hi, opinions please? dr. g people preferable and abington in general

h all, michelle here:)

i am 5' 9 and a half weigh 304 as of yesterday mmy bmi is 44.9. i have changed my diet over the past few months and cut out crap almost completely, i eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, soy, tofu, drink a ton of water (but ive always done that) don't really snack unless its a kashi granola bar,  i eat pretty well i think, hardly any meat (twice a week maybe and only turkey or fish) i use soy milk and veggie cheese and except for eggs sometimes have cut out dairy so i'm eating pretty choleserol free, i get more than enough protein and complex carbs (i track what i eat at myfitnesspal) i was lacking last week but my exercise regimen is 4-5 times a week, 10 mins of light cardio, 30 ns of machine, 30 minss of heavy cardio.
i've done extensive research on wls, even to go so far as looking up the med school Dr. Antanavicius attended lol. i tlak to people in person who have had it in  all stages of pre and post op and online forums -this and thinnertimes. i read both the good and the negative (for what its worth there isn't much negative for abington. i had all my pre reqs done last week aand am meeting Dr. G this coming friday and I wonder if he would approve me for the ds? i've decided that ds is the best option for me and i'm going to tell him all this and see what he thinks. but i wonder because my bmi is slightly lower than 50 but i do have 150 to lose. what do you all think?
thanks
mich

Hi Michelle,

Did you get the message I sent in response to your message to me?  Dr. Bonanni did my surgery and I loved (love) him.  I have never met Dr. G but have heard nothing but wonderful things about him. 

I can't speak for the lower BMI personally.  I have heard of other patients with a lower BMI just standing their ground and being outspoken that they KNOW that DS is the right surgery for them, and both doctors relented.

Have you been to any of the support group meetings?  The DS crowd goes to Chili's afterwards and that is a great opportunity to meet and talk one on one with other DSers.

Let me know if you have any other questions.  Also, are you on Facebook?  There is a PA DS group that we could add you to.

Take care,

Ellen

 Kudos to you for doing your research.   Your BMI is about what my starting BMI was, and I've done beautifully both in regard to getting to a healthy BMI and maintaining.    

I have heard that the Abington post-op support is not the best nutritionally (I'm sure others will chime in with more specific information) so make sure you keep up on exactly what your post-op needs are.     

Good luck to you!

Mostly like what Julie said, but I'm more brutal...good cutters with HORRID nutritional info. 

They will give you some info that is bizarre and some that at least some in our population find to cause health issues...like over-limiting fat when what we usually need is MORE so as not to cause SEVERE problems with the pooping process.

And the BMI 50 requirement must ALSO be something that is all theirs.

So I'd find a way IN, get the DS and take all of their nurtitional info with a CUP of salt.

 I had my DS with Dr. Greenbaum on Dec 20th.  I am 5'7" and started at 300.  I'm 4 months out and I have lost 65 lbs.

I had a great experience with him and his staff.  I'm doing my follow up care out of state, so I haven't really followed up with him at all.  But overall, I have no complaints and I love my DS.  I'll be happy to help you anyway I can!  

Good luck with your decision.

Pre-DS, I was a very very healthy eater with a long history of being a gym rat.  But none of that helped me lose weight....my scale only ever moved in one direction regardless of what I did.  I actually had a milk allergy (that is now gone) so I mostly ate soy too.  I am positively thrilled with my DS and the fact that I eat pretty much like I did pre-op, jus****ching for white flour and adding protein shakes.  I am 35, a mom of 3 age 4 and under...it did take me a long time to chose to get the DS...about 2 years of research, but I am so glad that I made this choice!

I loved Dr B and have only heard great things about Dr. G. I do agree however that there nutritional info is SEVERELY lacking so please consult others on here and find out what you really need to eat. Same goes for vits. Good luck and congrats for doing your research.

Please consider going into NJ to Dr. Greenbaum.

Hi Plum.

Another Abington Ds'er here. I loved Dr. Bonanni, He is a VERY GOOD SURGEON and had a fantastic bedside manner too.   I would not go anywhere else..  Just because their nutritional infor sucks big time doesn't mean everything else isn't fantastic, which it is, The staff are wonderful, kind and considerate. The NP's are great.. I am almost 3 months out and have had zero problems, sailed through surgery with a multitude of co-morbidities and have not had one complaint since.

Take Care
Kathy

hi michelle.       you will find that abington ds'ers are a strong group here.  whether it's here on oh, on our new facebook page or our get togethers in in person. 
i am almost 2 yrs out.  started at 352# and have lost just about 200 #s. i feel great and each day is such a wonderful new gift to enjoy.
dr b is my surgeon.  i cannot say anything negative about his abilities.  he even did a little out patient procedure on me that was not weight loss related.  i am amazed that my scars are barely visible.  the post-op care in the hospital was wonderful.  everyone so caring.
my opinion, you can't do better with this qualified group of ppl.  the only downside is the nutrition portion, but you can learn that quickly just like the rest of us did by reading the posts here. 
whatever path you chose, i wish you the best care and best of luck with your journey.

I was not particularly impressed with Dr. G during the consult, and I did not like their nutritionist at all. She was rather ignorant and rude. I was also not thrilled with the length of time I would have to wait for a date. Also, Abington's consult will include a surprise rectal exam, just FYI. They don't tell you this until they hand you the gown. I thought that was kind of weird.

The list of pre-op tests for Dr. G surpassed all pre-op requirements of any other surgeon I consulted with, and that made me very uncomfortable because many of the tests were triple redundant and not indicated as even remotely necessary by my specialist doctors. I have the list of the comparison pre-op requirements on my blog if you're curious.

In the end, I went with someone else, clearly. I feel very comfortable with that decision. I know many people adore Dr. G and Dr. B for their cutting skills and I believe them. I would just say that you might consider shopping around before you make a decision and don't necessarily let posts sway you either way. Good luck.