Hi all - I posted this here because I'd love to hear from the banded as well as pre-banded...

My surgery is scheduled for 8/12. My doctor only uses the Realize band, which I have no problem with. I was talking with him a little about why he uses Realize, blah, blah, blah...anyways I asked how many band surgeries he's done. He said he has done "around 50" although he's done 100+ gastric bypass surgeries.

I guess my question is...would the low number of surgeries put you off? I am on the fence - on one hand I am sure he had to go through a huge training since the hospital I am getting banded at is a qualified "Center of Excellence". But on the other hand I know that experience is so important when it comes to the little things like exact band placement, etc.

What are your thoughts? There is another doctor in the practice that has done 500+ and only does Lap-Band. If I were to switch to her though, it would delay my surgery even further. Oi. This is such a maddening process.

Do what makes you feel most comfortable. But remember every srugeon had to start somewhere.

I can understand your concern. Having done 50 however is not like doing 5. And I'm sure you don't feel this way; but it's not like they pulled him off the grocery store bagger line to do the first band surgery that he did. To make you feel better I will tell you a little story. Last year at 39 I had a mini stroke. 39!!!! Anyway I was transported from a local hospital to Massachusetts General. While Mass General is the 3rd best Neurological Center in the country they are still are a Teaching Hospital. So the day after I get out of intensive care the doctors come around for rounds. So 1 grown up doctors and a room full of "Grey's Anatomy" type doctors. They are asking me these quick fire queestions and I am trying to keep them all straight. One would point to an object and as I was answering ( I was able to talk normally at this point), another was quickly pointing to another object. I guess they were trying to see if I could process information quickly/normally. Which I was. The whole time though I'm thinking is that chick at the back asking Merrideth if she has a date with McDreamy?

My surgeon has only done 3 or 4 lap-band surgeries, but he has done hundreds of laproscopic procedures. That is the super dangerous part. If an artery is nicked or a major organ, then you are in serious trouble.

I haven't had surgery yet, but I trust my surgeon, my husband trusts my surgeon, and I have met about 20 wls patients of his and they all trust him.

I think trust is important. I trust that my doc wouldn't have begun offering Lap-Band unless he was trained and competent at performing the placement of the band and port.