get my story out there for people researching surgeons in the DFW area.
My story starts back in February 2014. I had been living with an unsuccessful lap band for 4 years and thought the gastric bypass was my only option. I had never heard of the Duodenal Switch surgery. I made an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Kim because he is extremely well known in my area and I really was just needing to know if I was a candidate for a revision (financially). Upon entering the consultation, Dr Kim asked if I had heard of the DS and explained to me how it works and that it was the most extreme bariatric surgery, but if I was compliant with after care and with vitamins I would be successful. Needless to say, I was absolutely sold and started the process of being approved for my DS that week.
After many pre-op tests, my insurance company (UHC) approved me for a revision from lap band to DS (performed laparoscopically). My surgery was set for mid-April 2014. I spent the next 2 months immersed in the "DS world" by learning from the vets and soaking up as much post op advice as I could. Never was I informed by Dr. Kim that it was a possibility that he may not be able to perform my DS in one surgery. I was told on this support forum of his reputation, but with my surgery date being so close, I decided to brush it off. I am friends
with a couple who had their DS done with him a week prior and I thought "if they got their DS, then I will get mine".
Needless to say, I woke up from my surgery and heard the nurses talking about how I had only gotten a sleeve. I was absolutely devastated.
Everyone had been right. His official reasoning behind not performing my DS was that I have a "B-Belly" shaped stomach and he physically couldn't use the laparoscopic tools in my body to do the 2nd half of my DS. I just had too much mass in that area. I needed to lose 100 lbs. in 6 months and he could do the 2nd half.
I was devastated and embarrassed that I hadn't listened to this group, but I was determined to make the best of my situation. I followed the sleeve program and worked my butt off.
Fast forward to 5 months later and I lost the 100 lbs (woohoo!). I got a call in late August that my insurance company had approved for me to get the 2nd half of my DS and scheduled it for October 28th. Even though I was much smaller, I still had the B-Belly shape. It is just my body shape... I can't change that. I made sure to tell Dr. Kim (and anyone who would listen) that if I got in the operating room and he decided he still couldn't work with my body that I consented to have the operation done "open" rather than laparoscopically. I think he took offense to this because in the pre-op room (hooked up to an IV and family surrounding me) he told everyone
that he knew I really wanted the DS, but "he was the one that went to medical school and knew what was best for me". It was extremely awkward and my husband and parents were just staring at him like "did he just say that...?". I was getting cold feet quickly, but I swallowed my anxiety and went with the flow. I went into surgery and thankfully everything turned out great! I had very little pain and was out of the hospital in 2 days. I'm 3 weeks post op and haven't had a single complication and have lost an additional 22lbs.
So that's my story with Dr. Kim and his bariatric practice. I want to urge everyone to be their own advocate and don't be afraid to speak up when your gut is trying to tell you something is just off. It worked out well for me in the end, but sometimes I wonder how much anxiety and heartache I could have saved by just listening to my gut and the vets on this site.
THE GOOD: Great follow up care and support. There are monthly support group meetings and I've met some great people along the way. Dr. Kim is qualified to perform a DS. Insurance approval and communication was quick and easy. The hospital he goes through (Victory Hospital in Hurst) is fantastic.
THE BAD: Got my DS in 2 steps (never spoke to him that this may be a possibility). Awkward/rude bedside manner. He is just the "cutter". His bariatric institute (nutritionists, PAs, nurses, etc) handles most aftercare.
My story starts back in February 2014. I had been living with an unsuccessful lap band for 4 years and thought the gastric bypass was my only option. I had never heard of the Duodenal Switch surgery. I made an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Kim because he is extremely well known in my area and I really was just needing to know if I was a candidate for a revision (financially). Upon entering the consultation, Dr Kim asked if I had heard of the DS and explained to me how it works and that it was the most extreme bariatric surgery, but if I was compliant with after care and with vitamins I would be successful. Needless to say, I was absolutely sold and started the process of being approved for my DS that week.
After many pre-op tests, my insurance company (UHC) approved me for a revision from lap band to DS (performed laparoscopically). My surgery was set for mid-April 2014. I spent the next 2 months immersed in the "DS world" by learning from the vets and soaking up as much post op advice as I could. Never was I informed by Dr. Kim that it was a possibility that he may not be able to perform my DS in one surgery. I was told on this support forum of his reputation, but with my surgery date being so close, I decided to brush it off. I am friends
with a couple who had their DS done with him a week prior and I thought "if they got their DS, then I will get mine".
Needless to say, I woke up from my surgery and heard the nurses talking about how I had only gotten a sleeve. I was absolutely devastated.
Everyone had been right. His official reasoning behind not performing my DS was that I have a "B-Belly" shaped stomach and he physically couldn't use the laparoscopic tools in my body to do the 2nd half of my DS. I just had too much mass in that area. I needed to lose 100 lbs. in 6 months and he could do the 2nd half.
I was devastated and embarrassed that I hadn't listened to this group, but I was determined to make the best of my situation. I followed the sleeve program and worked my butt off.
Fast forward to 5 months later and I lost the 100 lbs (woohoo!). I got a call in late August that my insurance company had approved for me to get the 2nd half of my DS and scheduled it for October 28th. Even though I was much smaller, I still had the B-Belly shape. It is just my body shape... I can't change that. I made sure to tell Dr. Kim (and anyone who would listen) that if I got in the operating room and he decided he still couldn't work with my body that I consented to have the operation done "open" rather than laparoscopically. I think he took offense to this because in the pre-op room (hooked up to an IV and family surrounding me) he told everyone
that he knew I really wanted the DS, but "he was the one that went to medical school and knew what was best for me". It was extremely awkward and my husband and parents were just staring at him like "did he just say that...?". I was getting cold feet quickly, but I swallowed my anxiety and went with the flow. I went into surgery and thankfully everything turned out great! I had very little pain and was out of the hospital in 2 days. I'm 3 weeks post op and haven't had a single complication and have lost an additional 22lbs.
So that's my story with Dr. Kim and his bariatric practice. I want to urge everyone to be their own advocate and don't be afraid to speak up when your gut is trying to tell you something is just off. It worked out well for me in the end, but sometimes I wonder how much anxiety and heartache I could have saved by just listening to my gut and the vets on this site.
THE GOOD: Great follow up care and support. There are monthly support group meetings and I've met some great people along the way. Dr. Kim is qualified to perform a DS. Insurance approval and communication was quick and easy. The hospital he goes through (Victory Hospital in Hurst) is fantastic.
THE BAD: Got my DS in 2 steps (never spoke to him that this may be a possibility). Awkward/rude bedside manner. He is just the "cutter". His bariatric institute (nutritionists, PAs, nurses, etc) handles most aftercare.
