Where do I begin?

Hi All, I will be making my first appointment with Dr. Rosen on Monday. I haven't been to see anyone yet, but I have heard so many wonderful things about him and his staff. I would like to hear from others who used Dr. Rosen. What can I expect at the hospital? What problems are you facing post-op? What do I bring with me for my first appointment? Anything you can tell me will be helpful. Thanks. Cat

Cat. when I get home on Sunday I can answer more in depth. My husband and I are in the Dells at the moment. You will love Dr Jeff and his staff. There are other ladies on the board that are also his patients. Christine

Let's see where can begin!   He and his staff are wonderful! I had gone to 2 surgeons before him and almost having the second surgeon do the wls on me!   Well things didn't work out so I ended up with Dr Rosen........what a breath of fresh air! I had wasted a lot of time with the other surgeons.  Could have gone to him first but didn't b/c of the distance!    Dr. R and his staff will educate you and make sure your ready for wls.....and believe me if you're not ready....you won't have it!   He is extremely intelligent....down to earth....and very witty and kind!     How can you not put your trust in some one like that?    His nurse is the *******ways felt very comfortable with her!   Anytime there was paperwork to be done.......she would have things taken care of before I got out of the parking lot!   The rest of his staff are extremely proffessional and very kind also!  All your needs will be met if you pursue your wls with this group of people. Keep us posted and let us know your outcome! Pam

Hi Cat! Welcome to the IL board.  I can not say enough wonderful things about Dr. Rosen and his team of experts.  This team is here for the long haul, pre-op, surgery, post op.. They really want you to succeed.  They also have a wonderful monthly support group meeting,  Expect to be at the appointment for a good 3 - 4 hrs.  They are very thorough.  What do you bring to the first appointment?  Any questions you may have, insurance card and that's about it.  They will work with you on the next steps they want you to take, ie goals, apointments etc.   I have absolutely no regrets.  I had my surgery on 8/30/06, had no complications and still have had no problems.  I've lost 199lbs.  I still want to lose another 35 - 40 lbs before I start plastics. Have you already decided on the surgery type? Best of luck to you and I look forward to meeting you soon! Christina

Cat, well I have been home for a while but needed to unpack from 9 days of being away. Hold on because you are in for the ride of your life with starting your journey with the Life Weigh Bariatrics team. Their program is a holistic approach to coming face to face with your MO.  They are there to help you reach the success of loosing weight.  Christina and Pam mentioned several things I was going to go into so I will not repeat them for you. Have you gone to one of the seminars yet? That is something that they would like all their patients to go to. Please do some research before you go for your first apt. because you will be asked at that time which surgery you are interested in. I think it is a little too soon to mention what will go on during your hospital stay because they use two different facilities. I will mention that you will be gotten up as soon as possible in the hospital after your surgery for the prevention of blood clots, be prepared to walk within a few hours after your surgery. So, there will not be any lounging around in a bed for you.  You will be given goals at your first appointment for you to accomplish before your next appointment before your surgery. Some of these might entail having -  GI work if necessary, pap test, mammo, clearances from other doctors if needed, breast exam, possible sleep study just to name a few. If you have had any recent tests with other doctors that you might think Dr R would be interested in bring the results with. You can bring a a support person with you to your first appointment; it is mandatory that a support person comes to the second pre op apt. Keep in mind for that person that your first apt. will be 3-4 hours long.  Christine