Hi. Has anyone else used Dr Amit Trivedi with Advanced Laproscopic, Hackensack University Medical Center, NJ? His office staff leaves a little to be desired, but he himself was wonderful. Sleeved August 31st

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/

My husband had his sleeve done last week. HUMC was great but they put him in a room with someone who ordered food all day. He definitely wasn't in the bariatric wing and I'm not sure if they even have one.

So far Advanced Laparoscopic has been great to deal with and we love Dr Eid. His coordinator was Chabelly & she always returned our calls. So no problem there.

I'm due sometime in November and I can't wait!

Jump away! I LOVED HUMC! No complaints about them whatsoever. My room was a double' date=' but I was alone in it most of the time. I think it's actually a gastro flooor, but most of the other patients I encountered were there for weight loss surgery.

As far as what I brought, "Lil Miss Diva" has a great little checklist posted that you can print, was really helpful. Chapstick, my phone & charger was all I really used though. The gown was decent, I didn't need a robe. The slipper socks were nice, didn't need to bring out my slippers either. I brought a heating pad for pain, but I forgot all about it. Their pillow was kind of flat, I might have brought one from home had I known. That was it, reallly. Your not there long enough to really need much, especially if you have someone there with you, they can always grab anything you might need.

I didn't ask to shower, although there was one in the bathroom.

Good luck, you're gonna do great! I would def do it again.[/quote']

Did they give you a drain or no drain?

Did they give you a drain or no drain?

No drain or catheter when I woke up. Just my IV.

My biggest problem was getting used to not swallowing air when I eat & drink. The air kind of gurgles around & is uncomfortable. That is much better now though. already down 25 lbs as of Friday.

Susan228 - I am having the same problem - sleeved last Wednesday. It's getting better, but I still seem to be swallowing air with every swallow!

Can you explain what you did to stop this? I just can't imagine what I'm doing wrong!

Thanks!

They have certainly been pleasant, but I had trouble with my precert coordinator continually dropping the ball on my insurance paperwork. If I didn't stay on top of her, I feel like things wouldn't have gotten completed properly. But I would not let that stop me from recommending Dr Trivedi. He was wonderful. Plus he's got a great aftercare program with access to a nutritionist for life, free of charge. There is also a monthly support group. I can't praise his work enough. I also had a great experience at HUMC, if you have a choice. Their dedicated bariatric staff was really great (Nidia and Iwona in particular). May I ask where you are from? If I personally was choosing between Mexico & Trivedi (& could afford the price difference) I'd pick Trivedi hands down, because of his skill and experience and because sometimes good aftercare can mean the difference between success and failure. Good luck on whatever you choose!

Thanks for starting this thread, Susan! I'm annoyed & relieved at the same time. Hehe. Annoyed because I too have experienced frustration with the doctor's staff. I was scheduled to have surgery this Wednesday Jan. 9th & I found myself hounding the surgical coordinator for 3 weeks. Then on Thursday with only 6 days till planned surgery she finally tells me that my insurance is requiring 3 months of nutritional evaluations before approval. This is definitely something she should have told me from the beginning. I was pretty shell-shocked because i was already in the head space for surgery. Now that i know, I will be even more unrelenting with her as i continue. So, thanks.

I'm also relieved by your post though because I really feel like Dr. Trivedi was the right choice. So, it's comforting to hear your positive take after going through the surgery yourself.

How are you doing now? Also, I see that someone asked you about going back to work. how did it feel for you? Do you think it was the proper amount of time for you?

I also had my sleeve done by Amit Trivedi. No question I had to stay on top of the surgical coordinator, but yikes, you just found out about a 3 month delay? That's awful! You're right - that should have been known immediately. Having said that, the surgeon is the most important piece of the puzzle. Trivedi's group is very experienced. I was very pleased with him.

Susan228 - I am having the same problem - sleeved last Wednesday. It's getting better' date=' but I still seem to be swallowing air with every swallow!

Can you explain what you did to stop this? I just can't imagine what I'm doing wrong!

Thanks![/quote']

Someone here advised me to try swallowing while I am fully exhaled. That really seemed to help, and then after a while it didn't bother me anymore

Thanks for starting this thread' date=' Susan! I'm annoyed & relieved at the same time. Hehe. Annoyed because I too have experienced frustration with the doctor's staff. I was scheduled to have surgery this Wednesday Jan. 9th & I found myself hounding the surgical coordinator for 3 weeks. Then on Thursday with only 6 days till planned surgery she finally tells me that my insurance is requiring 3 months of nutritional evaluations before approval. This is definitely something she should have told me from the beginning. I was pretty shell-shocked because i was already in the head space for surgery. Now that i know, I will be even more unrelenting with her as i continue. So, thanks.

I'm also relieved by your post though because I really feel like Dr. Trivedi was the right choice. So, it's comforting to hear your positive take after going through the surgery yourself.

How are you doing now? Also, I see that someone asked you about going back to work. how did it feel for you? Do you think it was the proper amount of time for you?[/quote']

The same thing happened to me! I had my date all set, then it got pushed off for six months because because of insurance requirements. I asked them about this possibility prior, and was told not worry about it, that they'd let me know. They do this often enough, you'd think they'd have a decent handle on the requirements.

I was very happy with Dr Trivedi. I would do it all over again, down around 61 lbs, no regrets at all. I feel great!

If I had a choice, I would have preferred to take two weeks off, instead of just one. The main problem was weakness, I was very tired all the time. This went away when I was able to move on to solid food.

Thank you for the swallowing tip. I've been trying to do that and it seems to be getting better each day.

I also had my sleeve done by Amit Trivedi. No question I had to stay on top of the surgical coordinator, but yikes, you just found out about a 3 month delay? That's awful! You're right - that should have been known immediately. Having said that, the surgeon is the most important piece of the puzzle. Trivedi's group is very experienced. I was very pleased with him.

Thanks, Annie B. It was a depressing setback. But I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with Dr. Trivedi. Interestingly, my father just had a gastric bypass on Wednesday. I've been my dad's advocate in the hospital & Dr. Trivedi and his team have been great. I'm still confident with him as my surgeon. Unfortunately, I'm still having issues getting my surgical coordinator on the phone and getting answers on that side. But I'm gonna persevere.

The same thing happened to me! I had my date all set, then it got pushed off for six months because because of insurance requirements. I asked them about this possibility prior, and was told not worry about it, that they'd let me know. They do this often enough, you'd think they'd have a decent handle on the requirements.

I was very happy with Dr Trivedi. I would do it all over again, down around 61 lbs, no regrets at all. I feel great!

If I had a choice, I would have preferred to take two weeks off, instead of just one. The main problem was weakness, I was very tired all the time. This went away when I was able to move on to solid food.

Ugh. I'm sorry to hear it happened to you as well. That is the exact scenario I had. I'm disappointed by the lack of individual attention I've received. Honestly, I don't think they understand how just a little attention goes a long way in making the patient feel at ease. I still have to call multiple times to get the surgical coordinator on the phone. And I don't feel like she's really on top of the details. I'm trying to schedule a new date for surgery now & she really seems disinterested in helping me figure out how to coordinate it with my work schedule in the next few months. Really is a shame because I like Dr. Trivedi very much.

Thanks for the post-surgery info. It seems like I will have to go back to work after one week as well (I had planned on 4 weeks off to adjust with the oriel surgery date, but hat doesn't look possible now). I will have to try to be conscious of the tiredness issue.

Thanks again.

The same thing happened to me! I had my date all set' date=' then it got pushed off for six months because because of insurance requirements. I asked them about this possibility prior, and was told not worry about it, that they'd let me know. They do this often enough, you'd think they'd have a decent handle on the requirements.

I was very happy with Dr Trivedi. I would do it all over again, down around 61 lbs, no regrets at all. I feel great!

If I had a choice, I would have preferred to take two weeks off, instead of just one. The main problem was weakness, I was very tired all the time. This went away when I was able to move on to solid food.[/quote']

My surgery 2/28/13 was canceled after my PAT showed I was severely anemic. Disappointing but best to catch that before surgery. My surgeon will be Dr. Trivedi. The surgical coordinator NEVER followed up with any of my phone calls so I started calling her supervisor directly and haven't had problems since then. I think if we all voice our problems with this issue, they will hopefully correct it. I suggest being very prepared for your consultation with the surgeon as he seems to rush a little bit. If prepared, you should feel satisfied with his consultation.

Susan, did you attend a nutrition class the Tuesday after surgery? I've been told that there is a 1-2 hour class with other patients post surgery.

Thanks to everyone who posted here. It's so helpful!!!

My surgery 2/28/13 was canceled after my PAT showed I was severely anemic. Disappointing but best to catch that before surgery. My surgeon will be Dr. Trivedi. The surgical coordinator NEVER followed up with any of my phone calls so I started calling her supervisor directly and haven't had problems since then. I think if we all voice our problems with this issue' date=' they will hopefully correct it. I suggest being very prepared for your consultation with the surgeon as he seems to rush a little bit. If prepared, you should feel satisfied with his consultation.

Susan, did you attend a nutrition class the Tuesday after surgery? I've been told that there is a 1-2 hour class with other patients post surgery.

Thanks to everyone who posted here. It's so helpful!!![/quote']

I'm happy to report that I finally received insurance approval, but not without a lot of hounding the surgical coordinator. I definitely should have gone through the supervisor as you did. The original (less than helpful) surgical coordinator was replaced. The new coordinator at least returned my calls (albeit 2-3 days later). So, I now just have to re-do a few of the medical clearance tests again. My surgery is set for March 29, 2013!

And yes, there is a 1 hour post surgery class. My dad had a gastric bypass performed by Dr. Trivedi in January & I brought him to the class. I was lucky to get a sneak peek at what lies ahead after my sleeve. It was an informative class about how to get through the 3 stages of the healing diet.

Good luck with you surgery!

I'm happy to report that I finally received insurance approval' date=' but not without a lot of hounding the surgical coordinator. I definitely should have gone through the supervisor as you did. The original (less than helpful) surgical coordinator was replaced. The new coordinator at least returned my calls (albeit 2-3 days later). So, I now just have to re-do a few of the medical clearance tests again. My surgery is set for March 29, 2013!

And yes, there is a 1 hour post surgery class. My dad had a gastric bypass performed by Dr. Trivedi in January & I brought him to the class. I was lucky to get a sneak peek at what lies ahead after my sleeve. It was an informative class about how to get through the 3 stages of the healing diet.

Good luck with you surgery![/quote']

Hi Kennedy310,

How did your surgery go? How do you feel now? I'm getting Iron infusions for several weeks and then will hopefully be ready for surgery. How was your experience with HUMC? How is your dad?

Be well