"I had originally selected Dr. James Atkinson and after I had completed the psych eval and all of the bloodwork and showed up for my appointment with Dr. Atkinson, I was informed that he would not be available for another 18 months due to the fact that he only does 2 Medicare surgeries a month. Information that would have been helpful at the seminar don't you think?
I was offered to visit with Dr. Cottam and they could set up an appointment for the following week. Dr. Cottam then came out to the waiting area and visited with me for almost 30 minutes to answer any questions I had and gave me an opportunity to gather my thoughts prior to our "official" visit the following week.
Dr. Cottam is a friendly, easy going but introspective doctor who is quite involved in research. He is quite knowledgable and easy to speak to. In my opinion, he is relatively new both to bariatrics and surgery in general with less than 1000 procedures under his belt. He was uncomfortable with my aggressive questioning about his personal statistics compared to the national averages and referred frequently about the "practices" averages (3 surgeons) and stated that the hard data I was requesting simply was not compiled, nor did any other practitioner gather this information as of yet. I was offered his latest research paper by the office staff instead who clearly did not understand what I was requesting as they had promised me exactly what I was asking for at the seminar.
In my opinion the office staff is incompetent, rude and unprofessional. (Welcome to Las Vegas). The staff make promises they cannot keep, their documentation is substandard to say the least and give inaccurate information on a fairly regular basis. They also do not return phone calls or e-mails.
The only thing that bothered me about Dr. Cottam is his reluctance to address specific numbers. Otherwise, I liked him very much.
I think anyone who is considering WLS should be knowledgable and prepared when selecting their surgeon.
Aftercare was not discussed, I was informed that post-operatively, the PA would examine my incision sites. I was also informed that in a group format, aftercare and eating instruction and such would be discussed approximately one week prior to surgery.
I am not sure about their aftercare situation as group meetings are limited to post-op patients only (hmmm) and I am loathe to ask any of the office staff at this point. Dr. Cottam did explain that I will be eating pureed food for 6 weeks in order for the suture line in my gastric region to heal.
The risks of surgery were not really discussed as I did not focus on that as much as long term complications.
I am on the fence at this time with the limited information and contact I have had.
As with anything in life, a balance of each is necessary.....his bedside manner is exceptional...now I need to evaluate his surgical competence.
To be continued....
"
