Question:
Has anyone here had Dr.Fallang for their surgeon
And can you tell me what you thought of his surgical abilities? Would you recommend him? What about the hopital he goes with - do you have to pay them up front if you are a self pay? I know Dr. Fallang has to be paid up front but I don't know about the hospital or the anesthiologist(sp) Thanks. — K T. (posted on March 21, 2001)
March 21, 2001
Hi! I had Dr. Fallang perform my open RNY 1/8/01. I believe him to be
incredibly skilled and caring. He really knows his stuff. There are many
people on this site that have used his services. Try this link
www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/mdcomments.phtml?N=k69
If this doesn't work go to the top of any page and click on find a doc then
go to Ohio and then to him. You can click on view comments and you will
find many who have used him as a surgeon. He really is a great guy. The
hospital is Middletown Regional and I believe them to be adequate. I was
not overly impressed but I do believe that my needs were sufficiently met.
The only mild complaint that I have is the nutritional followup is somewhat
lacking compared to others on this site. There is no dietician or
nutritionist. You are given information in a booklet explaining the diet
and post-op regimen. However, they are available if you do have any
questions. Your pre-op consultation is done in a group setting. Dr. Fallang
is the speaker and he is extremely thorough in his explanations and is very
open to questions. The consultation took about 4 hours. After that, I did
not see Dr. Fallang again until just before surgery. I have no
comorbidities. Maybe someone with more risk or a higher BMI he would see
pre-op on a one to one basis. But I am almost certain that he does not. The
preop tests that I had done were an upper GI and a gall bladder scan. That
was it. Not even any lab work. He does not routinely remove your gall
bladder. If there is something abnormal on the pre-op test, then he will.
He transects the stomach and I believe he bypasses 150cm. (he does the same
for everyone) He can do it lap, but prefers open. I believe at my
consultation he said that he had done 850 of these surgeries with only a
few lap. Post op in the hospital you would have no tubes connected except
the IV. NO NG tube, no catheter, no drains. He does not routinely admit to
ICU following surgery. The incision is not stapled. He uses internal
stitches and then applies a skin glue externally. this provided for me a
pencil-thin scar. Pain control was great. I had a demerol pump that I could
push when needed. Also, he uses liquid lortab. This was adequate for me. I
had surgery on Monday and was discharged on Wednesday. His post op diet
consists of clear liquids for 2 weeks. Then you return to the office for
another group session with the nurse and your diet is advanced to full
liquids for another 1-2 weeks and then to soft foods for another 2 weeks
and then solids at 6 weeks. You then return and see Dr. Fallang at 6 weeks
and again at 3 months.My 3 month appt. is next week. You are restricted
from lifting more thant 10-15 pounds for 8 weeks. He does not use binders.
He is not a big believer in protein supplements. At 2 weeks I had lost 25
pounds and at 6 weeks I had lost 47. I believe that I have lost about 60
pounds with only 60 left. As far as your questions about self-pay I do not
know. I was covered by my insurance. I received my statement from the
insurance company and I believe his fee was around $5500.00. Hope this was
helpful. Shelley
— Shelley.
March 21, 2001
Hi - I was originally going to use Dr. Fallang but chose not to - Here are
my reasons...Aftercare was very important to me..and I have spoken to
individuals who say he is a GREAT surgeon but his aftercare is really
lacking...also, I read somewhere on this site that he does not really meet
with his patients before surgery...I wanted a face to face with my surgeon
to discuss my medical problems personally...I chose Dr. Maguire from
Kettering...After I chose to have surgery, I found out that my bestfriend
also had this surgery .... 17 years ago!!!! Doctor Maguire assisted during
her surgery....he has a GREAT aftercare program....sees is patients 2 weeks
after surgery.....1 month after surgery, once a month for a year...and then
once a year for life...He is still keeping the numbers of surgery per week
down to 5, which makes me think..at least he is not herding his patients
through....THis is just my view on this....I am sure Dr. Fallang has many
patients out there who would swear by him....as I do Dr. Maquire...Good
Luck and research, research!! Oh yeah...why are you paying anything??
Your insurance should cover this....I know Dr. Maquires office had my
insurance approved very quickly!! Luv to Ya & All Karan
— chance2lv
March 23, 2001
Regarding the last post. How do you "stand by" a particular
surgeon while you are still pre-op? Just wondering... and to the one who
asked the question...Be careful from whom you get your advice. The last
post did not tell you that they were still pre-op and I don't believe that
anyone can stand by their surgeon until they have a successful outcome.
While they may like their personality and references, they can not
"know" until they have truly experienced their skills as a
surgeon. By the way I am sure that Dr. Maguire and Dr. Fallang are both
great doctors. But I would lend more credence to the one that said they
were post-op. Just my opinion.
— [Anonymous]
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