Weight Loss Surgery Directory

By Location By Map
Before & After

There are currently no before and after photos for this member.

See these instructions if you wish to submit your own Before & After photos.
Surgeon Testimonial

Anthony Terracina, M.D.
Dr. Anthony Terracina has helped me change my life, and I can't imagine any other doctor who I would want beside me while I take this journey. rnrnMy first impression of Dr. T was the level of compassion he has for his patients. I attended his weight loss seminar in July 2008 and was pretty nervous. His partner, Dr. Clark, runs a separate fitness/diet facility called the Center For Metabolic Health. I had been going to Dr. Clark for a year for weight loss the \"natural\" way and had seen no results. I had sought Dr. Clark's program because I did NOT want to have surgery. I had no success so coming to a WLS seminar was very ... nerve wracking.rnBecause of conflict of interest, Dr. Clark could not be my surgeon (think of it...I did not lose weight on his diet plan so now he has to do surgery on me...what a bad thing for HIS income). Even though I didn't lose weight with Dr. Clark , he DID teach me about healthy eating and what my body needs to burn fat and not muscle so kudos to his Center for the education they provide!rnrnSo I show up at the seminar with my loving and supportive husband. They take me to weigh me and calculate BMI. Turns out my BMI was 38 and the nurse tells me I probably won't qualify as my only comorbidities were hiatal hernia, GERD and high cholesterol. Feeling hopeless, I burst into tears. Dr. T. must have heard me because he came rushing down the hall and led me into an examination room with the nurse. He looked at my chart and said, \"You stay. I can help you.\" rnrnDuring the seminar, he took everyone's questions and explained the whole banding and bypass procedures thoroughly (took 2 hours!). He was patient and kind. He told us about how as a general surgeon, he had seen many of the problems he was treating be cleared up by weight loss and believe that if he could help people lose weight, they wouldn't have as many health problems and need other surgeries. He told us how he had been doing laproscopic surgeries since the early 90's. He gave us his stats (mortality, etc). He was open and honest, laying everything on the table. rnrnI debated with myself until October about whether or not to have surgery. Since I was surprisingly approved in ONE week, I had no time to meet with Dr. T before I was approved. However, I made an appointment for November. When he walked into the room he said, \"You look a lot happier today!\". He actually remembered me! All those people and all his patients and he remembered me! rnrnHe was late coming in to my appointment but I didn't care because I knew he had been with another patient. I was his last appointment on a Friday at 1130 and he sat with me for an HOUR and answered all my questions. He didn't rush me or talk over me. He actually listened to my concerns and made me feel as though he truly cared for my well-being. I have never felt so supported by a doctor outside of my PCP.rnrnAfter my surgery at my post op appointment he was warm and encouraging. I couldn't help but cry and thank him for helping me change my life. He told me \"You ARE going to do it! You will be great!\"rnrnI wouldn't recommend any other doctor for this procedure. He is the best!rnrnDr. T's aftercare program offers support groups and a nutrition class. Plus you get unlimited visits with the nutritionist. There are many opportunities for good aftercare but it isn't handed to you. You have to schedule yourself which I think is good. It is after all YOUR journey.rnrnI think he excels both surgically and bedside manner. He will not hesitate to tell you that he is the best at what he does and most likely the best in the state of Virginia. I kind of liked that about him, but I can see where it would turn someone off.rnrnThe only negative I would say is that I personally did not talk with him after my surgery. He spoke with my husband and made sure he understood about my home care but then I think he left. I wasn't upset though because I figured if there was something really wrong with me, I would have seen him following. Plus I was kind of drugged still so I don't even know what I would have said to him. Besides, the nursing staff at the outpatient surgery unit in Sentara Careplex is AMAZING! I was in excellent hands!rnrnFuture patients of Dr. T should know that he believes in the band 100% if YOU work it the way you are supposed to 100%. Any failure with the band he attributes to the patient, not the band (unless of course the band is leaking or whatever).
Member Interests

Stacy T.'s Journey

Click Here To View

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I was the "thin" one out of me, my mom and my sister. My mom and sister were always over 250lbs and always dieting. I never had the problem. Until I turned 18 and my Freshman 15 was more like the Freshman 80. After that, it was impossible to lose it in a healthy way. My sophomore year of college had me losing all of it in 1.5 months...not good and not the greatest time of my life. It came back on steadily until I was about 26 and I was over 200lbs and working my way into the 2-teens. I was a size 20-22. I was depressed. I was 3 years married, wanting to have children and knowing that at this weight I would NEVER be healthily pregnant. So I started trying in earnest. I tried Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, South...
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by GinaJ on 11/21/08 10:49 am
    Congratulations!! Here's to a speedy recovery! We will see you soon on the losers bench.
  • Comment by foxxmom5 on 11/21/08 7:01 am
    Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I'm so happy for you!! I'll be having my surgery on the 3rd, so save me a space on the Bench!! Good Luck and my thoughts are with you!!
Click here for the surgery support page
stacymtrout's Blog
stacymtrout's Blog


Pregnancy Update Week 13
on March 8, 2010 12:35 pm
Post Date 3/8/10 12:30 pm
Topic: PREGNANCY UPDATE Week 13

Here is my Post band surgery pregnancy update

So far so good! Last appointment was Feb 17 and we got to see our beautiful baby on u/s since my heart was so loud we couldn't hear the baby's!  All is well and baby is developing normally. OB has said all my "issues" are normal too and will most likely remain throughout the pregnancy. These issues are:

- Severe constipation
- Bloating

Morning sickness is not starting to wear off yet. I hoping for that  magical switch to be flipped that all pregnant women talk about during the 13-15th weeks that makes nausea go away. So far no go for me but I still have a good supply of Zofran in case the nausea gets too bad.

Constipation LOL wow that is another story. Between the prenatal vitamins and the general slack in my digestive process as my body absorbs as much nutrient as possible, I am on a strict OB approved regimine of 2 Colase each night and 1 Activia yogurt and a serving of prunes each day. This is the ONLY way I can get my bowels to move. Very unpleasant!! But I am living. Have only had to give myself an enema twice (also OB approved) so hopefully the Colase/Activia/Prunes combo will continue to move em on through! Bloating is something I have not experienced since before my band surgery and is very difficult ot deal with. My stomach puffs out like you wouldn't believe and boy is it uncomfortable. Luckily Maalox (OB approved) helps relieve the bloat but tell that to my poor pants LOL Needless to say I sit at my desk with my pants unbuttoned after lunch!!

Some other things I am experiencing: SEVERE NIGHT SWEATS...oh my God. I have to change my shirt like 2 times a night, it is so nasty. I actually keep an extra sheet next to thebed in case I wake up and the bed is too wet for me to sleep on. Good news is I am not getting up to pee as much at night.  FATIGUE...i am so tired all the time. I go to bed nightly at 8 pm. I sleep all night (with the exception of the aforementioned sweaty wake ups). Then I wake up tired. Ridiculous! It is 330 pm now and I am ready for bed!

Next OB appointment is Mar 18th. No u/s that day, only Doppler to hear the heartbeat so we know the baby is ok. Apr 21 will be our 18-20 week u/s where we will find out if our little munchkin is a boy or a girl. Kevin wants a girl so badly (as do I) but healthy is our main priority.

I have only gained about 8 pounds over the last 3 months and my OB is VERY satisfied with this. I have no idea why I am not gaining more. I am so open I can eat just about anything without getting stuck. I feel like I am eating an ENORMOUS amount of food also. I guess the baby is really using the extra energy. Can't believe I had full restriction 4 weeks ago. There is no way I would be able to do that at this point because if I don't have a small snack every few hours I am FAMISHED.

Just wanted to fill you all in! Have a great day!

Be the first to leave a comment.



Archive

Tags
  • None