ObesityHelp

Has anyone out there used Dr Valentine? I'm scheduled for a consult soon and would like some input from his patients.  Thanks

Hi Danielle!

I am from the Twin Falls, ID area. I had a consulation with Dr. Oakley about 8 years ago for my DS, but at that time he was very inexperienced, and I seemed to know a lot more about it than he did. So when I was 30, back in 2005, I traveled to Curitiba, Brazil, and had surgery with one of the top DS surgeons in the world, Dr. Marchesini. My surgery and recovery were very smooth, and my only post-op issue has been calcium absorption, which is very common. Since I changed my calcium regimen and upped my D3 to 125,000IU per day, my levels have been much better. My common channel is 65cm, my stomach was left at 5 oz.

However, about two years ago, my sister and cousin (then 32 and 27) went to Dr. Oakley and had their lap DS surgeries from him. He gained quite a bit of experience in that six year gap. However, I would still not rate him high, but he is at least adequate now.

My sister recovered spendidly; my cousin had some severe healing complications. He won't go less than 100cc common channel, which is what I think they both have. He also couldn't tell them how big their stomachs were -- he said he uses the boogey thing that they use for the rny, and then just cuts down instead. All I know is that at 3 months out they could eat more than I could when I was a year out. But, they have both lost most of their excess weight. They have both had severe iron issues (my sister has had to have several infusions) and kidney stones. However, they may also not be as religious with their vitamin supplements and protein levels as they should be, so this may contribute to those issues. 

I have a friend who had her surgery through him a few months after my sister and cousin. She is in her 60s. She got along with him very well, has had excellent follow-up care, and has done fairly well in her weight loss and supplementation.

Another friend, in her late 30s, had surgery with him about 10 months ago. She did great through surgery, has done great through weight loss, and has had no severe issues. She is very strict about taking her vits and minerals, though! However, when she didn't agree with his dietician in her post-op appointment, they cut her off and said she was not welcome back. So she has not actually seen Dr. Oakley since her surgery. She has used this board and gotten her own bloodwork done to keep track of herself and make sure she is healthy in her weight loss.

I'm just being fully honest with what I know of him. I found a much better choice, and went with it. However, if you're not willing to travel out of country, or far across country, Oakley is probably your best bet in this regional area. Just smile and nod and take what the dietician says with a grain of salt, as she gives advice based on RNY needs, and seems not to understand the difference. 

Feel free to visit my website (listed in my "signature"). Best of luck to you in your DS journey! 

PS ... Where in Montana are  you from? I lived in Hamilton for awhile, right after graduating college, back in 1998. Loved that area!

 Welcome to all of you who are coming to the Seattle event this coming Friday and Saturday. It has been my pleasure planning this event, and OH is very happy to have you!  While we are just days away, we wanted to list some old and NEW details.

·         All registered event attendees for 2011 who are checked in by our staff will receive an entry into our drawing for a FREE OH Cruise, sailing on March 12, 2012! Details to be posted on the Main Forum June 30^th, 2011.

• OH Member Services Staff is sponsoring a discount code! Enter OH4Seattle for the deepest discount yet! $39 to get in.  Or be sure to track down your local OH support group leader, bariatric blogger or participating physicians for their codes.  Each code has different discounts and benefits, as well as is a great way to show your support for that code owner. 
• We will have Free unlimited photobooth photos, sponsored by Dr. Alberto Aceves.  In addition, Dr. Ross McMahon and Swedish Medical Center is sponsoring our closing party, with a Member Fashion Show, Dance Party and Karaoke! 
• There will be Free plastic surgery consultations , courtesy of Dr. Alejandro Quiroz.

We have received notice of the following door prizes from Seattle Event participants:

·         Two Free bariatric surgery consultations, one Free varicose vein consultation, Puget Sound Surgical Center

·         Several signed copies of books by Chef Dave, Dr. Stapleton,  and Jean McMillan.

·         Two one year memberships to OAC, one Walk From Obesity cookbook

·         Two tickets for the 2012 WLSFA event in Las Vegas and one WLSFA logo necklace

·         One 30-day supply of Celebrate Vitamins, including multivitamin w/calcium & iron

·         Spa Gift Basket worth $100 from Franciscan Health System

·         Gift Basket from Virginia Mason Medical Center

·         Gift Basket from Wellesse Vitamins, Botanical Labs

·         Gift Basket from Pacific Nutrition and Wellness ,  and a complimentary workout counseling  session at their exhibit table

·         3 Packed Gift Bags from Swedish Medical, Dr. McMahon

·         1 box of Protein Shakes from Premier Nutrition

·         8 OH Logo Blanket Throws,  2-1 Year OH Magazine Subscriptions, Contigo Water Bottles, 1 grab bag of prizes

·         3 Day supply of MonaVie RVL – Nutrition Shake Mix for each of our three drawings

I agree...fabulous peeps in that office! I enjoy what little time I get to chat with both Lori and Jen very much, such helpful ladies.

So encouraging to hear all of you talk about St. L's and Dr. O this way...thank you for sharing!

  Visit the link  http://www.obesityhelp.com/events/2011-seattle-event.html to see who is joining us as panel members and speakers at the Bellevue event next month!  

The hotel is giving us another week to book rooms at a big discount, so come on and join your friends for the weekend and have some fun!  

The WLSFA and OAC are joining us in Bellevue...come see what great things they're doing!

See you there!
Kim 

Hello everyone!! 

We're getting really worried about Jason "Uylsses" and would hope we could find a volunteer in Boise, ID to go over to the hopsital, to the ICU area and try to talk to a family member or get some information on him. It's been 11 days since his VSG surgery, and 9 days since anyone has talked to him or been able to get in contact with him. We do know through hard work that he's still in the hospital and in the ICU but we can't seem to get anymore information. I have the hospital name and his full name for the person who wouldn't mind going to get more information. This would put a lot of our minds at ease here on OH as Jason has become a really close friend to most of us. Please private message me if you're interested. Thank you for your help!

Congrats!!! I will be having surgery with Dr. Oakley on the 19th. Sooooooo exciting!!!!

Thank you, I am looking forward to getting it done but at the same time a bit nervous.Only 25 more days and away I go. Do you go to the bariatric support meetings here in boise or meridian? I went to the last one in Meridian and was surprised to see 8 guys there.
35 people in total plus the nurses and guest speaker. if so maybe we will meet up there some time.

Yes, it finally came through for me. I started in December 2010  and was denied in Jan. 2011 and approved the last week of January. I have had Jennifer and Dr. Oakley fighting to get this through. They were great! I wonder if I set a record getting this done.

I do feel sorry for everyone who has to wait a long time to get this done. I am not sure How you all do it,

I guees I should state the date and time. It will be march 8, 2011 at 10:00 AM.

Hey everyone!

Has anyone heard about this new weight loss show called Love Handles?
I was reading about and they are looking for couples who want to lose weight together and it's not a competition show like Biggest Loser.

Sounds like fun! Ya'll should check it out www.lovehandlescasting.com