Greetings All.....

Ouch--how difficult all those negative responses must be!  We all realize that the surgery itself is a difficult operations for those of us who are/WERE very obese with health issue--I had one of the best surgeons and I had a really rough 48 hours in ICU after surgery due to my own issues...but this operation was the best discussion I made!

Yikes! Some of these replies are pretty harsh. How many of the problems were connected with RNY and how many were Lap Band? I'm also in the pre-op stage of getting all preliminary appointments done with a probable surgery date in early spring. Can I hear from more satisfied patients of Dr. Barba? I'm kind of nervous now.

Talk about being totally confused and paranoid about my choice now.......this was not what I expected to hear.....

be very careful,i know several that had him as a surgeon,and all with terrible results.re-think your options,,,i have heard all good about dr.anarow,i had my laproscopic surgery done by dr.choi in danbury,but know several whom are dr.anarow patients and doing perfectly well.good luck in your journey ..

I did a bit of research and found no malpractice payouts and no disciplinary actions. I feel that people need to be very careful about hearsay and spreading information unless they have first-hand knowledge and are absolutely certain of its truth. This is no subject to treat lightly! Dr. Barba, himself, gave some statistics associated with the surgeries (by-pass having a higher risk factor). The question I'd ask is out of 900 surgeries, how many resulted in complications.

While I do not see any listed on his physician profile on the state's website (not sure how often this is updated) - there are a TON on the judicial website.  My friend stopped going there for her aftercare bc she felt like they weren't taking care of her.

Matt, first off welcome. Its nice to another guy here. I am about a month from surgery. I originally started this journey with Dr.Barajas 2 years ago. This past summer when I finally had insurance that would cover the surgery, I saw my PCP who is in Branford and told him I was going ahead with the surgery. He immediately told me to drop Dr.Barajas and use Dr.Aranow. I complained about the distance, but he said he will ONLY recommend Dr.Aranow. I went and heard him speak and I knew right away he was awesome. Middlesex Hospital is a little gem of a place, easy to get to and super easy parking. Please go hear him speak before you make your final decision. I too have heard nothing but negative things about Dr.Barba. Good Luck

Matt, everything sounds like it is going well. All the best to you.

I have to say go with your own gut feeling. Dr Barba has been doing these surgeries quite a number of years and has done probably alot more than some other doctors out there. That taken in account with the risk of surgery, any surgery and an obese patient  that may have other comorbidities can increase the number of patients that have  complications or have even unfortuanately died after surgery.  We do not know the cir****tances of these acusations. If I were you I would ask him these questions at your next preop visit. I have always found Dr. Barba to be very honest and forthright when asked any questions and  I believe he will answer them truthfully. If you then don't feel he is right for you, seek out another doctor . You need to feel completely at ease and have  confidence in  your surgeon. I myself had laproscopic RNY in April 2006  done by Dr. Barba and have not had any complications or problems and have successfully lost about 118lbs. I have been satisfied with him and his office. PS. Some doctors are not willing to take on very high risk patients and  that could possibly alter their statistics on their complication rate. There are too many variables to take in account that we are not priviy to. Sher

Matt, welcome to the site. Good to have another guy around. I'd like to add my input as far as New Britain.. er.. The Hospital of Central CT at New Britain General. I am a pre-op patient of Dr. Giles and I've had nothing but great care during my journey so far. The staff at the Weigh Your Options clinic THOCC@NBGH is top notch. So far, they have been very thorough and I am very comfortable working with them. I don't know if Dr. Barba works with the same staff at this hospital or if your working with him there, but I had to chime in about the great care I am receiving so far there. I wish you well on your journey. God Bless, Jim

Poor Matt he writes here looking for encouragement and instead he gets all of these anecdotal stories.  Mostly from people who have a friend of a friend.  Frankly as a newbie I am surprised by all of this most of you sound like the negative people that I was afraid to tell about my surgery.  We all know that the last thing one of us needs is horrow stories.  Matt it's nice to meet you.  If you are like I was you have lurked for quite awhile and read everything in your power to get an informed decision.  Best wishes on your journey