SALEM HOSPITAL BARIATRIC PROGRAM PATIENT

My name is Mary and I just had surgery this past friday at Salem Hospital and I was the 2nd RNY performed there.Dr. Nair is one of the surgical staff's favorite surgeons and the nurses on the floors adore him.Dr Nair has done numerous open RNY's up at OHSU in Portland with Dr. Cliff Deveney . The procedure itself is nearly the same as the one they do for colon cancer patients which Dr. Nair has experience with also.The whole surgical team including anesthesiologists was hand picked and have trained at OHSU. My surgery was flawless and I have known Dr. Nair for several years as I work in the Operating Room Pharmacy at Salem Hospital. I had Dr. Nair fix my husband's hernia a few years ago because I felt then and still do that he is an EXCELLENT COMPETENT TRUSTWORTHY SURGEON. My brother is a radiologist at Salem Hospital and his wife is a family practice doctor at the Doctor's Clinic in South Salem, and frankly they would have stopped me from having the surgery done if anyone other than Dr. Nair was performing it because Dr Nair doesn't take any risks at all , he is a perfectionist and won't do something without knowing what the outcome will be .(They would have freaked out if I had surgery in Portland and dealt with an unknown surgeon, surgical staff, and post op hospital staff.) I prefer a pefectionist who doesn't take risks it's safer; in a surgeon both as a patient and as a member of the pharmacy staff, we don't have to constantly page him because his orders are precise, legible, and he actually pays attention to a patient's allergies and won't risk giving you anything you may react poorly to. Dr. Nair came into the hospital every day I was there and spent time with me making sure that all of my questions were answered and I was improving daily.When he wasn't there he was calling multiple times during the day to talk to the nurses to make sure they were treating me properly and I wasn't having any problem. I was told by 4 differnt RN's that they love Dr. Nair because he is so thorough and regardless of what kind of surgery he performs on you he always comes in around 6:30 in the morning to check on his patients and calls several times to check on them. He went with me to my "upper GI" the next day to make sure I wasn't in too much pain or frightened. I had zero nausea the whole time I was in the hospital and don't have any now.He does extensive pre-op testing , you must also have at least 6 months of medically supervised weight loss within the last 24 months; many people don't like all of the hoops you have to jump thru they want an easy yes; I personally felt much safer knowing that he had ruled out any potential problem. Dr. Nair will not operate on any body he doesn't feel will safely make it thru surgery or successfully make it thru the 5 year follow up there are some people who don't like being told "NO" and are mad at him because they are desperate to lose weight I personally know of one person but she has remained very supportive of me and the program and has rooted me on. There is a panel of the surgeon, a psychologist, a dietician and the bariatric surgery coordinator that reviews your case twice to make sure you can handle the surgery. They follow you for 5 years to make sure you are successful. You must lose 5% of your body weight and pass both reviews after doing multiple pre-op tests to get you to the review to be given a surgery date. I was walking the loop of the 5th floor of the hospital just a few hours after surgery was performed on me and continued to do so until I was discharged yesterday (Monday) morning. I feel wonderful and unless I lift up my shirt you would not even know I had surgery done, I am doing so well . I am in my mid thirties. The program at Salem Hospital is new but it is an excellent program with extensive pre-op care including a dietician, surgical care and 5 full years of extensive post-op follow up care. The program is just getting off the ground at Salem Hospital and the Bariatric Team is doing everthing right to make it a successful program. The patient that had surgery before me the 1st case 3 weeks ago is doing very well and has already lost 19lbs in 20 days; I talk to her almost daily. E-mail me if you have any questions and good luck on your weight loss journey anyway you get there whether it be thru LA Weightloss, Weigh****chers, Salem Hospital or any hospital in Portland or overseas there are lots of competent surgeons out there it's your body and you get to pick your doctor. I just want everyone to lose the weight they want gone and be healthier and happier. I know I am happier and getting heathier by the day. Mary

I went to a informational meeting about the Salem Hospital Bariatric Surgery Center in Late December and was very excited to hear about their program. My husband works at Salem Hospital in Maintanence so we too have Greatwest Insurance. I have the documented weight loss attempts but have not gone through with actually setting up an appointment to see Dr Nair I have talked to Lori at the Bariatric Program a few times. I was kind of waiting for a few people to have surgery before I went on with the procedure. I am glad to hear all went well. I will be following your progress. Have a Great Day!! Lori Woodward