I used to perform weight loss surgery.

Did you know that?

It’s true!

As you more likely know, I’m a vascular surgeon. But the road to vascular surgery includes training in general surgery. And weight loss surgery is a huge program at NYU where I began my training. 

During my time there, the LapBand was having its moment. We placed dozens each week. We performed other surgeries too - like the gastric bypass - but the LapBand was definitely a fave.

It was most often a short, straight-forward, effective surgery. You know that arcade game where you manipulate a mechanical arm inside a plastic box in order to grasp one of the cheapest stuffed animals you’ve ever seen with a mechanical hand? You know … the game that seems like a total scam?

Well, that’s kinda what it’s like to place a LapBand! While the patient slept, I would stand at the foot of the operating table while the attending physician would stand to the left of the patient. With a laparoscopic tool in each hand, I would tunn...