James Parrish Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

Amazing and wonderful! I'm glad that I was able to find a great doctor with such a great team!! They made it the best experience I could have asked for during such a life changing event in my life!! He is helpful and willing to answer questions!

DR. JAMES PARISH HAS BEEN A GOOD DR.AND PERSON THRU OUT MY SURGERY. HE ADVISED ME FROM THE 1ST TALK I WAS READY. HE. PUT ME THRU A LOT OF DR. CLEARENCE AND TEST BEFORE I COULD HAVE SURGERY. I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER HAVE SURGERY BECAUSE, OF ALL TEST AND ANSWERS. I ENDED UP HAVING IT DONE WITHIN A MONTH. ALL DR'.S WAS WITH ME AND HAD SEEN AND GOT ANSWERS BACK TO CLEAR ME. I HAD PAGES OF AFTERCARE -THAT I CAN GO BACK AND READ AT ANYTIME. HE ADDRESS THE RISK BY SITTING AND TALKING WITH YOU ABOUT ALL RISK PLUS A SEMINAR THAT YOU HAVE TO GO TO . IT CLEARS YOU ALSO FOR SURGERY, YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MAY GO. YOU CAN ASK ANY QUESTION YOU WANT . I HAD SURGERY ON JUNE 30,2014 ---- I WILL SAY COMPETENCE AND BEDSIDE MANNER MEANT ALOT TO ME----I PRAYED AND PRAYED ABOUT WHAT TO DO? (SCARED) HAD PEACE FROM MY LORD JESUS AND IT WAS REPLACE BOTH KNEES OR SLEEVE. I PICKED THE SLEEVE AND AM VERY GLAD SO FAR. 7/2/14 FEEL 15 YEARS YOUNGER! I WOULD SAY MY DR. WAS GREAT - BUT GOD SEND TO ME! (MANY THINGS "MEDICAL" HAD ADDED UP TO VERY BAD HEALTH ON MY BODY) AMAZING HOW MY BODY IS HEALING!

One day when my husband came home from work, he told me that Dr. Parrish was talking about Bariatric Surgery and how it was growing around our area. I called Dr. Parrish’s office and spoke with his nurse and requested a packet of information about the surgery to be mailed to me. When I received the packet and read the information, I called back and made an appointment with Dr. Parrish. When I first met him, he was very gentle with me and answered all the questions that I had in regards to the lap band. He then told me about the gastric sleeve and I told him that I would need to do research on it. When I went back, he again answered all my questions in regards to the sleeve and the procedure. He was very patient with me while I made my decision. I finally made my decision to have the surgery and I have been very happy since. He is extremely knowledgeable with the procedure and the follow up care. I go in once a month for a weigh in and for any discussion on any problems that I may have. Dr. Parrish’s staff has always gone out of their way to answer any questions that I have regarding my surgery. If I could make a suggestion, it would be for the program to have a support meeting once a month and for the nutritionist to be a little more knowledgeable with the procedure and ideas for meals that are good for the different stages. I would HIGHLY recommend Dr. Parrish to anyone who is considering WLS. He gave me my life back!!

As uncomfortable as it is to discuss being overweight, Dr. Parrish and his staff is wonderful to work with. Never did I feel that I was being scrutinized or put down in any way about my weight. The different surgeries were discussed and ample information was given to me to help me make a decision. I attended their seminar and all questions were answered and never felt rushed. Also all side effects and risks were discussed but also the benefits were gone over. After surgery care was greatly emphasized to the success of the surgery. The presurgery team was very informative and made sure I was mentally and physically ready for the surgery. My diet and exercise program started before the surgery and the team continued to work with me after the surgery making sure I was on the right track and stayed there. Dr. Parrish, his nursing staff and the presurgery team was assessable to me and was eager to answer any questions and worked to alleviate any fears I had. I have received nothing but encouragement from the doctor and his nursing staff and they are following my weight loss closely. I wish we could have more visits with the dietician after the surgery and would also like to see a support meeting at least once or twice a month to get feedback and support from others locally. Yes I would recommend this surgery to anyone considering weight loss.. My health has done nothing but improve and now no longer on some of the medications I was required to take. I am more energetic and feel better than I have in years. I would also recommend my surgeon, Dr. Parrish. He has always been professional, caring and very thorough with the testing and preparation for these surgeries. He truly cares for his patients and it shows. He is always making sure my diet and exercise program is being followed and keeps encouraging me and gives tips and information to ensure continuing success.

I was strongly considering lapband surgery, but didn't like the idea of going out of town since I knew the followup was so necessary. I was considering going to Houma, where I have relatives I can stay with. I was very excited to see that they were starting to do the surgeries at Cabrini. I went to a seminar in March 2010, and made an appt to see Dr. Parrish or Dr. Bledsoe. I got an appt with Dr. Parrish. I was impressed with the time he was willing to spend going over my questions and concerns.

My biggest concern was that this was a new surgery for him. In fact, I may have been his very first lap band patient. We talked about that, and I was comfortable with his reputation as a general surgeon. His office staff was very helpful, and they had a thorough (ok...sometimes seemed too thorough!) before surgery program. The surgery itself went well, and I've been very pleased with the aftercare. I see him regularly, and have had good results. I feel very comfortable asking questions. Regina, his nurse, is wonderful, and they have worked around my travel schedule to get appointments in when I am in town. I've only had one problem (with a fill) since my surgery, and they addressed it very quickly. (In fact, fussed at me for not coming in earlier...I now know what to look for and to call quickly if I'm having problems after a fill).

I do wish that he had a bigger base of bariatric patients locally, as one of the things that is planned is a local support group, but there are just not enough numbers yet.

I'd recommend anyone in the area to have the surgery done locally. The ability to have a local doc instead of having to travel to Lafayette, BR, or Houma is incredibly convenient for routine followup, and critical if there is a problem. I'd recommend Dr. Parrish without any reservations.