Question:
what is your criteria for chosing a surgeon
I am posting here because it will go to the library. It is sometimes hard to hold my tongue when I read how some members chose their surgeons. 1. Statistics. The number of deaths and complications depends on the kind of patients the surgeons accept. Many surgeons will not do surgery on high risk patients because they know you ask. Others care so much about us, that they do operate on super obese with many comorbids. Thankfully. 2. His staff is nice. and he/she have a good bedside manner. You have to give people a chance. If they do not call back right away, they may be spending their time with newly post ops in trouble. The whole staff could be down with the flu etc. Sometimes they are in the middle of an emergency situation. If you do not like their office staff, but you like the surgeon accept it. 3. Experience. Look for someone who has done many of these surgeries successfully. It is more important to look at the successes than a few failures. 4. Hospitals. Make sure the hospital is commited to obesity surgery. The special equipment needed and the nurses training play a big role in your survival. What say you. — faybay (posted on December 9, 2002)
December 8, 2002
Great post Faye. I wanted to add a couple of things. 1. Find out if your
surgeon is a long-term, skilled laparoscopist. He may not have done
hundreds of WLS procedures but if he's been doing upper-abdominal
laparoscopy with good success rates then I'd definitely consider them. 2.
Just wanted to second your suggestion that you have a good hospital. I'm
not condemning or flaming small hospitals but, if at all possible, you
would do much better to have the procedure done at a large hospital. This
is simply because they have more staff in house and if you had a
complication they are much more prepared to deal with it, regardless of the
hour of day or night. 3. Thanks for your insight regarding office staff.
We WLS patients can be demanding and impatient sometimes (I know, I am
one!) and many times the surgeon's staff are paddling as fast as they can
and they still can't get everything done in a short time frame. 4. Keep
in mind that we are a very high risk group of folks. It is very important
to check your surgeon's statistics but you really must consider each
negative statistic individually. 5. When you feel frustrated and
impatient, remind yourself that you didn't become morbidly obese in a day
and you won't complete the process in a day either. I think the biggest
criteria is your surgeon's experience and genuine desire to help the
morbidly obese community.
— ronascott
December 9, 2002
Has a good support group that meets regurally. I wouldnt use a surgeon
without a group. Good reviews here. The site is a tremendous resource of
info on surgeons and now hospitals. 24/7 telephone support by doctors and
nurses. If patients said alls were not usually returned fast even at odd
hours espically for new post ops I would find a different surgeon. Having a
staff, espically the nurses who are post ops themselves is a real PLUS. Who
better to know what were going through.
— bob-haller
December 9, 2002
All great points. I just wanted to add one. Some are in such a hurry for
WLS they choose a surgeon based solely on the length of their waiting list.
It can be one of <i>many</i> reasons to choose a surgeon but
shouldn't be the primary deciding factor.
— thumpiez
December 9, 2002
I think I have chosen an excellent surgeon with a nearly flawless record
(only lost 1 patient in 25 years of doing wls), but the hospital my
insurance accepts has only been doing wls's for a little while. I've read
the comments on this board about the hospital and some were not so happy.
I would choose surgeon over hospital. I am willing to sacrifice not going
to one of the largest hospitals in my state rather than choosing a surgeon
I don't know and am not as comfortable with. Besides, the smaller hospital
that I'm going to is familiar to me - I've had several family members there
for other issues and we've never had a huge problem. What I'm trying to
say is that sometimes patients just don't have a choice when it comes to
the hospital they go to.
— Toni C.
December 9, 2002
my first and for most decision was based on the drs credibility...then i
went by patients views, then by staff, then by location...i have no regrets
with my decision and if i had to do it all over again i would choose him
again in a heart beat!
— Deanna Wise
December 9, 2002
1.Pulse -Does he have one, finding a surgeon was the hardest part for me. 2
# of surgeries performed 3. Number of fatalities and the reasons for them.
4. the most important one isn't a tangible it's a feeling or a vibe. it had
to be good or it was a no go
— dkinson
December 9, 2002
Because of job and insurance issues, I was very limited in my choice of
surgeons and hospitals, and we had to move quickly. When I went to see the
surgeon, I was very impressed with him and with his staff. Throughout they
were very helpful and caring. He has not been doing these but a couple of
years, but there were some things that impressed me. One, he takes care of
his WLS patients himself totally, is on call for them 24/7. He therefore
limits the number of surgeries he does to a few a week, because that's all
he believes he can care for and do a good job. He also won't do surgery and
then go out of town, leaving them for someone else to take care of. While
he is experienced in laparascopic surgery, he does WLS open, I think due to
the lack of experience on the part of the OR staff- he is at a small
hospital, and has less backup if something goes wrong. He was very careful
to explain the surgery, the risks, etc. and also had me get a thorough
medical clearance beforehand. However, there was one factor that really
made me decide to go with him. His *first* WLS was a woman who was a nurse,
who had worked with him. If *she* was confident enough to let him operate
on her first, I didn't have a lot of qualms. I've been a nurse almost 20
years, and the best recommendation you can ever get on a doctor is from a
nurse who knows him, how he works, and how his patients do. BTW, this first
patient came to see me in the hospital, has done very well, and looks
fantastic! Susan Open RNY 11/18/02, down 16+ lbs
— Susan A.
December 9, 2002
What KIND of surgery does he do? And if RNY, proximal, distal or customize
to taste? Why? HOW is it done? Not lap or open, but small details. How big
is the pouch? What shape? HOrizontal or vertical? Transected or not? Extra
ring or not? Those are important to know up front. The right answers can
reduce the need to "correct" it later by revision.
— vitalady
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