LapBand questions in Indiana

I am in the process of getting everything together for WLS. I have already had my consult with the Surgeon and the ball is rolling. I am looking at having the LapBand done. I have a few questions for anyone out there... First, has anyone used St. Vincent weight Loss center, specifically Dr. Gumpta? Any thoughts or experiences? Secondly, I was told that I could return to work in 2-3 weeks. I am not sure why it takes so long... I have had laporoscopic surgery before and I returned to work on Monday. I could just use some success stories that are similar to my needs... I am 28 yo with 2 small children and I weigh 265lbs. I am looking to lose about 100 lbs. Anyone similar shoes out there???

Hello Jayme, Dr. Brenda Cacucci of St. Vincent Bariatric Center of Excellence performed my lapband surgery and I have nothing but praises for the program and the surgical experience. I was 27 years old when I had the surgery (in September of 2006) and weighed 318 lbs. To date, I have lost 58 lbs, mostly through divine intervention (I did not always do things properly and am just now in an exercise routine). I have had a most blessed experience, with minimal adjustments. (The biggest adjustment for me was not eating while drinking and eating protein rich foods--I used to have a special relationship with carbohydrates and refined sugar). So far I've had one fill, but I might consider another, because the loss slowed down in January and February (I had another surgical procedure which benched me for a little while). I have been slow to have another fill because Dr. Cacucci told me that she thought my port was flipped (See Lap-Band Forum for Dr. Curry's response to this), which is not to scare you, it is not her fault or through any incompetence of hers, I was told by another surgeon that it cannot really be prevented because the sutures are adhered to muscle tissue and sometimes that tissue can change or move. Anywho, I have no desire to go under the knife to have the port flipped, so I've been trying to lose without another fill. I was out of the office for about that long, but my best friend had the surgery and was only away from work for 2 days. I stayed away longer because I did not want the questions about my diet, I wanted to focus on measuring food and timing it correctly and I experienced very low energy levels. Basically, I did not feel I was at my best. I feel like I've rambled, but I wanted to answer your questions and let you know that I am here to answer any more of your questions. Please feel free to send me a message or ask ANYTHING that you want to know. I update my profile periodically, so feel free to check that out as well. Hoping that your experience is blessed! Ell

Hello Jayme: I'm a successful bander. I had my band place in Aug 31, 2005. I've lost 170 lbs since then with only three fills totalling 2.3cc's. I initially weighed 317 lbs when I began the insurance process for approval but on the day of surgery it's self I weighed in at 267 lbs. I'm a 36 yrs old single mother of one (13 yrs old) with another one on the way. As for your specific questions: *) You'll need the 2-3 wks not just because of the lap type surgery but because eating and drinking will become new to you right after surgery. You'll need that time to learn to adjust eating and drinking... swallowing basically because you're new pouch will be small and extremely swollen. Also you'll need that time to basically sit and rest so as not to disturb the sitches holding your band in place securely. *) I had my surgery with Dr Clark via St Francis's Baratric Center, therefore I can't really tell you about Dr Gumpta and St Vincent's. I know that both have a very high reputation for weight loss surgeries so I'm sure you'll be in really good hands. If you haven't yet, make sure to check out the banding forum/message board here on OH.com. There is a banding surgeon (Dr Curry) on the board just about all the time, and if a long term knowledgeable bander isn't able to help answer specific questions he will. Also the banding forum/message board is a great place to get to know various banding procedures, options, problems, solutions.... and all kinds of other really knowledgeable information. I hope you get a chance to check it out. Good Luck Jodi

I had the surgery one week ago. Before choosing to go with Dr. Ray, I met with Dr. Gupta at St. Vincents. I had done my homework on the surgery and had a list of questions to ask. I choose Dr. Ray because he had performed more surgeries. At that time (about a yr ago) she had only done 20 and lost one of those patients. Do your research. I still do not feel like goin back to work today. I plan to return Monday. I actually feel prety good, I am just SO tired. Hope this was helpful.