Surgical Consultation Questions

Hi everyone, I have my first surgical consultation scheduled at Barix for Monday 11/8 in the afternoon. I've made a list of lots of questions, but thought I would ask if anyone had suggestions of questions they asked. They may be ones I've already thought of, but you may have thought of things that haven't crossed my mind. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Denise

Denise, As you know, my surgery was at the Barix Clinic, 4 years ago. Of course back than they were known as BTC. As far as questions go, I went in there knowing just about everything, because of all the research I did. I would definitely get a password and user name, so that you can access their very own website. They will give you a "bible" in the hospital, telling you just how to eat when you get home. So as far as nutrition questions, you will get that covered real well. Let us know how the appointment goes. Sandy Pierce Barix Clinic Support Group Leader 1-4-01 -175 lbs.

The first thing I would ask you is if they offered you the laparoscopic procedure! Dr. C

Hey Dr. C., Thanks for your reply to my message. I had to chuckle because I've spent the last hour telling my friends about your reputation and had already made the decision to call your office to make a consultation appt. My consultation at Barix was both good and bad. The bad part is they told me I am not a good candidate for lap RNY. My BMI is 49 and they said their upper limit would be 46. They also said to be a candidate for lap RNY I would have had to have given birth at least once. I haven't. (that one really confused me). The good part is that I was comfortable with most of the people I came in contact with and they definitely have the process down to a science. I'm calling your office on Tuesday to make an appt. with you. But in the meantime, could you answer another question? What is the average time in surgery for you to perform a lap RNY (assuming there are no complications and assuming the gallbladder doesn't need to be removed)? I'll share more of my findings with you when I come to see you for a consultation. Thanks again for your response to my post. Denise

Denise, What I really wanted to say in that message was "tell me what excuse they gave you so you couldn't have a laparoscopic procedure." Another well-known center in Ohio does the same thing. There is always some reason they come up with to divert you to open, because that's mainly all they do. The truth of the matter is, almost every patient is a candidate for the lap procedure. I've done them on BMI 35 and BMI 75, no prior surgeries or multiple prior surgeries. And that is a complete load of crap about having had to give birth, I about fell off my chair when I read that! I'm venting a little because I am very passionate about this issue and I think it is ethically and morally wrong to tell patients these lies. GRRRRR!!! Dr. C The Deaconess Surgical Weight Loss Center Cincinnati, Ohio (513) 559-2545

Sorry, Denise, I didn't answer your question. I did 2 lap RNY's yesterday, the first took 1 hr 15 minutes and the second 1 hr 5 minutes. Dr. C

Good morning Dr. C. So the estimate of 3.5-5 hrs for a lap (as was quoted to me yesterday) is a bit high? I'll be calling your office this morning. THANK YOU! Denise

Perhaps this is true in some surgeon's hands... C

Denise, I apologize for breaking into your dialogue but I am also surprised by persons being guided into a program instead of being presented with all alternatives available to them. I would be interested in knowing what the reason behind having to have given birth previously has to do with the surgery. I agree with Dr. Curry. Experienced Laparoscopic surgeons usually can perform Lap RNY in most cir****tances. I believe everyone deserves a attempt at laparoscopic surgery. I have also performed BMI 35-90 laparoscopically in similar times to Dr. Curry. Let me know what Barix has to say I would really like follow up. Good Luck. Sincerely, Calvin A. Selwyn, Jr.,M.D. Assistant Professor of Surgery University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Hi Dr. Selwyn (and Dr. C. too if you are reading this), I called Barix back today and talked to the surgeon's assistant for clarification of why they require that a patient would have to have given birth in the past to be considered for lap RNY. The explanation was that it would have allowed the stomach to have stretched out more to allow more room for them to work. (does this make sense to you?). Of course, they still stick to only allowing lap for people with a BMI of 40-46 too. I was going to ask if this meant men can never have lap RNY at Barix, but I didn't think to as****il after I hung-up. I appreciate reading your feedback on these message boards, it's nice to get some professional input to many of our questions. Denise