Presurgical Psych Evals in Buffalo, NY

Initially I was going to go through Comprehensive/Dr. Hoffman, but I just found out yesterday that I am unable to have lap band surgery because my BMI is too high.  That being the case, I definitely want Dr. Caruana, & he works through Synergy, so that kind of decides it for me.

I had my surgery through comprehensive weight loss center and absolutely love them (just had to get that in)!!!!  And they gave me a whole list of people... so I just needed to call around to see who would take my insurance.  I just tried to look for the list and could not find it, but I had my psych eval done at Suburban Psychiatric Associates... but there were quite a number of other places too, so maybe if you called some places in the phone book.... it seems sort of lousy that no one at your surgeon's office could help you...

Thanks for your reply :-)  I got a little resourceful today & was finally able to find a psychologist to do the eval.  (Just called Synergy back & stomped my feet a little!)  My appt. is on July 5th, so not too bad of a wait. 
I was originally going to go through Comprehensive Weight Loss Center/Dr. Hoffman until I heard from a number of different sources that the wait wasn't nearly as long at Synergy Bariatrics.  So I was kind of undecided until yesterday when I found out that I will not be able to have lap band surgery because of my BMI; I'm going to have to go with gastric bypass surgery.  That being the case, I definitely want Dr. Caruana, so that means I'll have to go through Synergy.  I have an appt. with Dr. C. on July 14th.

Have you looked into the sleeve?  It has much less complications than RNY. There is a lot of re-gain and more complicatioins with the RNY. 
I know the wait may be a bit longer than CWL center (that's why I went with Synergy to begin with) and wish I hadn't.  But there is a reason the wait is longer. They will be doing my revision......Just wanted to throw that out there.
Carauana is a great surgeon but he doesn't do surgeries lap only open.  That practice has only done a handful of sleeves too so I wouldn't want them touching me!
Be thankful you aren't getting the band.  I wouldn't wish this hell upon anyone!
The sleeve looks to be the new "golden" WLS.
Good luck to you in whatever you may decide!

If you don't mind talking about it, what complications have you had with the lap band?  At first, that was definitely the way I wanted to go - I know 2 people who have had that done & they are very happy with it - but now I've discovered it isn't an option for me.  I do know a lot of people have difficulty getting the band adjusted so that it works right for them, & it sounds to me like in the longrun there are still fewer things you can eat then with RNY.
On the other hand, I know at least 5 people who have had RNY - all done by Caruana - & they all think he's a god.  Some have been more successful than others over time, but I can clearly see how people who follow the diet & exercise regimen do much better with it. 
So far, I can see both pros & cons with Synergy as a whole (there was a LOT of ground that wasn't covered at the seminar), although I still want to check out the CWL center; I'm waiting to be scheduled for the preliminary seminar there.  My main concern is getting the best doctor possible for whatever surgery I end up having.

i have had problems that have gotten worse with time :food intolerances, not knowing what In can eat day to day, cannot eat lean meats even when very loose, vomiting, heartburn, pain while eating, dysphagia is how the dr. described it. And minimal weight loss.
Caruana is a great surgeon. It just seems that more and more people are going with the sleeve or DS and he only does open rny. I have friends that have gained back most of their weight after the 2 or 3 yr mark when the malabsorption stops.
It is good to get different opinions from at least 2 surgeons and research all 4 weight loss surgeries before making a decision (although I personally wouldn't recommend the band to anyone).It is the one wls that has the least success rate, studies show.
Go on the revision board. There are many band and rny revisions. This should help in your research.
Good luck to you! And don't leave Dr. Hoffman out even if it means waiting another month or two. You have your whole life ahead of you!

Glad to hear that! I will be having a revision band to sleeve with Hoffman July 11th. I really liked him and the staff there.
I initially had my band done at Synergy.  The difference between the offices/surgeons are uncomparable!

I agree... my husband had went for a consult with synergy and was not at all impressed... and I have taken care of some of their patients... (I am a home care nurse) and it seemed like everytime I would call them when a patient was having a problem, I would either get a voice mail or someone calling me back saying, "well, that is expected... the patient knows to expect this..." when in fact the patient did not... and it was discovered a few weeks later after my persisting calls that she had a stricture....
I had also taken care of some of Dr. Hoffman's general surgery patients and never had a problem getting in touch with his office or him... He even called me back personally about a patient on a saturday afternoon when a patient was having problems... and when my husband had a few problems just after he had surgery... same exact thing. 

Initially, I really wanted to go with the lap band & to have Dr. Hoffman do it, only now I have discovered that isn't an option for me; I have to have gastric bypass surgery.  That being the case, I most definitely want Dr. Caruana, which means I have to go through Synergy.

Best wishes to you!