Hello all,

Is there anyone out there that is from St Louis? I am seriously thinking about this surgery however I need some advice on picking the correct doctor.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

I had surgery on Feb 28th, with Dr. Darin Minkin at Des Peres Hospital. I would suggest going to seminars and meeting the doctors in the area and then make your decision. One thing that influenced my decision was that I didn't want a doctor who would try to convince me to have gastric bypass, so I knew I wanted a Lap Band only doctor. As far as I know, Dr. Minkin is the only one in St. Louis who only does bands. Luckily, I liked him right away and felt completely at ease with him as a doctor.

Good luck in your decision!

Jamie

Thank you so much for getting back to me. I see your doing awesome with your loss congrats on that.

Would it be ok if I picked your brain with another question, were you required to lose weight before you had the operation? So many times I read where a person was required to do this.

This doctor has been spoken about on many sites so I think I will be taking in one of the gatherings to see just what is going to take place.

Thanks

I wasn't required to lose anything before surgery by Dr. Minkin or my insurance company. I had a 5 day pre-op liquid diet (it is normally 3 days but I had to do 5 days) and IMO, he progresses through the post-op diet at a pretty good rate, only like 7-10 days of liquids then mushies, then softs, then regular diet within a month. He has a very low rate of complications.

Hi there! I had surgery on 11/17/08 and my surgeon is Dr. Van Wagner of Heart of America Bariatrics. I had my surgery at St. Alexius and had a great experience. Dr. Wagner also performed the surgery on two of my co-workers, who were the ones that inspired me to have my surgery with him.

I second the recommendation to attend a couple of seminars in order to learn more about the surgeons and figure out which might be the best for you. I admit that I only went to Dr. Wagner's seminar because I already knew I wanted to go with him thanks to my co-workers, but it's never a bad idea to check out your options.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for getting back to me. You know I have heard a lot of good things about the location where you had your operation. Would you happen to have a link to the program that they offer there so I can see about the meetings to learn more about the program. I am in the begiinning stages of this process so options are always good.

Keep up the good work with your progress it looks as if you are well on your way.

Michele

You're welcome! Here is the link to Dr. Wagner's website: Bariatric Weight Loss Lap Band Gastric Bypass Surgery St. Louis Missouri (MO). You want to scroll down until you see seminars and you can find out information about his seminars there. Also, the St. Alexius New Start website is here: St. Alexius NewStart.

Good luck making your decision, and let me know if you have any other questions!

Thank you!

Hello!

I am scheduled for surgery on 12-17-08 with Dr Darin Minkin. I have really liked the seminars and he has always been able to answer all the many questions I have had. He was not pushy and made me feel very comfortable about my decision. I have to do a 3 day liquid diet. I am getting very excited and so ready for this change! Merry Christmas to me!!!!!!!

I had surgery on Nov. 19th at St. Alexus in STL w/Dr. Richardson. So far, so good.

Everyone has been super nice and helpful. They have 2 dieticians on staff that you can call or email during the week. The program has multiple support groups and educational classes.

I picked this doctor more for the program, and the fact that he's a mile from my house and across the street from my work. But I feel completely secure in his abilities too.

If you have any questions no matter how small - private message me on this site and I will be more than happy to go over stuff with you.

Good luck!