GirlFriday
Enjoying the journey
First, let me explain that my initial experience with Dr. Inman was not positive. My uncle had the DS eight years ago and ended up in a coma for 59 days following surgery. Dr. Inman was not responsive to our family or answering questions that we wanted answered. She was not what one would call, "warm and fuzzy". We discovered eight days into the coma that he had elevated nicotine levels in his system and basically he lied about quitting smoking and this caused a problem with the anesthesia which caused all sorts of other problems.
Fast forward seven and a half years. I am sitting in my PCP's office being told that my A1C levels were those of a diabetic and I had a myriad of heath problems. He asked that I go talk to someone at the Bariatric Center. So, I called and made an appointment and went to a seminar. There I met Dr. Inman for the second time. Still not warm and fuzzy. She was (and still is) all about the science. I was kind of uncomfortable until her PA took over answering the questions because Dr. Inman had to go do an emergency surgery on a patient that had a botched surgery at another hospital. That gave me confidence. That gave me a lot of confidence in her. So when I met one on one with Kami (the PA) I asked about Dr. Inman's bedside manner and I was told that her staff is there to meet the emotional needs of her patients - and they do a nice job.
I passed all of my standard tests and went to my pre-op class. This is what I liked about the pre-op class. The sleevers and the RNY'ers were in a separate class from us. We (the DS'ers) were brought in at the end of their class for the "What is going to happen on the day of surgery" talk - which was given by a nurse on the Bariatric ICU and was very thorough and very helpful. Then the Sleevers and RNY'ers were dismissed, and the DS nutrionist (that is right, there are three NUT that specialize in DS patients) came in to talk to us about life after surgery. She went over all of the nutrional guidelines for DS'ers. We were never compared to the others, it was never called a "pouch" (it was called a Tiny Stomach or TS for short). All of the supplement samples and boards that showed supplements for the RNY'ers and Sleevers were put away, and she brought out boards for the DS and showed us food and supplements for the DS'ers. I felt like everything was directed specifically to us.
My surgery was on April 22, 2015. The surgery went well. I had some complications after surgery with my blood pressure (it is usually high, but after surgery it decided to be as low as possible) and I had to stay an extra night in the hospital. The staff at the hospital in the Bariatric ICU was wonderful. There are some amazing people on that floor. I appreciated the fact that the entire unit was nothing but Bariatric patients, so if I farted while walking the halls no one batted an eye.
All in all, I have to tell you that I would recommend Dr. Inman and her staff for surgery if you are in Indiana. They have been wonderful to me. You could not find yourself in better hands than those of Dr. Inman.
It is my understanding from talking to past patients that the DS Bariatric Program at St. Vincent has completely evolved in terms of patient education and nutrition. They are singling out the DS'ers and tailoring a program to them and their needs. I feel very fortunate to have gotten my surgery there.
Fast forward seven and a half years. I am sitting in my PCP's office being told that my A1C levels were those of a diabetic and I had a myriad of heath problems. He asked that I go talk to someone at the Bariatric Center. So, I called and made an appointment and went to a seminar. There I met Dr. Inman for the second time. Still not warm and fuzzy. She was (and still is) all about the science. I was kind of uncomfortable until her PA took over answering the questions because Dr. Inman had to go do an emergency surgery on a patient that had a botched surgery at another hospital. That gave me confidence. That gave me a lot of confidence in her. So when I met one on one with Kami (the PA) I asked about Dr. Inman's bedside manner and I was told that her staff is there to meet the emotional needs of her patients - and they do a nice job.
I passed all of my standard tests and went to my pre-op class. This is what I liked about the pre-op class. The sleevers and the RNY'ers were in a separate class from us. We (the DS'ers) were brought in at the end of their class for the "What is going to happen on the day of surgery" talk - which was given by a nurse on the Bariatric ICU and was very thorough and very helpful. Then the Sleevers and RNY'ers were dismissed, and the DS nutrionist (that is right, there are three NUT that specialize in DS patients) came in to talk to us about life after surgery. She went over all of the nutrional guidelines for DS'ers. We were never compared to the others, it was never called a "pouch" (it was called a Tiny Stomach or TS for short). All of the supplement samples and boards that showed supplements for the RNY'ers and Sleevers were put away, and she brought out boards for the DS and showed us food and supplements for the DS'ers. I felt like everything was directed specifically to us.
My surgery was on April 22, 2015. The surgery went well. I had some complications after surgery with my blood pressure (it is usually high, but after surgery it decided to be as low as possible) and I had to stay an extra night in the hospital. The staff at the hospital in the Bariatric ICU was wonderful. There are some amazing people on that floor. I appreciated the fact that the entire unit was nothing but Bariatric patients, so if I farted while walking the halls no one batted an eye.
All in all, I have to tell you that I would recommend Dr. Inman and her staff for surgery if you are in Indiana. They have been wonderful to me. You could not find yourself in better hands than those of Dr. Inman.
It is my understanding from talking to past patients that the DS Bariatric Program at St. Vincent has completely evolved in terms of patient education and nutrition. They are singling out the DS'ers and tailoring a program to them and their needs. I feel very fortunate to have gotten my surgery there.
