Madison Surgical Associates Bariatric Center

My first impression was that Dr. Mailapur is a very busy surgeon and typical of all the surgeons that I've met in the past. I changed my mind about the "typical" when he gave me a "big old hug" and told me that he was going to take care of me. I don't believe that a doctor has ever attempted to make me feel that he cares before. At least, not in such a "human" manner. Dr. Mailapur's office staff is very caring and they convey a feeling of reassurance to the clients.
Future patients should know that when Dr. M says that you must lose weight before he will do surgery, he means it! It is not a control issue, he requires the weight loss to increase your chances of a successful surgery. Dr. M. is very concerned that you follow all of the guidelines: dietary and exercise. He states that he wants to be successful with all his surgeries and that he does not consider the surgery a success unless the patient benefits. Aftercare is emphasized and made simple by the Huntsville Hospital Bariatric Center. The Nurse, the Dietician and all the volunteers are there to help any time you call or email. Support Group meetings held once a month are great! Dr. M. addressed the risk of surgery both during our pre-surgery visit and in the enormous amount of study material that his office provided. You must read the study material or you will not pass the little test that you must "pass" prior to surgery. I rate Dr. M very highly. I have confidence in his surgical skills, he studied at one of the best Colleges of Surgeons in the world. I think that his bedside manner and his surgical competence are equally great!

I first saw Dr. Mailapur in September 2009. He has a short review of gastric bypass surgery and lap band surgery that he requires all patients to attend. Alot of useful information about surgery and insurance were provided. My first appointment with him was then scheduled in Oct. 2009. He was very nice and answered all of my questions. I was given a list of things that I would need to do to prepare for this surgery and to get insurance approval. After my 6 month medically supervised diet which began Dec. 1, 2009 and the 30 pounds that Dr. Mailapur required me to lose, surgery was scheduled for July 19. I had a pre-surgical vist on July 13. At that time Dr. Mailapur answered all of my questions and did something NO other doctor has ever done for me before my surgery. He said here is a prescription of the medications that you will need after surgery. You can go ahead and get this filled so that you don't have to run around after your surgery getting prescriptions. I saw him before the surgery and he again asked how I was and if I had any other questions. The next morning when he came to see me once again asking if I was ok or had questions. Always taking all of the time I felt I needed with him, not rushing me through to get on to the next patient. I told him that morning that I have had a lot of surgeries for different things and he was the kindest most considerate doctor that I had ever had. I have had at least 6-7 previous surgeries, this was by far the easiest surgery I have every had. I was back at work in one week and feeling great. Dr. Mailapur's sugical competence and bedside manner far exceeded my expectations. If anyone is thinking of having this surgery I would HIGHLY recommed Dr. Mailapur and his staff. You could not be in better hands.

My first impression of Dr. Mailapur was that he was a very kind and caring doctor. I had been to several seminars and he was the first doctor that I got a really good feeling about. As time went on, I found out what an exceptional doctor he really was. He has a very professional staff that really gives you all the information that you need to make your decision for surgery easy. They answered all my questions, regarding surgery and also insurance, cost, etc. He really does do a good job with your aftercare by letting you know exactly what to expect and expecting you to do what he asks. He very definitely addresses the risks of surgery. I actually had a problem during surgery because of my diabetics and some problems I had a few years ago with pancreatitis and gallbladder. He took a lot of extra time, making sure that my surgery was done correctly. He is a very competent bariatric surgeon and has a great bedside manner. I do not have anything negative at this time to say about him. I give him a 100% rating overall.

Dr. Mailapur is a great doctor. My surgery was on Feb 22, 2010 and as of today (July 27, 2010) I have lost 70 lbs. I don't feel like I had to try to lose any weight, it just comes off! My start weight was 260, so I didn't have as much to lose as some, but I have made great progress. I had the Roux-en-Y procedure. Dr. Mailapur is very caring and makes you feel very comfortable. Also, he is very good at what he does. I had the procedure laparoscopically, and my procedure was complete by about 2pm on a Monday. By 6pm, I was walking down the hall and I went home the next morning at about 9am. The following day I went out shopping for about 2 hours. That weekend, I went on a small hike on a mountain for about 45 minutes. It was slow going, but I felt fine. I have not had any complications from the surgery and it is one of the best choices I've ever made. I was very afraid to take the leap, and even on the operating table, I was fighting with myself to just jump down and run away. So if I can do it and have such good results, anyone can. I have never felt ill, I've never had nausea or vomiting or any of the other problems I've seen listed online. The only thing I can even come up to complain about is the 7 vitamins I now take a day (hardly anything to complain about)! The best thing is that I have gone from a size 24 to an almost 16 and I have tons of energy and feel like a normal person. I highly recommend the surgery and especially, Dr. Mailapur.

Dr. Mailapur is one of the nicest, caring, and most professional surgeons you will ever meet. When you meet Dr. Mailapur, you will not feel like you are meeting your “typical MD”. Dr. Mailapur is very down to earth and is always willing to answer any question that may come up no matter what the topic. He is a very nice, caring, and well-skilled surgeon who always carries himself in a professional manner. He knows his job well and does it with excellence. Dr. Mailapur has a great sense of humor and he and the staff always make you feel comfortable. Despite all of the medical jargon you may encounter in your Bariatric surgery journey, Dr. Mailapur will make sure that you understand fully what is and will be going on with your body. Before having surgery with him, he has devised a complete learning process that allows the patient to be fully educated and aware of all the necessary information regarding the procedure as well as pre-op and post-op guidelines. Dr. Mailapur is also a very serious surgeon. He will not operate on someone who is not truly serious about dealing with the post operative Roux-en-y issues. He wants to make sure that you succeed. Highly recommended surgeon! I am 1 year post-op and 100 lbs lighter! Dr. Mailapur’s staff has been a wonderful reference during my back. Before and after surgery, you want to know someone has your back. Dr. Mailapur will be there for you!

I am very pleased to have had Dr. Ravindra Mailapur as my surgeon. Prior to my surgery, I had serious doubts about having surgery from some horror stories. However, Dr. Mailapur answered all of my questions and he was honest with me. He explain the risk factors of having the surgery, the risks of things that I must do or don't do after the surgery. He requires that you first attend a seminar concerning the surgery before the consultation can be scheduled to educate you on the risk factor and the side effects of the procedures. Before the surgery, you must have a pre-operative nutrition education class (omg, it is so helpful) that explains what happens the day before the surgery, day of surgery and the eating plan after surgery.

So after a year of going back and forth with my insurance, the big day arrived. After I was admitted and the nursing staff did what they do so well, the first face I saw was Dr. Mailapur. He came to make sure that I was ok and if there was anything that he could do before he gave me a new life. He reassured my family that he would take great care of me. He is very personable and knowledgeable. The next morning (can't remember anything from the day of surgery), bright and early my surgeon was there to make sure that I was walking and not having any complications.

Dr. Mailapur is a wonderful doctor and person who truly cares about his patients before, during and after the surgery. If don't want a doctor who is honest and who will help you along the way in the process of weight loss surgery, this is not the doctor for you. But if you want someone who will be both of those things and more, I recommend Dr. Mailapur to everyone who is doing this for change, not just a band-aid to our problem. His office staff is very helpful with filling out the paperwork, working with insurance companies and answering questions that you may have. They are available and will always return a call.

After the surgery, you have a follow up visit with Dr. Mailapur. he gives you instructions on what is the nest step, fro instance when to switch from liquid to pureed to a regular diet in intervals, when to start adding weights to your work out to maintain muscle mass and questions concerning pregnancy.

I am glad that I chose him to be my surgeon. He is great at what he does. I have not had a negative moment with his office or with him during my process and I been in and out of his office since April 2009. He is a wonderful choice in my book.

I first met Dr. Mailapur in the Spring of 2008 at a seminar on WLS. His presentation aleviated many of the fears I had for this surgery and gave me hope to conquer obesity. Unfortunately, the insurance I had at the time insisted that they did not cover WLS, but I knew that several other co-workers had been covered. I was never able to determine why I was rejected, but I suspect I had not worked at the company long enough. So we switched our insurance to my husband's employer and after a 6 month weight loss program with my primary physician, I was finally approved and had my surgery in late June 2009. Though all the appeals to my original insurance and the switch to the other insurance, Dr. Mailapur and his staff were extremely helpful and supportive. Today is my 1st year anniversary of my surgery and I have lost 130 lbs which is 93% of my goal of 140 lbs. I have dropped from a size 3X (and 4X in some things) to a size 10. I am 59 years old and this is the first time since I was 10 years old that I have worn a size 10! My journey has been relatively complication free. I became nauseated after the leak test 8 hours after surgery and vomited, causing Dr. Mailapur to keep me in the hospital 3 nights and on a clear liquid diet for 2 weeks. But through all this Dr. Mailapur was attentive and encoraging. He stresses "following the program for at least a year" and being involved in a support group - both of which I have done with excellent results. In the first 6 months I had lots of anxiety about my ability to succeed at this - I had failed with so many other weight loss programs. The anxiety has abated especially in the last 6 months when I could see dramatic differences in me. I feel more positive about my success and ability to keep the weight off now that I can see that following the program was indeed the way to go. I have no intention of ever needing this surgery again, but with what I have experienced I would still do this surgery. I still cannot eat much meat and struggle to get my protein absorption to the level Dr. Mailapur would like (I in am the low normal range). In Jan 2010, when I noted that I had difficulties with meat, eggs, and most vegetables, Dr. Mailapur sent me to a gastrointerologist where I had an endoscopy which indicated that the opening to my stomach was irritated. The gastrointerologist enlarged the opening slightly and had me take medicine to eliviate the irritation. I can now eat some meats and vegetables, but still don't tolerate eggs well. Dr. Mailapur was suppportive and listened carefully to my eating problems and ensured me that it would improve. Other than these problems, the last year has been problem free.

My greatest compliment to Dr. M is that EVERYTHING he told me about this surgery was ABSOLUTELY TRUE and ACCURATE! Everything he said would happen DID. He established my expectations and I am wonderfully pleased. I am excited about the changes that are occuring and I thank Dr. M for being forthright, answering all my questions, and DELIVERING the results he promised. I have researched other surgeons, and I can recommend no other. Dr. Ravindra Mailapur has a passion for this surgery and it shows! I have no regrets, with the surgery or the results... and I certainly have NO REGRETS over the excellent surgeon I chose.

Thank you, Dr. M. You are the best!!

Dr. Mailapur is absolutely fantastic! When we first met, he was very caring and actually seemed to want to help instead of just wanting a paycheck. His office staff was great. During the six month wait, they called several times to make sure that I was working on all the paperwork and doing all the things necessary to get approved. Since the surgery, I have seen that his patient care is unbelievable. He called me a few days post op to make sure I was doing well. I highly recommend him to anyone that wants to change their life by doing WLS. He is very thorough and makes sure you know what you are getting into. His complication rate is very low and readily gives out all of those percentages. His surgical competence and bedside manner is unmeasurable!

I have known Dr. Mailapur for a few years as he performed my father's surgery. I thought he was a wonderful surgeon then and when it came time for me to choose a surgeon, he was at the top of my list. He is a very no-nonsense doctor. He expects you to do your part in weight loss. He has no problems in telling you that he will not perform the surgery if you do not complete the requirements, but that the requirements are in place to protect you and make sure that your surgery goes as smoothly as possible, with the least amount of complications. There is a very strict aftercare program in place, with very specific guidelines to follow. After surgery, he will tell you that what he has done is given you a starting point to help reach your goal. What you do with it is up to you.
Dr. Mailapur's office staff is WONDERFUL! They did everything they could to help me in this long process.
Dr. Mailaput reviewed the risks and benefits of the surgery with me in detail. He went over all the questions my sister had, although she was not completely satisfied with his answers.
What I like least about Dr. Mailapur is the fact that he is so busy with so many patients, that he doesn't have a lot of one-on-one time. His bedside manner is great. He is very personable, however he can be very brisk.
All in all. I give Dr. Mailapur a 9. I was very pleased with my surgery and the care I received before and after. I have healed nicely and I am adjusting well to my new, smaller stomach,