Lahey Clinic

Has anyone had surgery at the Lahey in Burlington? What were your thoughts? Did you check any other locations and why did you choose Lahey?

Hey there,

I have not had surgery yet, but I did check out Lahey in Burlington. I decided to go with Tufts, but I did like the plan the Lahey Clinic has. My research on the program suggested its a high quality very thourough program.

Dunno how much that it will help, but I did want to say kudos to you for doing all the research you can!

SW

Does tufts have a long waiting list and also do they drug test?

I did in 4/02 they were a great hospital and the surgeon was very good but I had a ton of complications that I suppose could and would happen anywhere. Blood loss, transfusion, a central line, pneumonia, port site infection.... I lost about 130 lbs initially and then all weight loss stopped no matter what I did... finally I had some testing done saw my surgeon again who said he would not do a revision as they are much too risky and put me on a liquid diet... so then I went to Boston to Brigham and Womens to see Dr. David Lautz for a second opinion he informed me that my pouch and stoma were 3 times larger than they should be for long term success... I thought that I stretched it that much and was very upset about it and he read my original surgery notes and said that it was created that large in the first place and that the hospital and surgeon were very 'conservative' and that was probably their criteria at the time as they were a new program and that I should be very proud of the success I did have with what I was working with....  so with that said,  I had my revision in Boston 11/08 and I have lost 54 lbs. since and feel very good about it.  B & W was a good hike for me but well worth it... best of luck to you...

Thanks for the reply, and glad all is going better for you now. I meet with the team of doctors at Lahey tomorrow. I guess now that they have been doing the surgery for 7+ years they should have some of the kinks taken care of. I am interested in the Band. Good luck with your continued weight loss.

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Do you mean illegal drugs?

You need to be up front with ALL your medical conditions, even street drugs. This is major surgery.

I have an addictive personality. My drug of choice is/was food. I went through years of conseling to deal with this issue. At one of the intro sessions that I attended, one man stood up in front of the group and spelled it right out - that many people who have WLs end up changing one addiction for another after surgery. He stressed that you have to be mentally prepared for this surgery.

Deal with your issues before you add to them.

If I have been out of line and offended you, that was not my intent.

Jayne

I went with Tufts Medical Center because it is one of the top hospitals around for any kind of bariatric surgery. They have been doing it a lot longer than 7 years and have top surgeons performing the surgeries.  I did not research Lahey, because I knew I wanted Tufts Medical Center, but 7 years is not a long time in my mind for performing WLS.  It is a major surgery and I know I wanted the best in New England.  Not only does Tufts have great surgeons, but the weight loss program itself is awesome. There is a lot of support pre-op and post-op. 
When you ask about drug testing, they do COMPLETE blood work which would include testing for any sort of drugs.  You will also have to meet with a psychologist/behavioral specialist to see if you are an appropriate candidate for weight  loss surgery. I agree that if you are struggling with any sort of other addiction aside from food it is important to seek treatment before having WLS. (Sorry I am a clinical social worker). Hope you make the decision that is right for you!

i am going with Lahey mostly because i've had such a great experience with all their other providers, i like the surgeons, they are below average on complications and have never had a mortality (one person died of causes unrelated to the surgery which they  had to report b/c it occured within 30 days, but that's it).  I just don't have the energy to interview all the surgical weight loss clinics around here.  Tufts would probably be my 2nd choice.  Usually i shop around, but i'm content with Lahey so far.  At this point I've been evaluated and approved by their team to go forward and still have some tests (EKG, Thyroid) and to meet the surgeon before i am actually scheduled for surgery, hopefully in June or July (assuming BCBSNE covers me)

im going through lahey in Burlington and the team is awesome! i researched other hospitals but definately liked what i seen with lahey. Ive been going through the process since October and other than being rescheduled to see my surgeon about 4 times everythings been good. doctors diatician everyone are wonderful and so helpful and always there if any questions. WLS does take a bit to get everything through but DEFF worth the wait. see surgeon on December 21st 2009 and hopfully get my surgery date :) good luck to you

Lahey Burlington for me too!!  Jan 4th is my date!!  I love all the staff in the bariatric department and they have made the process so stress-free!!