I just attended a seminar

Hello, I just attended a seminar by Dr. King of Oxford, MS. I have only heard from one person outside of the seminar about him and they said, "Whatever you do, don't have it done in Oxford." The person I had talked to was referring to was the gastric by-pass surgery, but me and my wife are considering Lap-Band surgery. I want to hear more about Dr. King and get any recommenations on any other Drs in my area that would be good.

Hi Carl, I posted yesterday some of my thoughts on Dr. KIng and his office staff, so keep an eye out for it. My smiley face might give you a clue about what my feelings are toward my "Oxford experience"....LOL. I'd be happy to talk more in depth about it, but first I want to see if I get any responses to my post. Take care....LeanneS

Carl, I had my LapBand Surgery done by Dr King in Oxford and I am more than happy with the results and the hospital. I too, attended a seminar in order to learn about the surgeries and the Doctors. Dr King is a wonderful Doctor and very strict, I can't imagine using anyone else. The hospital was top notch. I had the best care there than I've ever had anywhere. I did not have GBP/RNY surgery because I did not feel it was the solution for me so I chose LapBand. There are others on the board who have used Dr King and Byars and Baptist in Oxford with great results. Maybe some of them will respond also. Good Luck to you and your wife. My prayers are with you both on this journey to health. Cindi M

Hey, Dr. King was a wonderful surgeon and she's right, the care at the hospital there was just the best. I did have gastric by-pass by Dr. King, and I went to him because he has performed MANY of these type surgeries and I trusted him. I was very pleased with the results. I do not go back there now because I live too far away (I lived closer when I decided to have surgery, and did drive up there for surgery and for some after care). You're doing the right thing to ask lots of questions and make an informed decision. Good luck to you and your wife. Post and let us know what you decided, and with any other questions you have.... DeAnna

Thank you for your comments because the person I had talked to worked for a group of surgeons and had heard "through the grapevine" that people had problems there and knew one person that Dr. King had worked on and had complications who said Dr. King didn't want to see her anymore and wanted her to see a different doctor. Maybe that person had self inflicted complications and Dr. King gave up trying to get her to do what she needed. Who knows, but I do know if you ask enough people about something, someone will be negative. The thing that scared me was that the first thing I heard was negative, and haven't been able to find any other opinions.

I had gastric bypass surgery 4 weeks ago today - performed by Dr. King...and have nothing but good things to say about him, his staff, and the nurses at the hospital...other than I REALLY REALLY did not want to get up and walk that night! But I am now about 45 lbs down and feeling much, much better! I went to CMMC prior to seeing Dr. King and was much more impressed with him and his staff. I'll be happy to talk about my experience with you and your wife.

Carl, I wanted to add another point. Dr King and Baptist in Oxford are a Bariatric Center for Excellence. You have to be top notch to get this recognition. Cindi M

I can see Dr. King telling someone to go somewhere else in extreme cases if they were not willing to do anhthing he recommended or did not come for follow ups. My surgical experience could not have been any better, he was wonderful, his staff was even better, and the hospital was so great to me and my husband who was with me. With that said, as you want all the facts, the only thing negative I will say about Dr. King, because I am so far out, and these things are not all actually negative, such as - he is very blunt and exact, and also that he sometimes is very quick during follow up visits. Sometimes hard to get him to slow down and answer questions you may have (farther out). So, it is best to have written down any questions or concerns and have them ready during the visit. Now, his office staff is not like this, they will always listen and talk with you, or if you call, will talk with you or have the nurse call you back. His staff is about the best around in my opinion. Also, I can see where follow-ups are absolutely necessary - I did not go for about a year, had a very bad ulcer and anemia and such and gained back about 50 pounds because I did not know I had the ulcer and anemia, I just felt tired and hungry all the time. Just a check of my iron count would have made a world of difference. Just a little info to add to help you with an informed decision. DeAnna

I had my surgery done at Oschner's in New Orleans. The AMA said in a recent study that centers which have performed numerous surgeries have much lower incidences of problems related to surgery and their mortality rates are lower. I had Gastric bypass surgery, although initally I had looked into lap-band surgery. Gastric is more invasive, but has some potential positives which lap-band does not have. I really did not want to go back again and again to have adjustments and the long term risks with the band. So I chose Gastric. I have been in excellent health and at more than one year out, am at my goal and maintaining well. Overall , WLS requires consistancy and committment for a lifetime. Check out all the centers which you have access to. You need to have confidence when you make the decision for surgery and it takes a lot of investigation. I tracked surgery patients for over 5 years during my research of banding and Gastric Bypass before I decided it was for me. Making a life change is not an easy thing. Good Luck on your journey! Cheryl

I haven't even desided if I'm getting anything done. Trying to quit smoking and having a rough day of it. I don't know if it is all worth it. I could die happy and smoke and eat what I want, or I could consider how much easier it would be on my pallbarers if I got healthy before I die. Come to think about it, the ground is full of healthy people who just dropped dead. I hate to think that I'm going through this for nothing. I NEED A CIGARETTE! :angst: