Chrissy W.
Send Message
Block
Add Friend

Memorial Hospital
"I had VSG surgery on 7/1/13 with Dr. Jack Rutledge at Memorial Hospital. When I arrived, valet parking was available, but we didn't use it since we found a close space. Check in was smooth and easy. Memorial has volunteers who shepherd patients to their destinations, which I thought was nice considering that I didn't know the hospital and would have likely gotten lost if left to my own devices. My family was sent to a nice waiting room. This particular waiting room is in a new section of the hospital and the thermostat was stuck and set to "arctic," but hospital staff were passing out blankets to anyone who wanted them. When I was taken to pre op, the nurses and staff were very kind and supportive. Though I wasn't nervous in the least, the nurses put me at ease and made me very comfortable. Once I was changed into a gown, had spoken to the anesthesiologist, and was hooked up to my IV, my family was brought in to wait with me and speak with my surgeon before we got started. Dr. Rutledge came in to go over things with my family and explained how things would proceed (how long surgery would take, how long I'd be in recovery, etc.) He promised to come out and speak to them multiple times during surgery, which he did. - Please see my review of Dr. Rutledge for more information about my experience with him and his wonderful staff. I was rolled into the surgical suite and the staff were very kind and made sure that I was comfortable before I was knocked out to be sleeved. I was in recovery for 2 hours - Dr. Rutledge likes to keep his WLS patients longer than most - and then rolled up to my room. I was met in my room by my nurse for the day who made sure I was comfortable and then left me to rest. I was in and out most of the day, but my nurse was wonderful and very attentive. My evening nurse was also very nice, though definitely new and in need of some instruction at times. I don't blame her though, we all have to start somewhere! The nursing assistants who helped me walk around and get up to go the the bathroom, etc. were wonderful. I'll be perfectly honest, one of them was pretty attractive and I had to kick him out when I needed to use the restroom... There was no way I was going to pee in front of a cute boy. Call me vain, but it just wasn't happening. My day nurse totally understood and made some sort of comment like "we can handle it from here" whenever I needed to pee. She was a God-send! I saw both Dr. Rutledge's nurse and him the next morning and was discharged around noon. I was wheeled downstairs by my wonderful day nurse and helped into the car. I have no complaints about my Memorial experience. Again, please see my review of Dr. Rutledge for a comprehensive description of my experience with my WLS surgeon."

Jack F. Rutledge
"Review of Dr. Jack Rutledge: I began my WLS journey in December of last year when I attended Dr. Rutledge's WLS seminar at Memorial Hospital. I knew I liked him immediately. He had a very informative presentation that detailed both the RNY bypass and the VSG (my surgery of choice) in a friendly, but no-nonsense manner. After the seminar, I made an appointment to meet him in January. When I first went to his office, everyone on his staff was very friendly and informative. His nurse, Rachel, is incredibly sweet and answered a lot of my questions before Dr. Rutledge came in. When he came in, the first thing he asked was, "Why do you want the sleeve?" I answered with the my truth that I didn't want to be limited on medications when I am old and gray (I'm 27) and that I didn't like the idea that my stomach could never be examined (i.e. scope) should I ever have a need. He smiled and said, "Good answer!" then clarified that he sees a lot of young people who want to lose weight in a short-term capacity ("There's this wedding that I'm going to be in in a few months….." etc). After we talked and he did a quick physical exam, he said that he agreed with me that the Gastric Sleeve would be great for me. He kept smiling and saying, "This is going to be so great for you.!" His excitement was infectious! The office manager and insurance specialist (who I wouldn't have made it past Cigna without) both came in to meet me and were also really excited for me. Everyone in the office was SO nice. I really don't understand how anyone has said in their review that the office staff were anything less that wonderful! People seem to think that Dr. Rutledge acts "better than you." Well, the way I see it is that Dr. Rutledge is incredibly intelligent and does not dumb things down. I have no problem with this considering that we, the patients, are signing up to have our insides rearranged. YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO. Do some research before starting this journey! Don't go into it ignorant, people. That's just irresponsible. (rant over, sorry) Moving on… I attended all of my required pre op classes (I'll write a review of the Memorial system later) and was set for surgery on 7/1. On the morning of surgery, Dr. Rutledge came into my admitting room and talked to me and my parents, who were along for the ride :) He told them that he would come out and talk to them a few times during surgery to keep them up to speed on how things were going. He also told them (he'd said it before but was reminding) that I'd be in recovery for 2 hours because he likes to monitor vitals longer than most surgeons. I appreciated his thoroughness there. He came over to my bed, took my bend and said, "Are you ready?" And since I hadn't been nervous at all, I said "LET'S DO IT!" I saw Dr. Rutledge's nurse, Rachel, the next morning and then him a few hours later when he told me I could go home. I had no problems in the hospital (again, I'll review my Memorial experience later) I went in for my 1 week follow-up and everything was great. Dr. Rutledge kept telling me that "this is going to be so great for you!" He also said that his entire surgical team wanted to see me at 6 months out (I guess I made an impression!) I went in for my 1 month appointment (a week late) last week and Dr. Rutledge talked with me for almost an hour over the problems that I've had (reflux, nausea, lactose intolerance). He has me scheduled for a barium test which he said he will be present for so that he can see my images live, rather than second hand. He walked me through my surgical notes and said that everything was textbook, but he wants to rule out anything structurally wrong. My insurance is going to be changing in a few weeks (job stuff) and he even called in few favors in order to get this test done under my current insurance policy. In the meantime, he's put me on a PPI, which we hope will correct ALL of my symptoms. So far, it has! I really respect Dr. Rutledge for his thoroughness in wanting to do the barium test anyway. In all, I have NOTHING negative to say about Dr. Rutledge, his team, or my experience at Memorial Hospital. If you are (still) reading this and are considering WLS with Dr. Jack Rutledge, you will not be disappointed with your results. And hey, if you don't like him (I personally think he's a charmer who hung the moon), then find someone else! This is a serious surgery. Make sure you are completely comfortable with the person behind the scalpel. "
About Me
Indianapolis, IN
Location
24.0
BMI
VSG
Surgery
07/01/2013
Surgery Date
Apr 26, 2013
Member Since
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
131 pounds weight loss
Friends 47
Latest Blog 1
×