Hugh Babineau Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

I just love Dr. Babineau--he is very open, and personable and answers any questions you might have in laymen's terms so that you can understand them. Everyone in their office is so great--you can really tell that they like what they do. I love the support group meetings, every time I attend one I learn something new from someone who has already been where I am right now. I would rate all the office staff and Dr. B. very competent with great enthusiasm for what they do. I would recommend them to anyone.

Dr. Babineau and his staff are great. They are caring and very detail oriented. Freida is a super lady, always helpful. I am trying to recall the receptionist's name...(maybe Kathy?)regardless, she is so sweet. They give you mass amounts of information; beware, there is a pre-surgery exam! Nice touch. My surgery is scheduled for June 2nd 2003- I am super excited and quite nervous!! And, yes, he does wear cowboy boots. He does appear very young, but he is married with kids, so he says he is older than he looks. One thing that he will tell you over and over is that this is not a cure for weight loss, it is a tool. This is not the "easy way" out; it will be a challenge. I have spoken with about five people who have had the surgery with Dr. Babineau and not one had anything negative to say about the experience or the doctor. Be expecting to stay a while on your first visit; after that, it is swift. When you get home, be sure and read all of the information. He covers it all during the first visit (including showing a little model stomach post-op) however, you need to go back over everything at least once. I am going to wait and rate him after the surgery. I will update after the 2nd!!!
Okay, guys, I am now five weeks post-op and doing well. I had a horrible time in the hospital. There are a couple of things that were never mentioned to me by anyone I spoke with before the surgery that I feel are important. First of all, be expecting air bubbles in your chest after you come out of surgery. It is very uncomfortable and annoying. Also, you probably will have this "frothing" that you will spit out constantly. Both of these things are unpleasant and I wish that someone would have told me about them ahead of time. The other people that had the surgery when I did all experienced them as well, but it passes soon enough. I had my operation at 5:30 Monday, June 2nd. I made a bet with the doc that I could get up that night- he did not think so, as it was so late in the evening. I won. I woke up after coming out of recovery at 9pm and got up right away. I did the same thing when I had my C-Section with my son. It makes all of the difference. You are not as sore, your risk of blood clots greatly decreases and you heal faster. Remember, get up!! The longer you wait, the harder it is. Plus, you can't really feel much that first night, anyway, so what a better time to get a good start. Dr. Babineau came in after I got up and said that I was doing so well, he would let me go home Wednesday. Well, everything went downhill from there. I started vomiting that night and continued to vomit 24 hours a day until Thursday. First I thought that it was because I had not eaten anything since the Saturday before and the pain meds were causing it, so I stopped taking them on Tuesday. I virtually went through the whole ordeal with no pain meds after the first night. I did not sleep at all until Thursday, as everytime I would doze off, I would wake up sick. Finally, on Thursday afternoon, I convinced the nurse to take out my IV. It had been hurting horribly since Tuesday, and it turned out it had been out of my vein all of that time. My arm was gigantic with all of the swelling. I don't know how it happened, but I am convinced the IV was somehow the reason I was sick. As soon as it came out, I felt better, went to sleep for 10 hours, woke up Friday great and was allowed to finally go home after five days. During those first four days, I could not even eat ice chips. On Friday, I drank half a bottle of water before I left and was fine. Dr. Babineau came to see me once a day everyday and the nurses were super nice. However, the quality of general care was poor. They did not offer me a way to clean myself up until Thursday, did not give me a clean gown or sheets. I was constantly wiping my mouth and they offered nothing for that, so my husband was emptying out papertowel holders for me. As a result of that, my lips were all torn up and bleeding. Having said all of that, I was an exception. Out of the other six people I met there, no one else had any problems. It was not the doctor's fault; I am convinced it was the IV not functioning properly and the staff not listening to me about it quickly enough. I was so sick, I could barely speak, so if you have any problems, be firm with them about your worries. I am not trying to scare anyone; I have spoken with countless people that have had this surgery and not one of them had had any problems. Even though the hospital experience was horrid, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have lost 34 lbs. in 5 weeeks. (260 to 226!!!)I am starting to have energy again and am feeling much better about myself. The whole not eating real food thing for the first 6 weeks has not really bothered me; I don't have much of an appetite and my tastes have changed. I highly respect Dr. Babineau and would go with him again any day. Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. Good luck!!

I first saw Dr. Babineau on June 4,2003 for a seminar and personal evaluation. Arriving first I was quickly greeted by the receptionist who was very polite followed by his nurse who took my weight and height. Soon the room quickly filled up with other HOPEFULS I use hopeful because we were all there with hope in our hearts that surgery would be the best option for us. By now I was really nervous. I knew everyone else was too. At first sight of Dr. Babineau I was nervous still but soon as I saw him with the normal Dr. get up and a fancy pair of cowboy boots it made it easier for me to be there. He then began by explaining the surgery how it was done, what to expect from it, the side effects ,risks and even passed around a stomach with the actual staples for us to to examine on our own. He also was very sure to tell us that this was not a cure but a tool for us to use . After the seminar we went in to see him individually. We went over some of the ailments I have and took pictures. Overall my visit was very pleasant. Dr. Babineau was very professional and he helped make my decision to have the surgery much easier. I am looking forward to seeing him again soon because I know that when I do it will be closer to surgery and closer to a better way of life for me and my family. If you still have not found a surgeon and you live in East Texas I reccommend you give him a call!

First impression was that he was very knowledgable about what he is doing. His office staff is very friendly. Freda is great. So far I rate him as a 9 over all. Have not much to go by except how he treated me in office so far. Will know more after surgery. Other friends have used him and they were pleased with him and his staff.

Dr. B is so informative. I couldn't believe how knowledgable he was. He has alot of patience and he didn't mind answering questions that I had. His staff is so awesome. They really know their stuff. I am looking forward to my surgery date. I feel that I have the most competent surgeon in the world. I am not worried a bit because I know that I am in good hands. It is well worth going 4 hours from home to have this surgery. I would recommend Dr. B to anyone.

AT FIRST I THOUGHT HE WAS SO YOUNG, TO BE DOING SURGERY ON ME. AFTER I READ ABOUT HIM AND TALKED ONE ON ONE WITH HIM I REALIZED HE WAS VERY CONFIDENT IN HIMSELF AND THE SURGERY.I COULDN"T BELIEVE HE HAS FIVE CHILDREN. HIS OFFICE STAFF CONSIST OF 3 VERY NICE LADIES,THAT CAN ANSWER MOST ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. HE HAS YOU BACK IN HIS OFFICE AT 6 WEEKS POST OP,THEN ABOUT 2 MONTHS LATER THE 6MONTHS OUT,THEN ONE YEAR. YOU CAN CALL ANY TIME FOR PROBLEMS AND THERE ARE GROUP MEETINGS MONTHLY AT THE HOSPITAL. HE TALKS ABOUT THE RISKS AT YOUR FIRST MEETING. I HAD A GUY LEAVE AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE PROCEDURE AND RISKS. I THINK HE'S GREAT AND HAVE RECOMMENDED HIM TO SEVERAL PEOPLE. HE WAS VERY NICE AT THE BEDSIDE AND WAS THERE DAILY AT THE HOSPITAL TO ASK FOR ANY PROBLEMS OR IF I HAD ANY QUESTIONS. HE'S A 1O IN MY OPINION.

I have my first appointment with Dr. Babs, as I hear him called, on April 1. I am looking forward to meeting this miracle man. I have heard such glowing reports from everyone. I will keep you posted. I did meet Freida, his office nurse, and she is a jewel! She is a lovely, warm, caring, friendly, outgoing, knowledgeable, health care professional. If the rest of my experience with the doctor and his staff is equal to my initial impression, this will be a truly positive experience.


**Dr. Babineau appears to be a very caring, compassionate, competent, professional specialist in this type of surgery. This is my first impression. His office staff is wonderful and very helpful. They made the preparation for surgery completely painless! I hope the surgery and recovery go as smoothly as approval and prep have been. I feel that I am in very good hands.

Very WEll Educated about his job...He is the Best!!!!!Wonderful personality...great with others....very honest in his opinions he has great credentials...i would refer anyone to him ...He will only tell you the truth about all you need to know...thanks again dr b. your GREAT!!!

I thought he was a young skinny cowboy with his pointed boots. He's very professional, easy to talk to, and very excited about this surgery, for me. His office staff is very small, personal and willing to answer any questions. they knew how my insurance would pay, and had me scheduled the first day I was in the office. Dr.B's very thorough about making everyone understand permanance of surgery, that vitamins, exersize and diet changes are for life. He doesn't like to remove the gallbladder unless really necessary or you really want it out.(I DO) I've heard he's very good at bedside and conscietious durring surgery.

Dr. B looks just like my brother when he was 8 years old. He is small, wears cowboy boots with his scrubs that really resemble the pajamas my brother wore that Christmas when he got his first pair of boots! My brother and I fought like cats and dogs.
Since I spent my life being judge by first impressions of my obese body, I chose to dig deeper and read the book. I found a big man, wise beyond his years, very well educated, experienced, and sincerely concerned about helping extremely obese people enjoy life. My only visit with him to date was in January 2003. He told me he would do the surgery and we set the date a scant two weeks later for June 2, 2003. This will be my first day out of school and the first day of the rest of my life. I have a thirteen year old daughter and I plan to take her to Europe when she is 15. I trust Dr. B and gladly put my life in his capable hands.
His staff were very professional and supportive during my visit but his nurse went beyond professionalism when she called to set the date for my surgery. I look forward to having new friends for the rest of my life. More after the surgery.
God be with you all, especially those of you trying to decide what to do.
Charolett