Sticking a toe in the water..

Hi, just found this site this morning. My wife Wendy and I are new here, of course, and we are both wanting to have surgery done to ourselves. We're 40 and 41 years old, and have been on every diet known to man. Coincidentally enough, my BMI is 40, and hers is 41. We live in Mendota, and am considering hospitals near and far. We really hate being treated like a number, but at the same time, we want our doctor to be qualified and we will want our hospital to fight with us to help us qualify for insurance. I am leaning towards lapband, while Wendy is more in favor of RNY for herself. There seems to be an awful lot of you who are dedicated to the cause, so we'd appreciate anything you want to send our way. thanks in advance....Rob

BTW: we are considering the following: Kishwaukee in DeKalb (for proximity), Wish Center in Downers Grove, and Little Company in Evergreen Park (where we heard the doctor is great, but its really far for us)

I've heard some bad things about the WISH center in Downers Grove - in the case of the lap band, they've only done 50 between the 3 surgeons. I wouldn't be comfortable with that. Also, I guess they may be facing some financial difficulties. I know that Sandra posted about her experiences at WISH a few pages back in the thread. I'm having my lap band done by Dr. Horgan at MIBC in Chicago. He's a leader in the field, and his center has done over 600 lap bands. Their complication rate is also much lower than the FDA studies, and they have a great aftercare program. He does do both the RNY and the lap band, but he's pretty pro lap band.

Rob, you may want to check out Barix in Belvidere. Several of us have had our surgery there, and you can read about the facility and the doctors here on ObesityHelp. I believe they're the best around. Terry

Rob, Welcome to the our little Pool of Love!! Dive right in!! *ahem* anyway.. sorry about that.. Feel free to ask questions and I encourage you to read profiles a LOT.. many people write journals in their profiles and it details their struggles before, during and after the different surgeries they have had.. it also makes the journey a little more human, IMO. You can find doctor's names and recommendations on profiles, too.. I know I, initially, wanted the Lap Band done.. but after researching and asking a lot of questions of people I met here and my doctors and their assistants, I changed my mind and went with the Lap RNY procedure instead. We're friendly here and usually don't bite unless you ask nicely (well.. except for Debby and Biscuit.. but they're different...) Stef Lap RNY 11/12/04 390 -> 313 -> 175

Well, thanks Stef-slash-Gypsy. I may go RNY myself. I kind of think the odds of dying are still kind of high, but I feel like I've 'crossed a line' than I'm never going to be able to return from unless I do this. I look forward to the process, and I appreciate having this forum here. I'll try not to tempt Debby and Biscuit. I don't feel that tempting, anyway. Is it normal to spend a lot of time waiting for doctors/nurses/staff to call you back? I'll start digging into profiles....thanks.

Yeah.. I was weighing the same options you seem to be.. but then I realized.. statistically, the Band procedure has only been around since the mid-late 90s.. and it's not as commonly performed as RNY (which has been around since the 60s, I think).. once I got to thinking about that.. I realized that the data gathered on RNY comes from a much broader and more complete pool of subjects than the data they have on the Band.. RNY statistics have time on their side. It makes sense that the risks are about the same.. since they are driven by many of the same factors.. and it wouldn't be as much a question of what procedure I had done.. as it was about the surgeon I chose.. and post-op, I knew.. *KNEW* I would be able to overcome that band.. either I would not get it filled or find a way to work around it.. knowing my habits and how I am, I decided I needed a permanent procedure like RNY to give me the best chance of success. That's just the thought process I went through.. right or wrong, it's what brought me to the decision I made... and I haven't looked back. As for waiting for call-backs.. hmmm.. tough one for me to answer.. When I decided to do this, I called my insurance first to see if it was covered and what was required.. then I called my surgeon's office and got scheduled for the informational seminar.. then when I was ready, I made my surgical evaluation appointment.. (my time frame was June - August for that portion.. I was approved in mid-September and on the table in mid-November after jumping through all of the hoops) I know it's a long way for you to travel, but I encourage you to check out Suburban Surgical at Alexian Brothers.. they are in Barrington and Elk Grove Village.. (I had my surgery in Elk Grove Vlge) and the team is fantastic. Dr. Kane Jr. goes around the country and certifies other doctors to perform Lap RNY and has been doing that for something like 10 years.. He's awesome... and I never felt any less cared for when I called after hours or was in the hospital with a different group doctor on call (Verseman and Guske were the ones I had experience with). Feel free to email me if you want me to get you in touch with them. I have their number sitting at my desk right now. Stef

Rob, I am not sure how far south you are from Rockford, but I had my surgery done in Harvard, IL. which is about 30 miles east of Rockford. It was WONDERFUL. It is a very small hospital, but a great staff, and the surgeon was the best. I like the fact that it is small and everyone knows who you are - even know after 1 1/2 years when I go in for a check up they all remember my name. When I was in the hospital there were only 2 other people there. I am sure it is much more busy now, but it still has the "small town" feel to it. They can do all of the pre-op stuff right there too. The cardiac, blood, ultrasounds, etc. I had mine done all in one day, which really speeds things up. He also, does all kinds of WL surgery. I can't say enough good things about the hospital or staff at Harvard Hospital. I believe it is now called Mercy Harvard, or Harvard Mercy Hospital. By the way I had Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance and they paid the entire bill at Harvard. They accept whatever you insurance pays, or they did. Hope this helps. Char

Rob - Come on in the water is great!! Actually, I am not sure how the water is myself, I am still going through the hoops that I need to go through before I can get to the "water" (surgery), but from what I understand, it is great!! Everyone here is very nice, lots and lots of information. I wish both you and your wife luck in your decisions!! Come back often, Nancy

THERE IS THE COMP CLINIC IN SPRINGFIELD. IT TAKES LONGER TO HAVE THE SURGERY BUT IT TAKES A LONGER TIME TO GET IT AND THEY HAVEN'T STARTED LAP BAND YET THEY WILL THIS SPRING. IT HAS A GREAT BEFORE AND AFTER CLASSES. BY THE WAY MENDOTA DON'T YOU HAVE A CORN FESTIVEL EVERY YEAR I WENT ONCE WHEN I WAS 12 IT WAS REALLY COOL I CAN'T SPELL TO SAVE MY LIFE!!!!