"Right after surgery I went to ICU. Not because of complications, but because the surgeon wanted me to have one-on-one care for the first day. In ICU you get your own nurse. They are there whenever you need them. They even bathe you in bed! When I was moved to a regular floor, I was given a private room. I hear they do this for all the bariatric patients, when possible, for privacy. It was nice having a private room. They also had special chairs on the floor for bariatric patients to be wheeled around in for tests and such. They are extra-large and extra sturdy. Also, I noticed that the bed was from a Bariatric Supply Company. They seem to take the needs of the obese into consideration. When yoy have to be taken to another floor for any testing, they have what they call "Patient Specialists" They are nurses that escort the patient to and from the testing and make sure that things go OK. When I went for my leak test, they wanted to tranfer me to a strecher from the chair in the ahllway outside Radiology. My "Specialist" would not aloow it. She said "there are to many people in the hallway and the patients privacy and dignity will not be compromised" So the technians had to do my x-ray with me in the chair. They had to do the maneuvering...not me!"
"Dr. Zuccala seemed to be a man of few words during our first meeting. At the second meeting it was different. He seemed to be a lot more talkative and personaly involved. When he asked if I had any questions..I said "yes!" he put the chart down and crossed his legs and said "go ahead". He sat and listened (and answered) every question i could ask and he could answer honestly. We talked openly and honestly about risks and our respective roles in preventing them.
I am a little disapointed that he does not yet have a structured support program going on at this time. However, he is in the planning stages of developing one.
Dr. Zuccala seems to be a competent surgeon. I have spoken too a few of his patients and they all agree.
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