I did complete my form for you, but I wanted to follow up with you personally.

I was referred to CLOS by Lynda D. who has been my "adopted mother" for several years now.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me on the phone almost 2 years ago. I so wanted to come to Vegas for the MGB, but when Dr. P moved back to Florida, it only made sense to have him do it since he's less than 2 hours away.

The local newspaper, St. Pete Times (Pasco edition) wants to do a story on my journey. When the reported asked me if I would consider letting her, I told her it was not like I could hide how big I used to be, and I definitely don't want to hide who I'm becoming.

Dr. R, I have become a healthy, vibrant, beautiful 45 year old woman that is a model for the MGB. As president of the United Way of Pasco County, I have become much more effective and a wonderful role model for healthy living.

Thank you so much for the work you have done to give me, and countless others, a life filled with health, beauty and love.

Sincerely,

This is Michele. I just wanted to update you with my name change, I was divorced (happily) in early 2005 and in April 2006 I moved to GA.

I have maintained my 200+ pound weight loss and have no complications. I do have an excessive amount of skin that is heavy and concerns me because I think it not only affects me mentally due to the appearance of the skin and the mis-proportions that I am (with sizing), but I feel that it limits me physically. I can't afford the reconstruction to have it removed nor can it be done through insurance because it would have to be proven medically necessary. BUT - don't get me wrong.... I am so happy with the weight loss I've had, thrilled with my "new self" and elated that my procedure and recovery was so incredibly easy - with no complications.

Thank you for all CLOS and this procedure has done for me - I'm happier now than I ever have been in life.

I had my surgery on 5/7/08 but was bypassed 7ft and your situation sounds a lot like mine.  I couldn't stand the Gatorade or yogurt, hardly any soup and I was nausea too. I spent 3 days in bed between surgery and staple removal clinic, but the estrogen patch helped that tremendously and I only had to use it for a week.  I ate mainly crackers, watermelon and salt while drinking ice water that was all I craved was ice water.  But by clinic Dr. R was onto me about the Gatorade so I did try and increase that for a few days but as soon as I got home, I was eating pintos and cheese from taco bell, mashed potatoes from KFC, scrambled eggs, I couldn't do the yogurt so I didn't.  I am now 6 weeks out, all I drink is water pretty much and I eat anything I want except sweets, just small quantities and well chewed.  I do have loose stools but I take the fiber pills and pepto pills.  My first thought on day 3 post op was "What have I done" because I was so sick but by the time I got home and back in my environment it has been good, no regrets and I am down 36lbs in 6 weeks.  It will get better I promise and it will be worth it.

Be confident in what you want, and what you know. Take your surgeon's contact info with you, and the manual. Offer to leave it, give them the clos.net website, but don't expect them to want to do any studying. Put a tab on the page that has the drawing of the surgery to show them. And don't let them tell you no without you telling them you're sorry you won't be able to be their patient anymore!

I am now three and a half weeks post op and down 31lbs. My blood pressure is steady at 130/80ish and I haven't had to take my BP meds since the day before surgery. I am still shocked at how much energy I have. My wife is reporting that my "freight train like" snoring is GONE! She says she checks me in my sleep to make sure I am still alive since I am so quiet now. I have begun to exercise and lift weights with no problem. I wake up in the morning and no joint or ankle pain!

Now for the problems...thankfully they are few and far between. I am still struggling to eat Slllloooowwwwlllllyyyy. It is very hard for me. I will say that if I eat fast at all, within three bites I am sick and on two occasions it came back up. But I know it is my fault. I have not really had any problems with eating sugary or fatty foods, one exception I tried and succeeded to eat 1/2 a small milk shake. It was fantastic going down but within thirty minutes I was sick as can be. I knew it was too much. But a chocolate chip cookie for desert goes down just fine :) I am not feeling deprived at all. Mentally I still want the extra value meal supersized but I get two or three bites in and I don't want it any more. It is a real learning experience.

For those who are looking at the surgery... DO IT!! It is all its cracked up to be and then some. I almost feel like it was too easy. I feel so blessed to have had it. I don't get hungry, I eat what I want..just not near as much and much more slowly. To me and my family it is a true miracle. Thanks Doctor Rutledge.

Depends on how fast you can pull things together. Submit your patient application online and be sure to print out the confirmation email for your packet. Call the center where you plan to have surgery and request a notebook to help keep yourself organized. Call your doctor for an appt. if you have to wait to get in and also schedule your psych eval. Remember that your labs have to be within 30 days of your surgery date. Start working your patient letter and all the other required bits and pieces. Let us know if you have any questions along the way. Best wishes!

I think my experience bears repeating.

I had my MGB May 31, 2000. 6 ft. bypass. Nothing remarkable, Good recovery. On February 11th, I weighed 211. (how do I rememeber that? Because on 2/11 I weighed 211). By the 17th, I'd gained five pounds. So there I was at 216-218. On good days I felt happy because my blood pressure was normal, my GERD was gone, I slept well, I felt well and of all things.I could move.really move..but there was this nagging feeling that the weight loss was over.that I would always weigh over 200 pounds. Even at 5'10" 200 did not have a nice ring to it!

Then at 18 months post-op, for no apparent reason, I began to drop weight. I dropped to the point where my MGB friends worried that I would continue to lose and lose too much. I got spinal meningitis and went down to 147 pounds. On my 5'10" frame I did not look good at all. So then I was worried that I was going to keep losing. I didn't. I got well, I began to gain weight. And for about five years I was at a good weight and size for me.

Today I have rebounded and gained a bit more back than I like. But..I have no prescriptions other than Mirapex for my restless legs. My blood pressure is perfect. My labs are good. I can walk, run, move, do whatever I want and am still minus about 135 pounds or so from where I started. Do I need to cut back and lose more weight? Yes. Will I? Probably not. Habits are deeply ingrained. I am not at my ideal weight. But I am minus a whole person. But for me it took the entire two years.

Just because you lose slowly doesn't mean you won't lose most or all of your excess weight. Just because you lose fast doesn't mean that you'll lose too much.

We have had surgery with several of the most experienced bariatric surgeons available. No other surgeons have a better shot at making the educated guess as to how much should be bypassed and where the magic place is in our guts. So basically, our surgeons are as good as it gets. The rest is up to: a) God b) our bodies c) how well we utilize the tool d) ghrelin e) whatever..some of us won't lose all of our excess weight. Some of us will reach our ideal weight. A very small number will lose too much weight. Is it guesswork? No. It's knowledge based on thousands of cases. It's looking at what has worked for MOST people and doing that and hoping that they can come as close to ideal as possible.

Don't worry if you're losing slowly. Don't worry if you gain and you're under two years post-op. If you are losing really really slowly.like maybe 30 pounds in a year.something might be wrong. Talk to your surgeon.

They are not magicians, but they've gotten pretty darn good at figuring out what will work and what won't work. But once in a while one of us stumps them.

The way I view it is I paid to get healthier and be able to move. I got that. And the bonus is that I do look better. But the real bargain was my health. The rest is icing on the cake.

1. There may very well be some pain after the procedure. During it, you won't feel a thing. If in the recovery room the pressure is terrible tell them that you feel ill and they will give you something for it. Also, the pain can range from just pressure, to normal after surgery pain. I know one who said it was horrible, but to be fair, she was well over 60 and managed it quite well. it was short term in her words. The rest of us can tell you that it was anywhere from barely there at all, to thank God for the morphine pump.

2.. The first two weeks you will begin to see a difference in both your attitude and your weight. For the first time in forever you will lose and not be fearful of it all coming back. I used to ask where a pound went when you lost it. My feeling was it went to the local bar, got drunk, met up with another good looking pound and made more pounds overnight. The next day, when they sobered up, they decided to split those extra pounds and return 1/2 to my body, all pounds in tow. but, for the first two weeks, they can make all the extras they want, cause the door to come back in is CLOSED! You will HAVE to eat liquids to insure the healing process, make an effort at getting back into a normal life.

3. In the next two weeks you will see more weight come off, maybe your clothes will be a little lose. You will be adding things like oatmeal, mashed potatoes, mashed beans, basically soft,non chewy foods. You may experience reactions to some things, but take heart. Try again at a later date. What doesn't set well today, my set tomorrow. Go slow, it took how ever long to get to this point, it will not happen overnight.

4. In the next month, your energy should return as well as a normal life, but life as you used to know it will probably be fading. You will struggle to get your protein in, find old comfort food taste like *(^&&%^&$&^$$&*()*& and new foods that are wonderful. There may still be issues with some foods not setting well, but unless the reaction is violent, try again later on. And you will still be losing weight.

5. Sometimes the body says WAIT! You are losing all this wonderful weight that has taken me forever to collect...this just ain't right...so it may begin to do something to sabatoge you. just like when you were on every other diet. It is called a PLATUEAU. Up your protein and take a breather. Let the body catch up with the rest of you. Keep the salt intake up and relax, you will not be the very first person that Dr. R says this may not work for. It has worked up to this point.

6. You will definately need to buy new clothes as the other ones fall off. Include something sexy, slinky and otherwise unmentionable. Your energy will stay good as long as you remember your vities, salt, and PROTEIN. Your hair may start to thin, try nioxin shampoo and zinx and magnesium. Relax, I have never seen a bald mgb'er....well er...not a female one.....haha

7. Your eating habits should be pretty well established. You know when to stop because you have felt that HORRIBLE PAIN when you tried to force that last little bite in. Leave it be. You may not be able to eat somethings that you enjoyed in the past, but there are a million other things out there to eat. Clothes shopping should be something that you get to do more often, and really start to enjoy. If your were a super plus size you might be shopping off the rack already. Don't get too buy happy, they won't fit for long. Dumping is something that you may have experienced and hope to high heaven that you never do again and the orange issues can be controled by avoidance of greasy or fried foods. STINKY, SMELLY PAINT PEELING flatuance can be helped by sprays, and air freshners, but basicallt the internal cause is excessive carbs. Cut back and see if that helps. Besides carb trigger sugar cravings. Caffeine trigger carb cravings.

8. As you get nearer your goal, you will look back at this and wonder, what was I worried about. I worried about being fat, this is a piece of cake.

9...Don't worry, get skinnier. Get happier, Get healthier.....It just takes time.

I had MGB 3 months ago, and have a 2, 6, & 8 year old at home. My older children are both in school so I didn't want to take them out of school for a week so I could have surgery. I was able to leave them at home with their Grandpa who lives in the same town and they didn't miss any school. Thank goodness for family. My husband and I took our 2 year old with us and drove 7 hours to my Moms house in St. George, Utah, which is only 2 hours from Las Vegas. I was able to leave her with my mother for the 2 nights that we were in Vegas. The day after surgery I traveled back to St. George to stay with my mother while I recovered. My husband had to go back to work and couldn't stay with me. My mom also works so I was left alone during the day with my 2 year old starting the day after surgery. I had no problem with being able to take care of her on my own. I was able to lift her and get her in and out of her car seat pretty easily. I was a little sore but could still do all the things I needed to do as a mother. I too was worried about being able to care for my children right after surgery, that is one of the reasons why I picked the MGB. I knew that with the MGB my recovery time would be easier and shorter than with the RNY. I also knew that my risk of complications was much smaller and less likely which was extremely important to me being a mother. I definitely feel like I made the right choice. What a differnce 3 months has made for me. I have lost 53lbs. to date, but more important to me is the difference in the interaction I have with my children. I am so much happier and easier to be around, and I have energy to play with them and take them places I would have avoided before. My knees and my back don't hurt as much or as often as before. I can't wait to see what the next 40 to 50 lb. loss will bring! After that I should be at my goal weight. I am so excited! If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me.

I'm not quite two years out, and am very fortunate in that I am experiencing a longer-than-usual "honeymoon" period and admittedly not eating as "cleanly" as I know I should.

However, in my defense, the FIRST thing I do every morning is get on the scale, and depending on what it tells me (regarding 1-2 lbs. up or down) I adjust my eating accordingly until the scale is back where it should be. I also exercise at the level that some might consider complusive (8-10 hours a week), but only activities that I really enjoy and consider my "fun" time with my gym-rat buddies (which currently include choreographed dance aerobics, step, circuit training and power salsa).

I am confident that by reacting IMMEDIATELY to what the scale tells me as well as maintaining regular exercise (maybe not as much as I'm doing right now, but I have exercised at least 3 hours a week since 1980, so this is an ingrained habit for me) that I will be able to beat the odds on possible regain...like so many have already said, this has been the best answer to my life-long weight problem, and I am committed to making it the PERMANENT answer.

I don't think that Al Roker and Carnie Wilson are particularly good examples to hold up for evaluation. Al admittedly had an injury which prevented him from his exercise routine. Mathematically, as we all know, if the energy expended is reduced, than the energy injested must also reduce to prevent weight gain. However, if you're not exercising, not only are you not expending the calories, but you do not get the benefit of the reduced appetite for a couple hours after an exercise session, plus you have more free time to fill with eating.

I'm not sure where Carnie Wilson is weight-wise, but she was doing well with the 10 lb. range until she got pregnant. I think she made the same mistake that many woman make (how many of us had our weight problems initiated by pregnancy?) in taking that condition as license to eat any and everything, and then not getting back on track immediately after delivery. Poor girl. As public as she was with her journey, I'm sure she's embarrassed now. I hope she is able to turn it around as Al seems to be doing.

These days, I like to restrict embarrassment to my 13-year-old niece, who is appalled that I will dance to the Musak at restaurants while we're waiting to be seated!

Regards to all my fellow journeyers.

Sorry it took me so long to do my short update here... well lets see.. I had my surgery on Sept. 23 of 2004 at Bay Regional Center in Bay City.. I walked in there weighing @ 306 but did weighed 308 the week before anyway I had discomfort of arthritis in my lower back & knee came out of surgery with no problem just had a lot of gas pain in my one shoulder. Only missed work for 2 days.. I work as a factory worker so I don't sit anyway as of this date I no longer have arthritis in my lower back or knee. I have lost a total of 101#.. I have so much energy & on the go all day long...I would recommend this wonderful surgery to anyone that has no luck getting those unwanted pounds off. I picked my Mom up at the airport a few nights ago & she hasn't seen me since Nov. & she was so flabbergasted & had tears in her eyes when she saw me around the corner... all I can remember her saying "oh my god what a miracle!" I have so many co-workers calling me skinny Minnie & they are so amazed with the results after loosing 100 lbs.. Today my co-worker gave me a potluck & a decorated cake saying "Congratulations Kris on losing 101 lbs... good job!" I was just beaming all over. I never felt so good in my life...Hope you all have the good luck that I have had so far.. last month I didn't lose as much as I usually do but I was ok with it & weighing 207.. sure beats being 308! Sure am anxious to lose more... Good Luck to you all....

WOW - If for no other reason than to have great vitals, this is the surgery to have!

I just got a call from my PCP's office about the blood work results at the six month mark (really it's been 7 months):

Total cholesterol went from 307 pre-surgery to 193 now (good cholesterol is at 56 and bad cholesterol down to 109)
Triglycerides down to 142.

I feel wonderful, I look wonderful but these numbers are really the most important numbers for me. I'm healthy and just wanted to thank the wonderful Dr. Rutledge and staff for saving my life! I really hope to make it to the picnic in October to thank him personally! What a wonderful blessing!

Oh, and Donna P. - did the ground shake a little in Corpus Christie this morning? If so, it was me jumping up and down because I've lost another two pounds! LOL (I told you that you might hear me all the way down south if I lost any weight lol) Thank goodness the scale finally moved after 2 months! Up the protein and walk (I walk thirty minutes every day now) - it seems to be working! I just hope it keeps going down before another plateau decides to hang around ;-)

Just thought I'd share my three month check up results with you. They are very good!

My fasting blood sugar was 5.1 - the best it has been in five years. My liver function was in the normal range (it was high pre-surgery). Calcium and magnesium were in the normal ranges - they were low before. My BP was 115/70 without medication (I'm usually 150/80 with meds!?!).

My doctor - who was initially opposed to the procedure - is now quite impressed.

Thank you Doctor R and D - Penny, Elizabeth and the MI staff - for everything! Thank you for coming to Canada and sharing this wonderful procedure with us. (I was on the way to an RNY in Rochester but was able to change it to an MGB after I made the informed comparative analysis.)

Miriam here......7/1/03 - 7/1/04 Dr. Rutledge Statesville

I can't believe it has been a year. And what a year it has been.

It has been downhill all the way. At a good pace, stopping along the way to comtemplate and get use to things the way they look and then taking off again. I was 252 highest weight (when I left home for my journey) 248 the day of surgery and 234 the day I left Statesville. Today I am 158 lbs. Wow and how great do I feel. I am wearing size 8 pants, 6 with some designers and large and medium blouses. I love to shop now. I buy a piece of clothing every week. All my blood work has been good. I stay on my vits and still am not eating alot, OF COURSE DRINKING THAT GATORADE.

I know more than ever now, after reading 4 & 5 years post ops that learning to eat right "NOW" is so very important. So I stay on low fat foods and small portions. My upfall "SWEETS" but i do WATCH my portion size. I try to have weight watcher deserts in the house for those sweet days.

I take this opportunity to thank Dr. R for this wonderful experience and the girls in Statesville Clos office, that were so helpful and understanding to get me to where I am today. BLESS YOU ALL.

TO ALL MY LITTERMATES OF JULY 1, 2003 I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU POST TODAY.

20 bags of potatoes 400 sticks of butter 100 packages of bacon 84 packages of ready bake cookies 72 loaves of bread 84 boxes of little Debbie oatmeal crème pies 11.75 twelve pack boxes of coke 2 bags of play sand 14.5 gallons of milk 50 boxes of chicken broth 2.5 big boxes of cat litter 100 squirrels 83,350 paint balls 18.5 cans of soup 20 bags of sugar 100 packages of double stuff Oreos 400 medium sized tomatoes 100 containers of sour cream 900 fudge pops 114 bags of peanut MMs 163.5 half gallon containers of ice cream

Hello, my name is Wayne Robbins. I had the Mini Gastric Bypass surgery with Dr Robert Rutledge on November 7th, 2002. I weighed 250 lbs and although I didn't think that I was all that heavy, I had several co-morbidities. I was on two medications for high blood pressure, I had sleep apnea and snored so badly that I was unable to sleep in the same room with my wife for four years. I had continuous sore knee joints and lower back pain and suffered from mild depression. I am 5'10" tall and I was 45 years old at the time of surgery.

My wife Elizabeth Robbins, had the surgery May 15th 2000, and I saw how it changed her life as well as our lives together. Her weight at the time of surgery was 350 lbs and she had a BMI of 56. She also suffered from high blood pressure and other health problems because of her weight. I knew how it helped with the co-morbidities of my wife as well as that of other patients, and, coupled with the fact that heart and kidney disease ran in my family, I decided to have the surgery.

As of Dec. 1, 2003, my weight is 174 and my BMI is 24. My blood pressure is 124/76, without ANY medications! I have stopped snoring (according to my wife). I have no more joint pains, and the lower back pain only occurs after a bad round of golf, in which I now walk the entire 18 holes instead of ride in a cart.

I have had no problems with foods and can pretty much eat anything I want, but what I want now is fresh foods and lean meats. I had a little nausea in the beginning but now feel great! My surgery took 31 minutes and I was in the hospital for 24 hours.

If this surgery was required every year to maintain the benefits, I would do it in a heartbeat. I thank God for Dr Rutledge, and his ability and foresight to develop this procedure and for training other surgeons, such as Dr. H., how to proficiently perform this life saving procedure. He has given the lives back of my wife, me and at least 2000 other people!

I will be a contact for anyone, and help in whatever phase of the process you are involved.

Please contact me at WR@clos.net

Wayne A. Robbins Patient Representative (417)540-1035

I am happy to share my first five days with the group. Had my Surgery on Monday Dec. 30, 2002.

Day One. Surgery at about 10:00 am. Walking the hall around 2:00. Some pain but basically slow. Continued walking the rest of the day.

Day Two: Walked all morning, released at about 11:00. Returned home, wife drove, to Greenville SC. Located my favorite chair and remained there until Bedtime. Had discomfort sleeping. Mainly cramps and stomach aches. Every time I turned in the bed I awoke so I located my favorite chair with a blanket and camped out for the rest of the night..

Day Three: Very sore stomach area, particularly top left quadrant of abdomen. A little selling in stomach. Continued getting up and walking but eventually gave in and found my chair to spend the evening. Similar experience sleeping, but I made it through the night without finding my chair.

Day Four: Felt GOOD!!!!! Walked a lot, moved around a great deal went to grocery began to get back to normal. Still had the pain in top left quadrant. Sort of like a very serious gas pain or a swift kick in the stomach by a person bigger than I.

Day Five. My hobby is Woodturning so I turned a bowl and did a little woodworking. No problems, pain is reducing. Fear of Leak has gone! Slept like a baby!

Day Six: Turned another bowl, went to lunch with my wife (I had Soup), lucky wife is skinny, she had a sandwich. Went to see the movie Gangs of NY! Great Movie if you like lots of violence and Blood. No pain, no problem except I have soreness in my left arm which concerns me. It is in the area of the IV. I am seeing my PCP tomorrow to remove the staples so he will check it out.

What have i eaten? Well, drank lots of Gatorade! Already wore out my liking of Strawberry/Kiwi. Learned to love Yoghurt. Found out Baby Food (Fruit) and Fat Free Yogurt is better than the Dannon fruit type. A few Saltines with some Chicken Broth and that represents my entire diet for the past 6 days.

Only weighed once and am down 7 pounds. Already feel the difference in my Jeans.

So, was it worst than expected? Maybe for the first two days but after that it wasn't too bad. Is it bad now? No, it is wonderful.

Got to tell you all, I would go through hoops of fire to have this surgery again, and I too fought with the insurance company, and yes it was very tense, hell, my husband had just gotten laid off when I had my o.r. with Dr. R. now here I am at 9 mos. and almost a hundred pounds less and waking up each day literally thanking God for helping me find Dr. R. and those wonderful girls in his office. I lost diabetes, high cholesterol, and that eternal shame of which I couldn't help, BEING FAT and feeling that I had to apologize for that too. All insurance tension pales by comparison to the new me. We are lucky to have this chance to stop groveling to the planet for being fat. Do you remember the agony of defeat at every diet attempt? Well, turn that insurance quest into your new challenge, and you may win. I hope so. Dr. R. made it all happen. Best Wishes and eternal gratitude,