Re: Statesville Update

[Guest guest]

so sorry to hear about your daughter, Flo. My daughter is having

problems with bile backing up and is on medication because of it. I don't

have that problem but I do have to go in to have hernia repair. I never

reached goal and neither did but I don't think I will have a revision,

unless it could possibly be done with the hernia repair, but to be honest I'm

afraid because of the problems that Genz had. I tried on the some

evening gowns I own that almost fit when I lost a lot of weight on phen fen

and was so disapointed that they don't fit and never will. Boo Hoo I will die

FAT. But what can I say. I hope Genz is doing okey. My daughter says

now she wishes she had had the RNY.,Keep in touch PLEASE.

[Guest guest]

Flo and Drema and family, my best goes out to you. I was unaware of the

recent events concerning Drema's health, but glad to hear all is well. Flo

is one of the most wonderful people I've had the privilege of meeting thru

this site, and she's got a friend in Pennsylvania for sure! Keep doing well,

and if you ever need my help, just holler. I mean that. PhillyJude MGB

11-3-00 263/173 and happier than you can imagine!

[Guest guest]

Flo and Drema,

I am so glad to hear that things turned out well for Drema. I will keep you

both in my prayers and hope she is back up on her feet in no time.

Pat Iurato

Nevada

[Guest guest]

Flo & Drema,

Thank God Drema is ok, I was sorry to hear she had to go through this, but as

your post indicated she is in good hands at in Statesville with Dr.

Rutledge, his wonderful staff and nurses!

You are so right about the wonderful care they provide. When I was in the

hospital for 10 days for my revision in December, I was 'out of it' and very

weak from the pneumonia, but I still felt confident that I was in good hands.

Dr. Rutledge visited me every day and called at night to check on me etc.

Dana, his nurse practitioner, was very caring, she held my hands during my one

of my procedures and Trish was comforting as well. We could not ask for

better care from such compasionate people as Dr. Rutledge and company!

I am so glad you posted to let us know how she is doing (and you too)! Drema

is fortunate to have such a wonderful loving, caring mom as you Flo!

{{{{lottsa hugs for you both!}}}}

Shea

[Guest guest]

Flo

What a beautiful post...it truly came from your " painfully thin heart " . I am

so glad to hear Drema is doing so well. Plz update us when you get the

pathology report. This whole episode must be like a nightmare for you and

your family. Wish I could have been there to hold your hand along with all

the other MGB family members. We are all truly lucky to have such a gifted

and caring doctor.

Thank you Rocky for taking care of us.

Joni in Seattle

[Guest guest]

Dear Flo,

I am so happy to hear that Drema is okay and that she has come

through this surgery so well. I also know that this has been a real

scary time for all of you. I am glad the news has been good and I

wish her a speedy recovery and some much needed rest for you. Hope

you both with be home soon celebrating that this is all behind you.

My thoughts and prayers are with you both.

Peggy Parks

[Guest guest]

Flo,

Thanks for posting. I had no idea you and Drema were having

trouble. Please keep us posted on the outcome of the tests on

Drema's tumor and on how you're feeling. You are both in my thoughts

and prayers.

Bernardine

Dallas, TX

> I posted the below message to the pre op list and decided I'd post

it

> here because I want to bore you stiff and because I want to thank

the

> post ops and Dr. Rutledge! What I forget to say was that the tumor

I

> report on below was not in the old stomach. It was in the abdomen

> compressing her other " parts " . It was not MGB related although in

> the beginning Dr. R thought that it was. The other thing I didn't

> mention to the pre-ops is that Dr. R was getting entirely too

> complacent with his laparascope and his MGB. Drema decided to

present

> him with a challenge and see if he could still wield a mean knife.

> He can. Of course, he'll probably hang up on us when he hears our

> voice again...LOL. Guys, we should have had such a great hospital

> (all us DRH folks on here). This place is great. And the hotel is

> nice too. Nice big suites for $50 a night including breakfast.

>

> Hi Everyone: Last week I posted that I'd be in Statesville but

didn't

> think I'd be here this long. We came for Dr. R to look at a tumor

> that Drema had in her abdomen. She was a patient for 6 days at

> Washington Hospital Center in DC. At first they thought it was

> malignant, then said it probably wasn't, and then said they didn't

> know. Dr. Rutledge was in touch with them each day since they

> believed it was a tumor that grew out of the remnant stomach. But

it

> wasn't.

>

> When we got to Statesville, Dr. R's NP, Dana, did a pre-op on Drema

> and we reported to the hospital on Tues. morning. We got to go to

> clinic first for a while. It was fun to see more recent pre-ops.

> They're doing well. Toni the rash lady was there...we need to crown

> her Queen of the Rash.

>

> Dr. R was going to try to drain the mass since the folks at

> Washington Hospital Center told him that upon doing an endoscopy,

> they decided it was a fluid filled mass coming from the old unused

> stomach. That was not so. The mass was huge and was solid.

>

> Dr. Rutledge had to perform open surgery on Drema so she's got a

> great big incision from side to side just above the waist. He took

> out a tumor he described as the size of a cantelope. It was hard,

not

> soft, and he is not sure what it is. Preliminary lab tests say it's

> not malignant but we're awaiting the pathology report for official

> word and are praying it is NOT malignant. It may be a fibroid.

But

> while he was in there poking around, Dana got a good look at her

MGB

> and said it was beautiful. And the folks at Washington Hospital

> Center who did two endoscopies also commented what a good job Dr. R

> had done.

>

> Drema had MGB two years ago on August 4th. She is near her two year

> anniversary and has lost 154 pounds bringing her to her ideal

weight.

> She is 5'11 " so she is actually quite slim. This tumor is not

> connected to her surgery. But because the Dr's at Washington

> Hospital Center believed it was coming from the old stomach, we

> called Dr. R and as usual he told us to come on down so he could

take

> care of it.

>

> My daughter was relieved to be here in NC even though it's a 7 hour

> drive because she so trusts Dr. R. This hospital is super. It's

clean

> and the nurses and every single staff person we've met has been

very

> very friendly and so helpful and competent. This hospital is way

> better than our local hospital and way better than Washington

> Hospital Center for compassionate care. They are just excellent so

> any of you who will be lucky enough to have your MGB here will be

> very pleased with the way you are treated. The staff is very fond

of

> Dr. R here and they treat his patients very well.

>

> I can't close this email without thanking a few folks. Way back

> about three years ago when I started looking at this site, I met a

> group of wonderful people who had surgery around April, May and

June

> of 2000. And today those folks are still friends and we write back

> and forth nearly every day. We know each other's kids by name,

> husband's by name, etc. Most of us have visited each other's homes

> and have truly formed wonderful friendships. And there are others

> that we met through having MGB who have become lifelong friends.

>

> Valmassoi picked up my sister in Raleigh, drove her to

> Statesville, stayed the night, sat with us and worried with us

while

> Drema was in the OR then drove my sister and my granddaughter back

to

> Raleigh. She is a jewel and if I never had surgery or lost a pound

I

> would be so grateful to have gained her as a friend. Blair

> drove down from Flat Rock, NC to spend the night with me and to

visit

> Drema in the hospital. Blair sat for hours giving Drema a foot

> massage and talking to her. Drema said that Blair was so calming.

She

> didn't want her to leave. Genzel my littermate called from

> Texas to check on Drema, lots of my MGB friends sent emails and

> called. Trish Lanman has called several times to check on

> Drema.Thanks to each of you. Pat Lyles, an MGB friend who I've

met,

> emailed with and seen several times came to the hotel, went out to

> dinner with us, sat with us while Drema was in the OR and has been

by

> my side since we got here calling, taking me to lunch, checking on

> Drema. And her daughter, Kathy Goodman, who is an MGBer and had an

> MGB baby has been by to see us several times. She now works for Dr.

> Rutledge. Farleigh Rozier drove over (nearly four hours) to meet

me,

> to have dinner with us, to worry with us, help amuse my

grandaughter

> (spelled SPOIL) and pray for us. And we deeply appreciate that.

>

> Most of you already know that Dr. Rutledge is a good, kind, caring,

> compassionate and gifted surgeon. Words aren't adequate to tell

you

> how very good he has been to my daughter and to me over the past

> several years. He has stuck with us through my medical problems,

> through Drema's medical problems, and was available to us by phone

> and to the doctors at Washington Hospital Center by phone. Even

when

> the problem was not related to the surgery he pefromed on us, he

has

> been available to us. The problem with him is that once he's been

> your doctor you don't ever want anyone else! Dana is his nurse

> practicioner (spelled wrong maybe) and she is super. She's smart

and

> caring and responsive. She couldn't have taken better care of

> Drema. The girls in the office are wonderful. They are all MGBers

> who have been through what all of you are getting ready to go

> through. Kathy, Penny and are there to help.

>

> I have truly met the most wonderful people I have ever known simply

> by investigating weight loss surgery and by joining this email

list.

> I thank each of you for your prayers and I wish each of you pre-ops

> the very best experience possible. My daughter and I have never

had

> one minute of regret that we had this surgery and we wouldn't want

to

> have it with any other surgeon (although I know there are lots of

> good ones and that Dr. Rutledge can't operate on the whole world).

> We have always felt cared for and cared about.

>

> Flo from land in Statesville

[Guest guest]

Hi Flo:

So sorry to hear about Drema's surgery. I too think she is blessed to

have been able to have Dr. R perform her surgery. He is truly

wonderful and I know he is taking good care of her. She is in our

prayers for a speedy recovery and positive results on the pathology

report. We miss you both terribly in MD and hope to see you soon when

you return.

Pam Mc

> I posted the below message to the pre op list and decided I'd post

it

> here because I want to bore you stiff and because I want to thank

the

> post ops and Dr. Rutledge! What I forget to say was that the tumor

I

> report on below was not in the old stomach. It was in the abdomen

> compressing her other " parts " . It was not MGB related although in

> the beginning Dr. R thought that it was. The other thing I didn't

> mention to the pre-ops is that Dr. R was getting entirely too

> complacent with his laparascope and his MGB. Drema decided to

present

> him with a challenge and see if he could still wield a mean knife.

> He can. Of course, he'll probably hang up on us when he hears our

> voice again...LOL. Guys, we should have had such a great hospital

> (all us DRH folks on here). This place is great. And the hotel is

> nice too. Nice big suites for $50 a night including breakfast.

>

> Hi Everyone: Last week I posted that I'd be in Statesville but

didn't

> think I'd be here this long. We came for Dr. R to look at a tumor

> that Drema had in her abdomen. She was a patient for 6 days at

> Washington Hospital Center in DC. At first they thought it was

> malignant, then said it probably wasn't, and then said they didn't

> know. Dr. Rutledge was in touch with them each day since they

> believed it was a tumor that grew out of the remnant stomach. But it

> wasn't.

>

> When we got to Statesville, Dr. R's NP, Dana, did a pre-op on Drema

> and we reported to the hospital on Tues. morning. We got to go to

> clinic first for a while. It was fun to see more recent pre-ops.

> They're doing well. Toni the rash lady was there...we need to crown

> her Queen of the Rash.

>

> Dr. R was going to try to drain the mass since the folks at

> Washington Hospital Center told him that upon doing an endoscopy,

> they decided it was a fluid filled mass coming from the old unused

> stomach. That was not so. The mass was huge and was solid.

>

> Dr. Rutledge had to perform open surgery on Drema so she's got a

> great big incision from side to side just above the waist. He took

> out a tumor he described as the size of a cantelope. It was hard,

not

> soft, and he is not sure what it is. Preliminary lab tests say it's

> not malignant but we're awaiting the pathology report for official

> word and are praying it is NOT malignant. It may be a fibroid. But

> while he was in there poking around, Dana got a good look at her MGB

> and said it was beautiful. And the folks at Washington Hospital

> Center who did two endoscopies also commented what a good job Dr. R

> had done.

>

> Drema had MGB two years ago on August 4th. She is near her two year

> anniversary and has lost 154 pounds bringing her to her ideal

weight.

> She is 5'11 " so she is actually quite slim. This tumor is not

> connected to her surgery. But because the Dr's at Washington

> Hospital Center believed it was coming from the old stomach, we

> called Dr. R and as usual he told us to come on down so he could

take

> care of it.

>

> My daughter was relieved to be here in NC even though it's a 7 hour

> drive because she so trusts Dr. R. This hospital is super. It's

clean

> and the nurses and every single staff person we've met has been very

> very friendly and so helpful and competent. This hospital is way

> better than our local hospital and way better than Washington

> Hospital Center for compassionate care. They are just excellent so

> any of you who will be lucky enough to have your MGB here will be

> very pleased with the way you are treated. The staff is very fond of

> Dr. R here and they treat his patients very well.

>

> I can't close this email without thanking a few folks. Way back

> about three years ago when I started looking at this site, I met a

> group of wonderful people who had surgery around April, May and June

> of 2000. And today those folks are still friends and we write back

> and forth nearly every day. We know each other's kids by name,

> husband's by name, etc. Most of us have visited each other's homes

> and have truly formed wonderful friendships. And there are others

> that we met through having MGB who have become lifelong friends.

>

> Valmassoi picked up my sister in Raleigh, drove her to

> Statesville, stayed the night, sat with us and worried with us while

> Drema was in the OR then drove my sister and my granddaughter back

to

> Raleigh. She is a jewel and if I never had surgery or lost a pound

I

> would be so grateful to have gained her as a friend. Blair

> drove down from Flat Rock, NC to spend the night with me and to

visit

> Drema in the hospital. Blair sat for hours giving Drema a foot

> massage and talking to her. Drema said that Blair was so calming.

She

> didn't want her to leave. Genzel my littermate called from

> Texas to check on Drema, lots of my MGB friends sent emails and

> called. Trish Lanman has called several times to check on

> Drema.Thanks to each of you. Pat Lyles, an MGB friend who I've met,

> emailed with and seen several times came to the hotel, went out to

> dinner with us, sat with us while Drema was in the OR and has been

by

> my side since we got here calling, taking me to lunch, checking on

> Drema. And her daughter, Kathy Goodman, who is an MGBer and had an

> MGB baby has been by to see us several times. She now works for Dr.

> Rutledge. Farleigh Rozier drove over (nearly four hours) to meet

me,

> to have dinner with us, to worry with us, help amuse my grandaughter

> (spelled SPOIL) and pray for us. And we deeply appreciate that.

>

> Most of you already know that Dr. Rutledge is a good, kind, caring,

> compassionate and gifted surgeon. Words aren't adequate to tell you

> how very good he has been to my daughter and to me over the past

> several years. He has stuck with us through my medical problems,

> through Drema's medical problems, and was available to us by phone

> and to the doctors at Washington Hospital Center by phone. Even when

> the problem was not related to the surgery he pefromed on us, he has

> been available to us. The problem with him is that once he's been

> your doctor you don't ever want anyone else! Dana is his nurse

> practicioner (spelled wrong maybe) and she is super. She's smart and

> caring and responsive. She couldn't have taken better care of

> Drema. The girls in the office are wonderful. They are all MGBers

> who have been through what all of you are getting ready to go

> through. Kathy, Penny and are there to help.

>

> I have truly met the most wonderful people I have ever known simply

> by investigating weight loss surgery and by joining this email list.

> I thank each of you for your prayers and I wish each of you pre-ops

> the very best experience possible. My daughter and I have never had

> one minute of regret that we had this surgery and we wouldn't want

to

> have it with any other surgeon (although I know there are lots of

> good ones and that Dr. Rutledge can't operate on the whole world).

> We have always felt cared for and cared about.

>

> Flo from land in Statesville