Support Group Suggestions

I am pre-op, going for my first eval/consult tomorrow at the WISH Center in Renton. Did any of you have your surgery there and if so could you tell me a little of your story and your experience with them? From what I've seen so far, i'm very impressed. Also, can anyone suggest a good support group I could start attending? I live in Olympia and am prepared to travel North if I have to, but prefer to stay as close to home as possible. You can contact me directly at my email address: [email protected] Thanks, Cary

Hi Cary, I went through the WISH center in Renton and had a great experience with them. Be prepared for a very long first appointment, I think I was there for almost 6 hours. Since my insurance paid for everything, I didn't have to work with them on financing, so I'm not sure about the whole self pay aspect. Even if your insurance covers the surgery, there is a "Support" Fee that you will have to pay out of pocket. My surgeon was Dr. Strain, who was very nice and I felt very comfortable with him. I am a little over 6 months out and have recovered without any complications. You can click on my profile to get some more details. The WISH Center has a support group that meets on the first Thursday of every month, probably a little far for you to drive, but they do have one. Best of luck to you. Kristi 256/170/140ish

Hi Cary, You'll be very happy with the WISH Center and Dr. Alperovich and/or Dr. Strain. I had Lap RNY just a couple of week ago - 4/5 - and I have to say that I am very impressed. The exercise and practice diet that they have you do seems to make things a lot easier in the long run. Coming out of surgery I had very little pain, considering what had been done to me. Oh yeah, I was on the pain medication and the self-administered morphine, but the pain was fine. A little suprising when you first move, but that seemed to be the worst of it. You'll be very impressed by Valley Medical - with a special bariatics wing that is specifically designed for the large patient, you almost feel that you are being pampered. Dr. Alperovich will spend whatever time is necessary with you to make sure that all of your questions are answered. You have good reason to be impressed. I was on pain medication that he had prescibed until about one week after surgery, then didn't really feel any need for it. It's hard for me to believe that it was only over two weeks ago that I had surgery - I'm walking about a mile a day, not really hungry and feel absolutely great. I started back to work today and, by choice, am only working half-days for the rest of this week. Good luck with your appointment tomorrow and best wishes for an easy journey to your surgery and beyond. Cele

Is there a website for this WISH center? It sounds great and i will be moving to the Redmond area 3-4 wks post op and need to find a support group. Where can I find more info on this center? Thanks in advance! Laura G [email protected]

Laura, I did a Google search for WISH Center Renton, WA and it popped up. It is wishcenter.org.