St Paul Surgeons LTD Bariatric Center

My VBG surgery was 7/18/01- click on my name for more info. As of 10/03/02 I am down 170lbs. Also check out my website for more pictures.

I met with Dr. Rupp and his nurse Joyce at an informational meeting in February 2001. There were a lot of people there. I did gain some good information and learned the 2 basic procedures Dr. Rupp does (RNY, VBG). I had previously planned on the RNY if I was to have surgery, but I think from listening to Dr. Rupp speak the VBG is now what I prefer. It is much simpler, with similar results it seems. I was impressed with Dr. Rupp. I then had my 1st appointment with his nurse Joyce this week. It went well. She went over what happens over the course of time to get the surgery done. We went over pre-op items. Follow-up after surgery. Took pictures, weighed in...This was an informative meeting also. She is now forwarding documents to my insurance for approval. I know Aetna does cover these surgeries, but 1 person from Aetna told me you need a letter of medical necesity, which my doc will do. But there web site says you have to meet a certain BMI, and have repeated failure, so I am not sure what will happen with that. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being best I would give the experience so far an 8. The only thing that wasn't great is I think there are so many people they are dealing with that the patient may end up being a number instead of a person. When I had my appointment with Joyce, I was the 5th person that day she had gone over this stuff with.

Dr. Rupp presented himself as very competent , and instilled confidence. I feel like he is a very good surgeon, and I have no regrets whatsoever that I had the surgery. Joyce Thompson generally does the aftercare, and she is terrific. (Punctual, unlike a particular doctor I know!) I would give them an extremely high rating.

What I least liked about having Dr. Rupp as my surgeon is that he moves very quickly from patient to patient, and you don't get much of a chance to talk to him. However, before I was even able to schedule an appointment with him - I was required to attend a 1-1/2 to 2 hour informational session which answered almost all my questions. Joyce has more time, and does not rush through like Dr. Rupp does. He has an incredible patient load.

The risks of surgery were fully discussed, and I was given a booklet that also listed complications.

I have not participated in aftercare. I have been encouraged to attend, but I am very comfortable with my weight loss, and am enjoying losing weight when I'm not starving myself! I also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & it makes it difficult to attend sessions.

I believe that Dr. Rupp is a highly competent surgeon, and his bedside manner is good, although brisk.

I have found Dr Rupp to be very kind, patient and professional when answering questions and explaining procedures. I have had no problems with my incision, really no problems post-op. I think that is due to his excellent skills and very professional staff. He has a structured aftercare program. Monthly support group meetings. Joyce Thompson, his nurse practioner, gives extensive preparation information prior to surgery and she runs the aftercare program.

I found Dr. Rupp to be very knowledgeable about what he does. He was friendly, and easy to talk to. He is a very busy surgeon, but he is worth the wait. He likes to do open surgeries so he can do a thorough check for cancers, appendix removal, gall bladder removal if needed, and he also did a tubal ligation for me. (as long as he was digging around in there.)He let you know the risks straight forward, bottom line. He also talks to you about how morbid obesity can shorten your life with health problems, and the stigma of being obese in society. He tells you how to eat, and what to do, but ultimately how YOU have to take care of yourself. YOU are going to follow this program because you want a better quality of life. No one is going to do this for you. Overall I rate Dr. Rupp a 10!! He helps you put yourself in control of you.(:

Dr. Rupp, is excellent. I feel/felt totally comfortable with him. When you ask questions, you get straight answers. All risks were covered prior to surgery as well as after. They have an agresive after care program. He is very busy, that would be the only negative. But once you have his time you can get all questions answered. Overall I rate him very high.

I have not met Dr. Rupp yet, but he seems very good at what he does and he seems to care about his patients. I look forward to meeting him.

I finally met Dr. Rupp on 5-15-02. He was very nice and seemed very caring and concerned.

Dr. Rupp is a great guy, very busy but good.
His office staff has always been very pleasant and friendly. The only thing that I would let future patients know is that it is hard to see him. He is very good about your aftercare and any problems you may run into he is good about seeing right away. Overall I would rate him about a 9.

Dr Rupp is very professional. He knows his stuff. I am very happy that he was the surgeon I chose to do this surgery.
He is allways in a hurry as he is a very busy man. He will answer any question that you have and is very straight forward.
I am very pleased with him over all.
Thank you Dr Rupp.

05-08-02
First face to face meeting with Rupp. The waiting room was crowded and I had to wait an hour and a half, but it was worth it. He has a great demeanor, and I trust him with my life. I guess I'd better.

I was referred to Dr. Rupp by my PCP. I attended his info session on 4/24/02. The meeting was very informational and Dr. Rupp answered all question's. He seems very down to earth and friendly. I have known of this surgery group (St. Paul Surgeon's) and of Dr. Rupp in particular, and that he has an excellent reputation. This helps me feel confident in my surgeon's abilities and my choice. I'm scheduled to meet with Joyce his nurse who starts the process on 5/20/02. My only disappointment is that if all goes well it may take up to 9 months to have surgery. Mostly due to the lack of operating rooms available.