LAP-BAND - CORI CENTER in MI- Pre-Consult

[Guest schustc]

HI!!!

I really need to talk to someone who may have had lap Band done at Cori in michigan. I am trying to figure out how I am going to get time off of work for the fills and surgery.

I already plan on taking 2 days off - do you think it's possible to have surgery on a Thurs or Friday? (thinking of taking a long weekend)

I live about 4 hours drive from the dr. - so I will probably have to take at least 1/2 day vacation days for the fills - but I guess what i was wondering is, does anyone know if CORI does fills on weekends or after hours? I just thought I'd check since they're so well known. If not, I'll just eat up my vacation time and deal with it.

Anyone care to share their experiences?

THANK YOU!

Tina

[BandAid 3]

Tina,

Which doctor are you seeing, if you don't mind me asking. The reason I ask is because I'm helping a lady from MI find a band doc. She saw a surgeon who does band and bypass and she passed along some disturbing info about him to me.

Thanks,

Tonia

[Guest schustc]

Hi Tonia -

Thanks for your reply. I was going through the Cori Centers - and I don't remember which doc would have done the Lap Band - but I have since decided against it.

I am now looking at having the lap RNY in cleveland - I hope I don't get slammed by posting this - but I think everyone has to make the decision that is best for them, and I really think this is the best for me.

Take care in your search - I wish you and your friend luck

Best,

Tina

[BandAid 3]

Well, this lady had a consult with a doctor at the place you mentioned. After the way he mislead her, I wouldn't let him do surgery on my dog.

What changed your mind about the band?

[Guest schustc]

A couple of things - but after hearing what happened at Cori - I am glad i didn't end up going up there. It's a 4 hour drive for me to get to Michigan.

Aside from that - there were a lot of factors that went into it - but probably a few of the big ones for me were:

1. I didn't want to miss a lot of work from follow ups for fills or deal with possible issues with the port. I wanted something lower maintenance (this was espescially an issue with having a 4 hour drive for every follow up visit)

2. At first I was turned off by the dumping syndrome, but with the high risk of diabetes that runs in my family - I'd almost rather get the shakes now if I eat too much sweets so I learn to stay away from them. I'd rather 'dump' than face the risk of insulin shots - so it's a fair trade off for me.

3. well - There are various other little things - but nothing major other than these two. I know all the pluses to the lap-band - and really was 100% for it in the beginning - but the more research I did and applying it to my lifestyle - I decided that the LAP RNY was better for me. I hope no one responds negatively here - I am by no means bashing the band - I just weighed the cost/benefits for me - and decided it wasn't what was best for me. I think it's great for some people - it's definately a good choice for some. It just wasn't the best one for me.

Good luck on your journey!!

Tina

[BandAid 3]

Tina,

Hope you didn't think I was being nosey! I was just curious. Best of luck to you with everything!!

Tonia

[Guest schustc]

Tonia - not at all!!

I can understand your curiousity - I just wish everyone the greatest success in whatever method they choose.

That's the bottom line - Success - getting there - well - everyone has to choose the method that is best for them.

I am so glad I read up on the band, and was able to make an eduated decision - I would have hated to have had any surgery - RNY Open, Lap, VGB, or AGB, and had second thoughts afterwards. Heck that can happen with any of them from what I have seen - but at least it won't be because I didn't try to learn as much as possible.

Take care - and HAPPY LOSING!!

Tina

[quakergirl 2]

Good luck with your surgery. Just one suggestion: Have you investigated the Duodenal Switch? Personally, I think if I had to get a bypass operation, I would go for the the DS rather than RNY. The DS gives you a more normal way of eating than the RNY does but yet it has the best weight loss statistics for any operation. http://www.duodenalswitch.com has details about it if you want to learn more.

For me, the most important issue was safety, so I went with the band and have no regrets. However, if it turns out the band fails for me (not that I expect it to), then I would try to get the DS.

[Guest schustc]

Well, I had only briefly reviewed it up until you posted on it - but after looking into it a little more - the site listed many similarities with the DS and the RNY, but aside from having a slightly higher success rate (like 70% on the RNY and 80% on the DS) - the DS has higher chances of Gas, Calcium Deficiency, and protien malnutrition. All in all they are very close in the success rates - at least according to this site - and again - Being that diabetes runs rampant in my family, I like the idea of being turned off to sugars by the dumping. OK.. well - I don't REALLY like it - but I like it for my health reasons. I'd rather be discouraged from eating a lot of sugar this way. I am not trying to be negative - I hope I am not coming across that way - but I wanted to research the DS a little bit before I responded back to your post - and at first - was thinking I should look into it a little more, but after finding this site:

http://www.homestead.com/kcwlsfriends/ChoosingtheRightOperation.html

and seeing the two compared side by side - I think I am still interested in the RNY.

I Owe you a big thank you though. You're right, I hadn't given it a fair shake by researching - and I do want to be informed.

THANK YOU AGAIN!!

Tina

[Guest mary17541]

I am just reading your Sept. posting. Hope all is well with your band. Which Dr. did you see at Cori? How did things go?

How about fills? I recently was told that Cori Center charges outrageous $$. Is this true??

I have surgery scheduled soon, but am now having second thoughts...maybe need to research doctors even more. The office seems to focus on their "pouch" with only a brief mention of the band. Therefore, I am concerned!

[quakergirl 2]

Mary, I went to the Port Huron Lap-Band center (Dr. Bhesania and Dr. Boutt) and am very pleased with the results, but a closer doc that you might want to research is Dr. Zoe Deol. She practices out of Troy Beaumont I believe, and there is at least one of her patients on the board here who seems to be doing well!

I have NO personal experience with them so take this with a grain of salt, but I have heard before that the CORI people tend to push the micropouch hard. Personally, I think it's important to have a doc who believes in the lap-band and has a lot of experience with it. If you feel like they aren't being supportive of your choice to get the lap-band, you may indeed want to switch surgeons. Maybe you should ask if they have a support group where you can talk to other lap-band patients of theirs about how they feel about their treatment?

Good luck!

[Ginger2120 0]

I am a patient of Dr. Deol's and she works throught Troy Beaumont hospital. I had my surgery in September and I am doing awesome! I highly recomend her if you are in the Troy area. Her website is www.michiganbariatrics.com. She's got a lot of experience with the band and her staff is great. I had my surgery on a monday and was back to work on Friday! I haven't had any problems with surgery or with my band.

Good luck to you!

Janel

[GeezerSue 7]

Originally posted by Ginger2120

I am a patient of Dr. Deol's and she works throught Troy Beaumont hospital. I had my surgery in September and I am doing awesome! I highly recomend her if you are in the Troy area. Her website is www.michiganbariatrics.com. She's got a lot of experience with the band and her staff is great. I had my surgery on a monday and was back to work on Friday! I haven't had any problems with surgery or with my band.

Good luck to you!

Janel

Janel,

Do you know how many LapBands she has placed? I ask because many surgeons have lots of Lap-experience, but if they haven't done at least fifty bands, they are still in the "learning curve" phase.

Sue

[Guest mary17541]

Is the program at Beaumont new? Guess they won't see me. The website says right now, the hospital will not allow the Dr. to take anyone over 50..so guess I missed by a couple years! They also have weight restrictions (not applicable to me, however) according to the website. Not too long ago she was a surgical resident..I prefer more experience myself.

[quakergirl 2]

You may want to investigate Port Huron in that case. As of February 2003, when I started the process, Dr. Bhesania had done well over 300 lap-bands and Dr Boutt had done more than 100 (I'm sure they've done a lot more since then; check with them for the exact number...aha, I just saw the webpage says their total as of last September was 600+).

I know Dr. Bhesania has several patients who were banded in their 60s. I'm not sure if PH has an upper limit on weight, but I wasn't their biggest patient even at 372 lbs.

Their webpage is at http://www.porthuronhospital.org/frontpage/lap_band_surgery.htm if you want to check it out.

Good luck in finding someone you're comfortable with.