"I met with Dr. Bilof at his Toms River Office and he gave me over an hour of his time. We discussed my goals in details and then he recommended the bypass. Due to my fears of permanency (I regret my tubal ligation), he allowed me to decide on the sleeve procedure. The office has been wonderful; I truly appreciate professionalism and I've not been disappointed.
My surgery is tomorrow so I'll update in the future."
"I had scheduled for a 10AM appointment and arrived at 0930. The admin assistant placed me in an examination room to watch a 1/2 hour weightlossinfo.com video. The video reviewed all of the procedures and had a few personal stories. I had the impression that it was made by the makers of the Lap-band. After the video, I sat down with Carrie, the extremely thin and young nurse who reviewed the procedures that Dr. Washington performs (the RNY and LapBand). Then, Carrie went on to explain the entire process and provided me with the necessary paperwork. She also provided me with a list of Psychiatrists who are specialized to the program. One accepts no insurance and is $300 for the appointment; two others are booked solid for 6 months. The CentraState pre-op procedure is 6 1-hour patient education sessions and the usual nutritionist and RD meetings which is also not covered by any insurance ($700 for the pre-op).
At 1230, I finally met with Dr. Washington. His office was full when I arrived and I waited for about an hour. He spoke for 15 minutes about the two types of WLS he performs and stated that he has only performed 20 LapBand surgeries and 110 RNY. He explained that he has had one fatality due to the leaks and 15 patients have recovered from leaks (which he explained in detail concerning the complications and risks of each surgery).
He seemed quite competent and answered my questions but also seemed hurried and really I felt that he only reviewed the procedure and did not help me decide what fit my needs. I have not decided which type of surgery fits my needs and I think this annoyed him. He suggested I come back with my husband.
Overall, one night in the hospital and immediate return to work plus slow but steady weight loss with the LapBand seems to fit my personality. His 3-4 hour surgery plus up to 5 days in the hospital and 1 month out of work AND the possibility of leaks or hernias does not appeal to me. I have strong concerns about the malabsorption and the permanency of the surgery. He did review the possibility of removing the LapBand and performing the bypass if I am not satisfied with the results or slow loss. BUT, he also mentioned a study doen by NYU regarding the 5 year outcome of the LapBand being the same as the RNY.
I still have questions and may return to see him with my husband (or choose another surgeon in the area) but I don't think the RNY is for me; I'm not into a permanent, cannot change your mind surgery...I still regret my tubal ligation!"
