Experience of Lap-Band surgeon

I had my initial consult with a Lap-Band surgeon.  I am 100% set on this surgery, but am unsure about the surgeon.   She told me she has performed 20 of these surgeries, and all patients are doing well.  Later in conversation, her nurse mentioned some of the more "complicated" patients have surgery on a particular day when the surgeon's proctor can be present in surgery with her. I am considering having this surgeon perform my Lap-Band only if her proctor is present as well.   I would love some feedback on whether or not you would use this surgeon for the Lap-Band procedure. Thanks!

I had a VERY bad experience with a surgeon who had very little experience and had only a proctor present. I would highly advise against it. I can't stress enough how much my life changed (for the WORSE) after having a botched lapbanding surgery.  If you have access to a more experienced surgeon, please consider him or her.  I have posted about my problems with banding on the Failed WLS-Second Time Around Forum. (It's on a thread called I Hate the F***lapband.) I don't hate the lapband, itself. I think it can be an effective tool. I hate what the misplacement of my lapband did to my system... and it's been corroborated by other physicians that my problems stemmed from surgeon error. Feel free to contact me if you'd like any more info.  I have regrets every single day and have had them for the past 5 years. Best of luck to you. Please know that while they SAY the band is "reversible', it is only "removable".  The most likely way for you to be successful with your surgery is if your surgeon gives you the right tools, in the right way. Nicci

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a GOOD, EXPERIENCED, QUALIFIED, HONEST, CARING surgeon do your Lap-Band Surgery.  I did NOT.  As the previous person posted, I also cannot tell you how much my life changed since that surgery - also for the WORSE.  I also have had other surgeons (one local bariatric surgeon) corrobrate that my problems stemmed mainly from surgeon error in the placement of the band.  I also had someone on this website contact me in private indicating that she has had similar problems with the same surgeon as I had when she had her surgery in 2006.  I had my surgery in 2004, so if he was "inexperienced" in 2006, what was he in 2004 when I had surgery?  DO NOT TAKE this issue lightly, as I did.  I thought I was invincible and nothing could happen to me.  I was wrong.  When it was discovered in August of 2006 that my band had slipped, my stomach had prolapsed over my band, and that the band was beginning to errode through my stomach I had to have the band removed  by emergency surgery.  Things were OK for awhile after that, and on 11/6/06 I had to have additional surgery in which a blood clot was removed from between the stomach/liver area, and additional adhesions were also removed.  I have never been well since.  I continued my care with  this surgeon because prior to my emergency surgery in August of 2006 his partner expressed absolute disbelief that I had gone to see someone other than a bariatric surgeon when I first began having pain (he drove this point home so much that it was all my husband could remember - he didn't want me change Dr's after that).  So I put up with this surgeon's flippant attitude, his lies, his arrogance  all because we believed he was going  to fix everything and  because he told my family members and I constantly "that he stands behind his work" (like he was talking about a used car).  Then when I kept getting worse instead of better I and other family members really kept putting the pressure on him (afterall he told us he knew exactly what to do to fix it - he described the surgery in great detail to us).  He said he wasn't doing the surgery or moving forward because of my attitude (this taken exactly from his own notes).  I am sure I was less than pleasant, but I wonder how his attitude would be if he were in my shoes.  Finally, after feeling so pressured, he discharged me as a patient.  I thought at the time that it would be difficult to find a physician who would know what to do, but I was wrong.  He actually did me a favor.  It didn't  take long for other, more experienced and more caring physicians, to get some of the problems under control.  Granted I  traveled  across the country to get what I believe is the best care money can buy, but it has been well worth it.  I currently have a feeding tube, I am having a major surgery on May 27th, I have lost about 86 pounds since the removal of the band and the list goes on and on.  I have also been notified that even after all the surgery is done, I still may never eat solids again.  So choose your surgeon carefully, and by all means DON'T CHOOSE KEVIN WASCO IN NEENAH, WISCONSIN .  He is the poorest excuse for a physician I have ever encountered.  All I ever wanted was the truth, and possibly an apology for the way I was treated.  We all know I will never get either from this physician.  I also love the other posts out their about the same physcian and the same office staff where the writer indicates "just keep calling and bugging them - the squeaky wheel gets the oil".  That's what my family and I thought, but when the heat  got to be too  much for him he made sure he got rid of me.  DO YOUR RESEARCH.  If you want to read any of my information, such as how this physician spoke about me, how he spoke about me to other physicians, etc. I would be happy to share that with you.  So, yes, the Lap Band is REMOVEABLE, but its damages are not always REVERSIBLE.  A experienced, professional surgeon will see you through this process to end - for better or for worse.  Let me know if I can help in any way.  If I save one person from going through what I did, I will feel like I accomplished something.  Good Luck to you.  

Absolutely not.  I would only go to a Bariatric Center of Excellence.

Hi my name is melissa and i had my lap band on may21 2008 by dr. james Kemmerling in green bay. If you are not fully comfortable with your doctor I would do some digging into her sucsess rate. Maybe even talk to other Doctors or even change doctors. You will be going through alot and you dont need the stress of not being confident of your wls. Dr. kemmerling was great and his staff. Melissa  Ps good luck