Stringbender

I'm scheduled for Laprascopic Gastric Plication surgery with Dr. Brad Watkins of the Cincinnati Weight Loss Clinic this Wednesday 8/17/11. Any others on this site that have had the this procedure by Dr. Watkins? Very interested in what your opinions are. Talked to the Dr and just about every one that works at the clinic. Though some seemed a bit in the dark about the procedure, all were polite and very professional. Would appreciate any opinions, and experiences with gastric plication surgery as well. Thanks

Hi Eliv; It will be seven weeks ago tomorrow (Wednesday) that I had surgery with Dr. Watkins. Can't speak for others, only my experience with WLS so far. The procedure I decided on was gastric plication, no band. Even with all the research I did I also was very nervous about having the surgery. Personally I feel that is actually a good thing. WLS is not something that should be taken lightly. I'm not from the Cincinnati area, and went for the surgery by myself as well. It was a seven hour drive there. Don't mean to encourage or discourage any one, again can only speak of my experience. So far, it has been nothing but positive. Have had no pain to speak of. The left shoulder pain that you may have read about went away after a short time, and was minimal. Recuperated enough from surgery that I made the non stop drive home two days after. Though I must say Dr. Watkins strongly advised against it. Best part, I have lost 31 pounds in seven weeks. I'm walking two miles every day now. My breathing problems have all but disappeared. Made a few bad eating choices since. 60 years of bad eating choices makes for old habits hard to get rid of. Each day to keep from falling into old habits is a challenge. But at the same time each day that challenge is becoming less and less of a challenge. The importance of eating healthy food can not be emphasized enough, but for me exercise is the key. A word that I once considered a four letter word in my vocabulary I now look forward to doing every day. The more I exercise the more I enjoy it. Who would have ever thought? As far as Dr. Watkins and his staff....they are the best. Any questions or concerns, they are more than willing to answer. And it's not like they are used car sales people being nice in order to sell you something. They genuinely care about each individual patient. I have never known a Doctor, particularly a surgeon, that is as accessible as Dr. Watkins. Most importantly his surgical skills are unsurpassed. Must mention the surgery center staff. They were fantastic. You can take comfort in, after making the very difficult decision to have weight loss surgery, that there is no one more qualified to perform it than Dr. Watkins. So Eliv, I wish you the best of luck in your venture to a new life.

Not the least bit surprised. Just one more deception heaped on the American public by the media, (can throw the government in with that as well). Though I am the eternal optimist, in the world as it is today I live by the code of, "believe a fourth of what you see and nothing what you hear". Perhaps not the correct forum to bring up such issues, but it's time the American people unite to end the unprecedented corruption that controls the media and government in our country. Recommend all check out: www.opensecrets.org One last quick note: Ever wonder what lobbyists are doling out in Washington, D.C.? 2009, $3.49 BILLION 2010, $3.51 BILLION. Just some "food" for thought. Pun intended.

Hi Soon To Be Little Mermaid; Thank you for your response. I agree Dr. Watkins and his staff are the best. The same goes for every one I came in contact with at the surgery center during my stay there. Surgery went with out a hitch. No pain to speak of. Only discomfort was being extremely tired for the first month or so after. That is to be expected after any major surgery. Will be seven weeks this Wednesday since my surgery. Feeling great. Have lost 31 pounds so far. Weight loss is slowing down a bit compared to immediately after surgery but still dropping pounds. Walking two miles a day. Haven't been able to accomplish that in 20 years. I read on your profile that you SCUBA dive. One of the things I'm most looking forward to being able to do again. It's been way to long since being able to enjoy doing that as well. Thanks again

Just registered with this site. Been looking around and all I was able to find were woman posters. Good to find other male WLS members. Having gastric plication surgery this coming Wednesday, 8/17/11. Any one here had this surgery done by Dr. Watkins, of the Cincinnati Weight Loss Clinic? I'd like your opinions if you care to share. Seriously looked at going to Mexico but opted to spend the extra money to have surgery done in US. Planning on loosing around 115 pounds. Have lost 19 pounds so far on my pre op diet. Walking two miles a day five days a week. Couple questions: Any one else find Unjory tastes really bad? I ended up sending it back. Tried several different things to make it eatable and nothing worked. Any alternative suggestions? Other question is, assuming I follow a sensible diet and exercise program is it feasible to loose 100 pounds in around a one year period of time after having the gastric plication surgery? I haven't been able to find much information regarding after surgery results pertaining to men. Thanks, Dan

RickM; Congratulations on lossing 65 pounds. Thanks for the information. Going to the local GNC store today to try some different protein meal replacement drinks. One thing about protein drinks I have found in my research is that several of them are made from inferior ingredients made in China. Don't know if you remember all the infants that died in several countries a couple years ago from being poisoned from infant formula made in China. It is inevitable any more in this country that we all will buy items made in China, still I try to keep my consumption of Chinese products to a minimum. OK, getting off my soap box now. Main reason I decided on the plication is all I have read about it, it has the least possibility of complications. I have a cousin that had the sleeve and she had some serious problems with leakage. In order to solve the problem required another surgery. With the plication procedure there is no cutting of the stomach, and no foreign objects left behind other than the stitches. The material used for the stitches has been used in other abdominal surgeries for many years, and have proven to be reliable in both the short and long term. Another thing about the plication it is supposed to be reversible. Though my surgeon agreed with me that over time it is very likely the areas of the stomach that are stitched together will grow together. Wether this is all true? Well, guess I'm going to find out. Wish you continued success in your weight loss endeavor.