Has anyone gone here for their surgery? I believe they take my insurance. I can't seem to find any information about it online and have been trying to get ahold of someone yesterday and today. Couldn't get ahold of anyone yesterday and earlier was put on hold for a half hour and had to hang up due to it being long distance. Now they aren't answering their phones so I bet they are gone for the day.

Just wondering what the program is like and if it would be doable for someone living 8+ hours away from los angeles and what can I expect? I heard you have to persuade him for the DS and that's fine, I just needed someone who would take me lol.

Have a great day!

Aren't you closer to Dr. Rabkin? He's very highly regarded as is Dr. Keshishian in LA. 

Neither of them accept my insurance. USC is the only one in california i was able to find

Isn't Dr. Belzburg with USC? Sher Bear Mama just hed her surgery with him so you might want to ask her. Is your insurance Kaiser? I believe this is the surgeon that Kaiser uses.

Belzburg is with Kaiser, not with USC.  Crookes is USC. :)

I have medi-cal(medicaid) and anthem. I called all the drs in ca that do the ds and dr crookes office is the only one that would accept medi-cal.

 Nope Belzberg is with Kaiser.

Love your new avatar!

Just wondering what the process is like. Other programs have you go to a seminar before consultation. Is that the same here?

What about out of town patients? Are there many out of town patients?

What are typical pre-op testing? I heard something about a cardiac stress test, psych consult and bloodwork, just wondering if there were other ones such as EGD, etc?

Is there a waiting list or long wait period to schedule your surgery? (specifically a ds)

How often are the required visits? Should I expect to stay in town 2 weeks if nothing goes wrong after surgery?

Sorry for so many questions lol

 Well, preop, I contacted USC to get info and they wanted to sign me up for a seminar.  That's the first step. The seminar I was supposed to go to (I didn't go) wasn't at USC, it was in Pasadena at a hotel.  Bookfaerie said that at the seminar they only breifly brush over the DS and don't make it sound like a real option.  It seems like it's only once you meet with Crookes that you'll get more info.  I believe you have to go through the seminar to meet with Crookes but i'm not sure.

Typical pre-op testing in general are an ekg, chest xray, labs, and the psych evaluation.  It also depends upon your insurance.  SOme require more preop counseling like mine (Kaiser).  Not sure about the wait for the DS--that probably depends on the time of year and how busy they generally are.  I'd be curious about out of town patients too--I had my surgery almost 2 hours away(Kaiser)--I had to go there for my surgical consultation, then again for the pre-op, and then for surgery.  Next back for the post op roughly 2 weeks later.

I know that one of our Dana's here on the board went to Crookes.  He does his DS open so healing time is going to be longer and more painful.  But if he's your only option, then it's probably still worth it.  I'll PM Dana and see if she's around to answer your questions.  Also, when we all meet for our Southern CAlifornia DS meeting *SCADS* you'll get a chance to ask some questions as well.  Not sure when we'll all be meeting but maybe sometime early next year.

Sheri

Well I hope I won't have to make too many trips, as it is an 8+ hour drive! lol I wasn't aware he only did them open. I know many have had it open and maybe it's better to have it open but it worries me. I'd rather have it lap but this is my only option besides getting another procedure. Are you in the hospital longer with an open procedure than the lap?

I have most of the pre-op tests, well all of them if I get records, completed within the past 6 months already that you listed so I can probably just show up with copies in hand at the consultation or something. lol

Thanks again for answering my questions.

Also, has anyone traveled 8+ hours for their surgery? Plane would be a bad choice for after the surgery, right? I think it would be too uncomfortable for one and all of the bumps after surgery would be very painful. How long should I stay in town after released from the hospital? Is it bad to have a surgeon so far away from home in case something goes wrong?

I had open surgery and was in the hospital for 4 days, but the reason was that I was in Brazil by myself so my surgeon wanted me to stay an extra day.  I left the hospital with liquid Tylenol as my only pain medication and was in no pain.

My surgeon and a lot of others like certain tests to be done no longer than a month ahead of time.

I traveled over 5,000 miles (one-way) and 19+ hours with layovers on a plane.  I just got up and walked about every 45 minutes to an hour.  My surgeon gave me a blood thinner before leaving to help avoid any blood clots.

I was required to stay 2 weeks after surgery in Brazil. I haven't seen or needed my surgeon since my surgery.  I had aftercare docs lined up in the States in the event of an emergency.

A lot of us have traveled many miles both by car and plane.

You need to ask your surgeon how long he wants you to stay in the area after surgery.

You will be fine.

 The length of stay at the hospital depends on your surgeon and on whether or not you have any complications. I was totally fine in the hospital but my surgeon wanted me there for 5-6 days because he's just overly cautious.  Other surgeons don't make you stay past 3 days--it just depends on the surgeon.  As far as travel, I know that there are LOTS of patients here who have flown across the country to see a good DS surgeon.  If you post a seperate thread here on the board asking how many had to travel for the DS and how was the experience I bet you'd get lots of responses.  

As far as the bumps on a plane vs a car--in my opinion the car is bumpier.  Some people go home from the hospital holding a pillow to their abdomen to support them as they rode over bumps.  I had my surgery lap and when I went home I was in ZERO pain.  I wasn't on pain meds either--I'd stopped those a few days before I left the hospital.  But if i had my choice, I'd choose the mode of transportation that is the swiftest.  

Also, I think the previous posting was somewhat accurate--some of the preop labs need to be done closer to the surgery.  I had a year to get my surgery after I'd had the EKG, the chest Xray, the psych clearence, and the labs.  BUT, I was sent in for labs a week before surgery as well--to evaluate where I was.  I sent a message to Dana who used Crookes so I'm hoping she'll come on here and chime in on her experience.  

Good luck. 
S

A  lot depends on the surgeon, any comorbidities a person has at the time and how cautious your doc is.  My EGD, labs, EKG, some blood tests and cardiac stress test had to be no longer than 6 weeks to a month prior. The psych clearance was 3 months prior, I guess he figured I wasn't going to get much crazier.  :)

 I am so glad that you are able to find a doctor that will take your insurance. From what I can tell, a lot of people have to travel for the DS and I think the doctors and staff work with you via phone and email. Best of luck on your insuranceprocess, I know it can be a pain.

I wish you luck getting a call back from Crookes' office. I did not  call at holiday time, but still i called 3 times in a month and never ever received a call back--EVER! I ended up just staying with Dr. K and I am so glad I did. I had been looking for other options because I did not want to pay the $4 grand for a revision. I have never heard anyone complaiin about him as a surgeon, but his office staff not too sure of them.

Well Dr. Crookes is the only doctor in CA that does the DS that accepts my insurance. As for not getting ahold of anyone, I am used to that with my PCP. Just means i have to be more proactive and my medical background helps me know what to do and expect for some things. Most of all, though, it just means I have to learn to be patient.

I wish you the best in your endeavor to get the great DS!