"I was not interested in having surgery by someone I saw on TV. I avoided all of those that advertised and stuck with someone my doctor recomended. The referral was to someone who had done many surgeries and worked at a teaching hospital. The problem with him is that he is more interested in publishing papers than patient support. Out of desperation, I called Dr. Barker, as I met someone who had used him and she was very pleased. rnrnMy first impression was that he was caring and knowledgeable. He spent all the time I asked him to and answered all my questions. I have been \"researching\" for about 5 years and didn't have all that many questions. Or so I thought. I went in wanting a band and he told me that a band would be fine and is great for folks who aren't needing to lose much weight or who are as committed to losing weight for a lifetime. He showed me some alarming statistics on bands and failure rates at 2 and 3 years, and then he told me he does more corrective surgeries for bandsters than installing new bands. So I took all of his information, did lots more research, went to some bandster group meetings and then I was able to see what he was saying as true. rnrnI changed my mind and am now scheduled for RNY bypass. rnrnUpdate: 12/29/2008rnI saw Dr. Thompson on my one week postop and got my staples removed since Dr. Barker was in surgery that day. It was a fairly uneventful visit. rnrnI am now one month post-op and can say I have had no problems. I had some slight nausea on the morning after surgery but nothing since. I never needed pain medication after the night of surgery. I returned to work one week later and have been following the Doc's orders. rnrnI love my RNY so far. rnrnI have no problems referring folks to Dr. Barker and his team. I have referred several folks to him since surgery and I would trust a family member to his care. I will say that he will give you all the time you want and are prepared for, but as a patient, you are responsible for your care, so come prepared to ask questions. If you don't, you might not feel like you got everything you needed from the visit. rnrn"
"I mix 1/2 scoop with 1/2 cup of skim milk and then add to my coffee for 16 grams of java juice! It is a good way to start my day and I am 1/5 of the way towards my protein goal before I leave the house. "
