dr randall and surgery

I had posted before and i was looking into different places to get my surgery done at.  I now have a consult in april with doctor randall,  I am a little nervous and i know that is understandable.  I know that he does the open surgery I would love feed back from anyone who has had him and what to expect to go thru, Also they said after my first meeting i would get a to do list I am going to go to the support group and i was wondering what some of the the to do's are.  thank you all for your support . 

I had Dr. Randall do my open RNY over 2 years ago.  He is a very kind, caring and compassionate surgeon.  I was taken care of very well before , during and after surgery.  No question is to little to ask him.  Many times Dr. Randall will personally return your calls.  Your to do list will include scheduling appointments with the dieticians, psychologist, going to support groups and getting a letter of clearance from your PCP.  The dos would be to follow the rules of what ever they suggest, not gaining weight before surgery.  I would go to as many of the support meetings as you can.  You will learn a great deal from them.  Good luck on your journey!  April will be here before you know it.

On Feb 20th it will be one year since my surgery with Dr Randall - all I can say you can't do any better than him - my experience has been nothing but positive - I am doing well and have lost over 100lbs over the past year and know I will reach my goal by 18 months! I was very lucky and did have have any problems since surgery....my life is so much better and I can do so much more than a year ago. The to-do list is basically appts/meetings/tests etc you will need to do (with everyone the specific tests pre-op may be different) My best advice to you is to attend the meetings both pre & post op. The advice from others is great as long as you understand things are different for everyone but then you'll hear something and go AHHH that's me or suggestions others make try and see if they work for you. Just make sure you educate yourself and your family...bring them to a meeting! Good luck and look forward to seeing you at the monthly meetings!  Rosie

Just another opinion...please take no offense I think that OPEN is unnecessary....why not go laprascopically.  It is much cleaner way to do things....far less chance of infection etc.  Open just does not seem to be necessary especially when most surgeons now do Laproscopically.  Just a thought for u to ponder.  Much less healing time, less scarring etc.  Just one more thing for u to think about.

Dr. Randall is the best that is out there regarding this surgery.  He will explain why he does open versus lap RNY.  This has been the best decision I have ever made for myself.  He is there every step of the way with you and he returns all of his calls and emails immediately to you.  No question is ever to small for him.  I'm 14 months out and 10 lbs below my goal weight.  In the 2 1/2 years I have only missed 2 support group meetings.  They are essential to WLS no matter who does your surgery. I'll be at the next meeting on the post op side.  Make yourself known to me when you see me.  We're all there to help and support each other.

I will look for you next thursday my husband is going to come with me,  I have heard personal accounts from a few people that had Dr. randall I also have an account from a very dear friend that is 7 years out from him and also recommended him,  I am nervous of course but I feel very confident in his abilities.  I have done a lot of research, I am not taking this lightly I know that my life is going to change and I am ready now. I want to thank every one for there responses it is very helpful to  have such a great support system online. 

Antoinetta, I too am a preop RNY with Dr. Randall, and I have nothing but the highest respect for him!  He has called me personally to offer answers to questions.  I agree with Bunny, he has very good reasons for doing open RNY and convinced me that it is the best way to go in the long run.  Dr. Randall has been in the bariatric business for 20 years! I also agree that attending the support meetings are beneficial.  Our group meets at MetroWest Medical Center in Natick every 2nd Thursday.   My husband attended one meeting--he was leery at first about my decision to have RNY, but came away from the meeting feeling better informed and supports my decision.   I am very eager to get moving on the surgery!  I have been through the "To Do" List, and want to get my date.  MWMC has applied for Center of Excellence status, and is awaiting the official approval-- what this means is BCBS will approve me only if I go to a COE program.  Hope the approval comes soon! Keep us posted on how things progress! Leila